Preferred Name
Caroline Petrick
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License
ORCID
https://orcid.org/0009-0003-8297-9792
Date of Graduation
12-13-2025
Semester of Graduation
Fall
Degree Name
Doctor of Musical Arts (DMA)
Department
School of Music
First Advisor
Paulo Steinberg
Second Advisor
Eric Ruple
Third Advisor
Judith Ofcarcik
Abstract
Though an important composer in her lifetime, Louise Talma (1906-1996) has fallen into relative obscurity today. In recent years, a small number of scholars and musicians have begun to promote her music. Many have written about the three chronological periods that Talma used to categorize her compositions, but few have recognized how Talma combines the opposing compositional tools of her three periods to create one unified style. In this study, I hope to add to the growing body of research by highlighting the complex, multifaceted nature of Talma and her music. The goal of the study is to show how Talma combines compositional styles that would typically oppose each other, such as her combined use of tonality and 12-tone serialism, the stark textural contrasts she uses to create her block structures, and the rhythmic repetition she combines with rhythmic irregularity. The following study includes a brief biography that sheds light on how Talma’s life and complex personality shaped her musical style. Following the literature review is a detailed analysis of Talma’s Piano Sonata No. 2, which showcases how Talma combines opposing compositional forces to create a unified sound. Following this is a brief discussion on how the analysis can inform pianists’ interpretation of Talma’s music.
