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- Creator:
- Sepe, Christine Azzoni
- Description:
- The goal of this graduate recital was to present a varied program. The artistic performance demonstrated the continued development of piano literature in terms of style and form from the Classic, Romantic, and Impressionistic Periods of music. Representative composers from these periods were Carl Maria von Weber, Robert Schumann, Franz Liszt, and Maurice Ravel. In the Sonata in D Minor, Carl Maria von Weber wrote music considerably more advanced in terms of harmony and virtuosity than others at the time. The music was full of awkward stretches, difficult jumps, and brilliant running passages. Robert Schumann's Symphonic Etudes, in the form of variations, were an embodiment of the depths, contradictions, and tensions of the romantic spirit. They could be visionary and vehement, ardent and dreamy, whimsical and learned. Rhythmic novelty, especially syncopation and cross-accents gave it an element of freshness. His piano music WAS thoroughly idiomatic and the virtuoso element was always subordinate to the poetic idea. Franz Liszt had the gift of combining the technique of showmanship and poetry. His harmonic procedure, characterized by advanced modulations and chords, and novel and extensive use of chromaticism constituted one of Liszt’s most original contributions to the language of music. The programmatic piece, Funerailles, was a blending of those elements. The Prelude, Forlane, and Toccata from the suite Le Tombeau de Couperin, were evidence of Maurice Ravel's development away from impressionism to a precise, and often witty, ironic style based on traditional harmonies. The source of his inspiration however was more often poetic than abstract. The pieces were arranged in chronological order. This procedure pointed out overlapping of the composers lives and the growth of their pianistic styles.
- Resource Type:
- Thesis and Audio recording
- Campus Tesim:
- Northridge
- Department:
- Music
- Creator:
- Roper, Scott Francis
- Description:
- In the songs of John Dowland, the transparent texture of the guitar’s polyphonic accompaniment together with the poetic lyricism of the vocal line makes an excellent intimate beginning set in recital. In contrast, Bellini’s bel canto melodies have much more developed vocal lines than those of earlier periods such as Dowland’s Along with Donizetti; Bellini is instrumental in the expansion of the vocal repertoire which reached a culminating point in the operas of Verdi. He is known for his long melancholy legato phrases with very little repetition of motives. Though the three Italian songs presented in the recital are not part of his operatic output, they are an excellent representation of the individual style of his cantabile vocal writing. Because of the extensive corrections and emendations in his autographed scored, it is believed by some that he was, more than his contemporaries, dedicated to the perfect union of words and music. Berlioz’ Melodies Irlandaises. Opus 2 is considered to be the first group of melodies. Although the genre was not fully developed until the publication of Schubert’s Lieder in France, these pieces have a personal charm and are stylistically comparable to the famous French song form. In the music of Jules Massenet, one may see the traits of earlier French composers such as Monsigny, Thomas and Gounod. His melodies have been described as lyrical, tender, penetrating, sweetly sensuous, rounded in contours, sentimental, and often melancholy. He excelled in the depiction of passionate love which explains the popularity of the beautiful and touching aria, “Enfermant les yeux”, from Manon. Although Benjamin Britten never fully embraced twentieth century trends, such as twelve-tone technics and serialism, some of his works such as sinfonietta and the turn of the screw bear the influence of Schoenberg and Berg. He reacted to ‘modern’ trends in a way that is referred to as neo-classic. His phrase structures are often diatonically constructed, vocal in origin, and based on triadic harmonies, however, he also used multi-tonality and tonal ambiguity as tools of expression. At times these elements present the singer with a difficult challenge in the execution of rhythms and melodies. Britten’s personal style was particularly sensitive to instrumental timbres and he often experimented with unusual combinations of instruments such as his use of French horn and tenor voice in the serenade. Moreover, Britten’s setting of Classical poetry provides a vivid musical depiction of noncturnal fantasies and fears.
