Die-bleibende Stadt : Quintet für fünf Bläser Nr. 1, op. 27 -- La nuit et l'extra-terrestre : Deuxième Poéme Symphonique pour Orchestra à vents, op. 28 -- Requiem no. 1 for solo soprano, mezzo-soprano, alto, tenor, bass, off-stage instruments, organ, double mixed chorus and orchestra, op. 30 -- 3 duets of strings, "Information Engineering", op. 31. / Lam, Wang Kong. / Durations: 8 min.; 8 min.; 70 min.; 8 min. / Thesis (M.Mus.)--Chinese University of Hong Kong, 2009. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves ). / Lyrics of 3rd work in Latin; abstract also in Chinese. / Abstract --- p.ii / Acknowledgements --- p.iii / Die bleibende Stadt: Quintet fur funf Blaser Nr. 1，Op.27 --- p.1 / Programme notes --- p.2 / Score --- p.3 / "La nuit et I'extra-terrestre : Deuxieme Poeme Symphonique pour Orchestre a vents, Op.28" --- p.9 / Programme notes --- p.10 / Score --- p.11 / "Requiem no. 1 for solo soprano, mezzo-soprano, alto, tenor, bass, off-stage instruments, organ, double mixed chorus and orchestra, Op.30" --- p.39 / Programme notes --- p.40 / Score: / Chapter I. --- Introit --- p.44 / Chapter II. --- Offertorio --- p.72 / Chapter III. --- Sanctus --- p.102 / Chapter IV. --- Pie Jesu --- p.121 / Chapter V. --- Agnus Dei --- p.126 / Chapter VI. --- Lux aetema --- p.137 / Chapter VII. --- Libera me --- p.141 / Chapter VIII. --- In paradisum --- p.171 / "3 Duets for strings, ""Information Engineering´ح, Op.31" --- p.184 / Programme notes --- p.185 / Score: / Chapter I. --- Fourier Transform --- p.186 / Chapter II. --- Cryptography --- p.188 / Chapter III. --- Information Theory --- p.190

The Sound of the Prairie Land (Caoyuan Zhige) for viola and piano by the Chinese composer Qingwu Guan (b. 1938) has become one of the most popular works in the growing Chinese repertoire for viola. It also exists in another version for viola and viola ensemble, arranged by the Chinese violist Wing Ho, who also expanded the viola part with the composer's approval. The pentatonic work was highly influenced by the landscape and music of Inner Mongolia, a province of China next to the Mongolian border, and incorporates the music of an ode by the Inner Mongolian composer Alatengaole (1942–2011) called Sincere Wishes for a Long Life to Chairman Mao. Guan remains a strong supporter of Mao, the first chairman of the Chinese Communist Party. The work makes use of some performance techniques of the Inner Mongolian two-stringed fiddle called morin khuur, which has a similar tone to the viola: three kinds of slides, grace notes, imitations of a horse's neigh, and the representation of horses galloping across the prairie. The background of the work, understanding of the musical structure, and information about morin khuur techniques presented in this dissertation should aid performers in interpreting the work more authentically.

Bulgaria, though a fairly small Eastern European country, boasts an ancient history of folk traditions and music; however, very few notated works exist due to the people's primitive lifestyle throughout Bulgaria's history. Singing and dancing as well as creating instruments from wood and animal skin were considered an integral part of everyday life, equal to cooking, sewing, herding, or farming; in fact, one almost always accompanied the other. Thus, more than 1500 years of folklore was orally passed on and preserved generation after generation; however, nothing was notated until only very recently when Bulgarians realized the cultural and national value of their history. After the liberation from Ottoman Rule (1453-1877) a nationalist movement spread throughout the Balkan countries, which resulted in the emergence of Bulgarian composers. Music and songs from the local folk traditions evolved, developed, and - with notation - became the foundation for the vocal and instrumental music of the so-called first generation of Bulgarian composers. Around the turn of the century, many Bulgarian artists and musicians traveled to Western Europe (mostly Austria, Germany, and Russia) and upon their return, their artistic output created an original mixture of Bulgarian national folk with influences from Western classical music. After World War II, Bulgaria became one of the countries governed by the Communist regime, which restricted all travel to and contact with the West, including cultural influences from the West. Gradually, as the Communist regime became less controlling until it dissolved completely in 1989, restrictions on music and culture started to lift. Petar Christoskov (1917-2006), considered part of the second generation of Bulgarian composers, began his compositional career immediately after returning from Germany to a communist-ruled Bulgaria. His first opus was the set of 12 Caprices for Solo Violin (1953, formerly known as Concert Etudes in Folk Style); they have a fairly simple compositional style but are full of elements from the Bulgarian folk tradition. Some of these caprices, along with other works from the beginning of Christoskov's compositional career, were commissioned by the nationalist government and/or were required repertoire at national music competitions. Nearly thirty years after the first set of caprices, Christoskov composed another set: 24 Caprices for Solo Violin, Op. 24 (1978-9). These later works also contain many Bulgarian folk characteristics, but their compositional style is much more abstract, atonal, and complex - more “mainstream Western.” The goal of this document is to compare and contrast the two sets of Caprices for Solo Violin, Op. 1 and Op. 24, by investigating the development of Petar Christoskov's compositional style. I will argue that the constantly-changing political systems in twentieth-century Bulgaria had a direct impact on the composer's artistic output. After a historical overview of Bulgaria's music and political background, the two sets of caprices will be compared and contrasted by focusing on technical, musical, and sociological similarities and differences. In order to illustrate these similarities and differences, three caprices from each set will be selected and analyzed, as well as compared and contrasted with each other. The second part of the document will discuss the negative influence of the political climate on music and printing, with a focus on the difficulties of preserving Bulgarian culture itself. This research has the additional purpose of serving as scholarly support for a future project: as a personal contribution to the circulation and preservation of Bulgarian music, I intend to produce a new violin edition of Petar Christoskov's caprices as well as complete the arrangements for viola.