NEGLECTED CELLO REPERTOIRE OF TWENTIETH CENTURY ENGLISH COMPOSERS

In the Twentieth Century, the proliferation of cellists and the exceptional development of cello techniques, combined with composers' acceptance of the challenges by these developments, led many British composers to contribute to the enrichment of the cello concert repertoire. A great number of compositions written for the cello in the Twentieth Century England have been long neglected. In comparison with their other works in the genres of concerto, symphony, and opera, works for cello by prominent Twentieth Century English composers Elgar, Walton, and Britten are relatively unknown, except for Elgar's cello concerto. There are also many lesser-known composers like Delius, Bax, Bridge, and Clarke, who flourished in the fmt half of the century, but eventually became disregarded. Some reasons for this neglect may be as follows: the reluctant attitude toward new trends in the English musical establishment around the turn of the century; a lack of readily available editions of these composers' compositions; an over-abundance of fine composers at one time; and lastly, an overly individualistic approach to the music restricting a general public appreciation and recognition. Encountering a recording of the Walton cello concerto prompted me to further study the neglected Twentieth Century English cello repertoire. Many works of the above-mentioned composers still have not been fully valued in the cello repertoire. For this reason, the purpose of this project was to inspire cellists to learn and broaden as well as to appreciate the beauty of the Twentieth Century cello literature. As part of the doctoral performance project, three recitals featuring the works by six English composers were performed. My collaborator in all three recitals was pianist Eunae KO. The fmt recital included the Sonata for cello and piano by Frank Bridge and the Concerto by William Walton. The second recital was comprised of relatively unknown cello works: Sonatina in D major by Arnold Bax, Romance by Frederick Delius, and the Sonata Op. 40 by Rebecca Clarke. The third recital consisted of Folk-Tale by Arnold Bax and the Symphony for Cello and Orchestra Op. 68 by Benjamin Britten.

EARLY TWENTIETH CENTURY VIOLA MUSIC FROM ENGLAND AND GERMANY: FROM POST-ROMANTICISM TO MODERNISM

In the early twentieth century, the viola began to gain status as a solo instrument with the appearance in England of the virtuosic violist Lionel Tertis. Because of a lack of music for viola at that time, such English composers as York Bowen, Arnold Bax, Ralph Vaughan Williams, Arthur Bliss and William Walton began to write viola music for Tertis. Meanwhile, in Germany, the well-known composer and virtuosic violinist and violist Paul Hindemith wrote and premiered several viola sonatas and concertos. Viola music became even more developed later with William Primrose, the legendary Scottish violist, and all the works written in the early twentieth century have remained significant in the viola literature. Although this new viola music appeared in both countries during same period, it developed along different lines in each country. Because they were under the influence of earlier periods and traditions, the English composers who associated with Tertis wrote their music in a Romantic style, with expanded harmony, various colors of sound and timbre, and lyrical melodies. Hindemith, as a composer himself, employed a more Modernist style, using atonality and angular melodies, which represented German trends at that time. I have given three recitals, of which the first two were divided between selected English music and German music. Although I originally intended to focus solely on music by Hindemith and music written for Terts, I decided that in order to give a more complete view of the national trends of those two countries, I included Rebecca Clarke's Sonata, Lachrymae by Benjamin Britten (dedicated to William Primrose), and Max Reger's Suite for Viola. Rebecca Clarke was herself a fine violist, and her sonata's Romantic style is also representative of the English trends of viola music. Lachrymae was written with a different concept and shows more modernity than had ever before occurred in England, though it still differs from the modernity of other countries. Max Reger's Suite is in a truly Romantic style, yet it is old fashioned in ways that differ not only from Wagner or Strauss, but also from English music of the period. In my last recital I wished to pay homage to Tertis, with a program consisting entirely of music written for him. For the finale, Arthur Bliss's Viola Sonata was especially chosen because it provides interesting similarities and contrasts with earlier English music in the Romantic style.

