Thesis (D.M.A.)--University of Nebraska-Lincoln, 2008. / Title from title screen (site viewed Oct. 31, 2008). PDF text: vi, 73 p. : music, facsim. ; 13 Mb. UMI publication number: AAT 3309290. Includes bibliographical references. Also available in microfilm and microfiche formats.

abstract: Bohuslav Martinù (1890-1959) was a prolific composer who wrote nearly 100 works for piano. His highly imaginative and eclectic style blends elements of the Baroque, Impressionism, Twentieth-century idioms and Czech folk music. His music is fresh and appealing to the listener, yet it remains intriguing as to how all the elements are combined in a cohesive manner. Martinù himself provides clues to his compositional process. He believed in pure musical expression and the intensity of the musical idea, without the need for extra-musical or programmatic connotations. He espoused holistic and organic views toward musical perception and composition, at times referring to a work as an "organism." This study examines Martinù's piano style in light of his many diverse influences and personal philosophy. The first portion of this paper discusses Martinù's overall style through several piano miniatures written throughout his career. It takes into consideration the composer's personal background, musical influences and aesthetic convictions. The second portion focuses specifically on Martinù's first large-scale work for piano, the Fantasie et Toccata, H. 281. Written during a time in which Martinù was black-listed by the Nazis and forced to flee Europe, this piece bears witness to the chaotic events of WWII through its complexity and intensity of character. The discussion and analysis of the Fantasie et Toccata intends to serve as a guide to interpretation for the performer or listener and also seeks to promote the piano music of Bohuslav Martinù to a wider audience. / Dissertation/Thesis / D.M.A. Music 2011

À la Renaissance et à l'ère baroque, l'art de l'improvisation faisait partie intégrante de l'éducation musicale et de la pratique instrumentale. Cette façon de faire de la musique s'apprenait très jeune et se pratiquait au quotidien. En la même personne, étaient le plus souvent confondus compositeurs et improvisateurs, en ce que ces deux disciplines étaient étroitement liées. Plus encore, l'improvisation allait jouer un rôle déterminant dans la création de nouveaux genres musicaux. Parmi ces derniers, la toccata, genre musical instrumental de style libre et improvisé, devait se présenter comme un élément significatif de cette pratique musicale. À partir de cette donnée historique, la question que nous souhaiterions examiner est la suivante : comment peut-on mieux cerner, dans ces œuvres de style libre, le côté improvisé qui s'y rattache ? Notre objectif sera donc d'identifier les éléments compositionnels contenus dans les œuvres de style toccata et qui rendent compte de l'aspect spontané et improvisé qui caractérise ces pièces, et ce, de Frescobaldi à Bach. C'est donc, d'une part, par une évaluation qualitative d'œuvres de style toccata et, d'autre part, par un examen approfondi d'études de cas que nous nous efforcerons de dégager les techniques d'écriture qui permettent de faire le lien entre la pratique de l'improvisation et les œuvres écrites. Le cadre de cette recherche sera délimité par des connaissances théoriques telles que rencontrées dans les traités anciens ainsi que dans les ouvrages musicologiques récents en tenant compte des connaissances tacites issues de la pratique musicale, de l'enseignement reçu ainsi que du savoir intuitif de tout musicien. Nous espérons que ce projet nous permettra de mieux comprendre la nature de l'improvisation dans ces compositions dites libres, tout comme de nourrir et justifier notre interprétation en la rendant plus juste et vivante. / In the Renaissance and the baroque era, the art of improvisation was part of the learning process and performance praxis. Very early on, young musicians were educated in this type of musical activity and they practiced it regularly. As improvisation and composition were closely linked at that time, both types of musical expertise were often encountered in the same person. Moreover, improvisation played an important role in the genesis of new musical genres. Among them, the toccata, an instrumental piece characterized by freedom and fantasy, emerged as a significant component of this musical practice. With this historical background in mind, we would like to investigate the following question: how can we better define, in freestyle pieces, the improvised side that results from them? Our goal is to identify which compositional and discursive elements in toccatas translate the improvisational aspect so typical of those pieces from Frescobaldi to Bach. Using case studies and a qualitative approach, we will try to show how certain compositional techniques contained in the written pieces can be linked to improvisational practice. Additionally, our method will be delineated using treatises of musical theory from the period as well as more recent musicological studies, combined with tacit knowledge drawn from our own musical experience and education, including intuitive knowing. We hope that this research project will help to foster understanding about the nature of the practice of improvisation in toccata-like pieces and to nurture and explain our performance decisions with respect to those pieces in order to make them more authentic and alive.

