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Beethoven’s String Quartet Op. 131 and the Expansion of Tonality
Here is a term paper, dated February 11, 1992. It was written in graduate school and received an A. As with other papers on this site, the examples used have since been lost. The late string quartets of Ludwig von Beethoven are monumental works in the development of the evolution of tonality in the 19th century. Opus 131, No. 2 is a movement from the C-sharp minor quartet – one of only two pieces Beethoven wrote in this key. In both pieces, he chose to open the piece with a slow movement. For Op. 131, the first movement is a fugue, followed an Allegro movement in the key of D major – an unusual tonal relation to the overall key of C-sharp minor. The movement is an abridged sonata form, and … Read entire article »
Filed under: Music
Cesar Franck and the Rise of French Chamber Music
I wrote this paper in graduate school. I recall being highly motivated by the subject, reading and researching as much for my own enjoyment as for this paper. It is dated June 1992, and received an A. Chamber music had never been an integral part of French music until the end of the nineteenth century. There were some notable works such as the trios and sonatas by Rameau, Couperin, and Leclair, but never was any emphasis placed on the chamber medium. The events and individuals who led to the rise of chamber music in France at the end of the nineteenth century shall be the subject of this paper. A reasonable figure with which to begin such a study would be Cesar Franck. Because he is often hailed as the father of … Read entire article »
Filed under: Music
George H. W. Bush: Foreign Policy In His First Year
This is a college paper written in February 1990. It is a summary of President George Bush’s foreign policy in his first year in office. When he ran for president in 1988, George Bush ran on his resume. The experience which he cited included the ambassadorship to the United Nations, ambassador to China, CIA director, and vice-president. Those jobs all prepared him for a career in foreign policy. In his first year in office, President Bush did emphasize foreign policy, while primarily entrusting domestic affairs to Chief of Staff John Sununu, Budget Director Richard Darman, and Treasury Secretary Nicholas Brady. … Read entire article »
Filed under: History
Jefferson, Thoreau, and King: Justice and Equality
I wrote this paper during my Senior year in college for an English course. I received an A in the class, so this paper must have earned a decent grade. It is dated July 25, 1990. Justice and equality are two ideals which Americans claim as of the foundations of the United States. It is ironic when looking back through American history to see how those who fought for such rights have been treated by mainstream America at the time. Three men who were dedicated to justice and equality in America were Thomas Jefferson, Henry David Thoreau, and Martin Luther King, Jr. Each of these lived to promote equality, and left behind documents for generations to study. … Read entire article »
Filed under: History
In Defense of Foreign Aid
This is a paper I wrote during a summer session in my last few months in college. I still needed one lower level English course, so I took one during the Summer. I received an A in this class, so this paper must have earned a decent grade. It is dated August 22, 1990. A human feels the need to give to the less fortunate in the same way he may feel greed – both are instincts. Some devote their entire lives to helping needy people and some devote their lives to selfishness. It is interesting to note the way in which each are viewed when successful. A successful philanthropist is thought of as generous and kind, though not prosperous in an economic way. A “successful” miser is seen as … Read entire article »
Filed under: History
Stravinsky’s Symphony in Three Movements and the Classical Model
This is another paper from graduate school, dated March 7, 1992. As with other papers I’ve posted here, the examples are missing due to limits of technology at that time. Igor Stravinsky often drew from Classical models in his composition. Stravinsky himself admitted that when he was composing, he listened to works C especially symphonies C of classical masters such as Beethoven “to put myself in motion…”[1] When he began writing his Symphony in Three Movements in 1942, events of the 20th century (namely World War II), and over a century of tonal evolution had a profound influence on this piece. It is often referred to as his War Symphony, a name Stravinsky himself did not reject. While discussing the Symphony in Three Movements with Robert Craft, Stravinsky made these observations … Read entire article »
Filed under: Music
Beethoven’s Expansion of the Symphonic Coda
This term paper was written in graduate school, though I think it may have been in an undergraduate class. I don’t quite remember at this point. The paper is dated 12/9/1992. I could not find the title page. I’m quite certain I received an A on this one. And since this was 1992 and I had no scanner, my examples were merely copied on a copy machine and glued onto the blank spots – so I no longer have the actual music samples for those examples. Ludwig van Beethoven contributed a wealth of innovations to the evolution of music. One such contribution was his expansion of the symphonic coda to become an integral part of the sonata-allegro movements. Through Beethoven’s nine symphonies, one may see a definite pattern of awareness that the … Read entire article »
Filed under: Music, Term Papers
The Immigration Reform Act of 1986
This was my final term paper for a Political Science class in college, dated March 6, 1989. The Immigration Reform Act of 1986 was a five-year effort to make sweeping changes in United States immigration policy – the first since the McCarran-Walter Act of 1952. For the first time, U.S. employers were seen as much of the problem with immigration, and could be fined, or even face jail terms, for knowingly hiring illegal aliens. (Congress and the Nation, Vol.I, p.222) President Reagan, though not a key player in the bill, was the catalyst for action by making several proposals to Congress in 1981 on ways to fight the rising number of illegal aliens coming to the United States. Congress responded to his recommendations by sending the matter to their Judiciary … Read entire article »
Filed under: History
Methods of Analyis of Schoenberg’s Die glückliche Hand
I wrote this paper in June 1993 for one of my graduate music theory classes, which I believe was taught by the John Crawford mentioned in this paper. Schoenberg’s Die glückliche Hand is a work which combines music with other elements, such as drama, visual effects, libretto, and art. It is perhaps different than other musical works falling into the category of opera in that these non-musical elements are so closely connected to the music that they are strictly notated in the music score. These non-musical factors could be problematic to an analyst seeking to discover structural elements of the work in a solely musical environment. This paper will examine the various approaches toward this work, determine to what extent non-musical factors play a role in the decision of musical … Read entire article »
Filed under: Music
Two Quick, Easy, and Cheap Recipes
I pretty much grew up on these two dishes. I ate them on average every week from toddler to adult. When I became a young man, I often joked to my mom about them. Actually as a somewhat older man, I still joke to my mom about them… Both are probably under $10 to make and I’ve fed to this many different kids and have never had it turned down. The real joke is that I now make them every week for my kids, too. So without further adieu… … Read entire article »
Filed under: How To...
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