The object of this thesis is neither to prove nor to disprove any specific theory or theories, but to conduct an impartial investigation into the fields of musical history and of musical criticism, and to allow such facts as may be ascertained to speak for themselves. Any conclusions reached will be only such as actual facts appear to warrant or to justify.

Thesis (M.A.)--Concordia University, 1997. / Includes bibliographical references.

Ernest Reyer's career as music critic spanned the second half of the nineteenth century. For more than thirty years he held the position of music critic of the Journal des Debats, one of the most respected newspapers in nineteenth-century France. He also contributed regularly to four journals and the daily Courrier de Paris, and wrote as well for other newspapers and periodicals. Reyer was in addition a conductor and a noted composer, whose major musical works—the operas Sigurd and Salammbo--were performed frequently at the Paris Opera until after the turn of the century. This study deals with Reyer the critic: as a writer on music, he did much to raise the level of musical taste in France during the last third of the century. The dissertation contains ten chapters and two appendices. Chapter I provides a biographical sketch of Reyer before focusing on his personality and his music. Chapter II surveys Reyer's literary legacy: the extent of his writings in newspapers, periodicals, and other publications; his musical preferences; subjects of considerable importance to Reyer; his literary style; and the two compilations of his writings (Notes de musique and Quarante ans de musique, which together represent less than ten percent of his literary production). Chapter III demonstrates that Reyer believed his role as critic was to educate the public, and that he sought to fulfil this role by founding his approach to critical writing on three basic tenets: professional knowledge of music; intellectual integrity; and the consistent application of an aesthetic. The principles of his aesthetic and the consistency of their application are illustrated in Chapter IV through consideration of Reyer's judgments of operatic composition and performance. The next five chapters examine Reyer's writings on topics and composers of particular importance to him. Chapter V studies his views on the complex situation in Parisian lyric theatres during the second half of the nineteenth century, and offers a detailed picture of his conception of an ideal theatre. Chapter VI discusses Reyer's attempts to stimulate public interest in Gluck, Spontini, and Weber, whose works for lyric theatre were either neglected in Paris or known mainly through mutilated versions. Chapter VII outlines Reyer's long struggle—as both critic and conductor—to establish Berlioz's reputation in France. Reyer's advocacy was so effective that some of his countrymen eventually credited him with having done more than anyone else to bring honor to Berlioz in his homeland. Reyer also played a major role in establishing Wagner's music in France, as is shown in Chapter VIII. Chapter IX demonstrates that Reyer's support was important in launching and sustaining the careers of many contemporary French composers, including Gounod, Saint-Saens, Bizet, and Lalo. The final chapter summarizes Reyer's achievement as a writer on music. Among the subjects discussed are the strong influence of Berlioz's writings on both Reyer's literary style and his aesthetic, and the impact of Reyer's writings on Parisian musical life. Appendix A contains an annotated bibliography of Reyer's more than seven hundred critical writings, with an explanation of how they were culled from newspapers and periodicals. Appendix B is a list of other published writings by Reyer. Our examination of his criticism reveals that it would be of interest to have Reyer's complete works available collected volumes. / Arts, Faculty of / Music, School of / Graduate

No description available.

Thesis (Ph.D.)--McMaster University, 2001. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 303-334). Also available via World Wide Web.

In his article 'The Death of the Author', Roland Barthes posits that the intentions and identity of an author are irrelevant to the understanding of an artwork. Yet in his analysis of a text by Balzac, Barthes inadvertently demonstrates that there are basic thematic categories associated with an artist's identity, which are intrinsic to a work's interpretation. This thesis proposes that the author of an artwork functions as a semiotic curator, collating signifiers from within these external categories in order to reflect their understanding of the world. Taking as a case study Nicholas Maw's 1976 score Life Studies - a piece described by the composer as being based on his own life - this experiential understanding of identity and self is explored through the lens of David Hume's bundle theory, where the unified experience of self is created through the collection of a series of perceptions. This thesis hypothesises that there are five key categories of perception that constitute Maw's artistic self in Life Studies: simulacra, narrative, design, agency, and nostalgia. Methodologically, these five areas - or rhizomes - are presented through a tripartite study, in an attempt to combine the three distinct disciplines which the philosopher Gilles Deleuze believed approached a holistic understanding of reality: philosophy, analysis, and - in the accompanying portfolio - composition (creativity).

No description available.

