Exploration of Late Twentieth Century American Flute and Guitar Works with Emphasis on Robert Beaser’s Mountain Songs and Lowell Liebermann’s Sonata for Flute and Guitar

A number of important flute and guitar compositions were written by American composers during the late twentieth century. These works have yet to be explored in any academic study. This treatise, in conjunction with two lecture recitals, presents relevant compositional analysis and historical information of six American flute and guitar compositions. Two compositions, Robert Beaser’s Mountain Songs and Lowell Liebermann’s Sonata for Flute and Guitar, will be analyzed in detail in separate chapters. Other works to be discussed include Joan Tower’s Snow Dreams, Katherine Hoover’s Canyon Echoes, Libby Larsen’s Blue Third Pieces, and George Rochberg’s Muse of Fire. American composers have significantly contributed to the body of literature for the flute and guitar. Furthermore, the compositions in this study have contributed to a trend an equal distribution of thematic material between the flute and guitar. Although current research shows this trend began in the late 1980s with the appearance of Astor Piazzolla’s Histoire du Tango for flute and guitar in 1986, this treatise points to pieces written prior to this time. The primary goal of this study is to bring awareness to late twentieth century American flute and guitar compositions. The pieces highlighted are colorful examples of American composers’ contribution to the rise of the flute and guitar duo in the late twentieth century. Perhaps the most important conclusion, however, is that the flute and guitar duo has, and continues to be, a credible chamber group with a diverse, exciting repertoire for its performers.