Thesis (M.M.)--Boston University

abstract: The use of instrumental vibrato in certain periods of classical music performances has become a highly debated and often fiery topic. The scholars of yesterday had only a few sources with which to gain a better understanding of the definition, mechanics, employment, and prevalent attitudes of those coming before them. This project aims to develop the foundation to a better understanding of instrumental vibrato by compiling primary source material written before 1940 and secondary source material relevant to that period into an annotated bibliography. The source materials in this study were mainly comprised of treatises, tutors, method books, newspaper articles, and dictionaries. The instruments covered in this study included the violin family and relatives (viols, etc...), woodwinds (including recorder), members of the brass family, organ, other keyboard instruments, guitar/banjo/lute, theremin, and prototype/niche instruments (such as player pianos). This project investigated 309 historical documents, finding 258 contained writings about instrumental vibrato. Of those, 157 were presented as bibliographic annotations. The author found no consensus at any time in the history of Western art music between 1550-1940 that vibrato is wholly acceptable or wholly unacceptable. / Dissertation/Thesis / D.M.A. Music 2012

This dissertation highlights the position of the violin works in Danish composer Carl Nielsen’s oeuvre. The violin was an integral part of this composer’s life from an early age. Despite this, his compositions for the violin have received little critical attention. My project is the first full-length treatment of Nielsen’s repertoire for violin. I approach the subject with the goal of examining Nielsen’s position in the early twentieth century through the notions of temporal consciousness and tradition. I address the interplay of these ideas as signifiers within the works, particularly the Sonata for Violin and Piano, Op. 35 and the Præludium og Tema med Variationer, Op. 48. This interplay enables us to view Carl Nielsen as a participant on the world stage of Western music as a modernist, despite his apparent ties to tradition. I also address the issue of accessibility in Nielsen studies by including a complete translation of Hungarian violinist Emil Telmányi’s Vejledning til Instudering og Fortolkning af Carl Nielsen’s Violinværker og Kvintet for Strygere [Guide to the Study and Interpretation of Carl Nielsen’s Violin Works and Quintet for Strings]. The Carl Nielsen narrative is framed by his symphonies and his status as a nationalist composer. Through this study, I expose the importance of this overlooked repertoire in the current revision of the Nielsen narrative.

This concerto is the composer’s conversation with the past. In four movements, each one embodies a traditional musical form. The work is a continually transforming kaleidoscope of relentless virtuosity, fanciful flights of harmony and melody, and unapologetic shifts in timbre and texture. Although conceived in four separate movements, the entire work is without intervening pauses. The concerto grosso is scored for flute, violin, piano, and string orchestra, and is approximately twenty-five minutes in duration.

Em 2005, o pedagogo e violinista Eric Rosenblith foi convidado por seu ex-aluno Fredi Gerling para dar uma série de Master-classes em Porto Alegre, Brasil. Na ocasião, Rosenblith deu um total de 36 aulas de violino para 26 participantes. Todas as aulas foram filmadas gerando um total de 22 horas de vídeo. Aproveitando o potencial pedagógico do material, escolhi cinco aulas específicas para estudar em profundidade a metodologia do professor, aplicando metodologias de análises de aulas gravadas em vídeo utilizadas por pesquisadores como Robert Duke e Elaine Colprit. Dessa forma, o principal objetivo da presente pesquisa é analisar as práticas pedagógicas de Rosenblith com o intuito de contribuir com o campo da pesquisa relacionada ao ensino de instrumentos musicais no contexto de Master-class, a partir da análise dos padrões de comportamentos do professor e da análise do conteúdo de suas falas. / In 2005, violin pedagogue Eric Rosenblith was invited by former student Fredi Gerling to give a series of master classes in Porto Alegre, Brazil. In that occasion, Rosenblith gave a total of 36 violin lessons to 26 participants. All lessons were filmed and generated a total of 22 hours of video. Exploring the educational potential of the material, I have chosen five classes to do an in depth study of the teacher's methodology, applying analyzes methodologies for videotaped classes used by researchers like Robert Duke and Elaine Colprit. Thereby, the main goal of the present research is to analyze Rosenblith’s pedagogical practices, contributing to the research field related to teaching of musical instruments in the Master class context, using analysis of teacher behavior patterns and analysis of the content of teacher verbalization.