RUSSIAN THREADS: THE PRESENCE OF RUSSIAN INFLUENCES IN TWENTIETH­ CENTURY ENGLISH CELLO MUSIC

A cursory glance at cello works by English composers during the twentieth- century yields an unexpected relationship to Russian musicians, history, culture, and religion. One must wonder how this connection or "Russian thread" came to be. When considering the working relationship of Benjamin Britten and Mstislav Rostropovich, the likelihood of such a connection is tangible, since their deeply personal friendship influenced Britten's music for cello. However, what is perhaps more interesting is the emergence of connections to Russia in the works of other English composers of the twentieth-century, featuring works from 1913-1996. This project was conceived after close study and analysis of Benjamin Britten's Third Suite for Solo Cello, Op. 87 (1971). Britten's inclusion of Russian folk tunes and an Orthodox Church hymn signaled the penetrating presence of Russian elements in his works. Britten's First Suite for Solo Cello, Op. 72, Third Suite for Cello, Op. 87, and Sonata for Piano and Cello in C, Op. 65 are presented in this project. Further exploration of works for cello by English composers unveiled similar connections to Russia. The Sonata for Cello and Piano of Frank Bridge is likened to Russian romanticism and the Cello Sonata of Sergei Rachmaninoff. William Walton's Cello Concerto was written for the Russian-American cellist Gregor Piatigorsky. Wake Up ...and die is John Tavener's deeply spiritual work, which is rooted in his Russian Orthodoxy. John Ireland, influenced by models of French and Russian Impressionism, contributed works colored with Russian folk influences, of which his Piano Trio No. 2 is an example. Finally, Arnold Bax traveled to Russia as a young man and his Folk Tale and Legend Sonata are imbued with the spirit of Russian folk music and architecture. This dissertation project is comprised of three recitals featuring English works for cello connected by a "Russian Thread." All events took place on the campus of University of Maryland, College Park: Recital #1 on December 4, 2011 in the Gildenhorn Recital Hall of the Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center, Recital #2 on February 11,2012, and Recital #3 on April 15, 2012, both in the Ulrich Recital Hall.

SELECTED TWENTIETH-CENTURY BRITISH & AMERICAN ENGLISH SONG REPERTOIRE WRITTEN FOR SOPRANO

English language song (both British and American) is influenced by a variety of cultures, races, and musical forms and has produced a broad range of song repertoire. Like songs in all countries and throughout history, these songs can be classified into three categories: imitative songs, experimental songs, and songs of individuality. Music experimentation, necessary and welcome as it is, can hardly command broad international attention. Thus, the songs of this dissertation performance project are chosen from the first and third categories: imitative songs and individual songs in the composer's own unique style. This project concentrates its exploration on twentieth-century solo songs written in English. Although twentieth-century British & American composers also produced solos and chamber music in other languages, this dissertation focuses upon their English repertoire. This performance project consists of three programs: one British repertoire and two American. The first program titled An Evening of British Song examines twentieth-century British song written by Roger Quilter, Peter Warlock, William Walton, Benjamin Britten, Thomas F. Dunhill, Ivor Gurney, and Frank Bridge. It was presented on December 12, 2001, in Homer Ulrich Recital Hall with the collaborative pianist Meriel Owen. The second program titled An Evening of American Song I comprises music written by Dominick Argento, Samuel Barber, Ned Rorem, Leonard Bernstein, and Lee Hoiby. It was presented on October 23, 2002, in Joseph & Alma Gildenhorn Recital Hall with the collaborative pianist R. Timothy McReynolds. The third program titled An Evening of American Song II written by John Duke, John Corigliano, Charles Ives, Richard Hundley, Lori Laitman, Frederick Loewe, George Gershwin, and Jerome Kern was presented on December 18, 2003, again in Joseph & Alma Gildenhorn Recital Hall with the collaborative pianist R. Timothy McReynolds and the flutist Jessica Dunnavant. Each of these three dissertation recitals occurred at the University of Maryland in College Park and was recorded. These CD recordings are held by the Michelle Smith Performing Arts Library at the University of Maryland.