https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/34608 2026-04-15T07:30:42Z https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/36436 Title: Three Kyrie-Gloria masses by the nineteenth-century Gozitan composers Vincenzo Bondì (1798-1871), Giorgio Mercieca (1826-92) and Giuseppe Farrugia (1852-1925) : a historical-analytical study and critical edition Abstract: The aim of this research is to provide a historical and analytical study of three Masses by three nineteenth-century composers from Gozo : Vincenzo Bondì (1798-1871), Giorgio Mercieca (1826-92) and Giuseppe Farrugia (1852-1925). This study starts with a concise biography of the composers’ lives, outlining their contribution to the Gozitan musical heritage. It is followed by a study of Church music in Malta and Gozo during the nineteenth century, which deals with the foundations laid by these composers and the musical repertoires they left. An overview of the ‘Cappella musicale’ of the Gozo Cathedral throughout the nineteenth century is given, with special emphasis on contemporary music issues. An analytical study of the compositional techniques found in the three ‘Kyrie-Gloria’ Masses is presented in the following chapter. Form, structure, themes, harmony, orchestration, word-painting, etc., are all dealt with in detail. A comparative analysis of the three works from a stylistic perspective serves as the basis for the next chapter. Stylistic differences and developments are brought out, with special attention being given to the various compositional techniques adopted by the three composers individually. A critical edition of the three Masses, comprising a General Preface, a computer transcription of the works, Critical Notes and a Critical Commentary, is given in chapter six, volume II. Description: M.MUSIC 2018-01-01T00:00:00Z https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/34714 Title: A piano recital : an insight on the performance of pianoforte works from the Classical to the late Romantic period Abstract: A dissertation submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Bachelor of Arts (Honours) in Music Studies, in which the author has chosen to discuss the learning process in piano performance through seven works – all of which provide a comprehensive challenge of technical and interpretational work, and will eventually be performed for an undergraduate final recital. In the dissertation, which is presented as a formal summary of the progress and difficulties the author faced while mastering these pieces, she discusses the relevance of a historically informed practice and the corresponding piano techniques which eventually lead the student towards a confident, historically informed performance which empowers the student performer and allows liberty in interpretation. This was achieved by the author after detailed research on the relevant historic background of the piece and composer was carried out. This knowledge was then linked with a brief, guided analysis of each work leading to the student acquiring a thorough understanding of each piece. Aspects of performance practice were also taken into consideration to aid in overcoming technical obstacles whilst remaining stylistically correct. The dissertation contains an Introduction, a Literature Review (Chapter 1), Four chapters in which a historical background of each chosen work, a brief analysis and technical difficulties is included; Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s Sonata K. 309 in C Major (Chapter 2), Ludwig van Beethoven’s Sonata Op. 14, No.2 (Chapter 3), Felix Mendelssohn’s Lieder ohne Worte Op. 19, No.2, Op. 30, No. 1, and Op. 38, No. 2 (Chapter 4), and Frederick Chopin’s Nocturne Op. 32, Nos. 1 and 2 (Chapter 5), and a Conclusion. Description: B.A.(HONS)MUSIC 2018-01-01T00:00:00Z https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/34711 Title: Exploring modes through different perspectives Abstract: The aim of this dissertation, together with the composition portfolio is to investigate the use of modes in different perspectives. Each composition explores the use of an alternative or the same mode in a different framework. The portfolio investigates the use of the Church modes, tonality, polytonality and the use of synthetic modes and how together they can form a varied and interesting work in combination with contemporary musical language. A mode can be defined as a group of notes that ranges from just two notes to the use of all twelve notes. Such modes can be further extended with the use of quarter tones, but such an extension was not included in this portfolio. Furthermore, the combination of modes with rhythm is an important aspect of this portfolio. The specific characteristics of a mode can be brought out more through the use of interesting and engaging rhythms as well as melodic contour and the harmony derived from the mode. The solo piece titled Exploitation, for clarinet and bass clarinet is built using a synthetic mode that I created solely for this work. Using a synthetic mode for a solo work proved to be a challenging one because I was bound with just three transpositions of the mode. However, the use of extended techniques of both clarinet and the bass clarinet helped to explain the characteristics