Benjamin Britten has written solo and chamber works for the harp which extend harp technique and contribute to a twentieth century public awareness of the instrument. Unlike the majority of harp composers, Britten was internationally known and not a harpist himself. His works form a large part of all contemporary harp literature, yet his solo work and composition for harp and high voice are rarely played because of their difficulty. An examination of A Ceremony of Carols (1942), Suite for Harp (1969), and A Birthday Hansel (1975), will illustrate his contribution to harp performance and technique, and will serve as a valuable resource for harpists.

The "Concerto for Trumpet" by Henri Tomasi is a work which has enjoyed increasing popularity in recent years. Two recordings of the concerto have been made by the French performers, André and Thibaud, and while it has been a part of the standard repetoire in France for a number of years, its popularity in the United States has been fairly recent. This concerto has gained a secure place in the trumpet repetoire for American performers, and it has been performed with some frequency at the conventions of the International Trumpet Guild. In spite of the recent interest in this work, very little has been written about the Concerto, and information in the English language on Tomasi's life and musical works is very limited. It is the intention of this study, therefore, to provide a better understanding of the Concerto for Trumpet by Henri Tomasi with the goal of directing the performer toward a more informed and authentic performance of this important work for trumpet. In order to provide a thorough understanding of Tomasi's Concerto, this study will first examine the area of French trumpet music, both orchestral and solo, and its relationship to the work. The second section of this project deals with the life and work of the composer which is followed by an analysis of the Concerto.

This document is really a tale of two Heinrichs. The first is the famous seventeenth-century German musician, Heinrich Schütz (1585- 1672), composer of the Musikalische Exequien (S WV 279 -281). The second is Prince Heinrich Posthumus von Reuss (1572- 1635), for whose funeral the Exequien was written. Portraits of both men appear on the opposite page.

The purpose of this study is to provide historical information, analytical material, and to discuss performance problems and teaching techniques relative to the Concertino da Camera by Jacques Ibert. A number of articles have been written concerning the premiere date and the necessity for the saxophonist to perform certain passages in the extreme high register of the instrument. The known arguments will be presented and discussed. The main purpose of this study is to examine and offer solutions to challenging performance situations which both teachers and performers encounter during study of the Concertino. A Technical Problems List was constructed and possible solutions are discussed based upon a survey of professional saxophonists and the performing experience of the researcher. The survey results have proved invaluable and many references are made to the practice methods of the survey respondents. The Concertino da Camera was selected for this study because of its musical value, frequency of performance, level of difficulty and appropriateness for educational use. In a survey conducted in 1973 by Cecil Gold, 120 professional saxophonists were requested to list examples of repertoire which they have students perform. The Concertino was listed as the fourth most frequently chosen work at the undergraduate level and the first choice at the graduate level, and is recognized as one of the most musically rewarding works in the solo literature for the saxophone. Two texts by Teal and books by Farkas and Gold served as primary reference material as the researcher identified and offered solutions to performance challenges during construction of the performance analysis. Two books, by Pottle and Stauffer, which discuss the intonation problems of wind instruments, were also helpful. In tracing the history of the Concertino, the researcher found books by Hemke and Rousseau, and articles by Rascher to be helpful. The Concertino da Camera, written in 1935, is representative of the most prolific period of Ibert's artistic production. In Chapter 1, this period and the history of the Concertino are examines. A discussion of the formal structure followed by a description of the music will be given in Chapter 2. Problems of technique, intonation, tonal matching, articulation, rhythm, range and special fingerings will be detailed in Chapter 3. The writer feels that the Concertino da Camera is an outstanding composition which is deserving of reputable performances. It is hoped that the results of the research will benefit the educator and performer of this challenging composition.

Francis Poulencs musical setting of La Voix Humaine, a one-act monodrama by Jean Cocteau, has enjoyed many successful performances since the premiere at the Paris Théâtre National de l'Opéra-Comique in February, 1959. Cocteau's original play (1932) was inspired by a crossed-wire" telephone conversation which he overheard in 1930. The play has become an international success, and requires the talents of a gifted actress. La Voix Humaine (hereafter LVH) is one of three unique stage works by Poulenc. All of his operas were composed late in his life and reflect a variety of libretto types. His first opera, Les Mamelles de Tirésias (1947), was a one-act comic opera. This satirical and humorous subject may be greatly contrasted with his full-length tragic opera, Les Dialogues des Carmélites (1957). In view of its monodramatic construction and the sensual tragic-romantic use of the orchestra, LVH stands alone as a specialized and demanding work for the theatre.

The lecture recital was given April 23, 1973. A discussion of trends and parallels in Impressionist music and painting included information about specific technical devices and innovations related to and common to the arts of music and painting, as seen in the Miroirs of Ravel. Slides of Impressionist paintings were used as illustrations. The five pieces of the Miroirs were then performed by memory.

Great clarinet virtuosi have always been involved in the expansion of the repertoire for their instrument. In some cases they were themselves gifted composers--a good example being Franz Tauch--but their greatest contribution by far has been their ability to inspire other, better composers to devote the time and creative energy necessary to the composition of major works for an instrument not usually thought of as a major solo medium. Johann Simon Hermstedt's collaboration with Louis Spohr is a lesser known example of such composer-clarinet virtuoso partnerships which have included, among others, Mozart and Stadler, Weber and Baermann, and Brahms and Muehlfeld.

Though the Danish composer, Carl Nielsen, has become familiar to most of us only through his symphonic output, he was a gifted composer of other genres including chamber music, keyboard music, concertos, vocal music, and lesser orchestral works. His music is well-known throughout Scandinavia, but has not received widespread recognition elsewhere, though much of it could be a valuable addition to the repertory of Western musicians. In view of this fact, the author will outline Nielsen's output and style with special emphasis on his violin music and its appropriateness for performance.

The purpose of this paper is to document the results of the research required to conscientiously prepare a performance of The Diary of One Who Vanished, by Leos Janacek. Too often, vocalists and instrumentalists alike find themselves in a performance not knowing the bare essentials needed to produce an acceptable performance. Research is necessary in the following areas: life history of the composer as well as historical and political conditions of his surroundings, compositional style of the composer and specific tools which he used in the composition of the music to be performed and, if the composition is vocal, a thorough investigation of the text. Only after a complete study in these areas can a performance of any music be intelligently given.

No description available.