Degree

Doctor of Musical Arts (DMA)

Department

School of Music

Document Type

Dissertation

Abstract

Abstract

This study examines Ronaldo Miranda’s Variações Sérias Sobre um Tema de Anacleto de Medeiros – Piano a Quatro Mãos, 1998, transcribed from the original, which was composed for wind quintet (1991). The piano duet version is well-known and part of the core repertoire of most Brazilian piano duos.

Enhanced by the interview with the composer, the paper starts by addressing the relevant facts of his rich and prolific musical life while tracing four compositional phases through a list of his piano works.

A brief history of the Serious Variations (so named in this paper) deals with its genesis, characteristics, versions, and known recordings. The study presents an overview of the birth of urban music in Rio de Janeiro in the 1900s, exploring Anacleto de Medeiros and his schottische Yara, the object of Miranda’s Variações that is the topic of this study.

An analysis of the language and form serves as a foundation for the examination of interpretive facets, such as fingerings, dynamics, and character. Interviews with Ronaldo Miranda and the pianist Josiane Kevorkian provide insights into the how the piece should be performed.

It is hoped that the elements discussed in this study will lead to a greater understanding of the work, help performers resolve various performance challenges, and eventually lead to a broader dissemination of this distinctive and beautiful piece.

Committee Chair

Gurt, Michael

DOI

10.31390/gradschool_dissertations.5588

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