- Resource Type:
- Thesis and Audio recording
- Campus Tesim:
- Northridge
- Department:
- Music
- Creator:
- Kosakowski, Cheryl Roraff
- Description:
- In the early eighteenth century George Frederick Handel turned from the Italian operatic tradition and made a deliberate attempt to appeal to the English middle-class audience through the genre of the oratorio. His libretti were in English and were, for the most part, based on Biblical subjects. A typical characteristic of the period, known as contrafacta, is found in “Oh had I Jubal's Lyre” from Joshua of 1747 where Handel borrows from his Psalm Laudate pueri of 1707. Semele (1744) from which “O Sleep, Why Dost Thou Leave Me” is taken, is an example of one of Handel's mythological libretti. Some refer to this work as the first great full-length English opera. The libretto of Judas Maccabaeus is from the apocrypha and the aria “So Shall the Lute and Harp Awake” is sung by an Israelite woman at the beginning of the Feast of Lights in hopes that the strife between her people and Syria would soon cease. There are several qualities which characterize Brahms' Lieder. Among them, his melodic inventiveness and rhythmic variety are of particular note in the Lied, "Madchen". His love for long-breathed, beautiful phrases, quite evident in his song, “Feldeinsamkeit”, is a quality he shared with Schubert. Although his songs were of a higher order than the average German folksong, Brahms did show his deep love for this genre in “Vergebliches standchen” and in “Von ewiger Liebe”, although the latter is far more expansive and contains the sombre side of the composer as well as some aspects of his more genial style. It is these; Brahms' sense of detail and his great melodic gift that makes his songs so endearing to us today. (See more in text.)
- Resource Type:
- Thesis and Audio recording
- Campus Tesim:
- Northridge
- Department:
- Music
4. Pini di Roma
- Creator:
- Marks, Ronald
- Description:
- Pini di Roma (Pines of Rome) is chronologically the second installment in Italian composer Ottorino Respighi's "Roman trilogy". It is a symphonic tone poem scored for a very large orchestra and is set in four movements. The musical content is representative of a literary plan. In Pines of Rome, Respighi succeeds spectacularly in this representation, producing a colorful and exciting group of impressions that capture the imagination without wandering or becoming digressive. Ottorino Respighi was born on July 9th, 1879, in Bologna. A reserved boy of obvious musical talent, he began studying the violin when he was only eight and became very adept with the instrument very quickly. He was also a brilliant viola player and a more than competent pianist. At thirteen Respighi began studying composition and in 1900 composed his first major work, the Symphonic Variations, written for his final school examinations. Taking advantage of his talent on both the violin and viola, he applied for and was offered a job with the Imperial Theater in St. Petersburg, Russia. He later also played with the Bolshoi Theater in Moscow. Soon fluent in Russian, he spent some five months studying with Rimsky-Korsakov. The Russian master quickly recognized and appreciated the young Italian's flair for both composition and orchestration and looked over Respighi's shoulder offering suggestions when appropriate. It can be seen that Respighi's brilliant, colorful scores do owe something to his studies with Rimsky-Korsakov. Respighi also attended lectures and studied for a short time with Max Bruch in Berlin. One critic has described Respighi's music as "new old music." Respighi's profound love of and identification with his Italian musical past and deliberate homage to almost forgotten composers from that past inspired such works as Ancient Airs and Dances. He paid homage in other ways also. Initially introduced to Gregorian plain chant by his wife Elsa, Respighi brilliantly used this device in many of his pieces including the second movement of Pines of Rome. Respighi was appointed Professor of Composition at the Accademia di Santa Cecilia in Rome in 1913. (See more in text.)
- Resource Type:
- Thesis and Audio recording
- Campus Tesim:
- Northridge
- Department:
- Music
- Creator:
- Simon, Robert L.
- Description:
- Luis Milan was one of his country's foremost performers on the vihuela. His tutor book, El Maestro, published in Spain in 1536, was distinguished not only as the first collection of vihuela music, but also as the earliest source employing verbal indications of tempo. He states that pavanas five and six are derived from two famous Italian folk songs: "La bella franceschina" and "Gagliarda lombarda" by Antonio Valente. La Catedral, one of Barrios Mangore's masterpieces, was originally composed in 1914 in a two-movement form: Andante Religioso and Allegro Solemne. The inspiration for these movements came from an experience Barrios had in the Cathedral of San Jose in Montevideo, Uraguay. The Andante Religioso represents this impression. (See more in text.)
- Resource Type:
- Thesis and Audio recording
- Campus Tesim:
- Northridge
- Department:
- Music
- Creator:
- Simon, Robert L.
