Studies of variation form generally overlook the works of Antonio Vivaldi due to the lack of sufficient bibliographic resources and assumptions downplaying the significance of Vivaldi's variation sets. This study, however, argues that Vivaldi's sets represent innovative contributions to the hm It begins by cataloguing the twenty instrumental variation sets published in the &st critical edition of Vivaidits works (Milan: Ricordi, 1947-72). It then examines the sequence of vatiations and manner of conclusion in each set, issues crucial to the reception of variation form ever since late eighteenth-century writers such as Koch and Vogler expanded discussions of variation technique to address variation sets as a musical farm. Vivakli's examples are compared to those by Corelli, Rarneau, and Handel, highlighting Vivaldi's greater emphasis on coherent progressions and f'lrm conclusions. Additionally, reeent chronological studies are combined to propose that Vivaldi was among the first composers to use variation form h solo concertos.

"Variation is one of the oldest and most elemental types of music, beloved and practised by all musicians since the early lute and keyboard composers." The principle of the variation is that of "variety within unity, secured by the reproduction of limited musical material in changing aspects and is fundamental to composition." Typical instances are the use of fugal themes in changing combinations and with changing counter-material; continuous sequential expansion of a single motif in the baroque sonata or suite; the symphonic development in classical sonata form; ornamentation, compression, extension or elaboration of recapitulated sections. Intro., p. 1.

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The internal unity of the themes in a sonata-allegro movement and the external unity of the movements in a sonata cycle are crucial elements of Beethoven's compositional aesthetic. Numerous theorists have explored these aspects in Beethoven's sonatas, symphonies, quartets, and concertos. Similar research into the independent variation sets for piano, excluding Opus 120, has been largely neglected as the result of three misconceptions: that the variation sets, many of which were based on popular melodies of Beethoven's time, are not as worthy of study as his other works; that the type of hidden internal relationships which pervade the sonata cycle are not relevant to the variation set since all variations are, by definition, related to the theme; and that variations were composed "additively," that is, one after another, without any particular regard for their order or relationship to one another. The purpose of this study is to refute all three of these incorrect assumptions. Beethoven was concerned with the order of variations and their relationship to one another, and he was able to transcend the additive tendency in a number of ways. Some of his methods included registral connection, registral expansion, rhythmic acceleration, textural expansion, dynamics, articulation, and motivic similarities. Chapter I contains a discussion of the role of the variation set in Beethoven's overall output. The teachers, composers, and works which may have influenced him are also discussed as well as his training in variation composition. Finally, those factors which Beethoven employed to unify his sets are listed and explained. Chapters II-V are devoted to detailed analyses of four striking variation sets: Opus 34, Opus 35, WoO 80, and Opus 120. Chapter VI presents a summary of the findings. It suggests that each of the sets investigated has a unique form and that each variation has a distinct place and purpose.

The lecture recital was given on August 9, 1974. Chorale partitas by Sweelinck, Scheidt, B051hm, and Walther were performed following a lecture on the chorale partita in the Baroque period. The lecture included a discussion of the instruments that the partitas were written for and the functions for which they were written. The works of Sweelinck and Scheidt and their influence on later composers were discussed. A number of lesser-known composers and their works were mentioned. Also, there was a discussion of works by well-known composers such as Bohm, Pachelbel, Buxtehude, Walther, and Bach. In addition to the lecture recital, three other public recitals were performed, all of which consisted of solo compositions for the organ. The first solo recital, including works of Buxtehude, Bach, Walther, Pepping, ?ranck, Alain, and Durufle, was performed on July 18, 1971. On August 13, 1972 the second solo recital was performed. Compositions by Greene, Stanley, Searle, Willan, Dandrieu, Roger-Ducasse, and Langlais were included in the program. The third solo recital, which included works by Sweelinck, Bach, Guillou, and Reubke, was performed on June 5, 1974. The four programs were recorded on magnetic tape and are filed with the written version of the lecture material as a part of the dissertation.

Aaron Copland was born of Russian-Jewish parents on November 14, 1900. Harris Kaplan, his father, had acquired the American equivalent of his name when an immigration official at the British port of entry wrote it on his papers, and from then on the family name was "Copland." Sarah Mittenthal and Harris Copland met at a family social gathering in New York and were married in 1885. They lived in the upper stories of his department store in Brooklyn which remained the family home until 1924 and was where Aaron, the youngest of five, was born.

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One of the difficulties of nineteenth-century form studies is ambiguity in ascertaining which formal types are at work and in what ways. This can be an especially difficult problem when multiple formal types seem to influence the construction of a single composition. Drawing on some recent innovations in form studies proposed by Steven Vande Moortele, Janet Schmalfeldt, and Caitlin Martinkus, I first develop a set of analytical tools specifically made for the analysis of sonata/variation formal hybrids. I then refine these tools by applying them to the analysis of two pieces. Chopin's Fourth Piano Ballade can be understood from this perspective as primarily following the broad outlines of a sonata form, but with important influences from the recursive structures of variation forms; Franck's Symphonic Variations, on the other hand, are better viewed as engaging most of all with multiple variation-form paradigms and overlaying them with some of the rhetorical and formal structures of sonata forms. I conclude with a brief speculation on some further, more general applications of my methodology.