abstract: One of the most notable composers of the twentieth century, Krzysztof Penderecki played a vital role in the development of new sonorities and compositional movements in the latter half of the century. Penderecki wrote two sonatas for violin and piano, one in his student days in 1953 and the second in the twilight of his career in 1999. Given the almost fifty years that separate the two works, these sonatas provide valuable insight to Penderecki’s development as a composer over the course of his career as well as give evidence that his own unique compositional style was in place at a very early age. Despite the large span of time between the completions of these two great works, these sonatas share many commonalities. With regards to key aspects such as form, tonality, rhythm, texture, articulation, and more, this paper will analyze and compare the two works to define the ways in which they are similar as well as the ways in which they differ. / Dissertation/Thesis / Doctoral Dissertation Music 2016

abstract: Samuel Máynez Prince (1886-1966), was a prolific and important Mexican musician. Prince’s musical style followed the trends of the nineteenth-century salon music genre. His compositions include lullabies, songs, dances, marches, mazurkas, waltzes, and revolutionary anthems. Prince’s social status and performances in the famed Café Colón in Mexico City increased his popularity among high-ranking political figures during the time of the Mexican Revolution as well as his status in the Mexican music scene. Unfortunately there is virtually no existing scholarship on Prince and even basic information regarding his life and works is not readily available. The lack of organization of the manuscript scores and the absence of dates of his works has further pushed the composer into obscurity. An investigation therefore was necessary in order to explore the neglected aspects of the life and works of Prince as a violinist and composer. This document is the result of such an investigation by including extensive new biographical information, as well as the first musical analysis and edition of the complete recovered works for violin and piano. In order to fill the gaps present in the limited biographical information regarding Prince’s life, investigative research was conducted in Mexico City. Information was drawn from archives of the composer’s grandchildren, the Palacio de Bellas Artes, the Conservatorio Nacional de Música de México, and the Orquesta Sinfónica Nacional. The surviving relatives provided first-hand details on events in the composer’s life; one also offered the researcher access to their personal archive including, important life documents, photographs, programs from concert performances, and manuscript scores of the compositions. Establishing connections with the relatives also led the researcher to examining the violins owned and used by the late violinist/composer. This oral history approach led to new and updated information, including the revival of previously unpublished music for violin and piano. These works are here compiled in an edition that will give students, teachers, and music-lovers access to this unknown repertoire. Finally, this research seeks to promote the beauty and nuances of Mexican salon music, and the complete works for violin and piano of Samuel Máynez Prince in particular. / Dissertation/Thesis / Doctoral Dissertation Music 2016

Em 2005, o pedagogo e violinista Eric Rosenblith foi convidado por seu ex-aluno Fredi Gerling para dar uma série de Master-classes em Porto Alegre, Brasil. Na ocasião, Rosenblith deu um total de 36 aulas de violino para 26 participantes. Todas as aulas foram filmadas gerando um total de 22 horas de vídeo. Aproveitando o potencial pedagógico do material, escolhi cinco aulas específicas para estudar em profundidade a metodologia do professor, aplicando metodologias de análises de aulas gravadas em vídeo utilizadas por pesquisadores como Robert Duke e Elaine Colprit. Dessa forma, o principal objetivo da presente pesquisa é analisar as práticas pedagógicas de Rosenblith com o intuito de contribuir com o campo da pesquisa relacionada ao ensino de instrumentos musicais no contexto de Master-class, a partir da análise dos padrões de comportamentos do professor e da análise do conteúdo de suas falas. / In 2005, violin pedagogue Eric Rosenblith was invited by former student Fredi Gerling to give a series of master classes in Porto Alegre, Brazil. In that occasion, Rosenblith gave a total of 36 violin lessons to 26 participants. All lessons were filmed and generated a total of 22 hours of video. Exploring the educational potential of the material, I have chosen five classes to do an in depth study of the teacher's methodology, applying analyzes methodologies for videotaped classes used by researchers like Robert Duke and Elaine Colprit. Thereby, the main goal of the present research is to analyze Rosenblith’s pedagogical practices, contributing to the research field related to teaching of musical instruments in the Master class context, using analysis of teacher behavior patterns and analysis of the content of teacher verbalization.

The main goal of the Master's Thesis is to evaluate art as an investment tool with its diversification ability in whole spectrum of portfolios. The next goal is focuses on art market in the Czech Republic. The application part is dedicated to specific segment of art and I analyse rare violins as an attractive form of investment. I try to propose web project with ambition of promoting violin as an interesting instrument with investment ability.

For more than three centuries, violin pedagogical practices have been extensively developed towards music covering the common practice period. However, a problem arises when a violin student performing avant-garde music needs to find realistic solutions to problems that are not addressed in the standard repertoire. This critical essay offers a pedagogical approach to a work that fits well within this paradigm: Four Nocturnes (Night Music II), George Crumb’s only published work for violin and piano duo. The multi-dimensional aspect of this avant-garde work requires an equally multi-faceted approach to overcoming the inherent technical hurdles. Through practical illustrations and concise explanations, musical examples indicate how the score may be re-notated and simplified to create a preliminary step towards advancing to the original notation. Borrowing from the methodology of Otakar Ševčík and other leading twentieth-century violin pedagogues, the author shows how students can modify their approach to fit contextually in the realm of avant-garde music. Students who approach the work with this methodology will find it helpful in eliminating many of the potential pitfalls that they are likely to encounter.