- Description:
- Luis Milan was one of his country's foremost performers on the vihuela. His tutor book, El Maestro, published in Spain in 1536, was distinguished not only as the first collection of vihuela music, but also as the earliest source employing verbal indications of tempo. He states that pavanas five and six are derived from two famous Italian folk songs: "La bella franceschina" and "Gagliarda lombarda" by Antonio Valente. La Catedral, one of Barrios Mangore's masterpieces, was originally composed in 1914 in a two-movement form: Andante Religioso and Allegro Solemne. The inspiration for these movements came from an experience Barrios had in the Cathedral of San Jose in Montevideo, Uraguay. The Andante Religioso represents this impression. (See more in text.)
- Resource Type:
- Thesis and Audio recording
- Campus Tesim:
- Northridge
- Department:
- Music
- Creator:
- De Leon, Carol
- Description:
- The repertoire chosen for my recital is comprised of arias and art songs that reflect the natural human emotions of love and loss. This musical journey is vast in descriptive text taking the listener through a part of the imagination where power, fear and solace are intertwined. The recital begins with Italian opera and is followed by French melodie, German lied, Spanish folk song, American song and opera in French. Frederic Handel (1685-1759) was a German born composer known for his opera composition. Throughout his years of writing for opera, Handel was set apart from his contemporaries because of his outstanding and superior ability to express with immediate conviction the emotions of the characters in the context of the aria. In his opera, Giulio Cesare (1724) the arias are more elaborate and musical expression is more consistently connected to drama. Non disperar, Act I Scene V, is Cleopatra's first aria. It is sung after it is reveals that her brother, Tolomeo sent Caesar the head of Pompey as a gift to win his alliance. She is distressed and quickly devises a plan to charm Caesar. Handel's Cleopatra is much younger than the Shakespearean queen and her youthful urgency is evident in this aria. The aria begins with quick sixteenth notes that are pressing forward into a melody that introduces the vocal line. There are sudden dynamic changes from forte to piano that also give insight into her character and mood. For example on the word "amor," there are extended and decorated melismas that indicate her determination to utilize her beauty and sensuality to seduce Caesar. Cleopatra sings Se Piela in Act II Scene VIII. Recognizing that Caesar is in a vulnerable position and could be killed by the Egyptians she begs the gods for help. This aria is one of the most moving arias in the opera encompassing her serenity and quiet fear. Delicate passages that descend slowly and quietly are the centerpiece of this da capo aria. There is a sense of sacredness and steadiness in the music that is indicative of Cleopatra's uncertainty and honest request for help. (See more in text.)
- Resource Type:
- Thesis and Audio recording
- Campus Tesim:
- Northridge
- Department:
- Music
- Creator:
- Siefert, Lucy A.
- Description:
- The songs presented here, whether by well-known or obscure composers, are, for the most part, less familiar. However, each is intrinsically attractive, musically valid, and of more than just historical interest. Monteverdi's Scherzi Musicali (1632) consists of miscellaneous earlier pieces in a light vein. Strophic songs utilizing solo voice and basso continuo are presented on the program. "Ecco di dolci raggi" is incomplete in this publication. It appears in an earlier collection with five strophes. "Eilt, Ihr stunden, kommt herbei" is from Bach's 1738 cantata for the midsummer feast of St. John the Baptist. The constant movement and violin-voice duet bring to mind the style of A. Scarlatti. Wolf's Spanisches Liederbuch was composed in 1889-90, using German translations of Spanish poetry. There is some attempt at Spanish flavor, particularly in "Sagt, seid Ihr es," but these songs are primarily Wolf's Germanic response to the texts. Debussy's works are the epitome of the Impressionistic style, as these songs illustrate. "L'Echelonnement des Haies" and "La Mer est plus belle" are views of England by Paul Verlaine. The other two songs use sentimental poems by Paul Bourget. Rainier's Three Greek Epigrams, from the Greek of Anyte of Tegea, were composed in 1937. They feature bold rhythms, ostinato passages, block sonorities, use of the augmented fourth, and a vocal line of often instrumental character. The Spanish songs by Guridi and Nin are based on folk forms and melodies. Their charm lies in the unusual rhythms and unexpected harmonic twists, together with pervasive guitar idioms. As a whole, this recital displays various facets of musical art through the centuries, but all with a common goal: the sincere expression of beauty.