of the mode. The vocal work, Antiphona Sancte Paule is built with a combination of the Dorian mode and its transposition to a perfect fourth higher, tonality and chromaticism within tonality. The choice for the use of the Dorian mode was mainly due to its colour. However, the original intention of this work was to be tonal, using the pentatonic and whole-tone scale as a decoration to the work. This work offered a challenge in the way each section is transitioned, as smoothly as possible from one mode to the other. The chamber work Gwerra? Paċi? jew Faqar? is built using a similar combination of modes used in the vocal work. The Dorian and Mixolydian mode along with various transpositions, form the basis of this work. The second movement is written using tonal language along with chords with added notes to destabilise tonality. This movement offered a challenge in the ways one can obscure tonality as Debussy and other notable composers did in their works. Analysis of numerous scores by Debussy helped me come up with solutions to obscure tonality. The orchestral work Three Life Settings was the most challenging in this portfolio. The first two movements have no specific tonal or modal ties, drawing its melodic and harmonic content from two six-note elements that can be transposed offering numerous solutions to the work. However, the third movement explores the use of polytonality in its main sections, drawing inspiration from the intervals that constitute these two elements which are outlined in the relationship between the keys used. In this work, the third movement was the most challenging to work with, especially with the use of polytonality and the length of each movement. There are three sections in this dissertation, the first section is the commentary. The commentary is made up of a general introduction, a literature review on the modes and their development. Each piece in the portfolio will include a general introduction, literature review and analysis of each work. The second section is made up of the portfolio, divided into four works. The first work is the solo piece for clarinet and bass clarinet and the second work is the vocal work accompanied by a chamber orchestra. The third piece is the chamber work for oboe, clarinet in B-flat, bassoon, horn in F and piano, and the orchestral work is for a large orchestra. The third part is made up of the audio recording of the works on a compact disc accompanying this dissertation. The portfolio and the necessary research carried out for the writing of this portfolio was completed in the context of a Bachelor of Arts (Honours) dissertation. Description: B.A.(HONS)MUSIC 2018-01-01T00:00:00Z https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/34705 Title: The Grand Tour : a romantic journey through a performance of Schubert, Chopin, Schumann, and Liszt Abstract: This dissertation seeks to investigate the ways in which four major composers of the Romantic period, namely, Schubert, Chopin, Schumann, and Liszt, emulate and reconfigure the Grand Tour through chosen works that I will analyse. In the Introductory Chapter, I provide a historical and cultural background to the actual Grand Tour that commenced at the beginning of the eighteenth century, and which became a source of both attraction and inspiration for poets, artists, composers, and men and women of means. The very short Preamble to the following chapters attempts to justify the choice of works when performed in a recital (as I will do in part fulfilment of my degree), as well as what style one must adopt, and so on. The second chapter looks at Schubert’s Sonata in A minor D.784, which is one of his later works. I analyse the work from an introspective point of view. This enables me to read it as an intimate, confessional work, one that speaks directly to the performer. The third chapter deals with Chopin’s Scherzo in Bb minor op. 31. I find in Chopin an element of circumspection that is so difficult to reconcile with the tempestuous Romantic mood. Yet, Chopin exercises this virtue admirably: seething, tumultuous passion is never sacrificed for elegance and control. The fourth chapter allows me to look at Schumann’s Kinderszenen from a retrospective angle. This makes it possible for me to use the work as a mnemonic trigger that allows insight into the composer’s childhood, in the manner of Blake in The Songs of Innocence and Wordsworth in The Prelude. Last but not least, the fifth chapter engages with Liszt and his Après une Lecture du Dante, a work that sees the Hungarian master in conversation with the mediaeval Florentine genius, Dante. This allows for a re-inspection of Dante, thus enabling the composer to create an intertextual relationship with the poet. In all the chapters that deal with the four different composers and their chosen works, I do my best to present a technical and interpretative analysis, discussing methodology, pedagogy, hermeneutics, while also making reference to multiple primary and secondary sources, including recordings. The brief Conclusion brings the different strands of the four analytical chapters together, thus bringing the pilgrimage to its shrine and the metaphorical Grand Tour to its close. Description: B.A.(HONS)MUSIC 2018-01-01T00:00:00Z