This study takes as its stimulus the unusual dynamic markings in Beethoven’s String Quartet, Op. 130. Presenting an immediate interpretational problem for performers this leads to questions of execution and how this influences the character of the music. Whilst both analysts and performers use evocative metaphors to describe musical character, the explication of how this is achieved through performance has been little explored in academia. The study focuses on the intersection between metaphors found in the literature surrounding Beethoven’s late quartets and the performance choices made in eight renowned string quartet recordings. The ambiguity of Beethoven’s late style and unusual nature of his dynamic indications offer a fascinating case study of this intersection. The methodology uses metaphor as an analytical frame work through which discussions about performance decisions take place, suggesting one metaphor or another, usually in a spectrum of variations. This sees dynamics as a potential stimulus for manipulation of not just volume, but also vibrato, rubato, articulation, portamento and other factors often framed by the choice of tempo. Different treatments of these performance techniques suggest varying metaphorical characterisations. These are summarised through verbal descriptions of the performer’s choices with reference to the score. Chapter 1 focuses on two awkward dynamic markings that dominate the first movement: the hairpin crescendo to piano and rapid alternations of forte and piano in fast music. Chapter 2 focuses on hairpin swells which create not only unusual disruptions in the middle movements but also expansive lyricism in the Cavatina movement. Chapter 3 moves from localised dynamic markings to longer passages which are characterised by unusual dynamic stasis and descriptive terms in the Cavatina. This study shows how these dynamics have been interpreted in many different ways, through the variety and interaction of a number of different performance techniques. Far from establishing fixed definitions for these dynamics, this opens up possibilities for more expressive freedom for performers, not less.

This thesis traces the development of Maurice Ravel’s pianism in relation to sonority, nuance and expression by addressing four main areas of research that have remained largely unexplored within Ravel scholarship: the origins of Ravel’s pianism and influences to which he was exposed during his formative training; his exploration of innovative pianistic techniques with particular reference to thumb deployment; his activities as performer and teacher, and role in defining a performance tradition for his piano works; his place in the French pianistic canon. Identifying the main research questions addressed in this study, an Introduction outlines the dissertation content, explains the criteria and objectives for the performance component (Public Recital) and concludes with a literature review. Chapter 1 explores the pianistic techniques Ravel acquired during his formative training, and considers how his study of specific works from the nineteenth-century piano repertory shaped and influenced his compositional style and pianism. Chapter 2 discusses Ravel’s implementation of his idiosyncratic ‘strangler’ thumbs as articulators of melodic, harmonic, rhythmic and textural material in selected piano works. Ravel’s role in defining a performance tradition for his piano works as disseminated to succeeding generations of pianists is addressed in Chapter 3, while Chapters 4 and 5 evaluate Ravel’s impact upon twentieth-century French pianism through considering how leading French piano pedagogues and performers responded to his trailblazing piano techniques. It will be shown that through his activities as teacher and performer, as well as composer, Ravel took control of every detail pertaining to his piano works with his meticulously notated scores, piano roll recordings and interpretive guidance imparted to other pianists, thus catalysing performance practices that promulgated a distinctively French twentieth-century pianistic tradition.

My principal research question is: How can the directed devising techniques and principles of practice found in contemporary dance and theatre be adapted to the composition of music? The relationship between fixed material and improvisation within devised projects is often a grey area (see Etchells: 2013b). Some performances are tightly scored with little room for the performers to steer the performances - whereas other performances could be almost seen as free improvisation. The difference between improvisation and devising is always found in the performer’s relationship to the material. Devising processes can generate material whose definition is so elusive that its realisations vary wildly from night to night. But however inexpressible, devising material always has a definite meaning for the performers to which they return in every performance - seeking to generate new interactions and new connections. In every performance we search to find the ephemeral moments that might become a lasting memory. During my research, I have become increasingly interested in developing a performance practice that uses performer freedom to discover and stimulate unique experiences within performances. Although I feel I have made progress in moving towards this, I know that there is much more to explore in this practice.

