Exploring the Eclectic Piano Works of Mathew Fuerst

Authors

Seung Kyung Baek, University of Nebraska-LincolnFollow

First Advisor

Mark K. Clinton

Date of this Version

8-2021

Comments

A DOCTORAL DOCUMENT Presented to the Faculty of The Graduate College at the University of Nebraska In Partial Fulfillment of Requirements For the Degree of Doctor of Musical Arts, Major: Music (Piano Performance), Under the Supervision of Professor Mark K. Clinton. Lincoln, Nebraska: August, 2021

Copyright © 2021 Seung Kyung Baek

Abstract

The purpose of this dissertation is to introduce its readers to contemporary classical composer Mathew Fuerst through an analysis of his five piano works: Three Etudes for Piano (1999), The Drift of Things (2009), Nocturne (Walking Along the Danube at Night in Budapest) for two pianos (2013). This resource provides Fuerst’s biography, his compositional style and briefly explores György Ligeti, one of the great influences on Fuerst’s compositional style. Each of his piano pieces is discussed in terms of genre, expressive issues and techniques, form, harmony, melody, rhythm, and texture. This study is a resource for pianists who consider analyzing or performing Fuerst’s piano works.