This treatise aims to uncover possible reasons as to why composers rework their compositions. In attempting to answer questions regarding musical and extra-musical (referential) criteria, surrounding conditions and the role performers play in acting as conduits of the aforementioned, the study focuses on three versions of Rachmaninoff’s second Piano Sonata, opus 36. The first of these was composed in 1913, the second constitutes the composer’s revision of this work in 1931, and the third, a subsequent amalgamation of both previously mentioned versions by pianist Horowitz in 1943. The research is grounded in the theoretical ideas of organicist musical structuralism and thematic/motivic transformation (Reti), musical hermeneutics and phenomenology, musical forces (Larsen) and authenticity in musical performance (Taruskin). In addition this study explores methods of critical reading that may be used to disclose the conflicting yet complementary demands of “conciseness” and “drama” contained within the parameters of the three aforementioned versions of Rachmaninoff’s Piano Sonata Op. 36. An introductory chapter is followed by one in which a historical context provides the intertextual matrix against which the musical personae of Rachmaninoff and Horowitz, as well as the three versions of Rachmaninoff’s Piano Sonata Op. 36, may be understood. The chapter thereafter provides a concise overview of the history of musical analysis and the Tendenzwende which signified the change from a purely positivistic analytical approach to a post-modernist perspective on musical critique, against which background a motivation is provided for the analytical approaches applied in this treatise. Chapters 4 and 5 present detailed readings of the sonata from the perspective of “conciseness” and “drama” respectively. In conclusion, the final chapter reflects on findings made and conclusion drawn, with particular reference to the authenticity debate in current musicological discourse.

Difficulties are encountered in any discussion of Copland's style, for his works cover the spectrum from harsh, dissonant works to folk music. To avoid the task of defining a style which encompasses this array of vastly different pieces, a sharp distinction is frequently made between the abstract and popular works. However, Copland has repeatedly objected to such categorization, claiming that he composed from a single vision. A careful examination of his total output proves the validity of his claim. Many common characteristics are found throughout works from all categories and time periods. These traits include a basic economy of materials, emphasis on thirds, consistent method of development, use of declamation, jazz-influenced rhythms, cyclicism, and a slow/fast/slow sequence of movements, as well as within single movements. This document uses the Piano Sonata as a model of Copland's style, for it exemplifies these characteristics more clearly than any other major piece for piano. By making numerous comparisons with other works, Copland's single vision is revealed.

The lecture recital was given January 22, 1977. A discussion of Elliott Carter's Piano Sonata emphasized those compositional techniques which foreshadowed important compositional procedures in many of his later works. The following compositions were discussed: Concerto for Orchestra, Double Concerto for Harpsichord and Piano with Two Chamber Orchestras, 8 Etudes and a Fantasy for Woodwind Quartet, Holiday Overture, Piano Concerto, Sonata for Flute, Oboe, Cello, and Harpsichord, Sonata for Violoncello and Piano, String Quartet No. 1, String Quartet No. 2, String Quartet No. 3, Variations for Orchestra. The Piano Sonata was Ty and Schumann. In addition to the lecture recital, three public solo recitals were performed. The first solo recital, performed on April 2, 1973, consisted of works by Bartok, Debussy The second solo recital, performed on October 28, 1974, included works by Bach and Liszt. The final solo recital, performed on March 7, 1976, consisted of works by Beethoven and Chopin. All four programs were recorded on magnetic tape and are filed, along with the written version of the lecture recital, as part of the dissertation. performed.

The objective of the dissertation is to examine Cyril Scott's musical language as exhibited in his Piano Sonata, Op. 66. Subjects of discussion include Scott's use of form, rhythm, melody, tonality, and harmony. Also included are a biographical sketch of the composer and his philosophical view of modernism. A comparison of the original version and the revised edition of this sonata, as well as references to Cyril Scott's two other piano sonatas are also included during the examination of his harmonic and rhythmic style.

The purpose of this study is to identify some of the performance problems associated with contemporary piano music, using the Sonata No. 2 for Piano by Karel Husa (1921 - ) as the basis for the discussion. In so doing, this study identifies Karel Husa as an important contributor to twentieth century piano repertoire. Personal interviews and correspondence with the composer provided biographical, analytical, and stylistic insight for this study. Supplemental information on Karel Husa was obtained from journals, newspaper articles, and dissertations. The first chapter provides biographical information gleaned from the interview, with emphasis on Husa's keyboard compositions and early compositional influences. The second chapter offers a detailed formal analysis of the Sonata No. 2 from the perspective of motivlc development and cyclic unity. The final three chapters focus on twentieth century performance problems as exemplified in Karel Husa's Sonata No. 2 for Piano. In Chapter 3, the discussion of notation provides a general background on notational developments in pitch and rhythm in the twentieth century, with the Sonata illustrating these procedures. The fourth chapter concentrates specifically on Husa's individual rhythmic language. The final chapter is devoted to Husa's coloristic use of the piano, addressing his unique contributions to the tonal and timbral resources of the instrument. Innovations in dynamic gradations, playing inside of the piano, and extensive use of all three pedals are discussed, as well as the special techniques required to achieve these sounds. In all the chapters, musical examples from the Sonata Illustrate the discussion, and reprinted by permission from the publisher. Throughout the dissertation, Karel Husahas provided Invaluable assistance and insight thus offering readers an important link to both the Sonata No. 2 and the composer himself.