A leucodistrofia metacromática (MLD) é um erro inato do metabolismo de herança autossômica recessiva, dividido em três subtipos clínicos de acordo com a idade de início dos sintomas. Na MLD ocorre deposição intralisossômica de glicolipídeos sulfatados principalmente no sistema nervoso central. A causa dessa doença é a deficiência de arilsulfatase A (ARSA), uma glicoproteína lisossômica que catalisa a hidrólise de glicolipídeos sulfatados constituintes da bainha de mielina. Até o momento cerca de 140 mutações relacionadas à manifestação de MLD foram descritas no gene da ARSA, das quais duas delas ocorrem com alta frequência na maioria das populações estudadas. Ademais, entre 7% e 12% das pessoas saudáveis têm deficiência in vitro de ARSA, condição denominada pseudodeficiência de ARSA (PD-ARSA). Não existem dados de caracterização genotípica de pacientes brasileiros com MLD. Da mesma forma, dados sobre a dinâmica molecular (DM) da ARSA também são escassos, em parte por dificuldades metodológicas implicadas no estudo desses aspectos em glicoproteínas. Nesse contexto, os objetivos desse trabalho foram identificar os alelos mutantes no gene da ARSA em pacientes brasileiros com MLD e avaliar os efeitos da glicosilação e do pH na DM da ARSA. A amostra foi composta por 27 pacientes com MLD. A mutação mais frequente (c.459+1G>A) e polimorfismos constituintes do alelo PD-ARSA foram detectados por PCR em tempo real e as demais mutações por sequenciamento direto do gene da ARSA. As DM realizadas foram de (i) ARSA não glicosilada em pH~7 e (ii) em pH~5, (iii) ARSA triplamente glicosilada e (iv) deficientemente glicosilada p.N350S, usando GROMACS. Nesse estudo a mutação c.459+1G>A foi a mais frequente (0,50), conforme esperado pela alta prevalência de pacientes com MLD infantil em nossa coorte. As mutações p.P426L (0,08) e c.103_110del8 (0,08) também apresentaram frequências relevantes quando comparadas às demais mutações. No conjunto, 11 mutações raras foram identificadas, incluindo 2 mutações novas: p.S44P e p.P284S. Além das mutações potencialmente deletérias, foram identificados 2 polimorfismos neutros frequentemente associados à mutação c.459+1G>A (p.W193C [0,54] e p.T391S [0,65]) e 2 polimorfismos constituintes do alelo PD-ARSA (p.N350S [0,15] e c.1524+95A>G [0,04]). As análises estruturais demonstraram um papel fundamental tanto da glicosilação, quanto do meio ácido na estabilidade da ARSA, o que é compatível com sua atividade lisossomal. / Metachromatic leukodystrophy (MLD) is an inborn error of metabolism inherited in an autosomal recessive manner. MLD is a neurodegenerative condition divided into three clinical types according to age at onset of symptoms. In MLD, intralysosomal deposition of sulfated glycolipids is observed mainly in the central nervous system. The biochemical defect associated to MLD is deficiency of arylsulfatase A (ARSA), a lysosomal glycoprotein that catalyzes degradation of sulfated glycolipids found in the myelin sheet. So far, around 140 MLD-associated mutations have been identified in ARSA gene. However, two of those remain at high frequency in the majority of studied populations. In addition to MLD, in vitro ARSA deficiency is observed in approximately 7-12% of healthy population, a condition named ARSA-pseudodeficiency (ARSA-PD). Up to date, there is no available data on genotypic characterization of Brazilian MLD patients. In the same way, data on ARSA molecular dynamics (MD) are also sparse, in part due by methodological difficulties related to studies of these aspects in glycoproteins. In this context, the aims of this work were to identify mutant alleles in the ARSA gene from MLD Brazilian patients, and evaluate the effects of pH and glycosylation in ARSA MD. Sample population was composed by 27 MLD patients. The most frequent MLD-associated ARSA mutation (c.459+1G>A) and the ARSA-PD polymorphisms were detected by real-time PCR, and the remaining mutations were detected by direct sequencing of ARSA gene. The performed MD were (i) non-glycosylated ARSA at pH~7 and (ii) at pH~5, (iii) fullyglycosylated ARSA at pH~5, and (iv) poorly-glycosylated ARSA-mutant p.N350S, using GROMACS. In this study the most frequent mutation was c.459+1G>A (0.50), as expected by the high prevalence of infantile-MLD cases. Mutations p.P426L (0.08) and c.103_110del8 (0.08) were also found at relevant frequencies when compared to other mutations. In total, 11 MLD-associated rare mutations were identified, including 2 novel putative disease-causing: p.S44P and p.P284S. Besides deleterious mutations, 2 polymorphisms frequently associated with c.459+1G>A (p.W193C [0.54] and p.T391S [0.65]) and 2 polymorphisms constituents of ARSA-PD allele (p.N350S [0.15] and c.1524+95A>G [0.04]) were observed. The structural analysis demonstrated the fundamental role related to glycosylation and the acid medium in the stability of ARSA that is compatible with its lysosomal activity.