Cette étude porte sur un corpus de toccatas et toccatinas pour piano écrites dans le monde entier de 1781 jusqu’à 1993. Elle a pour objectif de comprendre ce que signifie le terme « toccata » tout au long de l’histoire, quelle sont les diverses caractéristiques du genre à travers les périodes différentes, et quel est le rapport entre la toccata pour piano et l’esthétique de la virtuosité. L’auteur commence par observer l’évolution de la compréhension du terme sous les yeux des savants et des érudits de différentes époques, et une série de toccatas pour orgue et clavecin de Johann Sebastien Bach et d’Alessandro Scarlatti, afin de démontrer les caractéristiques principales du genre avant sa transmutation instrumentale. L’étape suivante consiste en une étude analytique du corpus principal. Elle décrit la transformation de la toccata de type pédagogique en un genre de niveau supérieur à l’exercice par son exigence architecturale et son animation. La toccata se dirige ensuite vers un esthétique extrême et surhumaine au XXe siècle. Par ailleurs, elle reflète la grande diversité des types de virtuosité dans des époques différente : celle créative et improvisatrice du temps de Bach, celle des techniques digitales raffinées de la génération de Clementi, etc. Aujourd’hui, avec une esthétique de virtuosité qui prend de plus en plus en compte l’aspect athlétique, la toccata, souvent accompagnée des techniques pianistiques stimulantes, devient une façon idéale de démontrer les capacités extraordinaires du pianiste, ce qui constitue les raisons de son succès auprès des compositeurs, des pianistes, et des auditeurs. / This study relies on a corpus of piano toccatas and toccatinas written in the world from 1781 to 1993. Its purpose is to understand what the term ‘‘toccata’’ means throughout history, what are the various characteristics of the genre in different periods, and what is the relationship between the toccata for piano and the aesthetics of virtuosity. The author starts by observing the evolution of the understanding of the term by scholars living in different eras, and a series of organ and harpsichord toccatas by Johann Sebastian Bach and Alessandro Scarlatti, in order to demonstrate the principal features of the genre before its instrumental transmutation. The next stage consists of an analytical study of the main corpus which designates the transformation of the toccata from a pedagogical genre to that of a higher level by its architectural requirement and its animation, then to one that moves towards an extreme and superhuman aesthetic in the twentieth century. Finally, the study shows that the toccata represents a diversity of types of virtuosity in different eras: the creative and improvisatory type in Bach’s time, the refined digital techniques of Clementi’s generation, etc. Today, with an aesthetic of virtuosity that increasingly takes into account the athletic aspect, the toccata, often accompanied by stimulating piano techniques, becomes an ideal way of demonstrating the extraordinary abilities of the pianist, which constitutes its success among composers, pianists, and listeners.

No description available.

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.

This dissertation provides comprehensive performance perspectives for the interpretation of the published keyboard toccatas by Michelangelo Rossi (ca.1602-1656) in his collection, Toccate e Correnti d'Intavolatura d'Organo e Cimbalo (c. 1634). This document consults the following sources on keyboard practice in the early-Baroque period: Girolamo Diruta's Il Transilvano Dialogo Sopra Il Vero Modo Di Sonar Organi, & Istromenti da penna (1593); Adriano Banchieri's Conclusioni nel Suono dell'Organo (1609); Costanzo Antegnati's L'Arte Organica (1608); and the prefaces to Girolamo Frescobaldi's publications Toccate e Partite d'Intavolature di Cembalo, Libro Primo (first version 1615; second version 1615, 1616, 1628; and third version 1637), and Fiori Musicali (1635). These sources provide information on most aspects of keyboard—and specifically organ—playing in the decades leading up to, and at the time of, the initial publication of Rossi's toccatas: including the toccata as genre, Italian organs from the late-Renaissance/early-Baroque, registration, tempo, pedaling, fingering, articulation, and ornamentation. In addition to the performance perspectives, this dissertation also provides a new modern edition of the ten toccatas by Michelangelo Rossi. This edition is based on the 1657 Bologna facsimile. The goal of this edition is two-fold. First to present an accurate text of the facsimile and second to adjust certain beam-groupings, spacing on the staves, and the use of accidentals in a more modern sense.

Ferruccio Busoni (1866-1924) has a firmly established reputation as one of the giant pianists of his age, yet his compositions are largely neglected both in musicological circles and on the concert stage. A better understanding of his thought processes might lead to a greater appreciation of his art, and the acknowledgement of his reverence for the music of Bach is an important key to such an understanding. Busoni's Fantasia nach Bach and Toccata, although two decidedly dissimilar compositions in terms of purpose and conception, represent two manifestations of Busoni's respect for Bach, whether it be in the form of assimilating Bach's compositions into one of his own, or by creating an original work to the same mold as some of Bach's works.

I detta examensarbete presenteras de vanligaste musikaliskt-retoriska figurerna samt retorikens historia i musikaliska sammanhang. Skribenten undersöker också vilka retoriska figurer som går att hitta i J.S. Bachs Toccata i C-dur BWV 564 och om vetskapen om retorik kunde hjälpa henne med interpretationen av detta stycke.

This lecture-recital deals with the two percussion sextets of Carlos Chavez. Each of the compositions is analyzed by examining compositional characteristics and performance problems. The selection, substitution, and construction of the necessary instruments for performance are explored. Suggestions for stage set-up are also included. The percussion ensemble has become an integral part of most high school and university percussion programs. Much of the literature composed for this medium has not become part of the standard literature. Chlvez's Toccata has obtained its place in the literature—it is one of the most often performed percussion works in the world. Although Tambuco has not yet attained the same status as Toccata, it is, nevertheless, an important contribution to the literature. An attempt is also made to identify the significance of these works by examining some of the early influences on Chavez's compositional style both from his native Mexico, and from other composers writing for percussion ensembles.