published_or_final_version / Music / Master / Master of Philosophy

Though delicating himself to piano solo music writings, Frederic Chopin did compose the piano trio op.8 around 1828-29. According to the literature discussion, Chopin visit Austria few times and gain quite a few new ideas and experiences in music during 1820¡¦s. This brought him boundless inspiration and excitement on music creating. Because of these influences, he attempted to compose some chamber music and piano concertos. At the same time, Chopin followed his professor Joseph Elsner to study 18th century theory. The piano trio op.8 was created under this situation. Many scholars¡¦ point out Chopin¡¦s compositions of this time was overtaken by whatever he was taught. Though piano trio op.8, Chopin shows a great deal of Romantic spirit and personal idea in this music. This paper includes five parts. First, the development of piano trio before 1830¡¦s is explored. The second part focuses on chamber works of Chopin. The third part includes the early musical style of Chopin and the historical background of the piano trio op.8. The fourth part epitomizes the functions of theme and motive in piano trio op.8. The fifth part includes the interaction among three instruments and the tempo rubato for practical performances. Finally, a conclusion will be made.

EMF Duration: c.a. 15 minutes Robert Max Stoffregen, M. Music The University of Texas at Austin, 2012 Supervisor: Russell Pinkston Co- Supervisor: Bruce Pennycook This piano trio is an extension of my work in the area of chamber music composition, and constitutes the single largest work of mine in this area. Chamber music is the most significant area of my work as a composer, and this composition represents an attempt to expand the scope of my chamber works from single movement, contiguous pieces, to a multiple movement concert length work. The titles of each of the movements of EMF are abstracted from song lyrics by indie-rock singer/songwriters Bill Callahan, John Vanderslice, and hip-hop producer/vocalist Eligh. Each movement borrows musical material from its respective song and develops significantly the given musical “seed” according to various compositional techniques. It was my hope from the beginning that this type of referencing and borrowing might lend the music freshness, and at the very least, form a connection between my work as a composer and my musical tastes and experiences as an objective listener. There are no programmatic intentions behind EMF. / text

abstract: ABSTRACT The purpose of this study is to analyze Tunes from My Home, a Trio for Violin, Cello, and Piano by Chinese-American composer Chen Yi (b. 1953), as well as to provide a performance guide from a collaborative pianist's perspective. Of Cantonese origin herself, Chen Yi composed several works inspired by Cantonese music, including this trio. Chen Yi composed this trio between 2007 and 2008 and dedicated it to her long time friend pianist Pan Xun, who is also of Cantonese origin. Inspired by this shared Cantonese heritage, Chen Yi incorporated within this work three well-known Cantonese tunes, Cantonese instrumental techniques and sonorities, and elements of the shifan luogu, a wind and percussion ensemble often used in traditional Cantonese music. Coming from the same region as the composer, the author of this paper feels connected with this piece, and as a collaborative pianist, has the opportunity to introduce Cantonese music to a wider audience through the piano trio. Chapter one introduces the motivation for this study. Chapter two provides a brief biography of Chen Yi. Chapter three introduces the history, the scales, and the instruments of Cantonese music as well as other Cantonese influences on this trio, especially the three tunes. Chapter four includes a detailed analysis of each movement in terms of the form and application of the tunes and rhythms of Cantonese music. Chapter five shares the author’s experience of approaching and interpreting this piece in an appropriate style based on her Cantonese roots. The conclusion evaluates the significance of the fusion of Cantonese music with Western compositional techniques in this piece. / Dissertation/Thesis / Doctoral Dissertation Music 2017

Abstract to come later

In accordance with the notion of the so-called “new musicology” that musicological studies should steer away from the canon of masterpieces, this study concentrates on Robert Fuchs as an example of a Kleinmeister. His Piano Trio in C major, Op. 22, is a demonstration of developing variation, a term coined by Arnold Schoenberg to refer to the technique of motivic development within a musical composition as a whole. According to Schoenberg, the music of Johannes Brahms illustrates the most advanced manifestation of developing variation in that he often starts to develop his motives from the very opening of a piece. The technique of developing variation became one solution to the key problem composers faced in the later nineteenth century, namely how to create large forms from very concise thematic material. The purpose of this study is, firstly, to describe the concept of developing variation, providing** a historical perspective with specific reference to Brahms, and, secondly, to trace the manifestation of developing variation in Robert Fuchs‟s Piano Trio in C major, Op. 22, a work which Fuchs dedicated to Brahms. The empirical section of this study shows that the characteristic feature of the germ cell (G-A-G) that appears at the beginning of this composition, namely a movement away from and a return to the point of departure, manifests on micro- (motivic), meso- (thematic), and macro- (structural) level. On micro-level the germ cell grows teleologically by means of metric displacement, rhythmic changes, augmentation, diminution, intervallic expansion, inversion, retrograde, retrograde inversion, extension, sequential treatment, liquidation and further derivatives of the germ cell until a large form is created: a four-movement work for three instruments. This study also demonstrates how the shape of the germ cell can be found in larger structures as themes and the overall structure of each of the four movements. / PhD (Music Performance), North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2015

