Pierre Jodlowski's Works Based on Colour consist of three pieces: Série Noire (2005), Série Blanche (2007), and Série Rose (2012) pour piano et dispositif électroacoustique. According to the composer, "each colour provides an opportunity to investigate a particular link of music with imagery." The pieces serve as a musical representation of cinematic elements through the synchronization of music and sound effects. The musical language of the cycle draws influences from various sources including the music of expressionism, musique concrète, as well as standard soundtrack scoring. The intermingling of various melodies, harmonies, and rhythms creates a synthesis between the piano and the electroacoustic soundtrack (tape).In Pierre Jodlowski's Works Based on Colour, he seeks to form an interdisciplinary collaboration between music and visual multimedia. The composer's interest in cinematography and mental processes is evident through his selective mixing of audio effects, sounds (real sounds versus synthesized sounds), and piano. According to Jodlowski the visual aspects, or mise-en-scène, of cinema should surface in the minds of the listener after hearing each of the works. Jodlowski's method of mixing involves several techniques: the insertion of fragments of dialogue from various films, tinkering with inanimate objects, pre-recorded sounds of nature, and the distortion of sonic effects and instrumentation. Aside from the use of color as a symbol, Jodlowski's cycle contains extra-musical ideas that cover a wide range of cinematic themes, including atmospheric elements of film noir, the gradual shifts and changes in our mental processes, as well as love discourse and sex from erotic cinema and pornography. Jodlowski's Works Based on Colour stirs the listener's imagination through the clear delineation of contrasting sections, the dialogue-like interaction between the tape and the piano, and the inclusion of dialogue and sound effects from various films. A performer should have knowledge of cinematic elements, understand the purpose of cinematic concepts and their significance for a cinematic viewer, and recognize their function in Jodlowski's works before performing the Works Based on Colour.

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.

Westernization of Chinese traditional music occupies a significant portion of Chinese music history and has had a tremendous influence on Chinese contemporary music. This dissertation will discuss why almost all contemporary Chinese music has been integrated with Western musical elements. It will also address the evolution of Chinese music, the differences between traditional Chinese music and contemporary Chinese music, the way contemporary Chinese music combines Chinese traditional music with Western music, Chinese peoples’ views towards Chinese traditional music and contemporary music, and the significance of the above with respect to the preservation of Chinese culture and cultural diversity in the world.

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The essay begins with the overview of Russian-Soviet piano music from the second half of the 19th century to the end of the 20th century. Then, biographical information about Sergei Slonimsky and an overview of his major compositions is provided. The majority of the paper focuses on Slonimsky's Sonata for Piano (1963). A brief discussion of the Sonata's compositional history is followed by the formal analysis of the overall structure of the work. Slonimsky's original principle of organization of the music is emphasized: the system of constant interrelation of the main thematic material combined with elements of the sonata-allegro form. In the analysis of the harmonic language of the piece, the composer's extensive use of Russian folk elements such as diatonic melodies, sigh motives, parallel triads, and simultaneous use of the lower third with the major triad is pointed out. The rest of the paper focuses on issues of interpretation and performance. Special notice is given to the problem of incorporating a percussive type of playing with the elements of folk cantilena singing. The paper concludes with the history of Sonata's performances and a discussion of current recordings.

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