I focus on viola performances in the Czech surroundings in my thesis. I follow the topic of my Bachelor thesis. I resume the history of the instrument playing in my introduction; then I follow the development to the string quartet from its origin - turn of the 19th and 20th centuries until today. I analyze the artistic career of some chosen quartets, which are characteristic for certain period. I especially take notice of important Czech viola players (Herold, Škampa). I introduce two contemporary figures of the viola play (Doležal, Pěruška) in the practical part and I offer comparison of the interpretations of Dvořák's compositions done by three different string quartets from different periods.

This thesis examines the idea of modern love as expressed in the four novels of Lawrence Durrell's Alexandria Quartet.

This thesis approaches Haydn’s sonata-form procedures from the perspective of the eighteenth-century listener, asking, if a moment is allegedly “witty” according to modern analysts, would Haydn's contemporary audience have heard it as such? Eighteenth-century wit has two sides: wit involves an aspect of surprise or deception, a breaking of understood norms; however, wit must also involve an unsuspected congruity, a broader connection created only by breaking the aforementioned norm. Taking this as my starting point, I explore false recapitulations in the Haydn’s music, concluding that this device cannot be considered witty because it did not break an understood convention. I then provide detailed analyses of the first movements of Haydn’s “Military” Symphony no. 100 and String Quartet in D major, op. 33 no. 6, arguing that they are witty not solely because they are disruptive, but because this disruption binds the sonata together in an unexpected way.

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“Eclipses” orchestrates the movements of human beings as celestial bodies—as wandering beings that emit waves, cycle in orbit, and create shadows. Subtle microtonal movements, or retunings of the same pitch, tell the story of gradual planetary motion leading to the drama of the eclipse. In the dimmed light of a solar eclipse, even the most familiar surroundings seem unfamiliar and strange. The harmonic material of “Eclipses” was composed using the Rainbow Harmony Matrix, a MaxMSP-based mouse and keyboard interface designed for real-time interaction with a 2D colorized pitch space defined by Just Intonation ratios. The most difficult coding in this patch was completed thanks to the generous help of Jean-François Charles. The spatialization and color-coding of Just Intonation pitches provided by the Rainbow Harmony Matrix proved invaluable to organizing harmonic and melodic material. Elements of rhythm, timbre, and articulation were largely left to the ear’s intuition. “Penumbra” magnifies the shadow cast when one celestial body partially obscures the light from another. Moments from “Eclipses” are revisited through a telescopic lens, such that the small whole number relations hiding in the harmonies are magnified, into the field of rhythm. Small gestures orbit each other in wandering motion, building a web of cause and effect. The harmonic material from “Penumbra” is extracted from two chords occurring in measures 41-43 of “Eclipses.” The small whole number frequency ratios governing the cross-relations of these two chords are magnified and modified to create polyrhythms that cycle over several minutes.

Triptych is a thirty-minute work in three movements for flute, clarinet, baritone saxophone, percussion and live electronics. Rhythmically intricate musical “tessellations” are juxtaposed with long, evolving drones amidst an electronic backdrop of environmental found sound, granular clouds, procedurally generated rhythmic sequences, and simple oscillators. The piece examines conceptions of pattern, pitch and period in the environment, highlighting the musical elements and structures of creatures and machines – the “almost-human” musical beings all around us. Each “panel” of the triptych is designed to work effectively as either a part of the larger work, or as its own, autonomous piece of music. The electronics are designed to maximize performability and improvisatory flexibility in the ensemble. All processing and cueing is coded in Max/MSP. Triptych was commissioned by the Fountain City Ensemble, and will be premiered in March, 2014. / text

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Thesis (M.M.)--Conservatory of Music and Dance. University of Missouri--Kansas City, 2008. / "A thesis in music composition." Advisor: Paul Rudy. Typescript. Duration: 15:00. Vita. Title from "catalog record" of the print edition Description based on contents viewed Apr. 14, 2009 Online version of the print edition.

In current tuba and euphonium writing there is considerable gap in technical difficulty between tuba-euphonium quartet literature and wind band literature for the secondary and collegiate musician. As the tuba and euphonium profession becomes ever more challenging, there is a great need to establish a curriculum for building technical facility. The importance of chamber music as a pedagogical tool is well documented and has been shown to develop technique, musicianship, and many other skills. There are a number of researchers whose work demonstrates the numerous benefits of including chamber music to students' education. However, because of the lack of small ensembles for tuba and euphonium players there is a need to utilize the tuba-euphonium quartet. This study provides a brief history of the tuba-euphonium quartet to give context to one of music's newer chamber groups. Selected works for both wind band and tuba-euphonium quartet are graded with a rubric to assign an appropriate difficulty level. An analysis of the selected works gives educators examples of how to take advantage of each work's unique technical aspects. Included in the appendices are grading breakdowns of fifty wind band compositions and forty-three tuba-euphonium quartet works.

Intonation is one of the most important issues facing performers of string quartets. Often, string students learn to play in tune strictly in terms of their own melodic line. To play in tune in a string quartet requires an understanding of the underlying harmony and how intonation can be fluid and flexible in an ensemble. This paper offers students an introduction to harmonic intonation and provides exercises to put this knowledge into practice. The text begins with instruction and exercises related to perfect intervals, which form the basis for intonation. Next, consonant intervals are discussed along with exercises for practice and ear training. Chords are constructed and practiced upon the basis of this interval practice. Student quartets are then asked to play excerpts from the repertoire presented as harmonic reductions and as originally written in order to connect the theoretical knowledge to the string quartet repertoire. Finally, chorales by J.S. Bach arranged for string quartet are provided for continuing practice of intonation in tonal harmony. It is not the attempt of this project to teach music theory or present a comprehensive study of the many issues and challenges related to intonation in string quartet playing. The aim of this essay is to provide students with a solid foundation and practical application of basic principles of playing in tune in a string quartet.