The Prelude and David Copperfield reveal strikingly similar patterns of their heroes' development from boyhood to manhood; the idiosyncrasy of their growth can be found in its retrogressive rather than progressive aspect.

Based on Derrida's deconstruction and other methodologies, this six-chapter thesis aims at effecting a valid re-reading of self manifested in Wordsworth's The Prelude. What the stop here introductory chapter unfolds is the motivation to pursue this research, a summary of the related scholarship to date, an overview of the poem, and a description of the theoretical approaches. The second chapter is an attempt to identify the internal instability, fluidity, and ambivalence of self that inform The Prelude. Wordsworth's language is what the third chapter concerns. It seeks to work out a way into the following questions: Does Wordsworth know that self is a trick of language and ever-changing? If he does, how profound is his knowledge? Since it is self that Wordsworth does hope to privilege, what we tend to identify as the reconciliation of nature, imagination and that self can hardly be realized and is little more than an illusion. This is the subject to which the fourth chapter is devoted. Because of his inability to get rid of the sense of confinement and insecurity even in the face of what he may call the renovating virtues, a scene that repeats more frequently in The Prelude is Wordsworth's continuous struggle against them. To do Wordsworth justice, however, to argue that he is not the only one whose subject is unstable, a history of self and its inevitable relation to other is provided in the fifth chapter. I suggest here also that if the position of self is precarious, that of autobiography, a genre that purports to articulate subjectivity, cannot be more secure. In conclusion, we have a review of the maintained dialogue between Wordsworth and Derrida. For the sake of de/construction, the thesis ends with an attempt and a hope to put everything back to what it is.

The left hand has always been perceived as the weaker of the two hands and since about 1840, a substantial amount of piano repertoire for the left hand has seen the light. Composers continue to show an interest in composing works in this genre and the reasons are mainly because of injuries to the right hand, to aid in the pianist's technical development, because of the challenge it poses to the composer and finally to delight audiences with an unique technical display. The technical challenges that are present in these works, differ greatly from the difficulties found in piano music for both hands. In order to give a commanding performance, the pianist is required to make certain adjustments. In music for the left hand alone, this hand is suddenly solely responsible for both the melodic lines and accompanying textures simultaneously. By addressing the technical difficulties of a composition, the interpretation of the work is invariably influenced. One of the most well-known works in this genre, A. Scriabin's Prelude for the left hand, Op. 9, no. 1, has been used to identify the technical aspects in piano music for the left hand. The question that arises, is: which specific technical aspects can be identified in A. Scriabin's Prelude for the left hand, Op. 9, no. 1? The following questions are subsequently raised: firstly, how will the pianist approach these technical aspects, and secondly, how will certain technical adjustments benefit the performance and interpretation of the work? The hypothesis holds that the pianist will have to identify and address the unique technical aspects of piano works for the left hand alone, in order to perform these works successfully. Four specific areas have been identified that could be considered the main factors contributing to the technical challenges idiomatic of music for the left hand: fingering, pedalling, balance and voicing and physical flexibility. / Thesis (M.Mus.)--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2010.

The left hand has always been perceived as the weaker of the two hands and since about 1840, a substantial amount of piano repertoire for the left hand has seen the light. Composers continue to show an interest in composing works in this genre and the reasons are mainly because of injuries to the right hand, to aid in the pianist's technical development, because of the challenge it poses to the composer and finally to delight audiences with an unique technical display. The technical challenges that are present in these works, differ greatly from the difficulties found in piano music for both hands. In order to give a commanding performance, the pianist is required to make certain adjustments. In music for the left hand alone, this hand is suddenly solely responsible for both the melodic lines and accompanying textures simultaneously. By addressing the technical difficulties of a composition, the interpretation of the work is invariably influenced. One of the most well-known works in this genre, A. Scriabin's Prelude for the left hand, Op. 9, no. 1, has been used to identify the technical aspects in piano music for the left hand. The question that arises, is: which specific technical aspects can be identified in A. Scriabin's Prelude for the left hand, Op. 9, no. 1? The following questions are subsequently raised: firstly, how will the pianist approach these technical aspects, and secondly, how will certain technical adjustments benefit the performance and interpretation of the work? The hypothesis holds that the pianist will have to identify and address the unique technical aspects of piano works for the left hand alone, in order to perform these works successfully. Four specific areas have been identified that could be considered the main factors contributing to the technical challenges idiomatic of music for the left hand: fingering, pedalling, balance and voicing and physical flexibility. / Thesis (M.Mus.)--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2010.

