The effect of war on the lives and work of piano composers and the evolution of compositional technique in war-related piano pieces from 1849 through the Second World War

Date

1990-08

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Publisher

Texas Tech University

Abstract

In this study, I will examine four areas: (1) the presence of emotional content in the music which seems to reflect the expressed opinions and attitudes of its composer; (2) stylistic traits normally associated with the individual composer which are present or absent in the music; (3) the prevailing spirit toward war on the part of keyboard composers of a particular time-period; (4) the stylistic evolution of "battle pieces."

Some information concerning the impact of war on the arts in general and a brief description of the roots of the battle piece genre and its development may be helpful in understanding the later war-related keyboard works.

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