Semester

Spring

Date of Graduation

2006

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Type

DMA

College

College of Creative Arts

Department

School of Music

Committee Chair

James Miltenberger.

Abstract

Born in 1930 in Philadelphia, David Werner Amram III is among the most prolific composers in the United States. His published compositions encompass a wide variety of genres including orchestral and chamber works, operas, choral works, and works for solo instruments.;Written in 1960, Sonata for Piano, a three-movement sonata, is one of the most jazz-influenced piano sonatas written in the first six decades of the twentieth century. The sonata is an amalgamation of traditional western art forms and jazz idioms. This study provides an analysis of major musical elements (melodic and harmonic procedures, texture, rhythm, and performance considerations) that contribute to the overall structure and character of the sonata.;The research document also provides an overview of selected piano solo pieces of jazz influence written between 1900 and 1960. The major jazz elements found in these pieces may serve as a reference guide in determining the significance of Sonata for Piano. A short biography of the composer is included. The appendices contain Amram's comments from a telephone interview with the author and a list of published works by the composer. This document may serve as a resource for musicians and scholars who are interested in pursuing further studies of this work or other works of David Amram.

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