Boris Kozhevnikov was a preeminent composer for the wind orchestras of the Soviet military. His Third Symphony is well known in the United States, but the rest of his compositions, and most of the Soviet wind band repertoire, remain unstudied and unperformed outside Russia. This document will explain how Soviet composers carried out their musical obligations as dictated by Communist Party mandates. Further, the functionality and prevalence of Soviet military bands will be explored. Finally, Boris Kozhevnikov will be investigated as a composer who wrote for military ensembles while adhering to Party ideals. American editions of two pieces--the Fourth Symphony and March for Ceremonial Passing--have been created as representative examples of Kozhevnikov's contribution to the genre.Socialist Realism is the term used to describe the Soviet government's mandate for "appropriate" music. Composers were expected to write music that was accessible to the masses, contained programmatic inferences, and aroused sentiments of patriotism and nationalistic pride. Rejected were any pieces displaying formalistic tendencies, including non-programmatic, overly chromatic, or atonal works.Three thousand military wind orchestras were performing in the Soviet Union at the end of the Cold War. These ensembles played original Russian and Soviet music, the vast majority of which is unknown outside Russia. Composers such as Dmitri Shostakovich, Nikolai Miaskovsky, and Sergei Prokofiev wrote for the military ensembles, providing marches and programmatic works.Boris Kozhevnikov taught at the Moscow Conservatory and Institute of Military Conductors for over forty years. He was a highly respected professor, composer, and conductor, and received praise from both Miaskovsky and Shostakovich. One of the first composers to write multiple symphonies for band, Kozhevnikov composed over forty pieces for winds, all exhibiting fundamentals of Socialist Realism. Among his techniques were the incorporation of folk, worker, and revolutionary songs; compositions specifically written and titled for commemorative events; and the composition of works for functional purposes, such as marches and ceremonial music. For his efforts, Kozhevnikov was awarded as a Distinguished Artist of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic, the Red Star, the Red Banner, the Alexandrov Award, and the Order of the Badge of Honor.

This essay on Lennox Berkeley’s Theme and Variations for Guitar serves as the written half of my final dissertation for my bachelor’s degree in classical music, following my studies for Peter Berlind Carlson at the Royal College of Music in Stockholm between the years 2011- 2014. The other half of this project consists of a studio recording and a concert performance of this piece that I have analysed. Originally, this paper was written in Swedish but also translated to English to serve as an academic writing sample for the Royal College of Music in London, necessary for approving my continued postgraduate studies there starting in September 2014. Other reasons for translating this paper to English is partly the piece’s English origin but also the lack of other available information on this beautiful composition for the guitar. Hopefully, this paper may be of help to guitarists and Berkeley enthusiasts in exploring this remarkable piece of music and Lennox Berkeley’s relationship to the guitar. / <p>Bilaga: 1 CD</p>

George Enescu (1881-1955) is the best-known Romanian composer and has been widely lauded for his folk- inspired compositions. While folk music was an important influence in Enescu’s music, it was always balanced by his passion for and intimate understanding of late Romantic compositional techniques. The extent to which he was influenced by the folk music of his homeland is a point of contention amongst some of the leading Enescu scholars. The English-speaking representative, Noel Malcolm believes that the influences in Enescu´s musical language were more diverse than scholars have suggested prior to the 1989 revolution. He believes that the depiction of Enescu as a folkloristic composer has contributed to his marginalisation and relative obscurity. By contrast, scholars such as Boris Kotlyarov and Grigore Constantinescu give greater weight to national characteristics in Enescu’s music. Enescu conceded that some of his early works made direct quotation of Romanian folk melodies, and that such an approach was limited in its possibilities. The composer’s more mature works employ characteristics of folk music and its performance traditions without the use of direct quotation. This critical commentary will observe and comment on the folk influences in Enescu’s compositions as well as noting the influence of Western traditions and techniques. Due reference will be given to the work of Bartók, whose incisive study of Romanian folk music remains one of the most substantial and detailed primary sources today. In order to highlight specific examples of folk influence, as well as other techniques, three of Enescu’s works are targeted for specific study, namely the Romanian Rhapsody, op. 11 no. 1, Sonata for Violin and Piano, op. 25 no. 3 and his Impressions D’Enfance for violin and piano, op. 28. Each work exhibits a tie with the composer’s Romanian origins, but also with 19th and early 20thC composers such as Brahms, Wagner, Debussy and Fauré. This critical commentary highlights the fact that Enescu’s works display folk idioms and techniques developed using late-Romantic techniques.