This thesis focuses on a group of keyboard pieces composed in the first half of the twentieth century entitled ‘prelude’, and explores the issue of genre, investigating the significance in the application of this generic title, and the development of the piano prelude in this period. The application of a generic title often invokes the expectation of its generic features its conventional and formal characteristics. Though the prelude is one of the oldest genres in the history of keyboard music, it has relatively few conventions, and hence, with the abandonment of its primary function the prefatory role in the nineteenth century, it has been considered an indeterminate genre. Rachmaninoff, however, asserted that a generic title should carry with it appropriate generic manifestations, which parallelled similar generic concepts in literature. This expectation of generic traits is like setting up a ‘generic contract’, offering an invitation to either conform or reform, and thus affecting its course of development. A survey of the prelude’s historical development points to six rather consistent generic conventional and formal characteristics: (i) tonality, (ii) pianistic/technical figuration, (iii) thematic treatment and formal structure, (iv) improvisatory style, (v) mood content, and (vi) brevity. Though these general characteristics may overlap with other genres, it is their collective characteristics that have contributed to the genre’s unique identity. These features form the basis for an exploration of the conformity to, or further evolution of, these characteristics in the preludes of the early twentieth century. From the substantial number of piano preludes composed in this period, selected sets, representative of the various stylistic manifestations of the period, are analysed in relation to the identified generic characteristics. The examination reveals that these preludes, though apparently diversified in style and outlook, exhibit affinity in one form or another to the generic characteristics. Each example exhibits different treatments of the generic characteristics reflective of twentieth-century developments, whilst retaining its generic identity. The prelude is thus an amalgamation of a tonal, technical and affective piece, which may be considered a combination of a tonal essay, a study/toccata, and a character piece; and collectively, a sequence of tonalities, a collection of pianistic technical studies, and a compendium of musical styles/genres in miniature.

Études was composed as a set of five interrelated movements in the followingorder: Prelude, Introduction and Fugue, Triptych, Chorale, and Response. The pieces are compositional as well as technical studies. The movements specifically explore certain styles and forms unique to organ music, and reintroduce these elements in creative ways. As in the traditional étude, each movement contains virtuosic technical studies, which are designed to enhance manual and pedal facility and prepare the performer for advanced repertoire.

<p>The categories of the Sublime and the Beautiful, popularized during the eighteenth century, are central to Wordswordth's major poem The Prelude. In this poem, phrases which pair off fear or terror and love obviously recall Burke's theory of the Sublime as having to do with ideas of self-preservation and the beautiful with ideas of love and society. In book 1 of The Prelude Wrdsworth interprets his formative experiences in terms of solitude and society. experiences of fear and friendship. This interpretation governs the entire poem, though in the final books Wordsworth deprecates his tendency to respond excessively to the sublime. Other ideas of the sublime than Burke's also affected his powerfully. The theme of the mind's steady acquisition of power through The Prelude; it is stated at the conclusion of book VII and in the "Climbing of snowdom" episode of book XIII. This there is a modification of the 17th and 18th century, which examines the mind's attributes to the mind's activities when it confronts grand and wast forms, and attributes to the mind capacities of expansion and elevation. In this own essay, "The Sublime and the Beautiful", belonging to the same period as his Guide to the Lakes, Wordsworth elaborated this idea, claiming that the mind is likely to respond in terms of either awe or elevation when it confronts forms combining "individuality of form" with "duration" and "power". In The Prelude significant experience, involving the arousal and excersie of imagination, generally arises from some combination of simplicity, duration and power in phenomena. Wordsworth's interest in the sublime and beautiful developed through conventional, sensationalist response to the mountaous Lake district environment of his boyhood, and to the alpine regon he visited in 1790. But gradually he evolved a series of laws, stated in "The Sublime and the Beautiful" and implied in The Prelude, which accounted for the imaginative significance of sublime phenomena in terms of their ability to suggest unity, infinity and power. These qualities, once precieved, provided emblems of the imagination, explores its powers, and links it with sublimity. At the end of the poem, however, Wordsworth attaches equal importance to love and beauty. After the crisis of the French Revolution his sister Dorthy, Marry Hutchinson and Coleridge helped to restore his faith in man and nature by directing his attention to the beautiful. The Prelude therefore suggests that the beautiful is fundamentally important in promoting moral and spiritual health. But the poem's major theme is the growth of a poet's mind and imagination, and it is the sublime that is consistently yoked with imaginative vitality.</p> / Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

