Lavenda, Richard2019-05-172019-05-172018-122018-12-11December 2McKiggan, Christopher Janwong. "The Movement of New Tonality: An Analysis of Robert Beaser’s Piano Concerto." (2018) Diss., Rice University. <a href="https://hdl.handle.net/1911/105870">https://hdl.handle.net/1911/105870</a>.https://hdl.handle.net/1911/105870Robert Beaser (b.1954) was one of the first composers of his generation to be labeled as a “New Tonalist” and was one of the first to move away from the avant-garde musical orthodoxy of the mid-20th century. “New tonality” is a term that was first used in a publication that was co-edited by Beaser and was used to attempt to define a group of American composers who were moving away from the avant-garde musical styles during the 1970s and 1980s. My document focuses on Beaser’s Piano Concerto as a prime example of his compositional practices. It also addresses some of the issues raised by the definition of the term “New Tonality”, and how this relates to, or does not relate to, Beaser. In addition to combing through reviews and publications contemporaneous with the Piano Concerto, my research is deeply indebted to extensive personal interviews with Beaser. These provide insight into his own philosophy of composition and his compositional process. I also explore Beaser’s background and provide context for Beaser’s perspective about the musical environment at that time. The history of the creation of the Piano Concerto is also explored, and the paper includes an in-depth theoretical analysis of the work. In particular, there will be particular attention paid to how Beaser both creates and subverts expectations through his use of tonal areas. In my conclusion, I state that the work is a great piano concerto that is also a major representative of this movement to recover tonality, despite the issues I have with the definition of “New Tonality” itself.application/pdfengCopyright is held by the author, unless otherwise indicated. Permission to reuse, publish, or reproduce the work beyond the bounds of fair use or other exemptions to copyright law must be obtained from the copyright holder.Robert BeaserChristopher Janwong McKigganPiano ConcertoNew TonalityThesis2019-05-17