The Effects of World War II on Significant Composers of Music for the Flute

World War II was one of the most devastating events in history, and it profoundly affected European culture and art. I examined the period around World War II, and the effects it had on the lives of composers and their flute music. I investigated who wrote for flute during the war, what they were composing, and what effects, if any, the war had on them and their music. After examining the biographies of nine composers and studying eleven of their works, I found that in some cases the war affected their flute music, but in others the music shows no apparent influences of the war. Interestingly, most of the flute music written by composers affected by World War II was happy and joyful rather than dark and dismal. I performed three recitals during my research. I studied nine composers and performed some of their most important works for flute. Recital One is “Sonatas for Flute.” Recital Two is “Virtuosic Flute Music,” and my final recital is “Emotional Overview of Flute Music During World War II.” I discovered that many of these composers had to change their lives in drastic ways due to the war, but most them wrote music that had did not reflect the horror or destruction of war—perhaps music represented an escape from their horrible circumstances, or an effort to recall better times. I also found that a few of these composers used music to mock the Nazi regime. They used music as an emotional outlet, which could have been dangerous for them during that time. Other composers used music to share their own personal experiences while fighting in the war.

Pairings: Quintets and Duos from the Collaborative Piano Repertoire

Chamber music with piano comprises some of the greatest masterpieces in the Western canon. The works range from duo sonatas with various instruments through septets. In regard to duo sonatas, the violin is the instrument most frequently paired with the piano. Of all the chamber works for larger ensembles, the most popular is the quintet. In this dissertation, I will be exploring the similarities and differences between the duo sonatas and quintets of a given composer. I will be surveying Robert Schumann’s Piano Quintet in E-flat Major, Op. 44 along with his Violin and Piano Sonata in A Minor, Op. 105. The next pairing will be Johannes Brahms’ Piano Quintet in F Minor, Op. 34 and his Piano and Violin Sonata in D Minor, Op. 108. Dmitri Shostakovich’s Piano Quintet in G Minor, Op. 57 and his Cello and Piano Sonata in D Minor, Op. 40 will be the last two works examined in this dissertation. This dissertation project consisted of three recitals, presented in the Gildenhorn Recital Hall at the Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center of the University of Maryland. The recitals featured works by Johannes Brahms, Robert Schumann and Dmitri Shostakovich and took place on March 14, 2014, February 13, 2015 and November 22, 2015. All three recitals were recorded on compact discs, which can be accessed at the Digital Repository at the University of Maryland (DRUM) and at the University of Maryland Hornbake Library.

Beethoven's Violinists: The Influence of Clement, Viotti, and the French School on Beethoven's Violin Compositions

Over the course of his career, Ludwig van Beethoven (1770–1827) admired and befriended many violin virtuosos. In addition to being renowned performers, many of these virtuosos were prolific composers in their own right. Through their own compositions, interpretive style and new technical contributions, they inspired some of Beethoven’s most beloved violin works. This dissertation places a selection of Beethoven’s violin compositions in historical and stylistic context through an examination of related compositions by Giovanni Battista Viotti (1755–1824), Pierre Rode (1774–1830) and Franz Clement (1780–1842). The works of these violin virtuosos have been presented along with those of Beethoven in a three-part recital series designed to reveal the compositional, technical and artistic influences of each virtuoso. Viotti’s Violin Concerto No. 2 in E major and Rode’s Violin Concerto No. 10 in B minor serve as examples from the French violin concerto genre, and demonstrate compositional and stylistic idioms that affected Beethoven’s own compositions. Through their official dedications, Beethoven’s last two violin sonatas, the Op. 47, or Kreutzer, in A major, dedicated to Rodolphe Kreutzer, and Op. 96 in G major, dedicated to Pierre Rode, show the composer’s reverence for these great artistic personalities. Beethoven originally dedicated his Violin Concerto in D major, Op. 61, to Franz Clement. This work displays striking similarities to Clement’s own Violin Concerto in D major, which suggests that the two men had a close working relationship and great respect for one another. The first recital was performed in Ulrich Recital Hall; the second and third recitals were performed in Gildenhorn Recital Hall at the University of Maryland. All three performances were collaborations with pianist, Hsiang-Ling Hsiao. A Recording of the first program can be found in the Digital Repository at the University of Maryland (DRUM). Recordings of the second and third recitals can be accessed at the University of Maryland Hornbake Library.

Análisis ejecutivo-interpretativo de la Sonata para piano no.1, op.22 de Alberto Ginastera

Este artículo pretende ofrecer herramientas analíticas acerca de diversos aspectos que sean de utilidad a los pianistas profesionales o en formación, para el estudio y ejecución de la Sonata para Piano No.1, Op.22 del compositor argentino Alberto Ginastera -- Se incluye un corto contexto histórico de la obra, con especial enfoque en el período creativo del que hace parte la Sonata, con el fin de familiarizar al pianista con la producción del compositor -- Cuenta el artículo además con un análisis de la estructura de la obra y de cada uno de sus movimientos y con consejos prácticos enfocados al aspecto técnico ejecutivo-interpretativo, cuyo fin es facilitar, tanto el estudio como la ejecución misma de la obra -- Se incluye también un breve análisis de tres grabaciones de la Sonata con comentarios generales relacionados con los asuntos puntuales atendidos en el artículo