In accordance with the notion of the so-called “new musicology” that musicological studies should steer away from the canon of masterpieces, this study concentrates on Robert Fuchs as an example of a Kleinmeister. His Piano Trio in C major, Op. 22, is a demonstration of developing variation, a term coined by Arnold Schoenberg to refer to the technique of motivic development within a musical composition as a whole. According to Schoenberg, the music of Johannes Brahms illustrates the most advanced manifestation of developing variation in that he often starts to develop his motives from the very opening of a piece. The technique of developing variation became one solution to the key problem composers faced in the later nineteenth century, namely how to create large forms from very concise thematic material. The purpose of this study is, firstly, to describe the concept of developing variation, providing** a historical perspective with specific reference to Brahms, and, secondly, to trace the manifestation of developing variation in Robert Fuchs‟s Piano Trio in C major, Op. 22, a work which Fuchs dedicated to Brahms. The empirical section of this study shows that the characteristic feature of the germ cell (G-A-G) that appears at the beginning of this composition, namely a movement away from and a return to the point of departure, manifests on micro- (motivic), meso- (thematic), and macro- (structural) level. On micro-level the germ cell grows teleologically by means of metric displacement, rhythmic changes, augmentation, diminution, intervallic expansion, inversion, retrograde, retrograde inversion, extension, sequential treatment, liquidation and further derivatives of the germ cell until a large form is created: a four-movement work for three instruments. This study also demonstrates how the shape of the germ cell can be found in larger structures as themes and the overall structure of each of the four movements. / PhD (Music Performance), North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2015

This dissertation analyzes the first movements of three chamber works -- the Piano trio (1914), the Duo for violin and cello (1920-22), and the Sonata for violin and piano (1923-27) -- and situates their harmonic procedures in relation to important developments within Parisian musical culture. Chapter 1 explores Ravel's early harmonic style, in particular, how he blends nontonal harmonic procedures and tonality within the framework of the sonata as seen in the first movements of his String quartet and Sonatine. Chapter 2 analyzes the Piano trio, which culminates the early phase of Ravel's career with a sophisticated amalgamation of pre-war musical trends, such as extended harmonies and formal inventiveness, with an early wartime emphasis on reduced textures and melodic primacy. In the post-war years, Ravel was forced to adjust to a new role, in which he was no longer at the forefront of musical developments, but rather the follower of a group of young, avant-garde composers. His two post-war compositions, the Duo for violin and cello and the Violin sonata, articulate the struggles he faced with composition in the 1920s. Criticized for having an out-moded aesthetic, he modified his compositional style by incorporating and adapting new harmonic techniques. Drawing on Peter Kaminsky's theory of monotonality and dual pitch organization, chapter 3 examines Ravel's harmonic language in the Duo through linear analysis. Ravel's attempt to incorporate contemporary harmonic procedures however was not sufficient to compete with the more progressive works of Les Six or Stravinsky's burgeoning neoclassicism. As a result, Ravel re-evaluated his craft by rethinking his engagements with the musical avant-garde. The analysis of the Violin sonata in chapter 4 reveals that harmonically, deeper levels of dissonance require pitch prioritization intimately bound to formal function. Unlike the Duo, Ravel presents a more innovative formal design in the Violin sonata, where boundaries are blurred and formal functions are juxtaposed. Chapter 5 concludes with a comparative analysis of the first movements of Ravel's Piano trio, Duo and Violin sonata and their evolving harmonic practices. / text

Studies concerning the development of the piano trio primarily cultivate analyses of the musical structures found in this genre. Few of these studies deal in depth with the socio-historical aspect of the development of the piano trio. Such a neglected process can only lead to the loss of valuable information. It is important to pay careful attention to our ever-changing environment and how this phenomenon impacts upon music. The study of the development of the early piano trio (because of the social nature of chamber music) requires greater attention to the social history associated with this genre. This development can be traced as an integral part of the Germanic culture, more specifically that of eighteenth century Germany and Austria. Both societies' love for the piano led to the full blossoming of the piano trio. The question arises: to which degree did the early development of the piano and the changing society- as it mostly appeared during the eighteenth century in Germany and Austria- have an impact on the development of the early piano trio? This hypothesis holds that the development of the early piano trio depended (among other aspects) on the early development of the piano and the changing society of eighteenth century Germany and Austria. Thus, a mutual connection exists between all three factors. / Thesis (M.Mus.)--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2011

Studies concerning the development of the piano trio primarily cultivate analyses of the musical structures found in this genre. Few of these studies deal in depth with the socio-historical aspect of the development of the piano trio. Such a neglected process can only lead to the loss of valuable information. It is important to pay careful attention to our ever-changing environment and how this phenomenon impacts upon music. The study of the development of the early piano trio (because of the social nature of chamber music) requires greater attention to the social history associated with this genre. This development can be traced as an integral part of the Germanic culture, more specifically that of eighteenth century Germany and Austria. Both societies' love for the piano led to the full blossoming of the piano trio. The question arises: to which degree did the early development of the piano and the changing society- as it mostly appeared during the eighteenth century in Germany and Austria- have an impact on the development of the early piano trio? This hypothesis holds that the development of the early piano trio depended (among other aspects) on the early development of the piano and the changing society of eighteenth century Germany and Austria. Thus, a mutual connection exists between all three factors. / Thesis (M.Mus.)--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2011