The Twenty-Four Preludes and Fugues of Rodion Shchedrin is the magnum opus of perhaps the most respected living Russian composer, whose music is virtually unknown in the United States. Inspired by J. S. Bach and following in the footsteps of Dmitri Shostakovich, Shchedrin produced this impressive and original cycle for solo piano. It was written during the span of about six years, from 1964 to 1970. Since then, most of the preludes and fugues have become popular among students and pedagogues in Russian colleges and conservatories. The purpose of this monograph is to introduce this commendable work in the United States and to provide comprehensive structural analysis with performance suggestions and pedagogic overview. For each Prelude and Fugue, this monograph provides clear structural tables, which summarize form, compositional techniques, and rhythmic, textural, and polyphonic organization. In addition it provides performance and pedagogic evaluation of the entire cycle, with short discussions of each prelude and fugue. This monograph begins with a biographic overview of the composer, including a discussion of general aspects of his style, with information about Shchedrin's formal music education in Soviet Russia and influences that helped form his musical language. It also provides an historical context for Shchedrin's cycle, citing precedents for his work. With the growing popularity of Rodion Shchedrin's music outside of Russia, this monograph will be a valuable resource for musicians who are interested in teaching, performing, or studying selected Preludes and Fugues from his cycle. / Music Performance

This dissertation provides an analysis of Island Prelude based on a method of analysis prescribed by the composer. The method, Energy Line Analysis, is essential to an enlightened performance. The content of this dissertation includes: biographical information, compositional influences, Joan Tower style periods, her works involving the oboe in a major role, and an Energy Line Analysis chart of Island Prelude. Island Prelude represents Joan Tower's musical language, the understanding of which is essential in an interpretation of her music.

abstract: The core element of this research paper is an analysis of the B-flat minor prelude and fugue BWV 867. The author’s analysis is then compared with the main contributors to Bach’s analytical studies. An understanding of the work’s structure, together with its motivic and harmonic details, help the performer develop an interpretive approach to the work. Significant Bach scholars, including David Ledbetter and Peter Williams, are used as the source for the additional works to be studied. These scholars also mention close associates of Bach who offer additional insight into his music: Kirnberger and Weiss. The paper includes a brief discussion of the opening chorus fugue BWV 64, instrumental prelude to the cantata BWV 106, chorale prelude BWV 721, and Tombeau sur la Mort de Mr Comte de Logy by Weiss, as they relate to the B-flat minor prelude and fugue. In addition, the analysis provides materials on how the elements of the work relate to the Doctrine of Affections. From the B-flat minor prelude and fugue, the harmonic progressions and figuration are examined from the point of view of the Doctrine. The research also examines the fugue subject, with its unusual leap of a minor 9th, to its structural connection to the opening chorus fugue of BWV 64, and its ties to the Doctrine. Through the analysis of the B-flat minor prelude and fugue and a comparison to works by Bach that are stylistically connected to this work, the author offers insights into the music and its relationship to works that have a sacred text association. / Dissertation/Thesis / Doctoral Dissertation Music 2020