A mulher é a tal: visões de compositores de marchinhas carnavalescas sobre as mulheres no Rio de Janeiro dos anos de 1930 e 1940

Esta tese entrelaça o repertório de marchinhas carnavalescas e os estudos de gênero, vislumbrando identificar, nas composições de Lamartine Babo, João de Barro e Ari Barroso, visões sociais sobre as mulheres do Rio de Janeiro no decurso dos anos de 1930 e 1940. Os debates sobre as relações de gênero estão longe de serem esgotadas, sobretudo, quando se propõe lançar um olhar psicossocial sobre tal temática por meio da análise de discurso das letras de músicas de Carnaval. O trabalho afasta-se da concepção da categoria mulher como um lugar comum e sinônimo de identidade feminina. Este posicionamento reflexivo entende o conceito de gênero como uma construção agenciada no mundo social. Concomitantemente ao processo de produção e circulação de diferentes discursos sobre os papéis sociais de homens e mulheres, os compositores de marchinhas inseriram a linguagem carnavalesca como mais uma possibilidade de abordar o tema das relações de gênero no contexto sócio-histórico investigado. Nesses termos, este estudo explicita a pretensão de inserir as letras desse gênero musical como um lugar privilegiado para o entendimento de uma parcela de um pensamento social brasileiro referente ao estatuto de ser homem ou mulher no país. A tese busca desvelar as visões sobre mulheres nas letras de marchinhas carnavalescas a partir de das reflexões bakhtinianas sobre a Psicologia, as quais, continuamente, permitiram estabelecer uma relação estreita entre o contexto sócio-histórico do Rio de Janeiro nas décadas de 1930 e 1940 e as mensagens sociais contidas nas marchinhas carnavalescas desse período.

Accents of Chopin anniversaries in territories annexed by Prussia

This article discusses the way in which the Chopin Year of 1910 was celebrated in Wielkopolska. It presents a script prepared in the nineteenth century and shows similarities with celebrations of Mickiewicz and other Polish heroes and artists. Invariably used in such commemorations was a “symbolic capital” that made it easier to create an intergenerational code, thereby disseminating knowledge of national culture and history. A significant role was played in 1910 by a centenary panel, which produced “Guidelines for popular Chopin celebrations” and also many occasional, popular materials. Chopin’s induction into the national pantheon involved the use of audio material (vocal and instrumental concerts), verbal material (articles, poems, lectures and brochures) and also a visual code (anniversary window stickers, tableaux vivants or tableaux illuminés). Illuminated pictures – recommended by a catalogue of slides produced in Poznań – stimulated the imagination of the masses and served as a guide through the composer’s life and work, and their impact was enhanced by a commentary. Most of the living pictures were probably inspired by Henryk Siemiradzki’s canvas Chopin grający na fortepianie w salonie księcia Radziwiłła [Chopin playing the piano in Prince Radziwiłł’s salon] and Józef Męcina Krzesz’s painting Ostatnie akordy Chopina [Chopin’s last chords]. This combination of codes made it possible to create a model adapted to the times and to the expectations of a mass audience. The Chopin anniversary, in which admiration was inseparably intertwined with manipulation, was a pretext for strengthening the national identity.

