Author

Hyun Jung Im

Date of Award

Summer 2022

Document Type

Open Access Dissertation

Department

School of Music

First Advisor

Charles Fugo

Abstract

The subject of this study is the Russian composer and pianist Nikolai Kapustin and an analysis of his Piano Sonata No. 6, Opus 62. Kapustin’s musical output includes 161 opus numbers, and the works are mainly in a hybrid style combining jazz and traditional Western music. The composition style of Kapustin is to take a jazz approach to harmony and rhythm within traditional forms. The uniqueness and creativity of Kapustin’s music led to its growing popularity, and this has been evident in several ways, including increased performances, recordings, and publications. Based on this fusion of jazz and traditional Western music, he composed 20 piano sonatas, but the sonatas are rarely researched, unlike his other popular works.

This study is an examination of the characteristics of the Piano Sonata No. 6, which was written in 1991. Also, this study will provide biographical information about Kapustin and an analysis of the Piano Sonata No. 6. There are four chapters: the first chapter includes the introduction, need for the study, purpose of the study, methodology, literature review, limitation of the study, and design and organization of the study; the second chapter focuses on Kapustin’s biography and his musical style; the third chapter examines the analysis of the Piano Sonata No. 6; and the final chapter is a conclusion.

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