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This dissertation attempts to shed new light on the value of Sergei Prokofiev’s piano transcriptions from the ballet Cinderella, exploring his distinguished body of work through a comparative analysis of the ballet Cinderella and its piano transcriptions. Prokofiev reproduced his nineteen (19) transcription pieces in three sets—op. 95, op. 97, and op. 102—from the ballet, and they are distinctive in many significant aspects, including the organization within a movement, form, harmony, and textural modifications, when compared to the ballet and its piano reduction. In addition, the characters in his three sets are apparent as they are designed in accordance with the dance suite, character piece, and programmatic music. The ultimate object of the dissertation is, through its close examination and reappraisal of Prokofiev’s transcriptions, to provide piano performers with lasting insight into an authentic interpretation of music. The first chapter provides the foundation for the necessity and importance of this comparative analysis between the ballet and the piano transcriptions from Cinderella, and it proceeds to lay out the overall analytical sequence. The second chapter presents a brief overview of Prokofiev’s biography and compositional background relating to his ballet and transcriptions. In particular, it traces Prokofiev’s compositional philosophy and the surrounding historical contexts during the Soviet era. The third chapter examines the distinctions of all nineteen (19) movements of Prokofiev’s three piano transcription sets in terms of their organization, form, harmony, and textural modifications from the ballet scores for orchestra, investigating the distinguishing features of each transcription by way of numerous illustrative examples. In particular, each section analyzes some of the most notable features of all movements based on its title. Finally, the last chapter concludes with a summary of the comparative analysis, assessing the inherent value of Prokofiev’s piano transcriptions as piano solo works incorporating a choreographic gesture, and with the anticipation and hope that the resulting analytical approach can enable piano performers to play with more authenticity and a well-rounded perspective.

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This document identifies elements of a stylistic change which occurred in several of the pieces Rachmaninoff wrote during the last years of his life. These elements reflect a progressive trend in his music, which certainly maintained in spite of the change, its characteristic sound. The Variations on a Theme of Corelli, Op. 42 illustrate these new developments in their lean, angular unison sonorities, stripped of chordal padding and virtuosic display, in their percussive, staccato and incisive ostinato rhythmic figures, astringent chromatic harmony and modern air of detachment. The Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini, Op. 43 confirms this stylistic development in its remarkable similarity to the Corelli Variations. In the last twenty-six years of his life in exile from his homeland, making his way around the world as a concert pianist, Rachmaninoff wrote only six major works. Perhaps his increasing age, separation from homeland, and the musical revolutions surrounding him in the Western world produced this stylistic development.

I föreliggande studie undersöks relationen mellan ”förklaringar” och musikalisk interpretation. Mer specifikt frågan varför jag spelar Prokofievs 6:e pianosonat på ett visst sätt. Alla interpreter gör olika val vid förberedelsen och framförandet av ett musikaliskt verk. Många av de valen handlar om tempo, dynamik, frasering men även andra musikaliska parametrar. Denna studie undersöker till vilken grad sådana val går att basera på analytiska ”förklaringar” rörande musikens struktur. Med hjälp av teoretiska perspektiv från Leonard Meyer och Karl Popper undersöker jag ett antal passager som delvis blivit valda för att belysa hur varierat de brukar tolkas. Framförallt försöker studien att undersöka den ”tysta kunskapen” som ligger bakom specifika interpretationer — och i processen göra den kunskapen artikulerad. På grund av detta kan resultatet vara värdefullt både för teoretiker men också för praktiken inom intepretation. Projektet kulminerade i ett liveframförande av sonaten som spelades in. Det framförandet var influerat av min analys av musiken. / The present study investigates the relationship between “explanations” and musical interpretation. More specifically the question why do I play Prokofievs 6th piano sonata in a particular way? Every interpreter makes choices when preparing and performing a musical work. Many such choices involve tempo, dynamics, or phrasing, as well as other musical parameters. This study explores the degree to which these choices may be based on analytic “explanations" of the structure of the music. Building upon the theoretical work of Leonard Meyer and Karl Popper, I identify certain passages which highlight the diversity of interpretation, examining the differences through structural and interpretive analyses. Above all, the study seeks to understand the “tacit knowledge” embodied in certain approaches to musical interpretation — and, in the process, to make it explicit. Therefore, the results are of potential value not only in performance analysis, but in the training of performers. The project culminated in a performance and live recording of the sonata which were influenced by my analysis of the music.

The purpose of this study is to analyze the first movements of Sergei Bortkiewicz's two piano sonatas and compare them with works by other composers that may have served as compositional models. More specifically, the intention is to examine the role of the subdominant key in the recapitulation and trace possible inspirations and influences from the Classical and Romantic styles, including Mozart, Beethoven, and Schubert. The dissertation employs Schenkerian analysis to elucidate the structure of Bortkiewicz's movements. In addition, the first movement of Mozart's Piano Sonata K. 545, Beethoven's Coriolan Overture, and the first movement of Schubert's "Trout" Quintet in A, D. 667, are examined in order to illuminate the similarities and differences between the use of the subdominant recapitulation by these composers and Bortkiewicz.

