STUDIES AND PERFORMANCES OF TRANSCRIPTIONS FOR CELLO FROM THE VIOLIN REPERTOIRE

The potential of the violoncello as a solo instrument was recognized and supported by cellists such as Luigi Boccherini (1743-1805), Luis Duport (1749-1819), Auguste Franchomme (1808-1884), and Alfredo Piatti (1822-1901). These pioneers composed technically demanding etudes, exercises, and caprices for the cello that were comparable to those already present in the violin literature. Even so, in the late nineteenth century and early twentieth century, considerably fewer substantial works were brought forth for the cello as compared with the violin. Consequently, many cellists such as Luigi Silva (1903-1961), Gregor Piatigorsky (1903-1976), Pierre Fournier (1906-1986), and Janos Starker (b. 1924) selected notable pieces from the violin repertoire and transcribed these for the cello. Some composers themselves actually adapted for the cello their own works originally written for the violin. Johannes Brahms with his Violin Sonata Op. 78, Igor Stravinsky with his Suite Italienne, and Béla Bartók with his First Rhapsody all belong to this category. Adaptations such as these further raised awareness among composers and performers of the possibilities of the cello as an independent and expressive instrument. Thus, many composers from the early 1900s to the present were encouraged to write increasing numbers of more soloistic and demanding works for cello. Herein, I explore the repertoire of cello transcriptions in order to analyze the differences between the original and transcribed versions and the challenges found therein. The performer may attempt to recreate the effect originally intended for the violin or, more daringly, may strive to search for alternate presentations of the music more suitable and expressive of the cello's own character. The project includes two recitals of the following transcribed works presented at the University of Maryland College Park, School of Music: Sonata in A by César Franck, transcribed by Jules Delsart, Variations on a Theme from Rossini by Nicolo Paganini, transcribed by Fournier, Suite Italienne by Igor Stravinsky, transcribed with the help of Piatigorsky, Sonatina Op. 137, No. 1 by Franz Schubert, transcribed by Starker, First Rhapsody by Béla Bartók and Sonata, Op. 108 by Johannes Brahms, transcribed by Hsiao-mei Sun.

BACH TO BASICS: A PERFORMANCE STUDY OF THE SUITES FOR SOLO CELLO BY JOHANN SEBASTIAN BACH, BWV 1007-1012

This dissertation project focuses on J.S. Bach's Six Suites and explores the ideology of the Suites as etudes versus concert pieces. It is my belief that the evolution of the rank of the Suites in a cellist's repertoire today represents more than just historical coincidence. My premise is that the true genius of the Suites lies in their dual role as !&I efficient teaching pieces and superior performance works. Consequently, the maximum use of Bach's Six Suites as pedagogical material heightens both technical ability and deeper appreciation of the art. The dual nature of the Suites must always be emphasized: not only do these pieces provide innumerable opportunities for building cello technique, but they also offer material for learning the fundamentals of melody, harmony, dynamics, phrasing and texture. It is widely accepted among academic musicians that Bach's keyboard music serves as perfect compositions -- the model for music theory, music form and music counterpoint. I argue that we should employ the Cello Suites to this same end. The order in which the Suites are presented was deliberately chosen to highlight the contrasts in the pieces. Because the technical demands of each suite grow progressively from the previous one, they were performed non-consecutively in order to balance the difficulty and depth of each recital. The first compact disc consists of the Third Suite in C Major and Fifth Suite in C minor (with scordatura tuning), emphasizing the parallel keys. The Second Suite in D Minor and the Fourth Suite in E-flat Major comprises the compact disc. Finally, in the third compact disc, the First Suite in G Major and the Sixth Suite in D Major (composed for the five string cello piccola, but played here on a four-string cello) highlights the progression of the Suites.

SELECTED NINETEENTH CENTURY VARIATIONS FOR PIANO

The beauty and artistry of the variation form were fully developed and represented in the nineteenth century. The treasures of nineteenth century piano variations are a significant part of the total piano repertoire. The main goal of this dissertation is to show how various composers of the nineteenth century used the variation form to project their imagination and coloring of a simple melody. They used many different techniques to vary melodies and create their own music. Beethoven's Piano Sonata No. 12 in A-flat Major Op. 26 breaks with the conventional sonata design by using variation form instead of sonata-allegro form for the first movement, and having no movement in sonata-allegro form. Chopin's Variations Brillantes on "Je Vends des scapulaires" Op. 12 and Henri Herz's Variations on 'Non piu mesta" from "La Cenerentola" shows how they applied their art to composing variations on opera themes. Mendelssohn's Variations Serieuses Op. 54 was a reaction against the salon music in the 19" century. Schubert applies the variation form to his Impromptus in B-flat D. 935 No. 3. Schurnann's Symphonic Etudes represents a perfect example of the arts of variation, using counterpoint, and special coloring; and Faure's Theme and Variations Op. 73 represents one of the most outstanding nineteenth-century works in variation form. As a traditionalist in the nineteenth century, Brahms favored the variations over other classic forms. I have performed three of his most important sets of variations: including Variations on a theme by Schumann Op. 9, Variations on a Theme by Handel Op. 24, and Variations for two pianos on a Theme by Haydn Op. 56b. The variations listed above were divided into three recitals. These variations represent a very important part of the piano music of the nineteenth century. By discovering, preparing, and performing these wonderful works, I have grown, both as a pianist and as a musician.

