Wong Kun Chun, Eric. / Bibliography: leaves 70-88 / Thesis (M.Div.)--Chinese University of Hong Kong

Thesis (M.A.)--Boston University

Franz Schubert (1797-1828) left many musical scores containing his earliest compositional efforts. Here 'earliest' is taken, for convenience, to refer to the works from the first extant (1810) up to and including the lied Gretchen am Spinnrade (1814), his first generally recognized masterpiece. This dissertation tells the story tracing those efforts in a chronological series of analytical essays. The essays mention only incidentally the external evidence of the home environment, lessons received, concerts attended, and so on, but refer instead primarily to the internal evidence of the compositions themselves, that is, the notes on the page. That story has not previously been told in these terms. The dissertation is thus a contribution to musical analysis applied to a quite important and certainly instructive but very little-known repertoire. An essential feature is that the story proceeds chronologically, to the (fairly large) extent that the exact chronology is known. Over a hundred works are involved, some containing several movements, so the story is necessarily long. Further, music is by no means a simple phenomenon, so the story is necessarily detailed. Another feature contributes to the tracing of the skein of anticipations of resources used in Schubert's later and more famous works, as well as to the evidence of derivation from models of other composers' works. Each work studied is provided with identifying information; musical incipits are also provided in view of the unfamiliarity of the repertoire. This identifying information, though necessary, is merely auxiliary to the story being told, and is accordingly set off from the latter. After the chronological story has been completed, a series of summaries is presented under the various categories of musical analysis; these summaries naturally refer back to the individual works. The ferreting out and telling of the story is itself the aim; no hypothesis is entertained. A review of the story yields several main results concerning the various elements of musical composition. (1) Schubert's attitude to the important matter of sonata form ranged from initial rather extreme experimentation possibly combined with some degree of misunderstanding to a clearly demonstrated ability to handle it convincingly first shown perhaps in his First Symphony D082 (October 1813). (2) Melody and text setting also showed early extremes as in the long and wild ballad Der Taucher D077 (first version September 1813 - April 1814), subsequently settling down, from about his first Opera D084 (first version October 1813 - May 1814), to a more suitable range of expression which was to serve him so well. (3) Counterpoint remained something of a weakness throughout, being used often but only in simple manifestations. (4) Harmony and orchestration were in general well handled throughout and many experiments were noted in methods of modulation. (5) An important factor to be found not in the notes but in the text of the score contributed to the mastery shown in Gretchen am Spinnrade (among other factors which are explored): Schubert's coming into contact with the inspiring poetry of Goethe. Three conclusions are offered on the broadest level. (1) The extent of Schubert's progress as a composer over the period studied was on the whole slight, because of the wealth of resources already at his disposal at the starting point at age 13. (2) The time at which Schubert wrote his first Symphony and first Opera - about October 1813 - is proposed as marking a settling down from earlier extravagance to more acceptably controlled writing. That applies to the two genres, instrumental and vocal music, on the one hand, as well as to the techniques of form and expression, on the other. It thus divides the period studied into two stages. (I naturally hope here to avoid oversimplification and acknowledge that the division is by no means watertight.) (3) By October 1814, the end of the present investigation, it was only in vocal music and specifically the lied, thus not also in instrumental or stage music, that real mastery can be recognized.

Diss.--Berlin--Hochschule der Künste, 1998. / Bibliogr. p. 199-203.

Franz Peter Schubert (1797-1828) began composition of the Sonata in C Major, D. 840 (“Reliquie”) during April of 1825. It was first published in Leipzig in 1861 and dubbed the “Reliquie” by the publisher K.F. Whistling, based on the mistaken assumption that it was Schubert’s last piano sonata. Following the complete Moderato and Andante movements, Schubert left the Minuetto: Allegretto and Rondo: Allegro movements unfinished. The primary purpose of this treatise is to compare and contrast the published completions of the unfinished Minuetto: Allegretto and Rondo: Allegro movements as finished by Ludwig Stark, Ernst Krenek, Walter Rehberg, Harold Truscott, Armin Knab, Paul Badura-Skoda, Dieter Einfeldt, Noël Lee, Martino Tirimo, Geoffrey Poole and Brian Newbould. / text