It is the aim of this thesis to trace the short history of rock journalism, to examine the factors that led to its development, and to evaluate Rolling stone, the most successful rock magazine and the only one to attract a general-interest audience. Emphasis was placed on the factual development of the publications. Personalities were not developed and a statistical content analysis was avoided in favor of an interpretation of trends. Rock journalism has not yet received an objective evaluation. Its treatment in the several books on the underground press has been superficial and couched in political or even moral terms. By every indication, the rock magazines have exerted more influence than have the underground newspapers and should be accorded proper study. / text

The song " Montreal ", by Ariane Moffatt, has achieved a great success in the Summer of 2006. This thesis scrutinizes the causes of this popularity. After a review of the diverse existing methods in popular music research, three modes of analysis are presented. First, the study shown here describes the song through a music-theoretical approach; it observes the rules governing the voice, the melody, the rhythm, the phrases, the bass, the tonality, the chords, and the instruments used, supported by a precise transcription of the song. Then, this paper studies the musical codes that are found in "Montreal". In this section, the musical message of the piece is analyzed, while taking in consideration the sociohistorical context of the Summer of 2006, the national history that preceded the release of this piece, and the lyrics of the song. Finally, this study investigates the issue of national identity in Quebec, the place of "Montreal" into the collective imagination of Quebeckers, and the popular music tradition of the province.

Orientador: Renato José Pinto Ortiz / Dissertação (mestrado) - Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Instituto de Filosofia e Ciências Humanas / Made available in DSpace on 2018-08-27T16:25:37Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Leal_LuaFerreira_M.pdf: 1646864 bytes, checksum: 6547ce2b528081a4bbbbaff2377d032f (MD5) Previous issue date: 2015 / Resumo: O passado é ordenado mediante a definição de princípios de classificação e a atribuição de níveis de relevância dos fatos históricos. A música popular entre as décadas de 1960 e 1970 era objeto de reflexão na imprensa enquanto as pesquisas no âmbito universitário estavam voltadas para outros enfoques de interpretação da sociedade brasileira. Mesmo com a recente inserção da música popular nos debates de cientistas sociais e historiadores profissionais, a escrita da história efetuada por jornalistas ainda forma o núcleo dos "clássicos" da bibliografia sobre o tema. A fonte principal das referências sobre a música popular nos centros urbanos do Brasil pode ser encontrada em um conjunto de textos publicados desde o século XIX por memorialistas e cronistas. A partir da década de 1960, Ary Vasconcelos, José Ramos Tinhorão e Sérgio Cabral, devido à ampla circulação de seus textos e à dimensão de seus acervos com discos, documentos e objetos relacionados à história da música popular brasileira, conquistaram prestígio como "redescobridores" dos músicos do passado. A produção intelectual dos historiadores não acadêmicos ¿ em sua maioria, profissionais das redações de jornais e revistas ¿ pode ser analisada como diagnóstico das transformações sociais na segunda metade do século XX. Para os historiadores-jornalistas convertidos ao posto de pesquisadores da música, a alegada "autenticidade" do elemento popular confere os traços da identidade brasileira. Os textos de Ary Vasconcelos, José Ramos Tinhorão e Sérgio Cabral serão analisados para a compreensão da construção dos pilares do panteão da música popular brasileira entre a década de 1960 e o início da década de 1980. Na condição de defensores do "popular", os três autores conciliam a busca pela preservação da música com características tidas como nacionais e a repreensão aos desvios à "tradição", os quais ocorrem com a comercialização da cultura do "povo" brasileiro / Abstract: The past is ordered by the definition of classification principles and the assignment of levels of relevance of historical facts. Popular music in the 1960s and 1970s was an object of reflection in the press while research in the university was focused on other approaches to interpretation of Brazilian society. Despite the recent inclusion of popular music in discussions among social scientists and professional historians, the writing of history made by journalists still forms the core of the "classics" of literature on the theme. The main source of reference to popular music in urban centers in Brazil can be found in a set of texts published since the 19th century by witnesses and chroniclers. From the 1960s, Ary Vasconcelos, José Ramos Tinhorão and Sérgio Cabral ¿ given the wide circulation of their texts and the size of their collections of records, documents and objects related to the history of Brazilian popular music ¿ gained prestige as "rediscoverers" of the musicians of the past. The intellectual production of non-academic historians (mostly newspapers and magazines newsrooms professionals) may be taken as a diagnosis of social changes in the second half of the 20th century. For these journalist-historians converted to the position of music researchers, the alleged "authenticity" of the popular element conveys the Brazilian identity. The writings of Ary Vasconcelos, José Ramos Tinhorão and Ségio Cabral are analyzed in order to understand the building of the Brazilian popular music pantheon pillars between the 1960s and the early 1980s. In the condition of guardians of "the popular", the three authors concile the pursuit for preserving the music characterized as national and reprehending of deviations to the "tradition", defined as commercialization of the brazilian "popular" culture / Mestrado / Sociologia / Mestre em Sociologia