Doctor of Musical Arts, The Ohio State University, 2015, Music

Abstract During the 20th century, there was a growing tendency among classical art music composers to incorporate non-classical music elements into their compositions. They moved away from traditional compositional techniques and attempted to use more experimental compositional ideas in their works in terms of rhythm, harmony, and melody. As a genre, jazz became a great resource for finding new ideas, offering the opportunity for composers to utilize elements from both classical and jazz to form a new musical style. In particular, Nikolai Kapustin broadened the point of view of classical music and raised awareness of the significance of jazz amongst contemporary composers. Kapustin, a contemporary Russian composer, was not well-known outside of his country until his first recording was released. His status as a classical composer has been widely misunderstood and his works have been underperformed until recently. Since his musical style is a mixture of classical and jazz idioms, his identity as composer is unclear and it is hard to classify his compositional style. For this reason, the questions are often asked, “Is Nikolai Kapustin a classical composer or jazz composer? Is he a classical musician performing and writing in a jazz style? How does Kapustin see himself? These questions are similar to those asked about Schubert: Was he a romantic composer with classical tendencies, or a classical composer with romantic tendencies? This document will shed some light on Kapustin's stylistic traits by observing his keyboard compositions, specifically the bagatelles Nos. 6 and 8, Op. 59. This document starts with a brief biographical sketch of Nikolai Kapustin (chapter 1) and historical background of Russian jazz music (chapter 2). The following pages explore third stream music (chapter 3) and a genre of bagatelle (chapter 4). In particular, chapter 3 will help performers understand why Nikolai Kapustin is currently hailed as a new force of third stream musi (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Steven Glaser (Advisor); Anna Gawboy (Committee Member); Shawn Wallace (Committee Member) Subjects: Music; Performing Arts

Doctor of Musical Arts, The Ohio State University, 2021, Music

The world lost a musical master, Nikolai Kapustin (1937-2020) during the aftermath of the world pandemic. Despite its immediate appeal, his music remains a mystery owing to lack of published scholarship. All that exists is translated interviews, but an ever-growing body of literature in the form of doctoral dissertations. The latter was precipitated by the composer's attendance at Marc-Andre Hamelin's premiere of the Piano Sonata no. 2, op. 54 in London during the year 2000. In the spirit of the increasing popularity of Kapustin's solo piano works, this document adds to the body of extant material, examining specifically the Variations, Op. 41 and Three Etudes, Op. 67. While offering not a theoretical analysis, it offers a look into Kapustin's unique fusion of American jazz music style and classical music forms. Kapustin was devoted to creating a distinctive music style that seamlessly integrates classical structures and vibrant jazz idioms. A heightened interpretive ability can be arrived at by understanding of what is explicitly “classical “or “jazz” in his music and what the performance practices and expectations are in both arenas. This document is intended for the sophisticated classical pianist who already possesses a fully developed technique and is interested in producing an informed interpretation of his music.

Committee: Caroline Hong (Advisor); Arved Ashby (Committee Member); Kenneth Williams (Committee Member) Subjects: Music

DMA, University of Cincinnati, 2018, College-Conservatory of Music: Flute

Claude Bolling (1936–), Nikolai Kapustin (1937–), and Mike Mower (1958–) are three living composers who have borrowed from jazz idioms to create works that are popular among performers and listeners. This document will explore selected flute chamber works by these three composers. It will demonstrate their jazz borrowings by comparing selections from the jazz repertoire to selected passages from these works, and explaining these passages within the context of jazz stylistic idioms and nomenclature. These examinations will demonstrate similarities and differences in how these composers borrow from the jazz idiom. Claude Bolling uses a more traditional jazz harmonic language and avoids bimodal vocabulary, but he asks musicians to improvise and juxtaposes jazz styles with passages inspired by historical music styles. Kapustin and Mower's compositions include elements such as tritone substitutions and harmonic upper extensions like 9ths, 11ths, 13ths. Moreover, Kapustin and Mower borrow formal structures and harmonic progressions from the jazz repertoire for their compositions, showing dialogue with the jazz tradition.

Committee: James Bunte D.M.A. (Committee Chair); Scott Belck D.M.A. (Committee Member); Mark Ostoich D.M.A. (Committee Member) Subjects: Music

DMA, University of Cincinnati, 2007, College-Conservatory of Music : Piano

Nikolai Kapustin's solo piano music synthesizes classical form and jazz texture. He uses the language of jazz improvisation, but does not improvise. Instead, a jazz vernacular is presented in a contrapuntally dense framework of thematic organization, development, and restatement. Kapustin's output is enormous, consisting of over 120 opus numbers for nearly all instrumental combinations in the codified Baroque, Classical, and Romantic forms including concertos, sonatas, and etudes. No matter how vivid the incorporation of jazz may be, whether it be blues licks, symphonic stride, or propelling bebop syncopations, the level of workmanship and compositional technique are qualities that inescapably link Kapustin's music to the classical world. This document posits whether Kapustin's music is classical or jazz, investigates Kapustin's musical background and education, and establishes his place in the history of jazz in Russia. It concludes with analyses of three solo piano works, Sonatina, Op. 100, Prelude No. 9 in E Major, Op. 53, and Fugue No. 1 in C Major, Op. 82.

Committee: James Tocco (Advisor) Subjects: Music