George Enescu (1881-1955) is the best-known Romanian composer and has been widely lauded for his folk- inspired compositions. While folk music was an important influence in Enescu’s music, it was always balanced by his passion for and intimate understanding of late Romantic compositional techniques. The extent to which he was influenced by the folk music of his homeland is a point of contention amongst some of the leading Enescu scholars. The English-speaking representative, Noel Malcolm believes that the influences in Enescu´s musical language were more diverse than scholars have suggested prior to the 1989 revolution. He believes that the depiction of Enescu as a folkloristic composer has contributed to his marginalisation and relative obscurity. By contrast, scholars such as Boris Kotlyarov and Grigore Constantinescu give greater weight to national characteristics in Enescu’s music. Enescu conceded that some of his early works made direct quotation of Romanian folk melodies, and that such an approach was limited in its possibilities. The composer’s more mature works employ characteristics of folk music and its performance traditions without the use of direct quotation. This critical commentary will observe and comment on the folk influences in Enescu’s compositions as well as noting the influence of Western traditions and techniques. Due reference will be given to the work of Bartók, whose incisive study of Romanian folk music remains one of the most substantial and detailed primary sources today. In order to highlight specific examples of folk influence, as well as other techniques, three of Enescu’s works are targeted for specific study, namely the Romanian Rhapsody, op. 11 no. 1, Sonata for Violin and Piano, op. 25 no. 3 and his Impressions D’Enfance for violin and piano, op. 28. Each work exhibits a tie with the composer’s Romanian origins, but also with 19th and early 20thC composers such as Brahms, Wagner, Debussy and Fauré. This critical commentary highlights the fact that Enescu’s works display folk idioms and techniques developed using late-Romantic techniques.

abstract: Four Souvenirs for Violin and Piano was composed by Paul Schoenfeld (b.1947) in 1990 as a showpiece, spotlighting the virtuosity of both the violin and piano in equal measure. Each movement is a modern interpretation of a folk or popular genre, re- envisioned over intricate jazz harmonies and rhythms. The work was commissioned by violinist Lev Polyakin, who specifically requested some short pieces that could be performed in a local jazz establishment named Night Town in Cleveland, Ohio. The result is a work that is approximately fifteen minutes in length. Schoenfeld is a respected composer in the contemporary classical music community, whose Café Music (1986) for piano trio has recently become a staple of the standard chamber music repertoire. Many of his other works, however, remain in relative obscurity. It is the focus of this document to shed light on at least one other notable composition; Four Souvenirs for Violin and Piano. Among the topics to be discussed regarding this piece are a brief history behind the genesis of this composition, a structural summary of the entire work and each of its movements, and an appended practice guide based on interview and coaching sessions with the composer himself. With this project, I hope to provide a better understanding and appreciation of this work. / Dissertation/Thesis / Doctoral Dissertation Music 2015

abstract: Imitation is the genesis of change. One basic principle of human nature is that people imitate what they see and hear. In the professional choral arena, musicians extend the high art of imitation through fine-tuning, and creative reinterpretation. Stimulated by this cycle, the color of the twenty-first-century professional choir shifted compared to that of professional choirs from the 1950s through 1970s, causing an evolution in choral sound. In a series of interviews with iconic composers and conductors of professional choirs, the subjects involved in the study conveyed comprehensive and personal accounts outlining how professional choirs have refined the standard of choral sound. The paper is organized into three sections: (1) where have we been, (2) where are we now and (3) where are we going? It explores various conductors' perceptions of how and why choirs are unique when compared to earlier generations and what they believe caused the shift in choral tone. Paired with this perspective is the role of modern composers, whose progressive compositional techniques helped shape the modern choral sound. The subjects involved in the study further theorize how current inclinations may potentially shape the future of professional choral music. Although the subjects expressed differing opinions about the quality of the twenty-first-century choral tone, many agree that there have been specific transformations since the 1970s. The shift in choral tone occurred due to developments in vocal technique, exploration of contemporary compositional extended techniques, an adherence to historically informed performance practice, imitation of vocal colors from numerous cultures, incorporation of technology and emulation of sound perceived on recordings. Additionally, choral music subtly became prominent in film scores, and innovative conductors created progressive concert programming, and developed novel approaches to entertain audiences. Samplings of contributors involved in this study include: John Rutter, Harry Christophers, Charles Bruffy, Nigel Short, Craig Hella Johnson, Alice Parker, Michael McGlynn, Phillip Brunelle, Craig Jessop, Libby Larsen, Ola Gjeilo, Cecilia McDowall, Jaakko Mäntyjärvi and Stephen Paulus. / Dissertation/Thesis / D.M.A. Music 2013