RECORDING PROJECT: THE COMPLETE (PUBLISHED) PIANO WORKS OF ROBERT HELPS

This recording represents the complete solo piano works of Robert Helps (1928-2001). As of this writing (March, 2008), approx.120 minutes of Helps' solo piano music has been published, all of which is included on the Digital Media (CD). This project includes the following works: Trois Hommages, Quartet, Nocturne, Valse Mirage, In Retrospect, Three Etudes, Portrait, Three Etudes for the Left Hand, Starscape, Recollections, Shall We Dance and Image. (His few remaining pieces are officially "pending publication" and are therefore not included in this project.) Robert Helps, American pianist and composer, enjoyed a successful career on both fronts, teaching at such institutions as San Francisco Conservatory, Stanford University, the University of California, Berkeley, the New England Conservatory, the Manhattan School of Music and Princeton University. Helps, never the recipient of a university or conservatory degree, received private instruction from pianist Abby Whiteside and composer Roger Sessions. His recording of the Sessions' Sonatas is considered to be their benchmark performance. As a composer, he received commission and awards from the American Academy of Arts and Letters, the Ford Foundation, the Guggenheim Foundation and the National Endowment for the Arts. Helps' compositions were anachronistic in style: his compositional style ranges from Post-Impressionism, Neo­ Romanticsim and early 20th century Atonalism, although he never engaged in serial practices. Since his death in 2001, the Robert Helps Trust has been established at the University of South Florida. Funds are being used to support the continued publishing of his scores. The Robert Helps International Composition Competition and Festival was established in 2005.

The Evolution of Rachmaninov's Pianistic Style from 1892 to 1941 as Seen in Selected Original Works and Transcriptions for Piano

Unlike some other major composer-pianists (Franz Liszt and Alexander Scriabin being the most notable examples), Sergei Rachmaninov did not experience any dramatic changes in his compositional style; one can, however, notice certain stylistic differences between piano works composed during different periods of his long creative life. This dissertation argues that a clear evolution of Rachmaninov's pianistic style through his three creative periods can be traced by examining a selection of his compositions, from his first significant cycle for piano, 5 Marceaux de fantaisie, Op. 3 (1892), all the way through to his last piano work, a transcription of P.I.Tchakovsky's Lullaby, Op. 16, No. 1 (1941). Rachmaninov's life as a composer can be divided into three periods. His early period was ended abruptly by the disastrous premiere ofhis First Symphony in 1897, which caused a deep psychological crisis in the life of the young composer. Piano works of this period are often characterized by relatively simple homophonic texture, when Rachmaninov was clearly influenced by some of his Russian predecessors, most notably Tchaikovsky. His second and most productive period, also known as the period of"Russian maturity," started in 1900, when he began working on the Second Suite for two pianos, Op. 17, and the Second Concerto, Op. 18; this phase ended with the Russian Bolshevik revolution of 1917. Works of this time exhibit a mature style of piano writing, with rich, virtuosic - often considered excessive by many critics - texture and ever-increasing use of chromatic harmonies. Rachmaninov's works of the third period are limited in number owing to the composer's preoccupation with a career as pianist. Original works for piano now give way to revisions of earlier compositions and transcriptions: Rachmaninov's piano writing becomes more efficient and economical without losing any of its virtuosic brilliance. This dissertation project examines in detail, over the course of three piano recitals, a variety of works composed during the "Russian maturity" period, from several Preludes from Op. 23 (1903), the first major cycle for solo piano of the period, to 9 Etudes-Tableaux, Op.39 (1917), the last one; the early period is represented by 3 of 5 Marceaux defantaisie, Op. 3 (1892), while the late period is shown through several piano transcriptions and revised versions of the remaining 2 pieces from Op. 3.

THE COMPLETE PRELUDES OF ALEXANDER SCRIABIN: THE EVOLUTION OF HIS REVOLUTIONARY COMPOSITIONAL STYLE

During the second half of the nineteenth century, a series of remarkable advances in musical composition emerged in the works of such innovative spirits as Franz Liszt, Hector Berlioz and Richard Wagner. Their pioneering works exerted an extraordinary impact on the music of the subsequent generation of composers--of disparate nationalities-who were active at the dawn of the 20th century: Including most notably Claude-Achille Debussy, Gustav Mahler, Richard Strauss, and Alexander Nikolayevich Scriabin. These important musical figures, each one leaving an indelible and formative imprint on late-nineteenth century Romantic style, together launched the modern era in music. Scriabin stands alone as a transcendental visionary: His music, initiated in the fashion of Chopin and Liszt, wanders through the realms of Debussy and Wagner, and, ultimately abandoning late Romantic tradition, unlocks the heretofore unforeseen power of atonality, bitonality, polyrhythms and key-signature free compositions. Arguably, Scriabin's compositions count among the most innovative, idiosyncratic and bewitching of all time. The development of Scriabin's groundbreaking compositional style is best understood by means of his piano works, which comprise the majority of his oeuvre. Beyond the larger works-his twelve sonatas, a concerto and a fantasy-Scriabin's piano explorations are also represented by miniature gems: The mazurkas, impromptus, waltzes, poems, a polonaise, etudes, nocturnes, morceaux and, in particular, the preludes. Scriabin's 90 preludes for piano, arranged in several opus numbers, richly exemplify the striking evolution of his ingenious music, his idiosyncratic philosophy and his provocative personality.