TRADITION AND INNOVATION: ANALYSIS AND PERFORMANCE OF SELECTED COMPOSITIONS FOR VIOLONCELLO BY HEITOR VILLA-LOBOS

Brazilian composer Heitor Villa-Lobos (1887-1959) began his musical career as a cellist. When he was only twelve years old, it became imperativeupon the sudden and untimely death of his fatherthat the young Villa-Lobos earn money as a cellist to provide financial support for his mother and sisters. Villa-Lobos's intimate relationship with the cello eventually inspired him to compose great music for this instrument. This dissertation explores both the diversity of compositional technique and the evolution of style found in the music for cello written by Villa-Lobos. The project consists of two recorded recital performances and a written document exploring and analyzing those pieces. In the study of the music of Villa-Lobos, it is of great interest to consider the music's traditional European elements in combination (or even juxtaposition) with its imaginative and sometimes wildly innovative Brazilian character. His early works were greatly influenced by European Romantic composers such as Robert Schumann, Frédéric Chopin, and the virtuoso cellist/composer David Popper (whom Villa-Lobos idolized). Later, Villa-Lobos flourished in a newfound compositional independence and moved away from Euro-romanticism and toward the folk music of his Brazilian homeland. It is intriguing to experience this transition through an exploration of his cello compositions. The works examined and performed in this dissertation project are chosen from among the extensive number of Villa-Lobos's cello compositions and are his most important works for cello with piano, cello with another instrument, and cello with orchestra. The chosen works demonstrate the evolving range and combination of characteristic elements found in Villa-Lobos's compositional repertoire.

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.

GABRIEL URBAIN FAURÉ, THE UNSUNG MODERNIST: A PERFORMANCE SURVEY OF SELECTED LATE WORKS WRITTEN AFTER 1892 FOR PIANO SOLO, AND PIANO IN COLLABORATION WITH VIOLIN, VIOLONCELLO, AND VOICE

Gabriel Urbain Fauré lived during one of the most exciting times in music history. Spanning a life of 79 years (1845-1924), he lived through the height of Romanticism and the experimental avant-garde techniques of the early 20th century. In Fauré's music, one can find traces of Chopin, Liszt, Mendelssohn, Debussy and Poulenc. One can even argue that Fauré presages Skryabin and Shostakovich. The late works of Gabriel Fauré, chiefly those composed after 1892, testify to the argument that Fauré holds an important position in the shift from tonal to atonal composition and should be counted among such transitional composers as Gustav Mahler, Claude Debussy, Erik Satie, Richard Strauss, and Ferruccio Busoni. Fauré's unique way of fashioning harmonic impetus of almost purely linear means, resulting in a synthesis of harmonic and melodic devices, led me to craft the term mélodoharmonique. This term refers to a contrapuntally motivated technique of composition, particularly in a secondary layer of musical texture, in which a component of harmonic progression (i.e. arpeggiation, broken chord, etc.) is fused with linear motivic or thematic development. This dissertation seeks to bring to public attention through exploration in lecture and recital format, certain works of Gabriel Fauré, written after 1892. The repertoire will be selected from works for solo piano and piano in collaboration with violin, violoncello, and voice, which support the notion of Fauré as a modernist deserving larger recognition for his influence in the transition to atonal music. The recital repertoire includes the following--Song Cycles: La bonne chanson, opus 61; La chanson d'Ève, opus 95; Le jardin clos, opus 106; Mirages, opus 113; L'horizon chimérique, opus 118; Piano Works: Prelude in G minor opus 103, No. 3; Prelude in E minor opus 103, No. 9; Eleventh Nocturne, opus 104, No.1; Thirteenth Nocturne, opus 119; Chamber Works: Second Violin Sonata, opus 108; First Violoncello Sonata, opus 109; Second Violoncello Sonata, opus 117.

Reflections on Children

In the Fall 2004, while preparing my dissertation project “Reflections on children,” I realized that whether art songs, operatic arias or scenes, the classical repertory offers a wide variety of masterpieces regarding all aspects of children’s life. My first dissertation recital is called “Journeys” and was performed on December 6th 2004 at 8:00pm in the Tawes Recital Hall. Change is the only inevitable condition in life and as such, it has been thought-provoking to many poets and composers. The narrator in Mahler’s Wayfarer Songs experiences the pain of love for the first time and emerges transformed into an adult. The narrator in Barber’s Knoxville is an adult looking back at his journey in an attempt to understand himself. The mothers in Britten’s Charm of Lullabies each make every effort to accept the changes in their own life after the birth of her baby. Finally, both Brahms’ songs are about risks and losses. “Destinies” is the title of the second dissertation recital as it attempts to capture the dark fate of Mignon and of Rückert/Mahler’s children. It was performed on April 8th 2005 in the Tawes Recital Hall. Mignon’s grief is portrayed through songs full of sadness and hopelessness in mourning of a long lost childhood. Rückert wrote 425 Kindertotenlieder in memory of his children’s deaths over a period of twenty years and Mahler orchestrated five of them. Mahler’s choices deal with light and darkness, symbolizing eternal life and hope versus despair and death, in both the literal and the literary sense. Finally, the third dissertation recital called “Blessings” was performed on May 19th 2005 in the Tawes Recital Hall. It relies on the evocation of moods and scenes created by a variety of composers and poets. Poulenc’s La Courte Paille are brief works in the style of a child’s song with unrelated and unexpected images juxtaposed, creating a sense of inner monologues. John Greer’s House of Tomorrow, Guastavino’s Cradle Songs and the rest of the composers offer wonderful pieces of immense power and expression in their directness and sensitive contour.

