Color Swatches is an album of vignettes written for my friends. These pieces areintended to be performed by musicians looking for works that are challenging in difficulty level, short in form, and rich in character. Each of these miniatures requires a pianist and a “color instrument”— a solo instrument that provides a different timbral color. I associate each of the resulting pieces with a very specific color, listed in the title. The tonal styles and textures used are the product of many different influences. Some pieces are more suited for performers of one discipline than another: the use of chord symbols in multiple of the miniatures can prove stumbling blocks for classically-trained musicians, while jazz musicians may be unfamiliar with the aleatoric improvisation notation. The difficulty level of these pieces is advanced, as some call for extended techniques on behalf of both the pianist or the soloist, and require a moderate level of preparation before performing. Though they are written as a set of eight, they work well as stand-alone pieces between larger works, or in subsets: for example, “Silver Lining”, “Lavender”, and “Flying Colors” could be performed together on a woodwind recital.

Shiguang Cui, a Chinese composer, ingeniously combined western musical compositional techniques with Chinese traditional compositions. The purpose of this research is to uncover how his style changed from his earlier pieces, specifically the Shandong Folk Suite, to his later piece Pianofoster. There is no research or recordings of either works in the United States. In fact, the only research of Shiguang Cui’s piano works that can be found in the United States is his Piano Concerto No. 2. Most recorded research remains in China. Chunying Fu and Yanli Li contributed master’s dissertations on Shandong Folk Suite, but both of them lack a detailed analysis of Western compositional techniques. There are only a few research materials for Pianofoster, even in China. This paper will offer an in-depth study of both works with detailed analysis for both Chinese and Western compositional techniques, as well as how Cui’s style of composition changes between these two works. This research paper explores the musical elements, cultural influences, and evolving style in both Shandong Folk Suite and Pianofoster. Cui incorporates elements from both Western and Chinese traditional music, including imitations of Chinese traditional instruments, narrative and musical connections to Shandong folk songs and dance. This detailed discussion, along with provided examples of these two works from different periods of Cui’s compositional careers clearly demonstrates the path of his compositional development and his progressive incorporation of Chinese and Western elements. The paper presents detailed information about Shandong Folk Suite and Pianofoster in four chapters, in order for performers to have a more nuanced interpretation of the pieces. Chapter I introduces Cui’s career, including representative works from each period. Chapter II presents a stylistic analysis of Shandong Folk Suite with music examples. Chapter III gives a stylistic analysis of Pianofoster, exploring how the composer blends Eastern and Western compositional techniques. Chapter IV compares Shandong Folk Suite and Pianofoster to show how Cui’s compositional technique developed and changed. This project promotes the study of Cui’s works for pianists. His creative blend of Eastern and Western techniques for pianists should not be overlooked in the standard canon of contemporary repertoire.

Ping Gao is regarded as one of the most important Chinese pianist-composers of his generation. Born in Chengdu, China in 1970, he is currently a composition professor at Capital Normal University in Beijing and a guest professor at China Conservatory. Gao’s music combines contemporary Western compositional techniques with Chinese traditional elements. In this project, the author has chosen to study and record three of Gao’s piano works: Night Alley (2006), The Autumn Pond (2012) and the piano suite Daydreams (2019), totaling approximately 38 minutes of music. The written portion of this project will provide introductory information about the composer, as well as observations about the incorporation of Chinese traits into his contemporary compositional style. When applicable, the paper will outline some of the elements of Chinese music and provide suggestions about learning and performing these pieces from a pianistic perspective.

The purpose of this project is to research the pedagogical, philosophical and compositional ideals of the renowned Chinese pedagogue Zhaoyi Dan and to provide performance and pedagogical suggestions for selected piano works. Zhaoyi Dan (b. 1940) is one of the leading piano educators of the twentieth and twenty-first centuries in China. Over his sixty years of teaching, he has been given the nickname “Godfather of piano education”. He has taught many renowned concert pianists, including Yundi Li, Sa Chen, and Haochen Zhang. Twenty-nine of Dan’s students have collectively won sixty-three prizes at major international competitions. This paper will detail Zhaoyi Dan’s comprehensive teaching philosophy and methods by studying his published academic theses, piano compositions, and online master classes and seminars. The selected piano works composed by Zhaoyi Dan are presented with an introduction of each piece, brief musical description, and pedagogical suggestions. Through the study of Zhaoyi Dan’s pedagogical philosophies and selected piano works, I hope this paper will show his helpful teaching methods and add to the pedagogical piano repertoire for teachers and students.

