I would like to express my gratitude to God above all else for His continuous faithfulness each step of the way. I want to thank my family, especially mom and dad, who though physically distant have always suffered and rejoiced with me, demonstrating their unconditional love and encouraging me to pursue my dreams. I am thankful to my church family that has embraced me and helped me grow through the past years. Among them, the Cotten, Bloodworth, Hall, and Cotant families that have welcomed and

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... ontinue to care for me as their own. Words would never be enough to express how much you all mean to me. I also want to thank my fiancée, Leah Parr, for the love and support she gives me, and I am grateful that we got to share the stage on my last doctorate recital. I would like to thank my cello professor, Dennis Parker, for believing in my potential and giving me the opportunity to study with him during both master's and doctorate programs. More than just preparing individual works, he has taught and showed me how to face the challenges of cello playing. And with a steady and clear mindset, he has taught me how to increase my accuracy and musical quality. I also want to thank my committee members, Dr. Lin He and Professor Frederick Ortner, for their thoughtful comments and suggestions. My most sincere gratitude to my advisor, Dr. Andreas Giger, for his willingness to share his expertise with me and for his unwavering dedication to this project. I feel honored for having had the opportunity to work alongside him and am thankful for his diligence and encouragement through it all. iii TABLE OF CONTENTS ACKNOWLEDGMENTS....................................................................................ii ABSTRACT...................................................................................................iv CHAPTER 1. INTRODUCTION...........................................................................1 CHAPTER 2. GIUSEPPE PERROTTA'S "BOZZETTO SINFONICO" ............................5 CHAPTER 3. PIETRO MASCAGNI'S "PRELUDIO" ................................................25 CHAPTER 4. CONCLUSION.............................................................................43 BIBLIOGRAPHY........................................................................................