REQUIRED VIOLA REPERTOIRE FOR THE PRIMROSE COMPETITION AND THE TERTIS COMPETITION

William Primrose (1903-1982) and Lionel Tertis (1876-1975) made the viola a grand instrument for public performances of solo and chamber music throughout their long and active lives characterized by a common passion for the viola. I, too, have been deeply inspired by their passion for the viola. I chose, therefore, for my doctoral performance project to feature works for viola from the required repertoire of the William Primrose and Lionel Tertis competitions of 2001 and 2003, respectively. For purposes of the performances, I divided selections from the combined repertoire for the William Primrose and Lionel Tertis competitions into three recitals. The first recital included Sonata, Opus 120, No.2 in E-flat Major (1894) by Johannes Brahms; Sonata, Opus 147 (1975) by Dmitri Shostakovich; and Sonata (1919) by Rebecca Clarke. These pieces represent standard components of the general repertoire for both the Primrose and Tertis competitions. The second recital was comprised of two works dedicated by their composers to Primrose: Lachrymae, Opus 48 (1950) by Benjamin Britten; and Concerto (1945) by Bela Bartok. The third recital included three pieces dedicated by their composers to Tertis: Sonata (1922) by Arnold Bax; Sonata in C Minor (1905) by York Bowen; and Sonata (1952) by Arthur Bliss. The goal of my preparation for these recitals was to emphasize a variety of techniques and, also, the unique timbre of the viola. For example, the works I selected emphasized high-position technique, which was not much used before the nineteenth century, and featured the lowest string (the C-string), which provides a beautifully somber and austere sonority characteristic of the viola. For these reasons, the selected works provided not only attractive and interesting pieces to study and perform but were also of educational merit.

Sonata Development at the Turn of the Century: From Liszt to Stravinsky

The sonata began to lose its position of predominance among compositions in the middle of the 19th century. Having been the platform for harmonic and thematic development of music since the late baroque period the sonata entered a process of reevaluation and experimentation with form. As a result fewer sonatas were being composed with some composers dropping the genre completely. This dissertation looks at the different approaches taken by the German, French and Russian schools of composition and compares the solo and chamber music applications of the sonata form. In the German tradition Franz Liszt's Sonata in b minor sets the standard for the revolutionary approach to form while the Berg Sonata is a very conservative application of form to an innovative use of extended chromaticism. Both composers chose to write one movement through composed pieces with Liszt working with a very expansive use of form and Berg being extremely compact and efficient. Among the Russian composers, Prokofieff's third sonata is also a one movement sonata, but he falls between Liszt and Berg in terms of the length of the piece and the use of innovative musical language. Scriabin uses a two movement approach, but keeps the element of a through composed piece with the same important material spanning both movements. Stravinsky is the most conservative of these with a three movement sonata that uses a mix of chromaticism and baroque and classical style influences. The French almost stopped composing true sonatas except for chamber music where Franck and Fauré write late romantic sonatas, while Debussy is very innovative within a three movement sonata. Estampes, by Debussy, are taken in almost as an afterthought to illustrate the direction Debussy takes in his piano solo music. While Estampes is by definition a set of character pieces they function like a sonata with three movements.

