Gary O'Shea - Academia.edu (original) (raw)

Gary O'Shea

I am a pianist and musicologist who is interested in a wide range of research areas, particularly Soviet Music and Performance.

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Conference papers by Gary O'Shea

Research paper thumbnail of 'A Permanent Influence': How Beethoven Had an Impact on Prokofiev’s Piano Writing

Research paper thumbnail of A ‘Dictionary of Idioms’: The Path to Originality in Prokofiev’s Early Piano Works

Research paper thumbnail of Exploring the Effect of Prokofiev’s Move to America on his Piano Writing

Studying the piano works of Serge Prokofiev has led me to notice a stylistic development in his p... more Studying the piano works of Serge Prokofiev has led me to notice a stylistic development in his piano writing, from his time studying at the St Petersburg Conservatoire to his move to America, from Russia, in 1918. The paper will draw upon the progressive looking Sarcasms, Op. 17 (1914), and Visions Fugitives, Op. 22 (1915-17), which demonstrate heavy influences of Stravinsky and Debussy, and consider why, after he moved to America, he opted for a simpler and less harmonically-daring style in the Tales of an Old Grandmother, Op. 31 and Four Pieces, Op. 32 (both 1918).

To establish what may have prompted Prokofiev to change his approach, I will look into his newly-published diaries to analyse his compositional processes at the time, and discover whether the stylistic change came about through personal choice or necessity. Prokofiev had to make a living primarily as a performer, so was it this that caused him to write simpler music for the more conservative American audiences? To assess the audience reactions of the time, I will present extracts from newspaper reviews of Prokofiev’s recitals.

Research paper thumbnail of Investigating the Effect of Prokofiev’s Move to the West on his Piano Works

Articles by Gary O'Shea

Research paper thumbnail of ‘”A Permanent Influence”: Beethoven's Impact on Prokofiev’s Piano Writing’, The Musical Times, Autumn 2015, pp. 49–62.

Research paper thumbnail of ‘The Path to Originality in Prokofiev’s Early Piano Works’, Three Oranges: the Journal of the Serge Prokofiev Foundation, 24, November 2012, pp. 23–29.

Book Reviews by Gary O'Shea

Research paper thumbnail of Review of Tomoff, Kirill: Virtuosi Abroad: Soviet Music and Imperial Competition During the Early Cold War, 1945–1958 (New York: Cornell, 2015) in The Musical Times, Summer 2016, pp. 119–120.

Papers by Gary O'Shea

Research paper thumbnail of Prokofiev's early solo piano music

This thesis concerns issues of context, influence, form and performance in Serge Prokofiev's ... more This thesis concerns issues of context, influence, form and performance in Serge Prokofiev's early solo piano music and addresses the role of tradition and innovation in the composer's work. Chapter One focuses on the evolution of Prokofiev's style, looking at his search for originality, the discovery of his mature style, and his subsequent aspirations towards simplicity. Chapter Two evaluates the principal influences on Prokofiev and his piano music, including Stravinsky, Debussy and especially Beethoven. Chapter Three assesses Prokofiev's formal processes in his early piano sonatas, discovering how his works were both rooted in and deviated from sonata form tradition. Chapter Four looks at Prokofiev's education and career as a pianist, as well as his interpretations of his own compositions, in order to form a view on how to approach the performance of his works. The chapter finishes with a discussion of recordings of the Visions fugitives, tracing the progressi...

Research paper thumbnail of 'A Permanent Influence': How Beethoven Had an Impact on Prokofiev’s Piano Writing

Research paper thumbnail of A ‘Dictionary of Idioms’: The Path to Originality in Prokofiev’s Early Piano Works

Research paper thumbnail of Exploring the Effect of Prokofiev’s Move to America on his Piano Writing

Studying the piano works of Serge Prokofiev has led me to notice a stylistic development in his p... more Studying the piano works of Serge Prokofiev has led me to notice a stylistic development in his piano writing, from his time studying at the St Petersburg Conservatoire to his move to America, from Russia, in 1918. The paper will draw upon the progressive looking Sarcasms, Op. 17 (1914), and Visions Fugitives, Op. 22 (1915-17), which demonstrate heavy influences of Stravinsky and Debussy, and consider why, after he moved to America, he opted for a simpler and less harmonically-daring style in the Tales of an Old Grandmother, Op. 31 and Four Pieces, Op. 32 (both 1918).

To establish what may have prompted Prokofiev to change his approach, I will look into his newly-published diaries to analyse his compositional processes at the time, and discover whether the stylistic change came about through personal choice or necessity. Prokofiev had to make a living primarily as a performer, so was it this that caused him to write simpler music for the more conservative American audiences? To assess the audience reactions of the time, I will present extracts from newspaper reviews of Prokofiev’s recitals.

Research paper thumbnail of Investigating the Effect of Prokofiev’s Move to the West on his Piano Works

Research paper thumbnail of ‘”A Permanent Influence”: Beethoven's Impact on Prokofiev’s Piano Writing’, The Musical Times, Autumn 2015, pp. 49–62.

Research paper thumbnail of ‘The Path to Originality in Prokofiev’s Early Piano Works’, Three Oranges: the Journal of the Serge Prokofiev Foundation, 24, November 2012, pp. 23–29.

Research paper thumbnail of Review of Tomoff, Kirill: Virtuosi Abroad: Soviet Music and Imperial Competition During the Early Cold War, 1945–1958 (New York: Cornell, 2015) in The Musical Times, Summer 2016, pp. 119–120.

Research paper thumbnail of Prokofiev's early solo piano music

This thesis concerns issues of context, influence, form and performance in Serge Prokofiev's ... more This thesis concerns issues of context, influence, form and performance in Serge Prokofiev's early solo piano music and addresses the role of tradition and innovation in the composer's work. Chapter One focuses on the evolution of Prokofiev's style, looking at his search for originality, the discovery of his mature style, and his subsequent aspirations towards simplicity. Chapter Two evaluates the principal influences on Prokofiev and his piano music, including Stravinsky, Debussy and especially Beethoven. Chapter Three assesses Prokofiev's formal processes in his early piano sonatas, discovering how his works were both rooted in and deviated from sonata form tradition. Chapter Four looks at Prokofiev's education and career as a pianist, as well as his interpretations of his own compositions, in order to form a view on how to approach the performance of his works. The chapter finishes with a discussion of recordings of the Visions fugitives, tracing the progressi...

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