abstract: Throughout centuries of great classical music, many clarinet compositions have been adapted from a wealth of literature for string instruments and instruments of similar ranges. Viola, violin, and cello literature can often be adapted into challenging literature for the clarinet. While the works of English composer and violist, Rebecca Clarke (1886-1979), have gained popularity in the early 2000s, many of her compositions have yet to be discovered by musicians performing on wind instruments of similar ranges. While legendary western composers such as Mozart, Weber, and Brahms, will continue to be enduring icons in classic clarinet literature, performers and educators alike should always consider the integration of transcribed works for the expansion and diversity of the repertoire. Although a sizeable amount of literature for clarinet is contained in orchestral and chamber works of the late-Romantic era, the availability of solo clarinet literature in this style is lacking. The purpose of the project is the addition of Rebecca Clarke’s 1919 Viola Sonata for B-flat soprano clarinet and piano to the solo clarinet repertoire. The transcription preserves the integrity of the original music while exploring the virtuosic nature of the clarinet and its interaction with the piano. Comments on the historical background of Clarke’s Viola Sonata and the transcription procedures are provided as well. / Dissertation/Thesis / Doctoral Dissertation Music 2019

Until the recent publication of twelve choral compositions, Rebecca Clarke (1886-1979) was known solely as a professional violist and composer of chamber music and art songs. Clarke composed choral music throughout her active period from 1906 to 1944. In 2004, the first study of Clarke's complete compositional output provided an introduction to the choral music, but only covered selected works. The present study traces the development of Clarke's compositional style through chronological analysis of all twelve choral compositions and an incomplete fragment. Clarke's choral music reveals the selection of high quality, expressive texts; exploration of the timbral, registral, and textural potential of unaccompanied choral music; changes in the treatment of all musical elements; the persistent acquisition of new techniques; and reliance on English choral genres including the madrigal, glee, carol, part song and motet. Chapter one establishes Clarke's importance through a survey of publication, criticism, and scholarship. The chapter also examines the society in which Clarke lived and the issues women composers encountered. A biography then reveals that despite obstacles, Clarke tenaciously pursued compositional study, eagerly acquired new techniques, and expressed enthusiasm for each compositional project. Her skill was confirmed by success in competitions and festivals. Throughout her active period, Clarke supported herself as a professional violist who specialized in chamber music, and a busy performing schedule limited her compositional work. Chapter two documents Clarke's formative vocal- and chamber-music experiences and suggests that her thorough knowledge of chamber music influenced her approach to choral composition. The chapter continues with analysis of Clarke's first seven choral works. The first three are well-crafted part songs that demonstrate Clarke's assimilation of basic compositional techniques. The next four show the increasing complexity of Clarke's style that culminates in her mature masterpiece, "He That Dwelleth in the Secret Place of the Most High." Chapter three presents analysis of three choral arrangements, two works for women's voices, and a choral fragment for mixed voices. The last five complete choral compositions confirm elements of Clarke's mature style and demonstrate her interest in exploring the new challenges of choral arranging and writing for women's voices. While Clarke's choral arrangements of her own songs are idiomatic adaptations for unaccompanied, mixed voices, the last three compositions display the diversity of styles Clarke employed in her late works. Chapter four summarizes changes in Clarke's choral style from 1906 to 1944, examines reasons for her obscurity, and raises questions that merit further research. The appendix which follows clarifies Clarke's intentions and illustrates common editorial issues and solutions through comparison of choral manuscripts and published editions.

