Award Date

5-1-2013

Degree Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Musical Arts (DMA)

Department

Music

First Committee Member

Jennifer Grim

Second Committee Member

Janis McKay

Third Committee Member

Marina Sturm

Fourth Committee Member

Anthony Barone

Fifth Committee Member

Louis Kavouras

Number of Pages

102

Abstract

This paper examines the relationship between flute pedagogy and orchestral excerpts through a historical examination of flute pedagogy books from the early eighteenth through the twenty-first century. It also considers the ways in which orchestral excerpts have gained importance during the twentieth century and describes the important role of etudes specifically designed to address the challenges of orchestral excerpts.

Methods of performing the flute orchestral repertoire have developed with the improvement of flute pedagogy. The innovations of the 1800s, as shown in the writings of Jean-Louis Tulou and Paul Taffanel, represent early musical and technological advancements in flute pedagogy. The use of orchestral repertoire as a practice tool is found throughout the flute pedagogical library. Flutists from the early nineteenth century incorporated the works of Gluck, Beethoven, and Donizetti into their writings to address awkward flute fingerings, poor musicality, and improper articulation.

In the twentieth century, flute pedagogues began incorporating orchestral excerpts into their books to help flute players win auditions. These educators focused on relatively short fragments of music and provided performance suggestions for the excerpts. While this development helped flutists succeed at tryouts, audition selections became standardized, making auditions challenging during the 1900s.

Chapter one studies the earliest flute treatises to understand the methods used by flute pedagogues to incorporate orchestral examples in their teaching. Eighteenth-century authors like Jacques-Martin Hotteterre, Johann Joachim Quantz, and Johann George Tromlitz used the existing flute repertoire to address pedagogical issues including musicality, dynamics, ornamentation and technique.

Chapter two examines the evolution of flute pedagogy in the nineteenth century, reviewing the books by Jean-Louis Tulou, Theobald Boehm, and Paul Taffanel. The use of orchestral repertoire as musical examples flourished during this century. Flutists like Boehm also began to incorporate vocal music to educate students on phrasing.

Chapter three documents advances during the twentieth century, discussing the influence of Marcel Moyse and William Kincaid on the development of flute pedagogy. It also covers Nancy Toff's The Flute Book, a substantial resource that comments on the subjects of music history, the development of the flute, and performance suggestions. During the twentieth century the use of orchestral repertoire as a teaching tool changed radically; rather than simply using orchestral repertoire as a pedagogical device, flute players have begun incorporating pedagogical strategies to address specific passages in the orchestral repertoire.

The final chapter discusses the teaching strategies of Jeanne Baxtresser, Walfrid Kujala, and Trevor Wye. Through their flute orchestral excerpt books, these pedagogues have greatly influenced the study of orchestral excerpts. This chapter provides each author's pedagogical approach to orchestral excerpts. In addition, this chapter compares the various strategies used by each author.

The study suggests that etudes specifically directed at orchestral passages are useful for overcoming the technical challenges within the orchestral repertoire. To realize this goal, I have provided a series of etudes that provide solutions to technical challenges. These etudes, along with a brief questionnaire were then distributed to flutists to understand the merit of the created etudes.

Keywords

Auditions; Beethoven; Ludwig van; 1770-1827; Classical; Daphnis; Flute – Instruction and study; Flute – Orchestral excerpts; Method; Orchestral music; Technique

Disciplines

Music | Music Education | Music Pedagogy

File Format

pdf

Degree Grantor

University of Nevada, Las Vegas

Language

English

Rights

IN COPYRIGHT. For more information about this rights statement, please visit http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/


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