Estudio comparativo de tres interpretaciones de la sonata I Op. 45 en Bb mayor para violonchelo y piano de Félix Mendelssohn

En el presente trabajo se realiza un Estudio Comparativo de tres Interpretaciones de la Sonata I Op. 45 en Bb Mayor para Violonchelo y Piano de Félix Mendelssohn. El mismo que fue analizado con ayuda del performance de tres grandes violonchelistas como son: Natalia Gutman (Rusia 1942), Inbal Segev (Israel 1974) y Xenia Jankovic (Serbia 1958), en donde se puede examinar cada una de sus ejecuciones comparando varios aspectos técnicos y estilísticos; los mismos que apoyaron al desarrollo musical y técnico de la autora del trabajo. Además, fue reforzado por material teórico acerca de la vida de cada una de ellas, como de la obra estudiada. Las conclusiones brindan un soporte técnico, fraseológico y de precisión de las dinámicas que pueden ayudar al lector a tener una nueva perspectiva interpretativa

Descriptive evaluation of smoking cessation

Introduction: The Northern Alliance HARP smoking cessation program provides support to chronic disease participants who desired to quit smoking. This is an individualised program with pharmacotherapy and behavioural support, delivered by specialist clinicians.

Aims: The aims of this descriptive evaluation were to explore factors that affect abstinence rates, record those rates, and describe the impact of anxiety, depression, self-efficacy, quality of life and motivation on quit rates at three months.

Methods: Data was collected prospectively from clients enrolled in the service. Participants were assessed for abstinence at three months, six months and one year by carbon monoxide (CO) monitoring and self-reporting. Factors predictive of quitting were analysed using logistic regression; factors with a p value < 0.05 and 95% CI not containing one were considered statistically significant.

Results: 103 clients were assessed and 86 were enrolled in the program. The odds of successful quitting at three months CO verified was higher amongst completers of the program compared to non-completers (OR = 6.6, 95% CI = 2.03–21.57, p = 0.002). The probability of sustained quitting at one year was over 18 times higher in the group who completed the program (n = 16/21 completers and n = 1/4 non-completers) (OR 18.5, 95% CI, 2.32–147.34, p = 0.006). No other factors predicted quitting.

The rate of quitting was 28.7% at three months, 19.5% at six months and 10.3% at one year, CO verified. Measures of anxiety and depression, self-efficacy, quality of life and motivation did not influence either the quit rate or the likelihood of completing the course of treatment at three months.

O género sonata em Portugal: subsídios para o estudo do repertório português para tecla de 1750 a 1807

O repertório português para instrumentos de tecla da segunda metade do século XVIII encontra-se disperso em bibliotecas e arquivos, em Portugal e no estrangeiro, essencialmente sob a forma de manuscrito. Neste repertório, a sonata emerge como um género musical de grande importância. De facto, as duas coleções de sonatas publicadas na época constituem as únicas obras para instrumentos de tecla impressas em Portugal durante todo esse século. O objetivo deste trabalho é realizar um inventário do repertório português composto para instrumentos de tecla durante o período acima descrito, focando a respectiva descrição formal e as características composicionais das sonatas em geral, e na produção de cada compositor português em particular, bem como as suas biografias e perfis. De forma a estudar a sonata portuguesa e o seu desenvolvimento no período compreendido entre 1750–1807, foi realizado um levantamento das obras portuguesas existentes para instrumentos de tecla deste período. Este levantamento foi acompanhado por pesquisas biográficas sobre cada compositor e por uma abordagem analítica baseada na Teoria da Sonata de James Hepokoski e Warren Darcy. A divisão deste período em dois subperíodos demonstra variações significativas na evolução da sonata portuguesa. O estudo deste repertório demonstra que a sonata é o género musical predominante e define o modelo da sonata portuguesa deste período, para além de caracterizar o desenvolvimento da sonata em Portugal em paralelo com o desenvolvimento deste género musical em Itália e Espanha; ABSTRACT: The Sonata Genre in Portugal: Contributions for the Study of the Portuguese Keyboard Repertory from 1750 to 1807 The extant Portuguese repertory of the second half of the eighteenth century for keyboard instruments is dispersed in libraries and archives, in Portugal and abroad, mainly in manuscript form. In that repertory, the sonata emerges as a genre of great importance. Indeed, the two collections of sonatas published at the time are the only works for keyboard instruments printed in Portugal throughout the entire century. The aim of the present work is to make an inventory of the Portuguese repertory written for keyboard instruments during the above-mentioned period, with a focus on its formal description and the compositional characteristics of the sonatas in general and in the production of each Portuguese composer in particular, in addition to the biographies and profiles of the latter. In order to study the Portuguese sonata and its development in the period comprised between 1750–1807, a survey of the existing Portuguese works for keyboard instruments from that period was done. This survey was followed by a research on the biography of each composer and an analytic approach based on the Sonata Theory by James Hepokoski and Warren Darcy. Dividing this period in two sub periods showed significant variations on the evolution of the Portuguese sonata. The study of this repertory shows that the sonata is the predominant musical genre within it and identifies the Portuguese sonata model of this period, besides characterizing the development of the sonata in Portugal in parallel with the development of the same genre in Italy and Spain.