Thesis (D.M.A.)--University of Maryland, College Park, 2006. / For violin and piano. Compact discs; 1st disc on DVD.

Thesis (D.M.A.)--University of Maryland, College Park, 2007. / Compact discs.

Thesis (D.M.A)--University of Maryland, College Park, 2005. / Compact discs.

Musical analysis has traditionally been located within the context of musicology. It is therefore an activity usually considered the purview of music scholars rather than practical musicians. The musical analyses produced by music scholars therefore provide us with intellectual understandings of musical works, rather than insights into the experience of listening to or playing music. In this thesis, I will propose that those agents involved in practical music-making can produce insights into musical works that are as valid as the work of traditional music scholarship. I will attempt to re-conceptualize the position of the ‘knower’ or ‘experiencer’ - the performer - of music as one with primary access to knowledge of a musical work, and therefore ideally suited to offer analyses of these works. The establishment of the performer as a bearer of central analytical knowledge functions in direct opposition to the traditional distinction between ‘theory’ and ‘practice’. My thesis will trace the Platonic origins of the philosophical separation of practice and research, and as an alternative to the traditional separation of practice and research, I shall explore the concept of Practice-Based Research (PBR). My exploration of PBR will be informed by phenomenological approaches to music scholarship. As a field of enquiry which concerns itself with experience, the phenomenology of music suggests that the mind and body of the practitioner are important sources of musical insight. To address this issue, Bourdieu’s notion of habitus will be explored. The habitus will be shown to contain a vast network of socio-cultural codes informing the practitioner’s relationship with the musical work. A central aim of this thesis is to explore the possibilities of using practice-based research as the foundation for the study and analysis of a composition, in order to allow for a deeper understanding of the work by means of the generation and harnessing of practical knowledge. Thus, the theoretical outline of PBR provided in this thesis will be applied to a piece of practical performance-based analysis. As such, an analysis of Mahler’s Quartetsatz will be used as the basis on which to draw knowledge in this project.

Musikstück für den Musikschulbereich, Violine und Klavier

Twelve-tone music illustrates many characteristics relative with those of conventional tonal form, though works are based on a different composition method. The fundamental question of twelve-tone music arises in debate on terminology between tonal and atonal as well as methodology of musical analysis. Certain theorists try to approach twelve-tone music by traditional harmonic views rather than by pitch-class set theory. Conventional harmonic aspects arise from the fact that both tonal and twelve-tone music share similar narrative strategies. This point is explored in examining Anton Webern's Quartet for Violin, Clarinet, Tenor-Saxophone and Piano, Op. 22, which displays connection to tonal music. The present study seeks to examine certain features of the composer's working in pitch materials; i.e., the dispositions of pitch classes and the characteristics of the matching dyads, and thereby to disclose the connection between twelve-tone methods and conventional harmony.

Different sections or movements of a piece are associated with each other and contain the composer essential thought. A vague affinity of mood and a resembling theme or form testifies to the relationship. However, the evidence is insufficient to reveal the unification of the different sections or movements since these are under restraint of external music proofs. In order to figure out the relationship, thus, identical musical substance should be discovered. In the study the substantial evidence, which can be called unity or unification, is mainly discussed. The unity is illustrated with Brahms's Horn Trio, Op.40 that is one of the Brahms's significant works. The unity found in the Horn Trio is based on the internal structure and structural voice-leading notes. The unity in the Horn Trio is the fundamental structural unity that is divided into initial ascent and voice exchange, and fundamental voice-leading motive. The fundamental unity seriously affects the master piece and penetrates the movements as a whole. Further, it reveals the hidden connections to the historical background of the Horn Trio and the philosophy of Brahms for the music. Even though a piece consists of several sections or movements, the entire piece presents homogeneity. The identity of the composer's underlying philosophical thought suffices to discern the musical unity in a piece. Thus, the investigation of unity is one of the critical ways to understand not merely a piece but also the philosophy of a composer. The study will help to enhance the audience's interpretation of music.