Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Nebraska-Lincoln, 2006. / Title from title screen (site viewed on Sept. 12, 2006). PDF text of dissertation: v, 57 p. : music ; 0.46Mb. UMI publication number: AAT 3208080. Includes bibliographical references. Also available in microfilm, microfiche and paper format.

Thesis (Ed. D.)--Columbia University Teachers College, 1983. / Provides facsimiles of several documents in Chinese, including program notes for 1982 Shanghai performances. Includes bibliographical references (p. 158-171).

The primary focus of this thesis is a selection of lesser-known Ballets Russes works, which, despite being largely neglected in academic studies, constitute important chapters in the history of the company. The bright light of publicity that shone on Stravinsky - in particular on Le Sacre du Printemps - has cast shadows over other Ballets Russes works, creating an over-simplified historical perspective. This is not to deny that Le Sacre was a watershed moment for the company, and in seeking to enrich our understanding of its place within broader musical trends, the thesis is divided into three sections, representing works composed before, around the same time as, and after, Stravinsky’s notorious masterpiece. Following a brief introduction, and a descriptive chapter outlining Diaghilev’s artistic heritage, as well as Paris before the arrival of his company, the first section deals with the Ballets Russes’s early modus operandi; focusing on Nikolai Tcherepnin’s Le Pavillon d’Armide and Reynaldo Hahn’s Le Dieu bleu. The next explores the Ballets Russes in the wake of Le Sacre du Printemps, using Erik Satie’s Parade as an example of a ballet indebted to Stravinsky’s innovations. However, influence was not entirely a one-way phenomenon, and part of this section also discusses connections between the early Ballets Russes works and Le Sacre. Finally, the season of French ballets performed in 1924 allows me to reflect on the stylistic changes that occurred in the later years of the company, using Darius Milhaud’s Le Train bleu, Georges Auric’s Les Fâcheux, and Francis Poulenc’s Les Biches as examples of the company’s shift to an enterprise that placed greater emphasis on the visual. This research argues that even the lesser-known works, despite their apparent lack of musical innovation, contributed to the more path-breaking scores that have come to command scholarly interest. Moreover, the seasons I have highlighted reflect the changing ideologies of Diaghilev and his company, as it evolved from a Russian troupe inspired by the Mir Iskusstva, to a European artistic collective presenting the ideas of Cocteau and Les Six to Paris. Areas of future research extend from this thesis, as many other lesser-known ballets not encompassed here would clearly benefit from detailed scrutiny. Applying the principles of musical examination here outlined, together with an open-minded approach to new historical perspectives, should further help to redress the balance of scholarly attention that has skewed the overall understanding of the Ballets Russes.

One of the most important compositional theories of Alexander Tcherepnin (1899-1977), Russian-American composer and pianist, is the Eurasian ideology, which was a result of the influence of Eastern culture. Inspired by this theory, Tcherepnin not only extricated himself from his own compositional techniques, but also intensified his search for musical folklore. In April, 1934, he began a world tour which was to include China, Japan, Singapore, the Philippines, Egypt, and Palestine, to search for "musical folklore." He became so fascinated with the culture of ancient China that he cancelled the rest of his arrangements, and, except for visits to Japan, he remained in China for three years, until the outbreak of the Sino-Japanese War in July, 1937. During his three-year stay in China, Tcherepnin was greatly attracted to Chinese culture, and as a result, Chinese culture influenced his music to a significant degree. This essay examines the manner in which Tcherepnin's music was influenced by his experiences in China. In order to precisely analyze the close affiliation between Chinese musical elements and Tcherepnin's "Chinese Mikrokosmos," many original Chinese sources proved indispensable in this study. These sources include Chinese folk music, theater music, instrumental music, religious music, and Chinese periodicals and newspapers that reported Tcherepnin's activities in China (1934-7). The organization of this dissertation as follows: Chapter I provides a brief biographical sketch of Tcherepnin, traces his activities in China, and introduces one of his greatest "Chinese" compositions, "Chinese Mikrokosmos," which represents the fruits of his labors to scrutinize and absorb Chinese musical language. Chapters II and III are devoted to exploring how Chinese folk and instrumental music inspired Tcherepnin's "Chinese Mikrokosmos." Chapter IV summarizes this study.

Alexander Tcherepnin (1899-1977) was a Russian-born American composer, his musical style represents the modern and diverse features of much twentieth-century piano music. The purpose of this research is to conduct a comprehensive pedagogical analysis of Alexander Tcherepnin's Bagatelles, Op. 5 with the goal of introducing contemporary characteristics in twentieth-century piano music for the late-intermediate student. Chapter 2 contains overall biographical information regarding Alexander Tcherepnin and a discussion of the general compositional style of his piano works. Chapter 3 analyzes the Bagatelles, Op. 5 from the perspective of musical challenges concerning the contemporary characteristics, including contemporary harmony: interval of seconds, non-tertian chords, special use of the seventh chords, and ninth chords; contemporary rhythm and meter: shifted accents, asymmetric meter, meter change, and ostinato; modal melodic resources and tonalities; and other special tonalities. Chapter 4 has suggestions on fingering, pedaling, articulation, tone, dynamics and phrasing, and practicing procedures for individual technical difficulties. Studying the Bagatelles, Op. 5 provides a transition for the student from learning standard repertoire of the eighteenth and the nineteenth century, to contemporary repertoire through the combination of Russian compositional traditions with twentieth century repertory.

Unter den Genres des russischen Musiktheaters hat die komische Oper die längste Tradition. Entstanden in den siebziger Jahren des 18. Jahrhunderts, blieb sie bis ins erste Drittel des 19. Jahrhunderts hinein die einzige professionelle musiktheatralische Gattung. Nationale Genrekennzeichen sind das Lyrische, das Phantastische und das Satirische sowie die Vermischung dieser Züge, wie man sie beispielsweise in der Mainacht von Rimski-Korsakow, in Wakula der Schmied von Tschaikowsky und in der Hochzeit von Mussorgski findet, um nur einige herausragende Beispiele des 19. Jahrhunderts zu nennen. Diese genrespezifischen Eigenschaften wurden im 20. Jahrhundert größtenteils beibehalten. Neben den bekannten Werken Igor Strawinskys, Sergei Prokofjews und Dmitri Schostakowitschs stellen die Opern Nikolai Tscherepnins in der ersten Jahrhunderthälfte einen interessanten Sonderweg dar.

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Unter den Genres des russischen Musiktheaters hat die komische Oper die längste Tradition. Entstanden in den siebziger Jahren des 18. Jahrhunderts, blieb sie bis ins erste Drittel des 19. Jahrhunderts hinein die einzige professionelle musiktheatralische Gattung. Nationale Genrekennzeichen sind das Lyrische, das Phantastische und das Satirische sowie die Vermischung dieser Züge, wie man sie beispielsweise in der Mainacht von Rimski-Korsakow, in Wakula der Schmied von Tschaikowsky und in der Hochzeit von Mussorgski findet, um nur einige herausragende Beispiele des 19. Jahrhunderts zu nennen. Diese genrespezifischen Eigenschaften wurden im 20. Jahrhundert größtenteils beibehalten. Neben den bekannten Werken Igor Strawinskys, Sergei Prokofjews und Dmitri Schostakowitschs stellen die Opern Nikolai Tscherepnins in der ersten Jahrhunderthälfte einen interessanten Sonderweg dar.