This dissertation comparatively examines musical nostalgia, particularly nostalgia for childhood, in video games and post-Romantic classical music. An introductory chapter lays out several key concepts drawn from video games—loops, gameworlds, and role-play—and suggests the correspondences these have in Romantic music and thought. The central chapters offer case studies of pieces by Robert Schumann, Brahms, Debussy, and Ravel, each along with a corresponding concept drawn from video games. Each chapter articulates ways that works by these composers provide analogies for practices in contemporary role-playing and adventure video games and, conversely, suggests that features drawn from those games might illuminate how these pieces create musical meaning out of dwelling on the past or imagining distant places. The central chapters draw video games and classical music more closely together over their course. In an analysis of Schumann’s Kinderszenen, I suggest that Schumann’s music could be conceived as offering the player a form of role-play, allowing its players and listeners to play as an imagined child and gain access to otherwise inaccessible space. Brahms’s works often dwell in the past (and are often analyzed as such), especially when that past is metaphorically conceived as childhood or the classical tradition. I suggest that we might hear Brahms’s music as preoccupied with the “unrevisitable location,” a feature of video games in which certain spaces are visitable only a fixed number of times and therefore charged with melancholy and loss. Debussy’s Children’s Corner extends role-play to an extreme degree, while at the same time suggesting distant, unreachable vistas. In particular, I borrow Jay David Bolter and Richard Grusin’s ideas on mediation and Christopher Goetz’s notion of “nostalgic travel” to suggest ways that Debussy’s music incorporates impossible distance into its sound and structure. Video games and classical music converge as much as possible in an analysis of Ravel’s Ma mère l’Oye, which I read alongside Nintendo’s open-world game The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. I suggest that Ravel’s music offers space for its players to explore similar to this video game. In particular, we might hear the music as allowing linear narrative to give way to a freer, open-ended exploration, suggesting the opening of a world. Finally, a concluding chapter examines nostalgia in video games themselves, specifically Undertale, Final Fantasy VII, and Final Fantasy VII Remake, while revisiting elements of the Romantic musical past as they have accrued in the dissertation so far. The argument in this final chapter is that of the dissertation as a whole: that the same desires for fantasy and adventure animate both traditions, and that the two provide meaningful contexts for each other, in ways that studies of the two have until now overlooked.

It is interesting to note that several of Ravel's compositions for the piano were successful only after he had orchestrated them. Ravel, a pianist, had a natural gift for orchestration, and when writing for the piano he seems to have projected his thoughts to the orchestra; thus some of his works are more successful' for the orchestra than for the piano. Since he orchestrated several of his own piano compositions, these present an excellent opportunity for a study of his orchestrations.

Made available in DSpace on 2014-06-11T19:27:27Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 0 Previous issue date: 2012-07-05Bitstream added on 2014-06-13T19:35:37Z : No. of bitstreams: 1 motta_dar_me_ia.pdf: 1605635 bytes, checksum: 0851c0715a487a5f1282bf986a48b432 (MD5) / Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES) / Esse trabalho tem como foco a versão de “Quadros de uma Exposição” de Modest Musorgsky feita para violão solo por Kazuhito Yamashita. Através de uma contextualização histórica e estética, insere essa obra no cânone do repertório para violão e estuda os impactos causados pela gravação desta e por sua performance. Comparando-a com o original para piano e com a orquestração feita por Maurice Ravel, analisa as técnicas violonísticas empregadas de maneira incomum. Discute as formas de escrita para o violão, seus efeitos e possibilidades de execução / This work is about the guitar version of Modest Musorgsky’s “Pictures at an Exhibition” made by Kazuhito Yamashita. By an esthetic and historical context, analyses the insertion of this piece in the classical guitar repertoire and studies the impacts by the recording and performance of it. Making a comparison with the original piano piece and with the orchestration made by Maurice Ravel, makes an analysis about the guitar techniques used in an unusual way. Debates the guitar writing, his effects and the performance possibilities

This thesis proposes to determine the construction of the two string quartets and to reveal through the study of the quartets the similarities and contrasts of the creative musical characteristics of Debussy and Ravel.

