One of the most important ways to understand Olivier Messiaen’s musical language is through the lens of the theological ideas that many of his works convey. He considers expressing his Christian faith to be the primary purpose in his music. Through his idiosyncratic technique, Messiaen gives power and life to his religious music that he combines with his interest in literature, musical analysis, poetic imagery and symbolism, his love for theatre, and his compositional and organ abilities. The abundant studies of Messiaen’s works deal with the intricacies of his musical language, yet most of these studies barely discuss his theological ideas. Nevertheless, technical analysis of his music poses immense challenges, especially in the domains of melody and harmony. Although my approach is unconventional and do not follow any existing system, I base my technical and theological analyses mainly from Messiaen's technique, his commentaries and his references to the Scriptures. The “Combat de la mort et de la vie” is the heart of Les Corps glorieux in both technical and theological aspects. It is an intricate musical artwork where Messiaen demonstrates his melodic and harmonic developments using his idiosyncratic language, and through symbolism portrays the most complex of all drama according to Christian theology—the story of Jesus Christ's Passion and Resurrection. My research can relate directly to a more informed and convincing performance of the work, and can contribute a different perspective to the study, understanding, and appreciation of Messiaen's theologically inspired works.

The neo-classic movement in Italy, which gained momentum in the early 1920's, was rooted in an instrumental style patterned after that of the Baroque era. The term "new classicism," proposed by Ferruccio Busoni in 1920, represented a reaction against the extreme chromaticism and large performance forces of the late nineteenth century. The pianistcomposer Alfredo Casella, after earlier periods in which he was influenced by such diverse composers as Mahler, Debussy, and Schoenberg, soon became the chief spokesman for the neoclassic movement in Italy. Casella considered the Sinfonia, Arioso and Toccata his most important work for the piano, because of its size and musical content. It is notable for its usage of thematic transformation, much of which is based on the interval of a fourth or fifth. This study includes a formal outline of each movement, showing sectional divisions and tonal regions, as well as illustrations of thematic transformation and intervallic patterns. Also discussed are the work's neoclassic style characteristics, including counterpoint, pandiatonicism, modality, and linear cadential treatment.

Master of Music / Department of Music / Slawomir P. Dobrzanski / The following report analyzes compositions performed at the author’s Master’s Piano Recital on March 15, 2012. The discussed pieces are Johann Sebastian Bach’s Toccata in G major, BWV 916; Ludwig van Beethoven’s Sonata in E flat major, op. 31, no. 3; Frederic Chopin’s Ballade in F minor, op. 52; Leoš Janáček’s In The Mists: I. Andante, III. Andantino; and Sergei Prokofiev’s Sonata in A minor, op. 28. The author approaches the study from the historical, theoretical, stylistic and pedagogical perspectives.

The objective of the dissertation is to examine certain correlations between Busoni the philosopher and Busoni the composer. His aesthetic and theoretical points of view, which are of vital importance for an appreciation of his compositions, are reviewed. The manifestation of his musical thinking in his own compositional practice is substantiated through an analysis of two of his late works for the piano: the Sonatina seconda and the Toccata. In addition to the lecture recital, based on the dissertation and given on February 18, 1991, three other public recitals were performed. The first, on November 30, 1987, included works of Bartok, Brahms, Mozart, and Granados. The second program, a chamber recital on January 16, 1989, featured works by Brahms. The third recital was performed on April 23, 1990, and included works by Beethoven, Prokofieff, and Chopin.

No description available.

À la Renaissance et à l'ère baroque, l'art de l'improvisation faisait partie intégrante de l'éducation musicale et de la pratique instrumentale. Cette façon de faire de la musique s'apprenait très jeune et se pratiquait au quotidien. En la même personne, étaient le plus souvent confondus compositeurs et improvisateurs, en ce que ces deux disciplines étaient étroitement liées. Plus encore, l'improvisation allait jouer un rôle déterminant dans la création de nouveaux genres musicaux. Parmi ces derniers, la toccata, genre musical instrumental de style libre et improvisé, devait se présenter comme un élément significatif de cette pratique musicale. À partir de cette donnée historique, la question que nous souhaiterions examiner est la suivante : comment peut-on mieux cerner, dans ces œuvres de style libre, le côté improvisé qui s'y rattache ? Notre objectif sera donc d'identifier les éléments compositionnels contenus dans les œuvres de style toccata et qui rendent compte de l'aspect spontané et improvisé qui caractérise ces pièces, et ce, de Frescobaldi à Bach. C'est donc, d'une part, par une évaluation qualitative d'œuvres de style toccata et, d'autre part, par un examen approfondi d'études de cas que nous nous efforcerons de dégager les techniques d'écriture qui permettent de faire le lien entre la pratique de l'improvisation et les œuvres écrites. Le cadre de cette recherche sera délimité par des connaissances théoriques telles que rencontrées dans les traités anciens ainsi que dans les ouvrages musicologiques récents en tenant compte des connaissances tacites issues de la pratique musicale, de l'enseignement reçu ainsi que du savoir intuitif de tout musicien. Nous espérons que ce projet nous permettra de mieux comprendre la nature de l'improvisation dans ces compositions dites libres, tout comme de nourrir et justifier notre interprétation en la rendant plus juste et vivante. / In the Renaissance and the baroque era, the art of improvisation was part of the learning process and performance praxis. Very early on, young musicians were educated in this type of musical activity and they practiced it regularly. As improvisation and composition were closely linked at that time, both types of musical expertise were often encountered in the same person. Moreover, improvisation played an important role in the genesis of new musical genres. Among them, the toccata, an instrumental piece characterized by freedom and fantasy, emerged as a significant component of this musical practice. With this historical background in mind, we would like to investigate the following question: how can we better define, in freestyle pieces, the improvised side that results from them? Our goal is to identify which compositional and discursive elements in toccatas translate the improvisational aspect so typical of those pieces from Frescobaldi to Bach. Using case studies and a qualitative approach, we will try to show how certain compositional techniques contained in the written pieces can be linked to improvisational practice. Additionally, our method will be delineated using treatises of musical theory from the period as well as more recent musicological studies, combined with tacit knowledge drawn from our own musical experience and education, including intuitive knowing. We hope that this research project will help to foster understanding about the nature of the practice of improvisation in toccata-like pieces and to nurture and explain our performance decisions with respect to those pieces in order to make them more authentic and alive.