Abstract:
This project focuses on twentieth-century American flute music by examining the following four works: Poem for Flute and Orchestra (1918) by Charles Griffes, Serenade No. 10 for Flute and Harp, Op. 79 (1957) by Vincent Persichetti, Sonata for Flute and Piano, Op. 14 (1961) by Robert Muczynski, and Piccolo Sonata (1995, rev. 2000) by Robert Baksa. The project consists of three different parts, or methods of exploration: 1) a senior flute recital of the repertoire above, 2) an analytical paper of twentieth-century American compositional style as demonstrated by this repertoire, and 3) lesson plans for various music classes to teach students about twentieth-century American music. It is my hope that these works will continue to be studied and performed by musicians around the world for years to come.