Sofia Gubaidulina is one of the leading composers in the contemporary music world. Her compositional interests have been stimulated by the exploration of and improvisation with rare folk and ritual instruments, and by a deep-rooted belief in the mystical properties of music. Gubaidulina is the author of orchestral and choral works, compositions for solo instruments, chamber music, as well as electronics music. Gubaidulina's Piano Sonata sums up the composer's thinking within her piano music, and at the same time projects the development of her spiritual vision within other genres that are to come. The analytical approach in this paper is based on the correlation between each of the elements of the musical material (form, rhythm, sound, etc.) and its contextual meaning in terms of musical dramaturgy. Set-theory is applied to the analysis of motivic components of the work. The traditional form is just the basis for the original intonational structure within a modern musical idiom. Varieties of rhythmic patterns, as well as an unconventional sound production, make this work breath with an impetuous power. The examination of the Sonata's musical language and content should give some insight not only into Guabaidulina's piano music, but also into a consequent development of her compositional thinking.

This document attempts to present the piano music of Claudio Santoro, a major twentieth century Brazilian composer. In order to illustrate the composer's background, the first chapter addresses briefly the situation of Nationalist music from the beginning of the second decade of this century to the 1940s, when Claudio Santoro came into the Brazilian scene. A general discussion about the Modernismo movement initiated by Mario de Andrade and the opposed views to the later school by the group Música Viva - headed by Hans Joachim Koellreuter - illustrates the politics and sociology in the music scene in Brazil during the first decades of the twentieth century. A biography, focusing mostly in a personal account by the composer, serves to illustrate Santoro's family background, environment, education and struggles to develop into a first class musician. The compilation of Santoro's piano music and an overview of its characteristics, introduces pianists to this Brazilian composer, whose body of works include mostly orchestral music. Although not a pianist himself, he composed several valuable piano works worthy of the repertoire. The Fourth Sonata represents one of Santoro's most popular piano works. The analysis of this work focuses on clarifying how the structure may be organized and how the chromatic idiom supports Santoro's deceptive tonal goals.

The Piano Sonatas of Rodolfo Halffter (b. 1900, Madrid, Spain) represent an important body of literature not widely known nor understood for their historical importance and Spanish heritage. The entire development of Halffter's compositional style, which embraces three periods of composition, may be traced through these sonatas. The modes of composition may be seen not to be separate and distinct but as having inter—relationships which therefore affect the outcome of Halffter's final dodecaphonic technique. The culmination of his serial method is found in the Tercera Sonata, op. 30. At first glance, this work appears to be a radical departure from the former styles. However, a more in-depth study reveals this sonata to be the logical outgrowth of earlier compositional techniques, thereby blending diverse, eclectic elements into a unique and homogenous application, all Halffter's own. Forced to flee his native country in 1939, Halffter became the first composer in Mexico to use twelve-tone techniques. Together with Carlos Chavez, he exerted great influence on the present generation's group of Mexican composers. Halffter today remains a crucial link in the continuation of the Spanish tradition as exemplified by his former mentor, Manuel de Falla. A brief explanation of Falla s theory of resonance including sketches in Falla's handwriting as well as portions of the unpublished analysis of Halffter's Tercera Sonata are presented, perhaps for the first time. This study reveals how Halffter manipulates many Spanish elements which are found in the ancient cante iondo and the string tunings of the guitar in addition to the use of acciacaturas and the internal rhythm of Domenico Scarlatti into a personalized idiom which remains apparent throughout all his compositional styles. An analysis of Halffter s Tercera Sonata shows that the final period is characterized by a unique blending of Falla's "apparent poly-tonality" with the twelve-tone system of Arnold Schoenberg.

The problem undertaken in this paper is a study of sonata form in regard to the number, types, and key schemes of movements in the pre-Haydn sonatas and a comparison of these with the sonata form as Haydn established it. Finally, a detailed analysis of the Haydn E-Flat Major sonata is presented showing typical formal characteristics. The history of the sonata form does not begin simultaneously with the advent of the sonata itself, for the sonata as we know it today is the result of many stages of experimentation. Its growth and development were a gradual process which lasted the better part of three centuries. Many composers contributed to this growth, but the sonata form itself cannot be ascribed to any particular composer.

Sonata in A major, Opus 120, was written by Franz Schubert in 1819. The sonata was chosen for this study because of its proximity to the middle of the span of time in which Schubert wrote his piano sonatas. His first piano sonata was written in 1815 and the last in 1828. Since no sonatas were written in either 1821 or 1822, the years in the middle of this span, the sonata written in 1819 was chosen.