The feminine soul: love, courage, and sacrifice in three centuries of vocal repertoire

Music is a unique form of communication. It sings from soul to soul, touching each of us in uniquely different ways. While researching the life of Clara Schumann, I became intrigued with the idea that feminine qualities, as expressed by her music, could be found in other composers work for the soprano voice. I explored this possibility in a lecture recital and followed up this work by performing two operatic roles and a recital.

The Evolution of the Russian Romance Through the Nineteenth and Twentieth centuries

This performance dissertation traced the evolution of the Russian romance from 1800 to the present. The Russian romance is a relatively unknown and greatly neglected genre of classical art songs. It is commonly believed that the Russian romance began with Dargomizhsky and Glinka proceeding directly to Tchaikovsky and Rachmaninoff. Forgotten are the composers before Dargornizhsky and Glinka, the bridge composers, and the post-Tchaikovsky and post-Rachmaninoff composers. This may be, in part, because of the difficulties in obtaining Russian vocal scores. While most of the musical world is acquainted with the magnificent Russian instrumental music, the "true soul" of the Russian people lies in its romances. I presented examples of the two different schools of composition, reflecting their philosophical differences in thinking that came about in the 1860s: (1) Russian National school, (2) Western European school. Each school's influence on generations of Russian composers and their pupils have been represented in the recital programs. Also represented was the effect of the October Revolution on music and the voice of the Russian people, Anna Akhmatova. The amount of music that could be included in this dissertation greatly exceeds the amount of available performance time and represents a selected portion of the repertoire. The first recital included repertoire from the beginning of the romance in the early nineteenth century to the beginning of the twentieth century and the second recital focused on the music of the twentieth century, pre and post, the October Revolution. Finally, given the status of Anna Akhmatova and her contributions, the third recital was devoted entirely to her poetry. The "Russian soul" is one of deep, heartfelt emotions and sorrow. Happiness and joy are also present, but always with a touch of melancholy. The audience did not simply go through a musical journey, but took a journey through the "Russian soul". With the strong response of the audience to these recitals, my belief that this repertoire deserves a prominent place in recital programming was confirmed.

Three Voices in the Wilderness: Foote, Bloch, and Korngold in the Early Twentieth-Century America

Barbara Hanning points out in her book Concise History of Western Music, that "Twentieth-century American music was in large measure an extension of European music" (Hanning 1998, 515). My dissertation/perforrnance project features cello works written by three contemporary composers who lived in America but were connected to the European heritage in different ways; each contributed significantly to the development of American classical concert life, music education, and even popular culture. Programs of my performances are intended to illustrate their unique compositional styles. The first recital consists of five cello compositions of Massachusetts-born Arthur Foote (1853 - 1937): Drei Stucke fur Pianoforte und Violoncello, Op. 1; Scherzo, Op.22; Romanza, Op.33; Aubade, Op.77; and Sonata for Violoncello and Piano, Op.78. Foote was influenced by the German-trained John Knowles Paine at Harvard University; he composed music famous for its extensive chromaticism in both harmony and melodic line, and for clearly-defined formal structure. The second recital explores the music of Swiss-American composer Ernest Bloch (1880-1959): a short Meditation Hebraique, a Suite No. I for Violoncello Solo and the famous rhapsody Schelomo. Born in Geneva, Switzerland, and settling in the United States in 1916, Bloch is a composer deeply influenced by the European late-Romantic tradition and is also well-known for employing "Hebraic" elements into his works. The final performance comprises two other of Bloch's cello works and one cello concerto by the Austrian-American composer, Erich Wolfgang Korngold (1897- 1957). Bloch's Voice in the Wilderness is a symphonic poem for orchestra and cello (accompanied by piano in this performance), consisting of six movements performed without pause. His Suite No.3 for Cello Solo is shorter and has a simpler style than the first Suite. Korngold was recognized as a child prodigy in his native Austria. After a Nazi-induced exile, he immigrated to America and became a film music composer in Hollywood. The Cello Concerto was used in the movie "Deception" (1 946), for which Korngold provided the film score. The impassioned harmonic language and lavish melodic lines inherited from the high-romanticism make this work one of comparative discordant beauty among other compositions of his time.

