Program for the Spring 2012 MARAC Meeting: Faith, Frolic and Fundamentals

The program for the Spring 2012 MARAC meeting, "Faith, Frolic and Fundamentals" held April 12-14 in Cape May, New Jersey.

FLUTE MUSIC FROM THE MID-TWENTIETH CENTURY BY THREE FRENCH COMPOSERS: JEAN-MICHEL DAMASE, ANDRE JOLIVET, AND HENRI TOMASI

Jean-Michel Damase (b.1928), Andre Jolivet (1905-1974), and Henri Tomasi (1901-1971) are three prominent French composers ofthe twentieth century. Tomasi won the Prix de Rome in 1927, and Damase won the Prix de Rome in 1947. All three composers were educated and lived in Paris around the same period; however, their musical styles are quite distinct. Most of Jolivet's compositions for flute are well known and are often selected as international competition repertoire. The compositions for flute by Damase and Tomasi are not as recognized as those of Jolivet, and most of their works for flute still have not been commercially recorded. The purpose of this dissertation is to provide a more comprehensive guide to the compositions for flute by Damase, Jolivet and Tomasi, and, in addition, to make the works ofDamase and Tomasi familiar to flutists. This dissertation will focus on the compositions ofDamase, Jolivet, and Tomasi for flute alone and those for flute and piano, written between 1928 and 1971 (1928 is the year Damase was born, and 1971 is the year that Tomasi died). Damase continues French romanticism, and his music is always playful, elegant, and accessible with rhythmic and harmonic surprises, but with an underlying complexity. His compositions for flute include three concertos, two double concertos, one flute solo work, and nine works for flute and piano. Jolivet's compositions make use of ancient rituals, incantations, and spirituality, as well as repeated phrases and single notes, irregular rhythmic patterns, dissonant effects, and rhythmic drive. He composed one flute concerto, three works for flute solo, and four works for flute and piano. Tomasi's compositions also continue French romanticism and contain melodies which often seem to tell a story, and which are not only full of flourishes and vitality, but are also delicate, colorful, and romantic. Virtuosic technical demand is another characteristic of his style. Tomasi composed three flute concertos, three works for solo flute, and one work for flute and piano. Appendix I is a list of the compositions for flute by Damase, Jolivet, and Tomasi, and Appendix II is a discography of their works.

IN SEARCH OF THE DIVINE: SPIRITUALITY AND PRAYER IN DIVERSE VIOLIN REPERTOIRE FROM BIBER TO IVES

Composers from all eras and of all ethnicities explore spirituality and prayer by using one or a combination of the following ideas: having a spiritual concept in mind when composing certain pieces, quoting hymns, being influenced by their own personal beliefs, or portraying spiritual figures and ideas in their works. Some musical works are inspired by spirituality; others, as in the case of Bloch's Nigun, even serve as prayers themselves. These recitals gave me the opportunity to approach a wide variety of musical styles while discovering my own mode for expression. The unaccompanied violin works throughout this project trace a distinct lineage from the baroque to the twentieth century. Biber's appendix to the Rosary Sonatas, the Passacaglia for solo violin, is a crucial predecessor to Bach's monumental Chaconne. Eugene Ysaye was inspired to write the Six Sonatas, Op. 27 after he attended a performance of Bach's Sonatas and Partitas given by Josef Szigeti. Ysaye's second solo sonata blatantly quotes Bach's Partita No.3 in E major throughout the first movement. Every movement also contains quotations from and variations on the plainchant Dies Irae. Although each of the solo violin works presented in this project may be viewed as virtuosic concert pieces, each piece allows the performer to transcend the technical hurdles-and perhaps even utilize them-to serve a higher, artistic and spiritual purpose while alone on the concert stage. Each of the sonata works in this project requires a close, equal collaboration between violinist and pianist, rather than displaying the violinist as soloist.