▼ Solo violin repertoire dates back to the seventeenth century, when many violinists wrote works for themselves to perform. Before Bach, composers such as Fontana, Marini, Farina, Biber, Walther, and Westhoff explored the instrument’s capacity for expression and technical versatility. Until the mid-nineteenth century, string instrument instruction was an essential part of most musicians’ training. Many great composers including Monteverdi, Bach, Mozart, and Beethoven played string instruments and wrote idiomatic works for those instruments, especially the violin. Performers mainly rely on theoretical, stylistic, and structural analyses for informed interpretations, rarely having obtained information regarding the circumstances surrounding the composition and extra-musical influences. The solo violin works of Samuel Adler, Chen Yi, and Shulamit Ran have become part of the standard contemporary violin repertoire. Besides available theoretical writings and Chen Yi and Shulamit Ran’s notes which accompany their scores, there are no written accounts from a performer’s perspective or analyses of these works. The purpose of this document is to provide direct insight into the composition of these works and to give suggestions for informed performances. All three composers currently reside in the United States, but were born in other countries: Samuel Adler (Germany), Chen Yi (China), and Shulamit Ran (Israel). Composers from diverse cultures approach idiomatic writing for the violin differently, using an array of techniques such as shifting, glissando, rhythm, articulation, and pitch temperament. Each composer’s cultural, social, spiritual, and personal influences must be understood by the performer, so that the interpretation can reflect the background from which the works were written. The author interviewed Adler, Chen Yi, and Ran regarding their solo violin pieces, musical and cultural backgrounds and compositional style. The author’s intention is to help violinists approach the discussed works from a technical, interpretative, and cultural perspective. Advisors/Committee Members: Kruse, Penny.

▼ Hybridity is a concept that is widely discussed in the field of cultural studies. The term can be applied to anything that exhibits a fusion or mixture of elements and fades the demarcation between the elements. In music it is evident in the fusion of such disparate elements as old and new styles; electronic and acoustic media; Western and non-Western music; audio and visual components; classical and popular music; and the use of quotation. These elements are often combined in works that contribute to a hybrid musical vocabulary with a distinctive style, so that the points of departure are often blurred. Many recently composed works for flute demonstrate hybridity. The purpose of this document is to explore the concept of hybridity as evidenced in the flute works of four contemporary American composers and flutists: Cynthia Folio (b. 1954), Anne La Berge (b. 1955), Janice Misurell-Mitchell (b. 1946), and Maggi Payne (b. 1945). The study examines what brought about their hybrid approach to composition, as well as the relationship between their roles as both creator and presenter of works that demonstrate hybridity. Extensive email interviews, consultation of available sources, and analyses of compositions are the essential research tools. The first chapter includes pertinent biographical and educational information of the four subjects. Chapter two explores their roles as both composer and performer. The third chapter presents a general overview of hybridity as it relates to the music of each composer. The final chapter provides a discussion of the use of extended techniques in a specific work by each composer. Advisors/Committee Members: Shrude, Marilyn.