Composition Commons^™

Unsuk Chin’S Hyper-Sheng: Sonic And Structural Development In Šu For Sheng And Orchestra, Hyun-Kyung Lee

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

The Korean composer Unsuk Chin (b. 1961) is constantly exploring new sonic experiences in her works; her concerto Šu for Sheng and Orchestra (2009) is drawing considerable attention, as it is Chin’s first piece written for an Asian instrument. This study begins with a simple inquiry How does Chin combine an Asian instrument (sheng) with the Western orchestra? To answer this question, this research examines Chin’s treatment of the sheng and the development of the orchestra in partnership with the solo instrument, focusing on the creation of what she terms a “hyper-sheng:” the solo sheng and the orchestra ...

Honey Tree: A Neo-Soul Album, Artist & Musical Development Through The Electronic Press Kit, Raine Welterlen

University Honors Theses

This paper describes the process of preparing a Neo-Soul album for public release including monetization, marketing, arrangement, and production.

Rima, Gregory J. Menillo

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Instrumental work for violin and piano based on a sestina by Dante Alighieri; written to commemorate the poet on the 700th anniversary of his death. Commissioned by Elena Augilar Kosta for Eriko Sato and David Oei. This piece received its premier by Curtis Macomber and Steven Beck on May 20, 2022 in Elebash Hall at the CUNY Graduate Center.

Non-Tonal Pitch Hierarchies And Dramatic Narratives In Oliver Knussen’S Variations, Op. 24, Joseph Prestamo

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Musical analysts have often commented on the lingering echoes of tonality present within the otherwise non-centered (and remarkably complex) harmonic world of Oliver Knussen’s music. Using his piece Variations, Op. 24 as a model, this project hypothesizes that the compositional techniques Knussen employs serve to create non-tonal pitch hierarchies. Although Knussen does not use functional tonal harmony in this piece, he finds a variety of ways to elevate the pitch A to a place of prominence, both on the musical surface and in the background structural operations. These techniques naturally result in pitch spaces that are rich with tonal ...

Archetype, Story, And Myth Within Bulgarian Folklore And Black American Music, Wes C. Georgiev

University Honors Theses

The confluence of several disciplines is explored through the investigation of archetypes, stories, folklore, and myths within the realm of music composition. This research aims to draw fresh conclusions which contend with some of the meanings of being a human. All research is done in conjunction with the creation of a new body of compositions written and arranged for piano, upright bass, and drum set. The academic objective of these pieces is to combine many of the salient characteristics of Bulgarian Folk music with those of Black American music. The supporting research in this essay examines centuries of migration, conflict ...

Creating Musical Scores Inspired By The Intersection Of Human Speech And Music Through Model-Based Cross Synthesis, William Alexander Thompson Iv

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

This research addresses the development of machine learning techniques used to create musical scores and performances that are inspired by the intersection of speech and music. Machine learning models are created from MIDI files that are transcribed from datasets of musical audio recordings and human speech audio recordings. Through the creation of succinct models, model based cross synthesis is possible. Models trained on musical MIDI data are asked to replicate MIDI data that approximate human speech. Alternatively, models that have been trained on MIDI data that approximate speech are asked to replicate musical MIDI data. The product of these developed ...

Energy Portraits For Flute, Clarinet In B-Flat, Violin, Cello, Piano, And Percussion, Luis Solis

Music Theses and Dissertations

Energy Portraits is a 25-minute work for flute, clarinet, violin, cello, piano, and percussion based on the nine Enneagram personality types. The Enneagram system delves into underlying motivations and thought patterns of different people rather than only external behaviors, so this piece incorporates the typical overall energy of each number as a miniature portrait. The movements are not in the same order as the nine types from the Enneagram but are reordered and renamed for musical reasons. This allows the listeners who are not familiarized with the Enneagram to still understand the theme and energy of each movement.

Flourish is ...

Using Geologic Principles And Data To Create A Symphony For Wind Ensemble, Thomas J. Davis

2022 Symposium

Geology and geologic processes have featured in many pieces of classical music such as Alan Hovhaness’ symphonic works after Mt. St. Helens and Glacier Peak but these pieces are impressionistic and only take general inspiration from the geology of their subjects. This paper describes the creation of Tectonics (2021) a piece which incorporates and describes many geologic principles and processes, such as mantle convection, through the musical form of cannon, the formation of fold and thrust belts whose cross sections are directly visually recreated in the score, and the physical dynamics of earthquake waves demonstrated through variations of pitch and ...

Production As Analysis In Commercial Music Recordings, Simeon P. Church

Composition/Recording Projects

Since the 1960s, scholarship of popular music in the fields of musicology and music theory has blossomed (Kajanová 2013). The inclusion of the social sciences and humanities in music analysis has allowed for new methodologies in commercial music analysis. Although new methodologies have been developed around popular song analysis, they are notably absent in the field of music production (Blake 2012, 1). In this thesis, I will assert that music production is an under-explored facet of commercial music that offers abundant opportunities for analysis.

Life, Man, Diane Wong

Theses and Dissertations

This piece paints the picture of what life felt like from the composer’s vantage point, specifically at the time when the composition was conceived. The first section employs the first sixteen pitches present in the harmonic series as an embodiment of the pure nature of sound – vibration, physics, and acoustics. The middle section shows a dynamic that pulls in two directions, one going sharper and sharper ascending through the circle of fifths and the other going flatter and flatter descending, all the while a steady pedal point in the center of the axis nonchalantly ticks like clockwork. As this ...

