THE ART OF TRANSCRIBING FOR HARPSICHORD

A relatively unexplored area of the harpsichord repertoire is the group of transcriptions made by J.S. Bach (1685-1750), Jean Henry d'Anglebert (1629-1691), and Jean-Baptiste Forqueray (1699-1782). These transcriptions are valuable and worth exploring and performing. Studying them provides unique insights into their composer‘s musical thinking. By comparing transcriptions with their original sources, the transcriber's decisions and priorities can be observed. The performance component of this dissertation comprises three recitals. The first features works of Johann Sebastian Bach: two transcriptions of violin concerti by Antonio Vivaldi (1678-1741), and two transcriptions of trio sonatas by Johann Adam Reinken (1643-1722). The most salient feature of Bach‘s transcriptions is his addition of musical material: ornamenting slow movements, adding diminutions and idiomatic keyboard figurations throughout, and recomposing and expanding fugal movements. The second recital features works of Jean Henry d'Anglebert and Jean-Baptiste Forqueray, two French composer/performers. From d'Anglebert‘s many transcriptions, I assembled two key-related suites: the first comprised of lute pieces by Ennemond Gaultier (c. 1575-1651), and the second comprised of movements from operas by Jean-Baptiste Lully (1632-1687). Forqueray's transcriptions are of suites for viola da gamba and continuo, composed by his father, Antoine Forqueray (1671-1745). Creative and varied ornamentation, along with the style brisé of arpeggiated chords, are the most important features of d‘Anglebert‘s transcriptions. Forqueray‘s transcriptions are highly virtuosic and often feature the tenor and bass range of the harpsichord. The third recital features my own transcriptions: the first suite for solo cello by J.S. Bach, excerpts from the opera La Descente d’Orphée aux Enfers by Marc-Antoine Charpentier (1643-1704), and two violin pieces by Nicola Matteis (fl. c. 1670-c. 1698). In these transcriptions, I demonstrate what I have learned from studying and performing the works in the first two recitals. These recitals were performed in the Leah Smith Hall at the University of Maryland on May 4, 2010; May 11, 2010; and October 7, 2010. They were recorded on compact discs and are archived within the Digital Repository at the University of Maryland (DRUM).

CANCIONES ARGENTINAS (SONGS OFARGENTINA): A RECORDING PROJECT

This Dissertation Project comprises recordings of Argentine art songs. The discs are approximately 40-60 minutes in length and consist of songs from the traditional art-song repertoire for voice and piano. This project is particularly appropriate because of the very limited number of recordings of Argentine songs, which are notable both not only for their high quality but for their accessibility of performance for voice teachers, students, and professional singers alike. Art songs in the Spanish language are a welcome resource, and the poetry included in this project is of an outstanding quality. Some of the poets set to music are Gabriela Mistral (a poet laureate of Chile and the first Latin American woman to win the Nobel Prize for Literature), Pablo Neruda (also a Nobel laureate), Luis Cernuda, and Leon Benar6s. The lyrics of some songs are based on traditional sources, and the melodies and rhythms of all are representative of South American-indigenous and European­ immigrant cultures. The composers represented here will be familiar to some listeners but more than likely unfamiliar to most. Yet Alberto Ginastera (1916-1983) is considered to be the greatest of all Argentine composers. Alberto Williams (1862-1952) is known as the father of the Nationalist School of composition in Argentina, and Carlos Lopez Buchardo (1881-1963) is a most influential composer and pedagogue after whom the national Conservatory of Music in Buenos Aries is named. Two composers who remain relatively unknown outside of South America, Abraham Jurafsky (1906- 1993) and Julio Perceval (1903-1963) are also represented in this project. A complete compact disc is devoted to the works of Carlos Guastavino. Known as the "Argentine Schubert", Guastavino has over 250 songs to his credit. Chiefly a composer for piano and voice, his recent death (October 2000) makes a recording of his works especially appropriate. This project also includes a written component, a supportive dissertation briefly describing the history of the Argentine art song and the lives and influences of the composers and poets represented in the studio recordings. The CD recordings are held in the Michelle Smith Performing Arts Library at the University of Maryland.