▼ Throughout history, rhetoricians, philosophers, poets, and musicians have extolled the relationship between language and music. Between the sixteenth and eighteenth centuries, music theorists applied rhetorical principles to melodic design, harmony, and form in order to harness the power of rhetoric in music. Teachers in Germany often instructed their young students to use musical rhetoric in hopes of moving audiences to various passions. This first part of this study summarizes the musica poetica tradition. In the second part, I examine modern adaptations of these historical theories and modern musical-rhetorical analyses of Dietrich Buxtehude's organ works. From these approaches and more modern theories, I synthesize an analytical approach that addresses musical rhetoric in Buxtehude's organ works. The thesis culminates with some exemplary analyses and suggestions for future research. Advisors/Committee Members: Nowacki, Dr. Edward.

▼ The primary focus of this document is an examination of the similarities and differences between Hubert Parry and J. S. Bach’s organ chorale settings in one of the areas of closest link: the use of motives. Parry and Bach’s use of motives is compared and contrasted by means of a motivic analysis of Parry's seventeen chorale-based organ works. Additionally,this document emphasizes that while both composers regularly derive motives from the chorale tune and consistently implement them in their pieces to create coherence and in some instances affect, Parry’s motivic style and method of implementation is distinct from Bach’s. Advisors/Committee Members: Gary, Dr. Roberta.

▼ The Chorale Preludes of Opus 122, Brahms's final work, present an analytical challenge. Are the Chorales Preludes simply superb variations on their respective chorale melodies, or are they something more? Do they contain stylistic elements developed in other works of Brahms's late style? This thesis will explore the role of one such element - the concept of developing variation. The concept of developing variation was first proposed and discussed by the composer/theorist, Arnold Schoenberg. In his discussions of developing variation, Schoenberg describes how a small musical idea with distinct melodic and rhythmic features, a motive, can develop into something new through variation to some of its basic features. Various forms of the basic motive can then combine in order to generate larger musical units. The concept of developing variation has proven very helpful in understanding the music of Brahms, particularly late Brahms. In relation to developing variation, the chorale prelude genre presents a special challenge. A chorale prelude is based on a pre-existing melody which is presented completely in one voice. This restrictive structure at first seems to preclude developing variation. However, we will discover that developing variation is a driving force in Brahms's final work. In order to study the role of developing variation in Opus 122, analytical techniques commonly employed to help understand Brahms's music will be applied to three chorale preludes (numbers 2, 3 and 8). The analytical approaches to be applied include Heinrich Schenker's method of graphing the voice leading of a work and Arnold Schoenberg's method of mapping motivic development. Both the chorale setting and its respective chorale melody will be analyzed. Not only are motive forms active in the chorale setting foreseen in the pre-existing melody, but the chorale melody suggests specific types of variation to be explored in the chorale setting. While the given melodies suggest a basic idea for each setting, Brahms's development of each basic idea is remarkable. In his settings, developing variation occurs at several structural levels, providing unity, contrast, and character within these remarkable works. Advisors/Committee Members: Samarotto, Frank.

▼ To understand Bach's chorale preludes, one must engage in several preceding investigations, including Lutheran doctrine and rhetorical modes of musical expression. Bach was raised in the Lutheran religion, and its main philosophical foundation for music was rhetoric, especially musica poetica, which Luther influenced greatly. Understanding the rhetorical underpinnings of Bach's chorale music will help us achieve a more extensive and deeper understanding of the music. This study deals with these various contexts and perspectives, in the course of analyzing the large settings of Catechism Chorales in his Clavierübung III. Part I covers the background of the Catechism Chorales. In it I provide, in three separate chapters: a discussion of the general musical context and religious background of the collection; an interpretation of the text and its contexts; and a consideration of the music's rhetorical background and the traditions of musica poetica. Part II consists of two chapters of analysis. The first concerns elocutio and demonstrates interpretations at the micro level of musical-rhetorical figures. The second concerns dispositio and the study of formal analysis at the macro level. Advisors/Committee Members: Berry, David Carson.

▼ In the operas of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, organ was never a standard instrument. Composers employed it only on an occasional basis in religious scenes or as an unexpected instrumental effect. Beginning with Giacomo Meyerbeer’s Robert le diable, French grand operas began to use organ in church settings for the sake of scenic realism, to add splendor to the production, and to lend such scenes an aura of holiness. Given the traditional liturgical function of the organ, it is not surprising that this instrument became commonplace in sacred scenes. Later operas, such as Charles Gounod’s Faust, however, associate the instrument with corruption and evil. By examining the dramatic role of organ in opera, one may discover how it came to have the paradoxical dual reputation as an instrument of holiness and evil. In the twentieth century Richard Strauss pioneered the use of organ in opera purely for its tone color, rather than sacred symbolism. Still, some composers such as Benjamin Britten continued to use and explore the symbolic quality of organ in dramatic works. This thesis explores the dramatic and musical functions of organ in a multitude of operas and how its dramatic role has evolved through the past two centuries. Advisors/Committee Members: Poriss, Hilary.

▼ The primary focus of this document is an examination of the historically informed artisan organ builder Taylor & Boody. This document includes an abbreviated history of organ building, an examination of classic organ building techniques and a description of representative organs built by this firm. This paper concludes with a discussion of the influence of artisan builders on the large factory organ builders. Advisors/Committee Members: Gary, Roberta.