This study has three purposes: first, to point out the stylistic elements of music that are present in the piano works of Debussy and Ravel; second, to determine how the composers have used these elements; and third, to discover the effects that have been achieved through individual uses of the elements.

The entire thesis text is included in the research.pdf file; the official abstract appears in the short.pdf file; a non-technical public abstract appears in the public.pdf file. Title from PDF of title page (University of Missouri--Columbia, viewed on January 26, 2010 Thesis advisor: Dr. W. Thomas McKenney. Includes bibliographical references.

This dissertation contains a comparison from a historical and theoretical perspective of the passacaglia from the Piano Trio in E Minor, Op. 67, written by Dmitri Shostakovich (1906-1975), and the passacaglia from the Piano Trio in A Minor, written by Maurice Ravel (1875-1937).Before the history and theory discussion of these two movements begins, a background is given on the passacaglia form and its origins. References are made to the beginnings of the passacaglia in Italy and Spain, as well as the gradual evolution of the form into the keyboard music of the 17th century. Early published examples of passacaglias are displayed in chapter two.The third and fourth chapters of this dissertation are the focus of the comparison, where historical and theoretical information is discussed and deciphered. In the history section, details of the life of the composer during the time he wrote the piece are provided. The theory section contains a concentrated examination and comparison (enhanced by musical examples) of melody, harmony, rhythm, texture, and form, as used by Ravel and Shostakovich in these two passacaglias.It was concluded in this dissertation that both of these master composers used the passacaglia form successfully in their piano trios. As a result, they contributed musical masterpieces in the genre of the piano trio for musicians and scholars alike to investigate, study, and perform. / School of Music

No human condition is invested with more diverse and complex perceptions, ideals and emotions than childhood. Although it has long been accorded a particular significance in the context of his life and work, Maurice Ravel’s conception of childhood, together with the musical language through which it found expression, has never been the subject of a detailed, extended study. This thesis, therefore, explores the roles and realisations of childhood in Ravel’s music, arguing that they were inextricably linked with the language, traditions and idioms of the literary fairytale – an hypothesis Ravel himself supported when he wrote that his intention in his fairytale-based Ma mère l'Oye was to evoke ‘the poetry of childhood’. Through a study of these intertwined themes, the thesis develops new analytical and interpretative approaches to three major works: the piano duet suite Ma mère l’Oye (1910), the Trois chansons for mixed choir (1914-1915), and the opera L’Enfant et les sortilèges (1919-1925). These works span a fifteen-year period that saw a decisive evolution in Ravel’s compositional style, and was crucially impacted by the great cataclysm of the First World War. Ravel deliberately aligned his music with the traditions of the fairytale through the creation and expressive manipulation of musical and dramatic structure, language, gesture and perspective. One may trace the voice and presence of the storyteller in Ma mère l’Oye, a work dedicated to two children for whom Ravel was a favourite companion and teller of fairytales. L’Enfant et les sortilèges presents a detailed portrait of its eponymous Child, set within a fairytale in which traditional elements combine with a complexity of dramatic, musical and psychological construction that invokes the zeitgeist of the 1920s. The shadows of real events intrude more disturbingly upon the Trois chansons, whose distorted fairytale narratives represent a direct and personal response to the War. In its balance of musical interpretation and explication, supported by a clearly defined historical and philosophical context, the study yields new insights into a central facet of Ravel’s musical identity. / http://proxy.library.adelaide.edu.au/login?url= http://library.adelaide.edu.au/cgi-bin/Pwebrecon.cgi?BBID=1348982 / Thesis (Ph.D.) - University of Adelaide, Elder Conservatorium of Music, 2008