A Soldier’s Symphony is a three-movement work for symphony orchestra. The three movements are as follows: I – Sonata Allegro; II – Passacaglia; III – Rondo. A performance at the given metronome markings in the score will last approximately 30 minutes. Instrumentation is piccolo, 2 flutes, 2 oboes, English horn, 2 B-flat clarinets, B-flat bass clarinet, 2 bassoons, contrabassoon, 4 French horns in F, 3 trumpets in B-flat, 3 trombones, tuba, timpani and strings.In this paper, following introductory material, I write about my combat deployments to Iraq as a U.S. Army soldier and my struggles with psychological war wounds after I returned to the United States, then describe how these experiences and wounds shaped A Soldier’s Symphony. I also write about four composers, Sergei Prokofiev, George Antheil, Daphne Oram and Dennis Smalley, whose music and ideas influenced my approach to composing A Soldier’s Symphony. After presenting an overview analysis of each of my work’s three movements, I conclude by discussing my public and private purposes for composing this work. My public purpose for the work is to raise peoples’ awareness of the true scope of war’s human cost, while my private purpose is to help me bear the personal cost of my own war experiences. The full score of A Soldier’s Symphony is found in Appendix A.

Lowell Liebermann (b.1961) is one of America’s most frequently performed contemporary composers. He has written a large number of piano pieces and his works are often featured in major competitions and doctoral dissertations. Liebermann’s relationship with the piano began early in life and he considers it to be his principal instrument. His understanding of the strengths and limitations of the piano makes his keyboard creations powerful, expressive, and virtuosic. Although many of his pieces have been performed, his Piano Sonata No. 3, Op. 82 has not yet found a large audience or used as the subject of in-depth discussion. It is the author’s hope to stimulate performances of this work through a descriptive analysis and performance guide. This research document begins with a concise biography of the composer, including the composer’s early musical experiences, his education in academia, and his composition career. The second chapter provides a review of the composer’s major works. The third chapter provides a descriptive analysis and performer’s guide, with insights into Liebermann’s expectations of the performer. The present study includes a lecture recital, found online at https://youtu.be/Uf-SpK8cIr0?si=usxy5_AaWu7VoKP4

Piano education in China is a complex phenomenon shaped over the past century by many factors: China’s rich history of musical traditions, the influence of missionary piano teachers, the establishment of government-formed music conservatories, rapid changes in a political top-down approach, and the contributions of Russian piano teachers. Globalization and China’s rising economic status in the last four and a half decades have led to more Chinese pianists studying abroad and bringing their education back home. Once a foreign import, the piano is now played by more children in China than anywhere else in the world, and young Chinese pianists are frequently recognized on the world’s most competitive stages. As musicians compete on a global scale and international exchanges grow, understanding piano education in China becomes increasingly important.Three renowned teachers shape today’s piano education in China: Dr. Zhe Tang (唐哲) at Shanghai Conservatory, Dr. Ling Zhao (赵聆) at Central Conservatory, and Dr. Vivian Li (李穗荣) at Xinghai Conservatory. After studying in both China and the West, they train some of China’s best young pianists who are recognized on the world’s most competitive stages. This paper shares the teaching methods and philosophies of Tang, Zhao, and Li through comprehensive interviews and lesson observations. It aims to enhance the teaching and performance of pianists, while offering valuable insights into piano education in China. The document explores Tang’s methods to inspire characters in the music and achieve balance in timing and sound, Zhao’s techniques to position and move the hands and fingers for effortless control, and Li’s approaches to manipulate natural arm weight to create a variety of tones and sounds. Their teaching presents useful ideas for how to effectively communicate music and guide students to become passionate and independent musicians. Techniques taught by Zhao and Li—such as the finger standing stably on the key, grabbing with the hand, and differing approaches to the high finger technique—encourage pianists to investigate the function of different body parts, the interconnectedness of tension and relaxation, where strength should come from, and how to best support weight with ease. Additionally, Tang, Zhao, and Li describe the unique aspects of piano education in China.

