Qiaoni Liu

Date of Award

Spring 2021

Document Type

Open Access Dissertation

Department

School of Music

First Advisor

Joseph Rackers

Abstract

Spanish composer Frederic Mompou (1893-1987) created his music in an amazingly simple and mysterious way. His works are sometimes referred to as “music that has fallen silent.” Mompou’s piano works are not extremely popular on pianists’ repertoire list, partially due to a lack of familiarity with the composer and his works for piano. This study aims to provide more familiarity to readers about Mompou’s piano works with a goal of helping bring them to the attention of more pianists.

This study provides Mompou’s biography, as well as background information about the Spanish composer and his piano music. Some students may be under the impression that the majority of twentieth-century piano works are difficult to learn and perform. That is not necessarily the case with these piano works. This study provides a deep analysis of Mompou’s piano music while explaining his musical language which often features pure, folk-like melodies. The simple nature of his piano music could be a gateway for students seeking to reach out to modern compositions for the first time. This study will be organized in five chapters. Chapter 1 will contain the introduction of this study, an exploration of Spanish culture and music in the twentieth- century, purpose and need for the study, and the limitations of the study. Chapter 2 will present Mompou’s biography and his general compositional ideas and style. Chapter 3 will illustrate the influences on his writing: bell making, French influence, children’s world and spirit, and silent music. Chapter 4 will provide an analysis of the three sets, and chapter 5 will serve as the study’s conclusion.

Rights

© 2021, Qiaoni Liu

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