- Resource Type:
- Thesis and Audio recording
- Campus Tesim:
- Northridge
- Department:
- Music
- Creator:
- Munsch, Alexander Paul
- Description:
- Che dite, o miei pensieri by Antonio Caldara is a typical example of the chamber cantata form of the Middle Baroque period. It contains two da capo arias of contrasting character, each preceded by a recitative. The aria Meta di voi gua vadano from the opera Don Giovanni by W.A. Mozart is an action aria. The overall form of this aria is A(abcba)B(de)-coda which provides for a large variety of dramatic expression. The first three songs by Gustav Mahler are settings of poems by Frederick Ruckert. The forth (Der Tamboursg'sell) is from the collection Des Knaben Wunderhorn. Surprise shifts between major and minor tonalities, rich harmonies, unprepa.red key changes, and shifting metric patterns are some of the more obvious characteristics to be found in these songs. The five songs by Arthur Bliss are part of his collection Seven American Poems. They include short settings of poems by Elinor Wylie and Edna St. Vincent Millay. Although they appear to have atonal elements in them, they are merely tonal pieces which contain, at times, severe chromatic alterations. (See more in text.)
- Resource Type:
- Thesis and Audio recording
- Campus Tesim:
- Northridge
- Department:
- Music
- Creator:
- Vrudny, Janet
- Description:
- While Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750) worked in Leipzig as the Cantor of the St. Thomas School from 1723-1734, as a part of his duties, he composed service music for the St. Thomas and St. Nicholas churches. The six great motets were composed during this time and although Motet VI, Lobet den Herrn, alle Heiden, BWV 230 is a short, two movement motet written for a single choir, it contains all of the musical richness and rhythmic complexity of the other five motets that were designed for double choir or larger forces. The text of Lobet den Herrn, aile Heiden is based on Psalm 11 7, "Praise the Lord, all ye nations, Praise Him, all ye people; For God, so gracious and righteous, watches over us evermore, Alleluia." This motet is scored for voices and continuo, and in Baroque performance practice, it is customary to have instruments doubling the voice parts. The text of Psalm 42 represents a fruitful, evocative picture which many composers over the centuries have enjoyed setting to music. "As the deer pants for water, so my soul searches for God; Tears are my only food, day and night, as I long for the house of God." Giovani Pierluigi da Palestrina (c.1525-1594) has composed hundreds of a cappella motets based on sacred texts. His setting, Sicut Cervus, represents an example of the four part motet style of the "High Renaissance" with long, beautiful, imitative melodic lines, each gently rising and falling, and while sounding together, creating a lush palate of harmonic suspensions and resolutions. George Kahn (b.1952) composer and pianist originally from New York, now living in Los Angeles, set Psalm 42 (1996) in a lyrical, modem style using choir, solo quartet and piano accompaniment. Through the use of mixed meters and musical interludes, Kahn highlights each line of this beautiful text with unique tonal colors and textures. This piece was originally commissioned and premiered by Cantori Domino under the direction of Maurita Phillips-Thornburgh in 1998. Herbert Howells (1892-1983) an English composer who studied and later taught at the Royal College of Music in London, also set Psalm 42, but instead, calls it by the first line of the text, "Like as the Hart." His setting (1941) for choir, soprano, and organ is composed in a more traditional, Romantic style, yet modem harmonies and rhythms permeate this piece and remind the listener that this composition is indeed from the twentieth century. Maurice Durufle (1902-1986) studied and later taught at the Paris Conservatoire, where he wrote three versions of the Requiem, Op. 9. The first two appeared in 1947 for chorus and full orchestra and the other for chorus and organ. Later, in 1961, he orchestrated the Requiem for chorus and instrumental ensemble and that is the version that will be heard as a part of this concert. The Requiem, Op. 9 is based on the traditional Mass for the Dead out of the ancient Catholic liturgy as Durufle uses the traditional Gregorian plainsong melodies throughout his nine movement work. Durufle, following the example of his countryman Faure in his 1888 setting of the Requiem text, chose not to set the Dies Irae movement, "Day of wrath." Durufle, as Faure before him, chose to concentrate more on the tender, comforting aspects of death, one which depicts man's departing from a troubled world into a world of eternal rest and peace. Durufle, like Faure, also chose to set the one solo movement, Pie Jesu, as the centerpiece of the composition, sung by a mezzo-soprano.
- Resource Type:
- Thesis and Audio recording
- Campus Tesim:
- Northridge
- Department:
- Music