Den engelska kompositören Rebecca Clarke (1886–1979) komponerade vokalmusik med stor skicklighet och kvalitet men hennes verk är inte allmänt kända. I detta konstnärliga examensarbete analyseras ett av hennes viktigaste verk för soloröst och piano; The Seal Man (1922). Det är en romans som är baserad på en gammal keltisk legend om en man som är till hälften säl. Studien riktar fokus på Clarkes impressionistiska kompositionsstil och textens relation till musiken. Detta analyseras metodiskt genom instudering av partitur och läsning av författaren John Masefields (1878–1964) text som Clarkes The Seal Man är baserad på. Studiens resultat påvisar Clarkes skicklighet att i sin komposition gestalta olika karaktärer och stämningar i texten genom musikaliska medel samt influenser från Claude Debussy som var en av impressionismens främsta kompositörer. För mig som sångerska har noggrann analys av Clarkes stil och textens relation med musiken varit till stor hjälp för att uppnå min egna konstnärligt mogen interpretation av sången The Seal Man. / <p>Programm:</p><p>Rebecca Clarke - The Seal Man</p><p>Gösta Nystroem - Själ och landskap 1. Vitt land, 2. Önskan, 3. Bara hos den...</p><p>Benjamin Britten - On this Island Op. 11, 1. Let the florid music praise!, 2. Now the leaves are falling fast, 3. Seascape, 4. Nocturne, 5. As it is, plenty</p><p></p><p>Emmi Kauppinen, sopran</p><p>Chiara Schmidt, piano</p>

No description available.

This thesis serves to provide insight into the interpretation and performance of Rebecca Clarke’s Sonata for Viola and Piano (1919). To provide context to the analysis and interpretation, the life and work of Rebecca Clarke (1886-1979) is described. The viola sonata is analysed in terms of harmony, colours and technical elements for the purpose of aiding the interpretation and performance. The sonata is also cross referenced with other works by the same composer, to further pinpoint the stylistic elements and their importance for the result. From the analysis it is concluded that the common elements in Clarke’s music and in the sonata in particular, include modality, harmonic ambiguity, polytonality and a range of instrumental techniques. The meticulous notation and the overall instrumental ergonomics of the piece shows both that Clarke had a clear vision for her music, and that she knew the nature of both the viola and the piano well. In conclusion, I argue that in order to present a captivating performance of the piece, great care must be taken to the distinction and sensitivity of these elements in particular. / <p>R. Clarke: Viola Sonata</p><p>I. Impetuoso</p><p>II. Vivace</p><p>III. Adagio</p><p>S. Prokofiev: Romeo and Juliet, arr. V. Borisovsky</p><p>I. Introduction</p><p>III. Juliet as a Young Girl</p><p>IV. Dance of the Knights</p><p></p><p>Isela Halonen, Viola</p><p>Anna Christensson, Piano</p>

Throughout centuries of great classical music, many viola compositions have been crafted from a wealth of literature for instruments of similar range. Clarinet, violin, and cello concerti and ensemble literature often adapt into challenging literature for the viola. In November 2009, Oxford Music Publishing gave me permission to transcribe and perform the Prelude, Allegro, and Pastorale by Rebecca Clarke in New York's famed Carnegie Hall - Weill Recital Hall. This dissertation explains the process by which I transcribed the Prelude, Allegro, and Pastorale from an original Bb-clarinet/viola duo, to a new arrangement for two violas (approved by Oxford Music Press arrangement license #7007940), and discusses challenges faced throughout the transcription process.

The purpose of this study is to examine three works for the unusual combination of violin and voice. Chamber music for violin and keyboard and violin and other instruments has been extant since the Baroque period. However, three English composers found a unique chamber grouping in the first decades of the twentieth century: Gustav Holst (1874-1934), Rebecca Clarke (1886-1979), and Ralph Vaughan Williams (1872-1958) each wrote works for violin and voice. Holst's Four Songs for Voice and Violin, Op. 35 (1917), Vaughan Williams' Along the Field, Eight Housman Songs for Voice and Violin (1927, revised 1954), and Clarke's Three Old English Songs (1924) each utilize the combination of violin and voice. The violin in each is not relegated to accompaniment but is instead a true partner. This study will investigate these works. A history of each composition will be chronicled. An analytical discussion of formal organization and significant style features will include consideration of the musical structure, harmonic language, and the use of text in select movements of each work. Finally, performance suggestions pertaining to technical and artistic issues offer specific recommendations as an aid in performance preparation. In order to provide historical and musical context, a brief overview of Late Romantic and early Twentieth-Century chamber music with strings and voice will be given. This overview will help to illuminate the uniqueness of the pairing of violin and voice. Discovery of the works discussed here makes possible an expanded repertoire of good music for both violinists and vocalists. It is also hoped that through the performance of these works a spark might be set with composers to create more pieces for this most intimate of duos.