Abstracts Category : Other

Symphony No. 1 in F Major, Op. 17, By Zdenk Fibich: An Amalgamation of Czech and German Musical Styles

by David Arthur Dunbar

The purpose of this study is to demonstrate that Symphony No. 1 in F major, Op.17, by Zdenk Fibich embodies musical style features associated with both Czech andGerman composers of the nineteenth century. The identification of these style features isaccomplished by comparing and contrasting Fibich's Symphony No. 1 in F major withworks by other prominent Czech and German composers whose music was performedand well-known at the time. Particular emphasis is placed on the aural similaritiesbetween Fibich's first symphony and that of other composers' works in an effort to showFibich's unique hybrid compositional style.A second area of focus is the rise in European nationalism during the latter half ofthe nineteenth century. Due to Fibich's mixed Czech and German heritage, nationalism isexplored in order to ascertain what effect, if any, nationalistic bias might have had on theoverall reception of Fibich's music and the composer's ability to have his musicperformed during his lifetime.Advisors/Committee Members: Cockrell, Thomas (advisor), Cockrell, Thomas (committeemember).