Hamlet a longtemps été une partie inséparable de l'identité nationale russe. Cependant, les mises en scène d’Hamlet en Union soviétique (surtout en Russie) durant l'époque de Staline présentèrent des problèmes spécifiques liés aux doctrines idéologiques imposées sur les arts et la culture en général ainsi qu’aux idées reçues concernant l’opinion personnelle de Staline envers de la tragédie. Les deux mises en scènes principales d’Hamlet en Russie au cours de cette période ont été celles réalisées par Nikolai Akimov (1932) et Sergei Radlov (1938). Un réexamen approfondi de ces mises en scène, entrepris dans les chapitres centraux de cette thèse, révèle des détails précédemment inconnus au sujet de leurs conceptions, réalisations, réceptions et au-delà. Cela met en évidence l'importance du rôle de la musique de scène composée pour elles par Dimitri Chostakovitch et par Sergei Prokofiev, respectivement, et suggère l'interaction complexe des agendas individuels et institutionnels. Ce travail a été rendu possible grâce à de nombreuses visites aux archives russes, qui contiennent de précieux documents tels que des livrets des mises en scène et les rapports sténographiques de discussions, précédemment non référencées à l'Ouest. Ces chapitres centraux sont précédés d'un aperçu historique d’Hamlet en Russie et de la musique et de Shakespeare en général. Ils sont suivis par une enquête au sujet des adaptations notables d’Hamlet à la fin de l’époque de Staline et après la mort du dictateur, se concentrant sur ceux qui contiennent les contributions musicales les plus importantes. Le résultat est un aperçu plus riche et plus complexe de l'image familière d’Hamlet comme miroir de la société russe / soviétique. / Hamlet has long been an inseparable part of Russian national identity. Staging Hamlet in Russia during the Stalin era, however, presented particular problems connected with the ideological framework imposed on the arts and culture as well as with Stalin’s own negative perceived view of the tragedy. The two major productions of Hamlet in Russia during this period were those directed by Nikolai Akimov (1932) and Sergei Radlov (1938). Thorough re-examination of these productions, as undertaken in the central chapters of this dissertation, reveals much previously unknown detail about their conception, realisation, reception and afterlife. It highlights the importance of the role of music composed for them by Dmitry Shostakovich and Sergei Prokofiev, respectively, and it suggests a complex interaction of individual and institutional agendas. This work has been made possible by numerous visits to Russian archives, which contain invaluable documents such as production books and stenographic reports of discussions, previously unreferenced in Western scholarship. These central chapters are preceded by a historical overview of Hamlet in Russia and of music and Shakespeare in general. They are followed by a survey of major adaptations of Hamlet in the late-Stalin era and beyond, concentrating on those with significant musical contributions. The outcome is a richer and more complex account of the familiar image of Hamlet as a mirror of Russian/Soviet society.

Born April 2, 1873, on the estate of Oneg in the province of Novgorod, Russia, Sergei Vassilyvitch Rachmaninoff was the fifth of the six children of Vassili and Lyoubov Boutakova Rachmaninoff. Rachmaninoff's aristocratic descent was traced to the Hospodars Dragosh, rulers of the realm of Molday from the fourteenth to the sixteenth century. One of the daughters from this family had married a son of the Grand Duke Ivan III of Moscow. The son's nephew was named Rachmanin, and from this source the family name originated.1 Rachmaninoff's mother was the daughter of a general, head of Araktcheyev Military College in Novgorod and the owner of a number of estates in the district. It was with a dowry of five of these estates that Lyoubov Boutakova married Vassili Rachmaninoff, and on one of these estates, Oneg, the couple settled down to married life.

Master of Music / Department of Music, Theatre, and Dance / Frank C. Tracz / The following report is a detailed analysis on the following three pieces: Suite in B-flat by Richard Strauss for woodwind chamber ensemble, Two Pieces from Lieutenant Kije by Sergei Prokofiev for brass and percussion ensemble, and a finally Down a Country Lane by Aaron Copland for concert band. The goal of the analysis is to provide rehearsal information for educational purposes. Aspects of the compositions studied include: background information on the composer and composition, a historical perspective, technical and stylistic considerations, and the musical elements. The researchers perspective on philosophy of music education is also stated as well as the importance of choosing quality literature for pedagogical needs and performance. The goal of this report is to aid future conductors in their performances of the literature and for that reason the seating charts for the ensembles, acoustical justifications, as well as rehearsal plans have been included.

Sergei Koussevitzky was one of the world’s premier conductors and virtuoso bass players whose favorite instrument was an unusually-shaped bass reportedly made in 1611 by the Amati brothers, Antonio and Girolamo. In 1962, 11 years after Koussevitzky’s death, his widow gave the bass to Gary Karr, currently considered to be the world’s premier double bassist. In 2004, Karr donated the bass to the International Society of Bassists. Close inspection by a team of experts in 2004, however, revealed stylistic inconsistencies that suggested a later construction date. We used four reference tree-ring chronologies developed from treeline species in the European Alpine region to anchor the dates for the tree rings from the double bass absolutely in time. The bass yielded a 317-year long sequence, the longest sequence yet developed from a single musical instrument. Statistical and graphical comparisons revealed that the bass has tree rings that date from 1445 to 1761. Based on the strength of these correlations, the spruce tree harvested to eventually construct the double bass likely came from the treeline Alpine area of western Austria, not too far from Obergurgl at the Italian border. Our results demonstrate that the double bass was not made by the Amati Brothers, but likely by French luthiers in the late 18th Century.