Submitted by Etelvina Domingos (etelvina.domingos@ufpe.br) on 2015-03-11T18:25:15Z No. of bitstreams: 2 license_rdf: 1232 bytes, checksum: 66e71c371cc565284e70f40736c94386 (MD5) [Dissertação Final] Wagner_10102012.pdf: 4766538 bytes, checksum: 701225b28fd1842264b0d4b4bf12e105 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2015-03-11T18:25:16Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 2 license_rdf: 1232 bytes, checksum: 66e71c371cc565284e70f40736c94386 (MD5) [Dissertação Final] Wagner_10102012.pdf: 4766538 bytes, checksum: 701225b28fd1842264b0d4b4bf12e105 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2012-07 / CAPES / Este trabalho descreve os esforços para síntese de um de glicosídeos poliacetilênicos isolados da Mediasia macrophylla. A análise retrossintética levou a dois fragmentos principais: um glicosídeo contendo uma tripla ligação (Fragmento A) e um álcool contendo uma tripla e uma dupla ligação, ambas terminais (Fragmento B). O Fragmento C, precursor direto do Fragmento A foi preparado a partir de uma reação de O-glicosidação, utilizando-se uma quantidade catalítica de tetracloreto de telúrio. Para isso foi realizado um estudo para obter-se as melhores condições reacionais para promover a reação. Desse modo, o Fragmento C foi obtido em um rendimento de 90% e em uma proporção anomérica de 89:11 (α:β). Para a síntese do Fragmento B, o análogo protegido com o grupo TBDMS foi obtido com rendimento de 97%. Análogos estruturais do produto natural foram sintetizados através de duas metodologias distintas e diferentes estereosseletividades foram observadas para os produtos obtidos. Um estudo de resolução cinética do Fragmento B foi conduzido, para investigar as melhores condições para a acetilação de um dos enantiômeros do composto, em detrimento do outro. Finalmente, foi calculado o percentual de inibição do crescimento celular (IC%) a partir dos compostos sintetizados na dose única de 50 μg mL-1. O potencial citotóxico foi classificado como de substâncias com pouca atividade.

This study is a survey of how composers have represented children in opera from the late nineteenth century onwards. Operatic roles for children are analysed from a primarily technical perspective, with those written specifically for children's voices presented alongside those intended for adults playing children; then the relative merits of each approach is considered. A chronological list of child roles can be found in the introduction. Chapter 1 evaluates the ways in which opera composers have approached writing for children's voices; extracts from monologues, dialogues, ensembles and solos with instrumental accompaniment are analysed. Chapter 2 explores methods by which composers have evoked notions of childhood; examples of songs, nursery rhymes, lessons, learning, scale, fantasy, and tantrums are discussed. Chapter 3 treats the musical representation of the notions of innocence and experience in children's roles. Chapter 4 offers the author's recent opera, I'm the King of the Castle. as a case study in its use of many of the notions explored in the preceding chapters.

This is the first complete critical edition of the organ works of Kaikhosru Shapurji Sorabji (1892--‐1988). Of the three solo symphonies presented here only the first has previously appeared in print (Curwen, 1925). The other two works, both of hugely greater dimensions than the first, have not been published before although, in the late 1980s/early 90s, the present writer produced a hand‐copied edition of the second symphony that has been available in print form and in PDF through the Sorabji Archive since 1991.

