Degree Name
Master of Music
Graduate Program
Music
Advisor
Kato, Yuko
Abstract
This research paper offers extended program notes for a graduate collaborative piano recital performed on November 21, 2024, featuring works by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, David Bennett Thomas, and Edvard Grieg. The recital presents three distinct musical eras, Classical, Contemporary, and Romantic, highlighting their unique styles and contrasts.
The program opens with Mozart’s Violin Sonata in G Major, K. 301/293a, an example of Classical elegance and balance, composed during Mozart’s early maturity. This is followed by Edifice by David Bennett Thomas, a contemporary work characterized by its emotional intensity and rich textures for bass clarinet and piano. The recital concludes with Grieg’s Sonata No. 3, Op. 45 for Piano and Violin, a Romantic masterpiece that blends nationalistic themes with lyrical, folk-inspired melodies.
By exploring each work's historical background, compositional techniques, and emotional qualities, this paper highlights their importance within their musical eras.