[ES] En esta tesis, tomando como medio la obra para piano solo Gaspard de la nuit de Maurice Ravel, se elabora una investigación de metodología autoetnográfica a modo de ejercicio de concienciación del aprendizaje de la obra. El objetivo es tener un conocimiento más profundo de los estímulos musicales durante el estudio de Gaspard de la nuit. Para cumplir con dicho objetivo, en primer lugar, se presentan informaciones sobre Ravel, su vida y su producción musical hasta el año de composición de la obra en cuestión, documentación concreta sobre Gaspard de la nuit, su interpretación y el análisis de las tres obras. En segundo lugar, se efectúa un cuaderno de campo compuesto por las clases magistrales sobre la obra recibidas por grandes profesores a nivel nacional e internacional y por apuntes propios de las sesiones de estudio. Las enseñanzas expuestas en ambos documentos se analizan, se relacionan, se comparan, se establece una evolución o analogía de la terminología empleada, y, en caso necesario, se explica su significado y si ha tenido especial influencia o no en la práctica pianística. Posteriormente se acude a la estadística para obtener datos cuantitativos de la recurrencia de unas temáticas musicales sobre otras para concluir entre otras deducciones que se hace escasa referencia a la memorización, la diferencia entre el peso que se le da a ciertas temáticas dependiendo del estadio de aprendizaje de Gaspard de la nuit y la dinámica concreta de estudio empleada mientras se trabaja la obra objeto de estudio. / [CA] En aquesta tesi, prenent com a mitjà l'obra per a piano sol Gaspard de la nuit de Maurice Ravel, s'elabora una recerca de metodologia autoetnogràfica a manera d'exercici de conscienciació de l'aprenentatge de l'obra. L'objectiu és tenir un coneixement més profund dels estímuls musicals durant l'estudi de Gaspard de la nuit. Per a complir amb aquest objectiu, en primer lloc es presenten informacions sobre Ravel, la seva vida i la seva producció musical fins a l'any de composició de l'obra en qüestió, documentació concreta sobre Gaspard de la nuit, la seva interpretació i l'anàlisi de les tres obres. En segon lloc, s'efectua un quadern de camp compost per les classes magistrals sobre l'obra rebudes per grans professors a nivell nacional i internacional i per anotacions pròpies de les sessions d'estudi. Els ensenyaments exposats en tots dos documents s'analitzen, es relacionen, es comparen, s'estableix una evolució o analogia de la terminologia emprada, i, en cas necessari, s'explica el seu significat i si ha tingut especial influència o no en la pràctica pianística. Posteriorment s'acudeix a l'estadística per a obtenir dades quantitatives de la recurrència d'unes temàtiques musicals sobre altres per a concloure entre altres deduccions que es fa escassa referència a la memorització, la diferència entre el pes que se li dona a unes certes temàtiques depenent de l'estadi d'aprenentatge de Gaspard de la nuit i la dinàmica concreta d'estudi emprada mentre es treballa l'obra objecte d'estudi. / [EN] In this thesis, taking Maurice Ravel's solo piano work Gaspard de la nuit as a medium, an autoethnographic methodology research is elaborated as an exercise of awareness of the learning of the work. The aim is to gain a deeper understanding of the musical stimuli during the study of Gaspard de la nuit. To achieve this goal, first of all, information about Ravel, his life and his musical production up to the year of composition of the work in question, specific documentation on Gaspard de la nuit, its interpretation and the analysis of the three works are presented. Secondly, a field notebook is made up of the master classes on the work given by great national and international professors, as well as notes taken during the study sessions. The teachings presented in both documents are analysed, related, compared, an evolution or analogy of the terminology used is established, and, if necessary, their meaning and whether they have had a special influence on piano practice is explained. Subsequently, statistics are used to obtain quantitative data on the recurrence of certain musical themes over others in order to conclude, among other deductions, that little reference is made to memorization, the difference between the weight given to certain themes depending on Gaspard de la nuit's stage of learning and the specific dynamics of study employed while working on the work under study. / García Verdú, FJ. (2023). Investigación autoetnográfica de la práctica pianística a través de la obra para piano solo Gaspard de la nuit de Maurice Ravel [Tesis doctoral]. Universitat Politècnica de València. https://doi.org/10.4995/Thesis/10251/193297

The purpose of this study is to acquaint the reader with certain scales, not merely as they are used to provide the theoretical "building stones" of all music, but as they have been used as actual scale passages in the piano music of two twentieth century composers. This is a study of the use of various scales in the piano music of Debussy and Ravel. A list of the piano music of these composers which was available for the present investigation is given in the Bibliography. A careful analysis of the music has been necessary in order to determine: First, the types of scales the composer uses; second, the interpretation of the scale in its context; third, the ways in which some scale passages are employed to help project musical thought in the composition; and fourth, the frequency of occurrence of types of scale passages.