The Development of Piano Variations in the Romantic Era

The purpose of this study is to illustrate the development of piano variations as a genre during the Romantic era. In order to facilitate this examination of piano variations techniques, a brief look at the types of variation procedures used by composers of previous eras will assist in understanding developments that later occurred in the Romantic period. Throughout the Baroque era, composers preferred the fured-bass, fixed-melody, and harmonic forms of variation. The crowning achievement of Baroque keyboard music, Bach's Goldberg Variations (1725), contains examples of the "constantharmonic" method in its collection of 30 variations, each of which maintains both the bass and harmonic structure of the themes. While most composers of the classical period favored the "melodic-outline" form of variation, Haydn developed hybrid variation procedure that exhibits recurrence of material rather than repetition, alternating variation (ABABA), rondo variation (ABACA), and ternary variation (ABA). Haydn, Mozart and early Beethoven variations also exhibit simpler textures than do their Baroque predecessors. The nineteenth century produced numerous compositions that display variation techniques, some based on such older, classical models as melodic-outline variation and hybrid variation, others in the style of the character variation or fiee variation. At the beginning of the nineteenth century, Beethoven and Schubert used such classical variation techmques as melodic-outline variations and hybrid variations. Beethoven's late sonatas displayed such new means of expression as variation, fugue, and dramatic recitatives. The third movement of the Sonata in E major, Op. 109 (1820) has a theme and six variations of the melodic-outline type. Johannes Brahms was particularly fond of composing variations for piano. Among the best known examples of formal-outline variations are those found in the Variations and Fugue on a Theme of Handel, Op. 24 (1861). Character variations, in which styles are characterized by the retention and variability of particular elements, also flourished during the Romantic period. Cesar Franck's Variations Symphoniques (1885) are, perhaps, among the most important examples of free variations. This composition is a one-movement work consisting of three sections, Introduction, Variations, and Finale (all movements played "attaca"). This work combines two independent classical formal structures, the concerto and the variation.

The Scherzo in Selected Works for Piano

This performance project will cover performing issues in terms of technique in the scherzo. The Dictionary of Musical Terms defines technique as "the system of creating music, the musical slull to show personality by controlling tones that is not an abstract theory but a practical ability in composition or performance." My project focuses on techniques in fast tempos, specifically those found in the scherzo form and in concertos containing a scherzo character. The term scherzo has varied in its meaning and form throughout history. In the Baroque period, a scherzo was a work of light vocal or instrumental character. In the Classical period, scherzo still meant light in style, but it also indicated a quick tempo, often in 2/4 time. The scherzo was usually a single movement in a suite or multi-movement work. Like the minuet form, the scherzo contained a contrasting trio section. The scherzo was also standard in Romantic and post-Romantic symphonies and related genres. Because of the high degree of subjectivity in Romantic music, genres that stressed emotional content over abstract form developed rapidly. Some composers even wrote one-movement pieces entitled scherzo. These pieces became very important because they usually expressed a particular character or mood. The objective of my dissertation project is to research scherzo-like concertos, scherzo as single movements in larger forms, and scherzo as independent works. My first recital will consist of two concertos with a scherzo-like character. These are Mozart's Piano Concerto No. 9 i ?nl Major; K. 271 and Ravel's Piano Concerto in G Major. I will perform these works in December 2002 with a second piano. In addition, I will perform the Ravel with an orchestra in 2003. My second recital will consist of two parts. The fxst half presents multi-movement works with scherzo movements. The pieces are Haydn's Piano Sonata No. 3 in F Majol; Hob. WI/9, Beethoven's Piano Sonata No. 10 in G Major; Op. 14, No. 2. The second half presents independent four scherzi by Chopin. The final program will also include multi-movement works containing scherzo and independent scherzo. These are Prokofiev's Piano Sonata No. 2 in D minor, Op. 14, Grieg Lyric Pieces Op. 54, Schubert Zwei Scherzi D. 593 and Copland Scherzo humoristique; Le Chat et la Souris (The Cat and the Mouse).