The contribution of the Italian musicians who came to Scotland during the period c. 1720-1800 was both vigorous and influential. It encompassed practically every area of musical activity: from performance to teaching, from the composition and arrangement of music to its publication, from the "professional patronage" of other musicians to the establishment of publishing companies and businesses dealing in the music and musical instrument trade. This thesis reconstructs the Scottish careers of almost all of those Italian musicians who went to live and work in Edinburgh. Some of them are already well-known figures, even if most historians have only given them limited attention. Other Italian musicians had only been treated in passing, some had been overlooked completely. This study examines primary documents in detail, such as the Minute books and Plan Books that were kept by the Edinburgh Musical Society in the eighteenth century, and also newspapers that were printed in Edinburgh during this period, in order to throw light on their musical activities in the Scottish capital. Linked with the careers of the Italian musicians in Edinburgh between c. 1720-1800 is an investigation of the reception and perception of these musicians in Scotland. This has been based largely on eighteenth-century accounts, but also includes nineteenth- and twentieth-century commentaries on Scottish musical history and culture. This section has included a consideration of economic, religious and philosophical issues concerning opera and the production of stage plays in Edinburgh during this period. Finally, there is a survey of the music that the Italian musicians performed, composed and published. This has involved examining a large amount of published music as well as manuscript sources. My investigation into this field has revealed a repertoire of music that was unique to Scotland, with Italian and English classical music performed alongside arrangements of Scots folk-songs.

Spectral Immersions: A Comprehensive Guide To The Theory And Practice Of Bass Clarinet Multiphonics is a multi-component thesis that looks into the entire area of multiphonic analysis and composition for the bass clarinet. A literary section of the thesis looks at past publications and the problems associated with using this contemporary technique, in terms of both compositional and performance issues. A theoretical analysis of Type One multiphonics gives an insight into how multiphonics on the bass clarinet work in a more scientific way and their close relationship with the harmonic series. A complete analysis of Type Two multiphonics using past charts and new-found fingerings results in the creation of the new SW multiphonic charts for the bass clarinet. The new SW charts are fully tested by correcting problems in past compositions by means of several student compositional projects at various UK universities. Finally, a new set of études and pieces have been commissioned by composers from the UK and abroad. The results and successes of the pieces and new SW charts are analysed and can be listened to via accompanying audio and data CDs. The results of this thesis provide both performers and composers with an accurate, exhaustive and up-to-date usable publication. Not only does this thesis provide a new set of multiphonic charts, but the addition of compositional examples using multiphonics provides both practice and recital material for performers and useful compositional technique hints and advice for composers wishing to use this resource in the future.

This thesis is the first major investigation of tuk and documents an important part of Barbados' heritage. It also opens up opportunities for further research to be undertaken in Barbadian music and in related fields elsewhere in the Caribbean region. This thesis explores the history, development and recontextualisation of Barbadian tuk music. The history of Barbados is examined before considering Barbadian culture and how a Barbadian national identity was increasingly sought during the twentieth century, particularly after Independence. Music during the period of slavery, African music and British military music, the major influences on tuk, are explored before a study of the instruments, rhythms and repertoire of tuk. Types of tuk, and tuk-type musics elsewhere are examined and tuk is compared with other musics. Modern tuk musicians, their treatment of tuk, and how tuk has been, and continues to be, recontextualised is explored. The history, organisation and roles of the Barbados Landship, an organisation modelled on the British Royal Navy, but which never goes to sea, are considered together with the Landship's relationship with the tuk band. Finally, an overview of music and festivals in Barbados today places tuk in the country's musical scene. This thesis argues that tuk is predominantly a music that originated from imitating European military fife and drum bands, and that the African elements of it are to be found in rhythmic improvisation and some African retentions that have direct parallels with military fife and drum bands. It also argues that tuk exhibits characteristics similar to musics found elsewhere that can be attributed to the effects of the slave trade, colonialism and migration. In addition, the thesis argues that the Landship's relationship with the tuk band is a continuation of a naval tradition.