This thesis has been written in order to provide, especially for the non-German-reading musician, a fuller picture of Loewe and his ballads than has been available up to now. This picture is developed within the literary background history of the ballad poems, and the literary, mental, and musical climate at the beginning of the Romantic era; further, Loewe's life, as revealed in his many letters, his diaries, and his autobiography, provides the human context from which the ballads emerge as a logical extension of his personality. These earlier parts of the thesis have considerable bearing on the appreciation of Loewe's timely position in musical history, treating as they do with the popularity of the ballad poems, the rapid expansion of the means of musical/emotional expression, and the complete acceptance of that most romantic and versatile of soloinstruments, the piano. Loewe's temperamental affinity with the poetry of the ballads is shown to have affected his choice of subject, and in many cases the ultimate quality of the music is obviously dependent upon the strength or otherwise of his attraction. After observations on Loewe's vocal and piano writing, the thesis treats the ballads primarily with regard to their feeling and emotional content, and investigates the musical means by which this is conveyed. Categories are suggested, and ballads of similar dramatic, pictorial, or emotional type are discussed and compared. Certain formal characteristics are examined, in particular Loewe's use of highly organised motivic work in certain ballads, which foreshadows its later use by Liszt, Wagner and others. Over one hundred of Loewe's 120 ballads are dealt with, some in extensive detail~ and copious musical examples are given. The few comparatively well-known ballads receive due attention, but it was regarded as important to bring to light some of the more neglected or unknown ballads, many of which possess great beauty and originality, amply repaying study and, still more, performance. As a corollary, the approach of the performer is considered, and the Conclusion argues for an informed :esthetic appreciation of Loewe's ballads and their place in teday' s vocal repertoire.

E-commerce and m-commerce are, currently, both becoming a strong and important way of making business. This thesis aims to find out and analyze the reaction of people in front of the new phenomenon m-commerce in, not only, accessing to information, but also, conducting transactions through mobile devices.The reaction of people has been studied by observing and analyzing existing theories stating in m-commerce. The empirical studies were conducted through the administration of a questionnaire to a sample of 250 young European inhabitants. This survey aimed to collect primary data.The findings show that m-commerce in general is well perceived by customers. It can be a good way to make business depending on the sector companies are involving. Even if m-advertising can be considered as a good communication tool by companies, it appears that most of customers are not enthusiastic to receive any m-advertisement on their smart phone. However, companies can see in m-commerce a way to differentiate themselves such as offering m-payment possibility.

Thesis--M.A., University of Hong Kong. / Mimeographed.

No description available.

This thesis aims to explore both compositional and performance techniques associated with music for the left hand and the circumstances of its performance, thereby allowing a much clearer appraisal than has previously been available of canonic works for the medium. Leopold Godowsky's transcriptions of Chopin's Etudes, op. 10 and op. 25, in which the left hand alone persuasively executes music originally written for two hands, offer a starting point for such exploration. Maurice Ravel's Concerto pour la main gauche and Benjamin Britten's Diversions, op. 21 are two major works written specifically for the left-handed pianist; using both received and recontextualised techniques, they reveal quite different approaches to the medium. The commissioner of both was Paul Wittgenstein. His alterations to the pieces reveal both his priorities as a left-handed pianist and his creative and expressive impact on the works. As the artistic identity of the solo performer is so strikingly defined in these works, such a study invites us not only to consider issues related to left-hand pianism but also the contrasting claims of performer and composer, the possible manipulation of works in the formation of a performer's persona and, ultimately, the relationship between the score and performance itself. The impact of research undertaken for this thesis on my performance is investigated using Robert Saxton's Chacony for left hand as a case study.

Thesis (Ph.D.)--Washington University, 1994. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 266-283).

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Washington, 1993. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves [281]-299).

Thesis--Wisconsin. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 395-403).

Thesis (M.A.)--University of Wisconsin--Madison, 1963. / Typescript. eContent provider-neutral record in process. Description based on print version record. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 131-136).

Thesis, M.A., University of Hong Kong. / Also available in print.