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The aspiration of this dissertation is to bring forth the significance of Shostakovich's Piano Sonata Op.12. This sonata is a hybrid of the German musical tradition, Russian Modernism, and Liszt's thematic transformation technique. It demonstrates Shostakovich's highly intellectual compositional skills influenced by the education that he received at St. Petersburg Conservatory as well as the exposure to modern music in the 1920s. This dissertation discusses composition techniques, such as the harmonic piers adapted from Alexander Scriabin, neighboring-tone technique, which involves the application of semitone cell throughout the piece, as well as the technique of thematic transformation borrowed from Liszt. These all come together by Shostakovich's design in the most controversial sonata form. The Piano Sonata Op.12 also sheds light on Shostakovich's early compositional style and proves its contribution to the evolution of sonata genre in the twentieth-century.

In 1950-51, for the bicentennial of the death of J. S. Bach, Dmitri Shostakovich wrote his collection of Twenty-four Preludes and Fugues, Op. 87. This thesis is a study of the fugal technique of Shostakovich as observed in Op. 87, in light of the fugal style of Bach as observed in The Well-Tempered Clavier, Volume One. Individual analyses of each of the twenty-four Shostakovich pieces yield the conclusion that Op. 87 is an emulation of Bachian fugal methods as observed in The Well-Tempered Clavier, Volume One.

This dissertation contains a comparison from a historical and theoretical perspective of the passacaglia from the Piano Trio in E Minor, Op. 67, written by Dmitri Shostakovich (1906-1975), and the passacaglia from the Piano Trio in A Minor, written by Maurice Ravel (1875-1937).Before the history and theory discussion of these two movements begins, a background is given on the passacaglia form and its origins. References are made to the beginnings of the passacaglia in Italy and Spain, as well as the gradual evolution of the form into the keyboard music of the 17th century. Early published examples of passacaglias are displayed in chapter two.The third and fourth chapters of this dissertation are the focus of the comparison, where historical and theoretical information is discussed and deciphered. In the history section, details of the life of the composer during the time he wrote the piece are provided. The theory section contains a concentrated examination and comparison (enhanced by musical examples) of melody, harmony, rhythm, texture, and form, as used by Ravel and Shostakovich in these two passacaglias.It was concluded in this dissertation that both of these master composers used the passacaglia form successfully in their piano trios. As a result, they contributed musical masterpieces in the genre of the piano trio for musicians and scholars alike to investigate, study, and perform. / School of Music

This study was prompted by the writer's interest and experience in the field of two-piano performance. At the beginning of this writer's two-piano work the available material was scarce, and much of it was inadequate in quality from the standpoint of both composition and arrangement. It seems strange that this particular form of chamber music, so delightful to play and so enjoyable to listen to, did not completely take popular fancy until the twentieth century. During the past ten years however, teachers are realizing the benefits derived from training students in two-piano playing. There is no doubt in the writer's opinion that two-piano concerts will henceforth always be in demand.

Performance practice is a term familiar to serious musicians. For the performer, this means assimilating and applying all the education and training that has been pursued in a course of study. Performance practice entails many aspects such as development of the craft of performing on the instrument, comprehensive knowledge of pertinent literature, score study and listening to recordings, study of instruments of the period, notation and articulation practices of the time, and issues of tempo and dynamics. The orchestral literature of Eastern Europe, especially Germany and Russia, from the mid-nineteenth century through the mid-twentieth century provides some of the most significant and musically challenging parts for the tuba. The works of Igor Stravinsky, Sergei Prokofiev, and Dmitri Shostakovich, along with their orchestral contemporaries, represents a significant portion of this literature. This study examines a seminal work in the orchestral genre from each of these three Russian composers. The role of the tuba in each work is discussed. Excerpts of the tuba part are examined in terms of performance issues such as range, rhythm, phrasing, and scoring. Comparisons and contrasts are drawn as to how each composer used the tuba and the effectiveness of the utilization.