Este trabalho é um estudo a partir da correspondência de Camargo Guarnieri, das partituras de sua Obra de difusão interdita e de outras obras compostas entre 1928 e 1945. Nas cartas trocadas e nas partituras estão a relação com os professores de composição e os intelectuais e críticos com os quais o compositor trabalhou em colaboração no processo de fazer-se compositor sinfônico. Lamberto Baldi, Mário de Andrade, Curt Lange, Luiz Heitor, Charles Koechlin, Charles Seeger, Carleton Sprague Smith, Aaron Copland foram os interlocutores privilegiados desse processo no qual Guarnieri lutou para superar as limitações do meio musical brasileiro. Estabelecendo relação entre as obras e as demandas e comentários suscitados por elas, considerou-se que a composição da Sinfonia n° 1 entre 1942-44 e sua estréia em 1945 foi a culminância desse processo em que se construiu um compositor como reflexo e símbolo de seu meio musical, no âmbito das relações do modernismo, do Estado varguista, do americanismo musical, e da política de boa vizinhança e dos interesses do mercado de música sinfônica nos Estados Unidos. / This is a study from the letters of Camargo Guarnieri, the scores of his \"Work of disseminating forbidden\" and other works composed between 1928 and 1945. In the letters and in the scores are the testimony of a relation with teachers of composition and the intellectuals and critics with whom Guarnieri has worked in the making of a composer himself. Lamberto Baldi, Mario de Andrade, Curt Lange, Luiz Heitor, Charles Koechlin, Charles Seeger, Carleton Sprague Smith, Aaron Copland - were the privileged interlocutors of the process in which Guarnieri struggled to overcome the limitations of the Brazilian music scene. Establishing relations between musical work and the demands and comments raised by them, it was considered that the composition of the Symphony No. 1 in 1942-44 and his debut in 1945 was the culmination to the making of a composer, whose career was built as a reflection and symbol of his musical scene, in relations of brasilian modernism, Vargas regime, \"americanismo musical\", and the Good Neighbor Policy and the interests of the classical music as business in USA.

Restless Soul is composed of observational and expository style to depict a culture of youth, strength, and passion. The film captures an improvising musician and composer named Garrett Wingfield, who expresses spontaneous sound reflected in his mind, body and spirit. By working with his music friends, he releases his creative energies through his compositions and his different types of saxophones. The documentary allows its audience to experience the youth culture in a postmodern world.

José Siqueira is one of the most influential and productive Brazilian composers of the twentieth century. He crafted a compositional system in 1941 which he called the Trimodal System, based on the three most present scalar modes in the Brazilian Northeastern folkloric tradition. As a composer of nationalist impulse, the process of developing the system was inspired by a desire to create a music that truly represented Brazilian culture. This originated what can be called his Trimodal compositional period, characteristics of which would persevere through his future compositions. This research analyzes Siqueira’s Concertino for Violin and Chamber Orchestra (1972) through the lens of his system. In his book, “O Sistema Modal da Música Brasileira,” the composer does not mention any of his concertinos as examples of pieces in which he utilized the Trimodal System. This study, however, observes that the System was embedded in his compositional style, even though he did not overtly make this claim. The examination of the piece also utilizes set-theory and pitch-class centricity in a post- tonal analytical approach. Pitch-class coherence is sought through the methodology developed by clarinetist vii and professor Aynara Silva (2013). In her research she listed 45 prominent pitch-class sets in Siqueira’s system. Thus, this present research aims to provoke a reflection regarding the placement of the violin concertino within the system, opening a new field of study for additional scholars to further investigate his concertinos. In addition to the analytical viewpoint, this dissertation provides guidance on the violinistic aspects of the piece, incorporating relevant elements from the violin technique found in the piece. As fruit of this research, this work includes the first revised edition of the concertino’s piano reduction and the violin part, working directly from Siqueira’s autograph. This edition will make the piece more accessible to players, possibly resulting in it being played more often, and in turn, being known by the general public as well as to music connoisseurs.

In light of the unprecedented events of social unrest that took place in the year of 2020, this piece takes inspiration from the timeless poem “Pity the Nation” by Lawrence Ferlinghetti. Just as the text and themes relate to the United States during this time, they continue to resonate beyond multiple areas and eras. When recalling the events of 2020, some remember fear, uncertainty, pain, anger, disgust, and loss. Pity the Nation depicts these emotions. The alto and tenor voices follow each line of text in the poem, interpreting the themes musically as they are given. The fear of the unpredictable future is heard through the text-setting in both the voices and the chamber ensemble. This piece is dedicated to the memory of the renowned ‘Beat’ poet Lawrence Ferlinghetti.