Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Identifier

737

Date

2012

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Musical Arts

Major

Music

Concentration

Performance

Committee Chair

Janet K. Page

Committee Member

Michelle Vigneau

Committee Member

John Baur

Committee Member

Bruce Erskine

Abstract

English clarinetist Thea King devoted a large portion of her career to the performance of British music, especially the pieces that were dedicated to her late husband, the clarinet virtuoso Frederick Thurston. King received six dedications as well, and including her commissioned works, seven pieces were written for her: the Clarinet Quintet by Benjamin Frankel, the Sonata for clarinet and piano by Arnold Cooke, Fantasia for clarinet and piano by Elizabeth Maconchy, the Mini Concerto by Gordon Jacob, Concertante for two winds by Priaulx Rainier, the Clarinet Concerto by Howard Blake, and Sonante for clarinet and piano by Jeffrey Lewis. These works include a variety of genres and were composed between the 1950s-1980s. Two generations of British composers from diverse backgrounds and musical styles are represented. This paper includes breif biographies of King, Jacob, Rainier, Cooke, Maconchy, Frankel, Blake, and Lewis. Facts about the pieces are also provided, including the purpose of composition, premiere information, accessibility for performance, and available recordings. Two of the seven works were not commissioned by King, but were dedicated to her in a very personal way—the Mini Concerto and the Clarinet Quintet. A significant discussion of these two pieces with a musical analysis of each makes up the largest portion of this study. Notes on King’s performances of the Mini Concerto and the Clarinet Quintet are included in the musical analyses.

Comments

Data is provided by the student.

Library Comment

Dissertation or thesis originally submitted to the local University of Memphis Electronic Theses & dissertation (ETD) Repository.

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