There exists a need to explore the music of living composers--to acknowledge and advocate the merit of his or her own culture as evidenced in musical composition. Richard Bruce Faith is a living American composer who served a tenured position at The University of Arizona from 1961-1988, in the School of Music. The merit of Faith's music has been established through discussion of his compositions in professional music journals, bibliographical reviews, newspaper reviews, and graduate research documents. Many of his songs, piano works and orchestral compositions have been published. His operas have been and are continuing to be performed. Publication of Faith's compositions has historically been achieved after continuing discussion in professional journals and after regular performances have created a demand for his product. The choral works of Richard Faith are not published at this time. The choral compositions are an interesting and varied group. Their quality is consistent within the composer's compositional whole. Seventeen of the eighteen choral works were commissioned by or composed with a specific performing choir in mind. The suitability of these compositions for distinct types of choral forces is an obvious result of Faith's pre-defined compositional strictures. For instance, the four anthems for church choir are less demanding than the Three Songs for Male Chorus, which were written for a semi-professional community chorus. The compositional tools which define Faith's unique style also characterize the musical requirements necessary for a successful performance of the individual works. This measure of requisite musicianship is clear in the choral works. In fact, their origin as commissioned works and the intention of specific musicians to perform the works, determined how Faith would use his compositional tools. The search for new music suited to the abilities of singers and accompanists is an ongoing challenge for many choral conductors. Publication of Richard Faith's choral works would answer the need for new music among the great diversity of choirs. Publication of this interesting compositional body would also acknowledge a fine American composer.

No description available.

There is no abstract available for this dissertation.

The purpose of this dissertation is to organize, summarize, and present the choral works of Robert A. Hobby in an annotated bibliography. These annotations, along with seven appendices, serve as a reference tool with church musicians and other choir directors in mind. Robert A. Hobby is a native Indiana composer who now resides in Fort Wayne, Indiana, and has over seventy choral works in publication. A biographical chapter about Robert A. Hobby, including his musical education and influences; and a chapter about his style characteristics, including analyses of selected choral works, precedes the annotations. Much of the information obtained for this study came directly through interviews and meetings with Mr. Hobby. The annotations themselves are detailed entries that address a variety of criteria including, but not limited to, year of composition, voicing, instrumentation, meter, key, difficulty, and a general description of the work. Much of this information is included concisely in six of the appendices, in a variety of quick reference formats. / School of Music

The purpose of this study was to develop and apply an experimental grading system to sonatas written by American-born composers from 1950 to 1975. Although several authors have addressed the problem of grading or classifying piano music, there are generally no precise criteria provided to substantiate the validity of their systems. The present author discovered some significant and innovative yet generally neglected piano sonatas.The grading system in this research was based on the physiological factors effecting the pianist's development. These factors include: 1) Equality of Fingers (finger independence and mobility); 2) Passage of the Thumb (scales and arpeggios); 3) Double-Note and Polyphonic Playing; 4) Extensions (stretches between the fingers); and 5) Arm Rotation (execution of chords and octaves). In addition, since factors such as retuning of the instrument., polyrhythms, and improvisation can make a moderate or intermediate piece into a difficult one, a Special Problem category was added.Each of the six physiological divisions are assigned a numerical. difficulty level from one to ten. The divisions are then averaged and assigned a final "grade" as follows:Easy 1 (E-1)=1.0-1.9; Easy 2 (E--2)=2.0-2.9; Moderate 1 (M-1)--3.0--3.9; Moderate 2 (M-2)=4.0-4.9; Intermediate 1 (I-1)=5.0--5.9; Intermediate 2 (I-2)=6.0-6.9; Difficult. 1 (D-1)=7.0--7.9; Difficult 2 (D-2)=8.0-8.9; Virtuoso (V)=9.0.Eighty--six sonatas were reviewed and graded. These compositions represent a broad selection of works of various degrees of difficulty. By knowing the student's abilities and needs, the piano instructor may use this study to select sonatas that correspond to the appropriate level of attainment.Of the works reviewed, the majority fall into the Moderate category. This was not an unusual finding in that certain pianistic development is required before being able to play the scores. The grading system differs from previous systems in that it provides criteria for the placement of the works into a difficulty rating based on the physiological factors affecting the pianist's development.

There is no abstract available for this dissertation.

This study was intended to acquaint trombonists with the vast amount of French solo literature and pedagogical materials available, as well as to promote an understanding of their origins and uses. The dissertation is divided into two major sections: (1) the history of the Paris Conservatory and its trombone teachers; (2) a comprehensive catalog of solos and etude materials. The Paris Conservatory, the prototype for the modern conservatory, is an important aspect of the historical overview. Specifically created at the end of the eighteenth century to raise the standards of French music, it has combined a conservative musical atmosphere, a faculty of artist-teachers, and rigorous requirements into a training program which has received international acclaim. An essential part of the Conservatory's training program are annual instrumental competitions held for each instrument. In the case of the trombone, commissioned content solos originated in 1897 with the Solo de Concert, No. 2 by Paul Vidal. Since 1897, fifty-one composers have been commissioned to write a total of fifty-eight trombone solos as contest pieces. These fifty-one composers, most of whom were themselves students at the Conservatory, are among the most noted musicians France has produced. All the trombone contest solos are listed in Chapter 4, and each solo has been graded as to degree of difficulty according to the European rating system. The first official teacher of trombone at the Conservatory was Antoine-Guillaumie Dieppo, the most celebrated French trombonist of his time. Since his tenure as a teacher at the Conservatory (1830-1871), all subsequent professors of trombone have been products of the system. France's educational program is centrally administered and trains all deserving students. National examinations administered at the end of secondary study serve as the determinant factor for the eligibility of students to higher levels of education. Instrumental music study in French public schools is sorely neglected, and often requested by educators. This literature is monumental, too little known, and largely misunderstood. It should be included in all trombone curricula.

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Throughout the history of band music, works by women have received little, if any, acclaim. While some of the reasons for this lack of acknowledgment are grounded in the historical development of the band and the social restrictions of the times, an even greater problem has been the lack of reference sources concerning band works composed by women. Likewise, the works themselves are frequently unpublished. This study compiles a dictionary of American women composers who have written for band during the period from 1865 to 1996 and a catalogue of these works.The introduction presents a brief analysis of the status of the woman composer and her relationship with the historical development of the band tradition. A guide to the use of the dictionary outlines the decisions that were made in the compilation and presentation of the material. The actual dictionary includes entries for more than two hundred women who have composed at least one original composition for band. Each composer is represented by a biographical sketch including education; list of awards, honors, and grants; reference citations; and a catalogue of known band works. The list of works presents as much information as possible including title, year of composition and/or publication, level of difficulty, duration, and availability. Beyond the biographical entries, the 572 compositions for band composed by women are listed in the appendixes in four different formats: alphabetized by title of composition, alphabetized by composer's last name, listed by level of difficulty, and listed by year of composition or publication.Works range in difficulty from those that are intended for use with a beginner band, to compositions that were commissioned by the professional service bands of the United States. It is no surprise that the majority of these works were composed post-1970. The study makes no attempt to evaluate the musical value of any of the cited works, but rather is intended as an initial reference on the subject. It also raises several questions concerning the place of these works in the marketplace and in relation to other creative fields. / School of Music