Bott-Samelson varieties associated to reductive algebraic groups are much studied in representation theory and algebraic geometry. They not only provide resolutions of singularities for Schubert varieties but also have interesting geometric properties of their own. A distinguished feature of Bott-Samelson varieties is that they admit natural affine coordinate charts, which allow explicit computations of geometric quantities in coordinates. Poisson geometry dates back to 19th century mechanics, and the more recent theory of quantum groups provides a large class of Poisson structures associated to reductive algebraic groups. A holomorphic Poisson structure Π on Bott-Samelson varieties associated to complex semisimple Lie groups, referred to as the standard Poisson structure on Bott-Samelson varieties in this thesis, was introduced and studied by J. H. Lu. In particular, it was shown by Lu that the Poisson structure Π was algebraic and gave rise to an iterated Poisson polynomial algebra associated to each affine chart of the Bott-Samelson variety. The formula by Lu, however, was in terms of certain holomorphic vector fields on the Bott-Samelson variety, and it is much desirable to have explicit formulas for these vector fields in coordinates. In this thesis, the holomorphic vector fields in Lu’s formula for the Poisson structure Π were computed explicitly in coordinates in every affine chart of the Bott-Samelson variety, resulting in an explicit formula for the Poisson structure Π in coordinates. The formula revealed the explicit relations between the Poisson structure and the root system and the structure constants of the underlying Lie algebra in any basis. Using a Chevalley basis, it was shown that the Poisson structure restricted to every affine chart of the Bott-Samelson variety was defined over the integers. Consequently, one obtained a large class of iterated Poisson polynomial algebras over any field, and in particular, over fields of positive characteristic. Concrete examples were given at the end of the thesis. / published_or_final_version / Mathematics / Master / Master of Philosophy

Until recently, Schubert's sonata forms have been treated as the partially successful products of a classicist who often misunderstood his models. The development of sonata form in his early string quartets, though, raises serious questions about such a view. The quartets (ca. 1810 to 1816), constitute the composer's first concentrated work in large-scale instrumental music and include some of his earliest compositions in any genre. The first sonata-form movements all lack the most basic features of the structure, specifically a clearly delineated subordinate theme and subordinate key in the exposition. The evolution of Schubert's sonata form from 1810 to 1816 consists of an expansion to encompass such necessary tonal and thematic contrast. This process, however, does not lead to a close imitation of the Classical prototype but rather to a highly original reinterpretation of the form. By the end of 1814, many of the distinctive tendencies in his writing are already evident. These include (1) unusual modulatory strategies dependant upon tonal ambiguity and surprise, (2) the first signs of an intensely lyrical quality in the thematic material, (3) complementary, as opposed to derivative, thematic relationships, in which the musical discourse is divided between two contrasting motivic regions connected by underlying harmonic links and (4) a widespread allusiveness in his handling of harmony, which allows an initial harmonic event or "sensitive sonority" to become increasingly significant as the music proceeds. Ultimately Schubert's innovative approach to sonata form, while weakening the Classical attributes of clarity and conciseness, infuses a new atmosphere into the structure, making it the perfect vehicle for the expression of Romantic sentiment.

Violists today have much music from which to choose. Works exist for unaccompanied viola, viola and piano, and chamber ensemble including viola. Many of these works, especially those from this century, were written specifically for the viola. In addition, a number of earlier original viola works have been recently rediscovered. There are not, however, any great number of concertos for viola and orchestra.According to David Daniels' Orchestral Music: A Handbook, there are nineteen works in the general repertoire for viola and orchestra. Closer examination of these works reveals that few measure up to the standard of quality found in the concerto literature for other instruments. Violists, therefore, continue to search for new and rewarding music to play.The purpose of this study is to supplement the concerto repertoire for the viola with a recently uncovered work, the Concerto in E -flat Major by Joseph Schubert.The concerto is put in a historical and analytical context. Discussions of eighteenth-century Dresden's musical life and Schubert's life and works provide a context for understanding the Concerto. A history of the instrumental parts chronicles the Concerto's two versions. A carefully prepared musical text (based on manuscript parts from the Sachsische Landesbibliothek Dresden) is presented, with discussion of sources and emendations. / School of Music

Thesis (M.A.)--Liberty University Honors Program, 2002. / Includes bibliographical references.

Inaug.-Diss.--Munich. / Lebenslauf. Description based on print version record. "Literatur-Verzeichnis": p. vii-ix.