Reborn: The Documentation And Processes Of A Fusion Project, Natalie Merrill

Composition/Recording Projects

Many musicians aim to create something new, fresh, unprecedented, unpredictable. They seek uniqueness, attempting to create a sound that will be traced back to their work as music history progresses. As they work to find their distinct voices, musicians spend years trying to find their right sound, hoping it will leave a legacy of music tied to their original creativity. Composition, when based on various musical influences, is an incredible tool for the musician because it can bring together styles – and more importantly, people and cultures – from all over the world. The chapters of this paper tell the story of ...

Exploring The Chromatic Harmony And Tonal Organization Of Casey Crescenzo, Nicholas Veine

Music Theses

Much of western music harmony study considers repertoire only from the classical canon and so-called "jazz standards." While this pursuit is noble, much more can be gleaned from musical theoretical study expanding the repertoire into progressive rock. "Prog" has pioneered the modern usage of chromatic harmony, especially 4ths-based movement, and subdominant harmony, as well as the natural expansion of the ideas of chromatic mediants and transformational theory. This paper specifically highlights the usages of these extended harmonic techniques in the music of Casey Crescenzo, primary writer/composer for the rock band: The Dear Hunter.

Composition Recital Program, Cedarville University

Student Composition Recitals

No abstract provided.

Operatic Mysticisms: Mountains, Deserts, Waterscapes, Andrew Demczuk

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Operatic Mysticisms: Mountains, Deserts, Waterscapes examines the ways we encounter environments as readers/viewers of operas, literature, film, and sound recordings, and how each medium requires different detail-gathering techniques. Respective to the previously mentioned mediums, Sun & Sea (2017), Mount Analogue (1952), El Mar La Mar (2017), and Energy Field (2010) are analyzed by engaging with environmental media studies and invention. Reflecting the nature of each landscape—summits of mountains, aporias of deserts, and mysteries of waterscapes—an elemental approach is taken in investigating how these spaces may be noticed, internalized, recorded, and traversed by both the artist and viewer. With ...

Don't Lose Your Keys: Exploring The Transition From Harpsichord To Piano, Justice Post

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

This paper explores keyboard technology in music from the Baroque era to today. Central focus is on the initial dominance of the harpsichord in Western music and how this shifted to the piano. Using this context of evolving instrumentation, the paper considers how this coincided with changing styles of music composition. Finally, the paper considers the question of how a keyboardist of today should handle music written in eras before the piano existed, and whether it is appropriate to perform harpsichord music using a modern piano.

Telling Stories: An Analysis Of Speech-Melody Compositions And An Original Speech-Melody Composition For Wind Ensemble, Kevin Cheek

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This thesis explores the compositional technique of speech melody and provides a brief historical overview of speech in music. This thesis also examines recent works (2005-2014) that have sourced their melodies from the spoken word and in turn creates an original composition for wind ensemble consisting of melodies sourced from recordings of members of United States military forces speaking about their lived experiences. In conjunction with the analytical and compositional aspects of this thesis, I also conducted an interview with Dutch composer Jacob ter Veldhuis (Jacob TV). i

Grrrls, Grrrls, Grrrls: Incorporating Feminist Theory Into Punk Rock Composition, Bryan M. Waring

Composition/Recording Projects

This project argues that one can make rock music with anti-sexist values by incorporating feminist criticism and gendered performance into the composition of punk rock music. To test this thesis, the history of feminism and its implementation within musical discourse were examined. Using feminist music theory as a lens for observation, several songs from female artists and mix-gender bands within the punk genre were analyzed. This was done in order to find similarities in compositional practices and to explore punk rock’s symbolic representations of gender. Areas covered were the expression of jouissance by the proto-punks, the use of détournement ...

The “Sing Me A Story” Project: A Study Of Songwriting And Its Impact On The Disabled, Camden M. Diver

Honors Theses

The “Sing Me a Story” project is an initiative with the purpose to explore the therapeutic effect of songwriting on young adults with disabilities. With sessions taking place over the course of several weeks, the project is inspired by my own experience and incorporates research on the ever-growing field of music therapy. Participants are invited to join me for co-writing sessions where they will help write a song that expresses their original ideas and emotions. As we get to know one another and the songs are written, the goal is for participants to experience greater confidence in conveying and communicating ...

Hard Feelings: A Musical Exploration Of Plutchik's Primary Human Emotions, Sarah Killian

Honors Theses

The purpose of this project was to explore Robert Plutchik’s eight primary human emotions - joy, sadness, trust, disgust, fear, anger, surprise, and anticipation - through three musical lenses: key selection and chord/rhythm choices; lyrics; and production and arrangement choices made for each of the eight demo recordings.

Chiral Reflection, Alyssa Regent

Theses and Dissertations

Chiral Reflection was written for flutist Emi Fergusson and is inspired both by nature and chemistry. The melodic core of the work is derived from the wailing of loons. Loons are birds inhabiting Northern American forests. They are often found on large lakes, usually in pairs. Their wail is believed to be a contact call. In this piece, the loon asks: “where are you”, without an answer back from its partner.

This image of the lonely bird call on a lake at twilight piqued my curiosity regarding the natural phenomena of reflections. I was made aware of the physics of ...