Among various kinds of piano repertoire in history, the piano repertoire for the left hand alone is a very special category. Though left-hand piano works have the same high artistic value as other piano repertoires, they have been largely ignored and are rarely performed or even played by pianists. Since the 19th century, more and more composers have written music for the left hand, and there are over one thousand pieces composed for the left hand alone, including original solo works, transcriptions, chamber music, and concertos. I had never studied any left-hand repertoires and had minimal knowledge about these pieces before I sustained an injury to my right hand. After intentionally learning, practicing, and performing some left-hand works, I felt like I had been opened up to an entirely new world. I strongly believe that studying those works is essential and provides many benefits for pianists to develop left-hand technique. This research document will be divided into four chapters. Chapter 1 will be an introduction, with brief background information on piano music for the left hand, and an explanation of why composers wrote such works. The history of the development of left-hand compositions, a list of important left-hand pieces, and composers, as well as pianists who influenced the development of left-hand piano composition, will be discussed. In Chapter 2, I will explore five selected left-hand works that are rarely played, including Wanghua Chu’s Prelude for the Left Hand (Man Jiang Hong), Frank Bridge’s Three Improvisations for the Left Hand, H. 134, Max Reger’s 4 Spezialstudien, WoO III/13, Paul Wittgenstein’s “Meditation” and “Du bist die Ruh” from his School for the Left Hand, vol. 3. Providing background information on each composer and composition and identifying the difficulty level of each piece. Using examples from the score, I will focus on the musical and technical challenges involved in learning these works and provide my suggestions for their performance. Chapter 3 will offer advice about how to start learning and playing left-hand works, drawing from my own experience. Chapter 4 will conclude by summarizing information from previous chapters.

While Aleksandr Borodin enjoyed a varied career as a composer, he was a chemist by profession and made his living as such. Although his focus was primarily on academic life as a chemistry professor, his musical style still managed to evolve in remarkable ways: from a more Western-European style to the style of Russian nationalism of the late 19th century. While Borodin did compose early chamber works featuring the piano, during this stylistic shift, his chamber music output notably excluded the piano, as he switched his focus to string quartets. Additionally, he dedicated many of these later years to producing large-scale symphonic works and the opera Prince Igor. The purpose of this project is to address a lost opportunity: There is sadly no chamber music in Borodin’s mature style that features the piano. His masterpiece, Prince Igor, is the work of a mature composer, and Konchakovna’s Cavatina from the opera’s second act was chosen to serve as the basis for an arrangement for traditional piano trio: violin, cello, and piano. This aria for contralto is rare in that the themes and orchestration all are attributed to Borodin, while much of the rest of the opera was completed by other composers of the time. I have created two arrangements of this scene: a literal transcription that maintains the integrity of the original composition, in which the vocal line of the aria is given primarily to the violin, while the orchestral parts are divided between the cello and the piano, and a second arrangement that alters much of the piece for compositional variety, in the spirit of other arrangers such as Franz Liszt or Jascha Heifetz. In the second version, there are creative interpolations, countermelodies, harmonies, and new figuration to fully utilize the qualities of a piano trio. This paper explains the methods used in the creation of these arrangements, accompanied by examples from the score, and can serve as a model for other musicians who wish to create their own arrangements of pre-existing musical materials.

This research paper explores the works of two contemporary Chinese composers: Shuai Zhang's "Three Preludes" and "The Joys and Sorrows of Love and Life," and Wanghua Chu's "Jasmine Flower Fantasia" and "Man Jiang Hong – Prelude for Left Hand." It introduces the composers with their personal and academic background, as well as the sources of influence to their compositions. A descriptive analysis of the composers’ selected works is provided and discussed in detail, examining formal structure, harmonic language, rhythmic and melodic characteristics, and other compositional elements of highlighted sections of the pieces. Finally, a performance guide for pianists is offered on noteworthy segments of each piece and provides detailed interpretations and suggestions of techniques and challenges.