In 1926, after rejoining the Russian Orthodox Church, Igor Stravinsky began composing religious music. These religious works provided a creative outlet for Stravinsky’s personal interest in religion and religious philosophy and also revealed Stravinsky’s professional exploration of a new musical genre. His personal religiosity played an integral role in the composition of these pieces by originally inspiring the subject of the works, and later providing intellectual stimulation during the composition process. This thesis will examine three of Stravinsky’s religious works from his Neo-Classical period, including Otche Nash, Symphony of Psalms, / Thesis / Master

towards silos and smokestacks takes its name from the Silos and Smokestacks Heritage Area. In 1996, the northeast third of Iowa became a federally designated heritage area to pass on the story of American agriculture to younger generations. I spent much of my childhood growing up in Iowa. On my many trips through the state, two contrary aspects in the surrounding landscape caught my fascination. First, there are the vast cornfields that expand outwards for miles fading off beyond the horizon. Second, this countryside is home to countless grain silos and billowing smokestacks of small Midwestern cities. These monoliths can be seen miles away like small islands within Iowa’s rolling agricultural oceans. As I drew closer to these structures, they would slowly grow into colossal pillars giving a vertical, albeit fleeting, dimension to the scenery before disappearing once again into the distance. This piece is an attempt to juxtapose this sense of vastness and the monoliths that interrupt the sprawling “amber waves of grain” through the use of spatial aspects and ever expanding register.

This study was made, first, to compile the prerequisites and requirements for a master's degree in music from sixty-two of the colleges and universities of the National Association of Schools of Music; second, to compare the standards found from the observation of these data with those requirements at North Texas State Teachers College; third, to secure such information as would be useful in improving the graduate curriculum in the Department of Music at North Texas State Teachers College. It is the further aim of this investigation to aid any student interested in advanced study in any field of music to determine which college or university offers the most appropriate curriculum for his present need. This is the first study, as far as the investigator knows, ever made of this particular problem.

Three original suites, composed during 2008-2009, are presented and discussed with respect to form, style, and compositional techniques. The subjects are Suite No. 1 (clarinet and piano), Suite No. 2: For Paul, A Master of Music (clarinet, piano, double bass and drums), and Suite No. 3: L'Chaim (two clarinets, flugelhorn, French horn, bandoneon, piano, violin, and cello). Common to all three pieces is the inspiration of klezmer, a Jewish music genre that, during its reemergence over the past thirty-five years, has welcomed the influence of other musical styles. In keeping with the eclectic nature of klezmer, each suite builds upon the previous one with regard to instrumentation, style and technique, and embraces additional genres (jazz and tango). Brief reviews regarding the history and musical characteristics (including modes, ornamentation and improvisation, song types and instrumentation) for all the included genres are also presented for the benefit of compositional context. / by Alison Weiner. / Thesis (M.A.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2010. / Includes bibliography. / Electronic reproduction. Boca Raton, Fla., 2010. Mode of access: World Wide Web.