Selected Works from Character Pieces in the 19th - Early 20th Centuries

During the Romantic Era, the character piece flourished and became one of the most important genres. Even though character pieces existed as early as the eighteenth century, it was not until the nineteenth century that Romantic Era literary figures discovered that music was as powerful as any other artistic medium in expressing unspeakable emotions. The character piece allowed composers to express a definite mood, a programmatic idea, or a pictorial association. Character pieces often have titles that suggest briehess or casualness, such as a Beethoven Bagatelle, a Schubert Impromptu or Moment musicaux. Others have expressive programmatic titles, such as Schumann's Kreisleriana and Liszt's Apres une lecture de Dante. Ths dissertation was based on selected works from the nineteenth century and early-twentieth century in order to demonstrate the great variety of musical thought and stylistic development. I have examined composers from different countries and of different nationalities to establish what and how they contributed to the remarkable diversity in this genre. The selected works allowed for very personal programs. These concerts, in addition to being good combinations of pieces, are representative of the genre. The first program consisted of Chopin's Preludes, Op. 28; three pieces from Debussy7s Images Books I and 11; and Liszt7s Apres une lecture de Dante. The second program included seven of Beethoven's Bagatelles, Op. 33; Schumann's Kinderscenen, Op. 15; Poulenc's Mouvements perpetuels and Intermezzo in A-jlat Major; Faure7s Nocturne in B Major, Op. 33, No. 2 and Impromptu No. 2 in F Minor; three of Mompou's Canciones y Danzas; four of Villa-Lobos Prole do bebe Suite No. 1; and Albkniz's Navarra. The third and final program comprised four selections from Rachrnaninoff s Moment musicaux, Op. 16; five pieces from Grieg's Lyric Pieces; and Arensky7s Suite No. 1 for Two Pianos and Suite No. 2 for Two Pianos. I wanted to bring out nuances specific to the individual composers and show how their character pieces helped in shaping the Romantic Era. Even in the twenty-first century, an era of highly specialized musical tastes, the popularity and accessibility of character pieces stand out.

CONSERVATIVE AND PROGFESSIVE ASPECTS OF THE SONATA FROM LATE BEETHOVEN TO PROKOFIEV

The term 'sonata' arose in the early seventeenth-century Baroque period and was originally used to distinguish instrumental (sonata) music from vocal music. Later. the sonata style, as a reliable yet flexible compositional framework, was extensively shaped and utilized throughout the Classical period. Subsequently, in the Romantic period, freer creative, individualistic. and expressive musical elements began to be preferred by composers in their use of harmonj., tone color, form, and rhythm. However, even during the revolutionary Romantic period in music. the compositions which did not have a pre-defined format (character pieces, etc) were often comfortably framed and limited within the recognizable boundaries provided by the Classical sonata style. The sonata format, when used as a tool in musical composition, provides logical boundaries that may serve to organize any unexpected emotional expressions on the part of the composer. Yet the sonata framework is also flexible enough to allow freedom of expression. In the Romantic period and beyond, composers had relied, some more than others, upon the sonata's adaptable blend of stability and flexibility. In my opinion, it is more persuasive to express oneself musically within the framework of an established musical style. Thus, I have chosen my dissertation topic as the performance of six pieces incorporating elements of the reliable and flexible sonata style. The sonata of each composer that I have selected clearly demonstrates a tension between logic and emotion expressed within the sonata framework. However, the compositions can be divided interestingly into two groups, such as 'conservative' and 'progressive' group. The 'conservative' group consists of composers who seemed to strive for greater freedom of self-expression within the constraints of the traditional sonata form. On the other hand, the 'progressive' group consists of composers who seemed more to rely upon the sonata form to rein in and add stability to their highly individual and emotional musical ideas. It is my hope that this project will provide a stimulating viewpoint from which to consider the evolution and utilization of the sonata style especially as it is applied to the composition and performance of these six diverse and interesting pieces.