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Annunciation And The Cross: The Marian Theology Of Incarnation In James Macmillan’S Music And Public Discourse, Joel Clarkson

Yale Journal of Music & Religion

Many of Scottish composer James MacMillan’s most essential works are influenced by his Catholic faith, and thematically focused on a theological expression of Incarnation and suffering worked out through a dissonant musical style. MacMillan has developed a robust public discourse that includes statements about his faith and the way it informs his music, and his forthright demeanor has often provoked tension with various figures and groups. This article suggests that these two forms of conflict—discordance in his composition, and elements of conflict in his public dialogue—are both driven by a Marian theology of Incarnation that provides the impetus both for …

Music During Political Unrest: A Look Into Protest Music Of Northern Ireland During The Trouble's, Lauren Blue

Student Scholar Symposium Abstracts and Posters

Some of the most influential music and art emerges during civil, social, and political unrest. Music, in particular, is a critical aspect of almost every culture, and protest music is even more influential because it can unify causes. For example, when the Troubles in Northern Ireland gained global attention, many well-known artists released commercially successful songs relating to this phenomenon. Musicians worldwide, including Paul McCartney, John Lennon, Elton John, The Cranberries, and U2, implemented music as a reaction against the social injustice and violence occurring in Northern Ireland. Other songs, like Tina Turner's "Simply the Best," became anthems for the …

The University Choir And The University Treble Choir In Concert, Chapman University Choir, Chapman University Treble Band

Printed Performance Programs (PDF Format)

No abstract provided.

Feeling Uneasy On Easy Street: Decoloniality, Mental Health, And Social Culture Within A University Department Of Music, Ucee-Uchenna L. Nwachukwu

Masters Theses

As a graduate student in a university music department, I have devoted a lot of time to working in associated yet also disparate realms: as a performer, a Teacher's Assistant, and a student. During this time, I have also begun conducting research examining the music department’s social culture. I have observed my colleagues– meaning my fellow graduate students–sacrificing their mental health, physical health, and emotional wellbeing in order to meet ambiguous expectations that I will argue are often rooted in the coloniality of Western Art Music. I have observed and experienced conversations that neglect to acknowledge the ways in which …

Authentic Pedagogical Approaches For Teaching And Learning Bluegrass Fiddling, Including An Examination Of Kenny Baker Plays Bill Monroe, Derek Cooper Deakins

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Despite the vast amount of research showing that learning an alternative string style such as bluegrass increases student motivation, interest, and retention in music programs, modern private violin instructors and string orchestra teachers who lacked exposure to bluegrass in their initial training do not feel they can authentically teach bluegrass fiddling to their students. A comprehensive bluegrass fiddle curriculum incorporating elements of classical and bluegrass music has not yet been developed. The curriculum would allow diverse musical exploration through structured and sequential bluegrass fiddling pedagogy. This qualitative research study identifies, examines, and compares current bluegrass fiddle methodologies as a framework …

Songs Of Sorrow, Hope, And Praise: Toward A Historical Analysis Of Negro Spirituals, Hope Victoria Dornfeld

Masters Theses

Traditional Negro spirituals play a key role in America’s music history. Spirituals were initially perpetuated by enslaved Africans in the American South through the oral tradition but today are available in a wide variety of choral, vocal, and instrumental arrangements. The lecture recital that accompanies this document will present seven traditional spirituals of varying themes: “Hold On,” “Witness,” “Deep River,” “Sweet Little Jesus Boy,” “Balm in Gilead,” “Steal Away,” and “Ride On, King Jesus.” Spirituals can be described by three closely interrelated textual categories or descriptors which correspond with their original use and historical context. Songs of sorrow are those …

Classical Ukulele: Redefining The Ukulele, Samantha Muir

The 21st Century Guitar

Developed in Hawaii after 1879, the ukulele was first used as a strummed instrument to accompany the human voice and traditional hula dances of Hawaii. During the 20th century, as the ukuleleʼs popularity spread, it achieved notoriety amongst comedians and entertainers. Since the millennium a new generation of players have sought to define the ukulele as a serious instrument. The classical ukulele approach emerged in 2004 and until recently focused on creating arrangements. As the first person to do a PhD on classical ukulele, my research is forward looking in its aim of creating new contemporary classical works, and backward …

Creativity And Organic Songwriting: A Deconstruction Of Original Songs, Pramuk Mohanlal-Vargas

Composition/Recording Projects

Creativity and organic songwriting define uniqueness and are the building blocks of artistic self-expression. This paper consists of a deconstruction of eight original song recordings including the organic songwriting methods and creative ideas which led to the end result. The formulation of each recording is discussed in chronological order and in detail as well as influential ideas and songwriting styles of well-known contemporary artists such as Damien Rice, Passenger and Bon Iver. Along with individual and psychological approaches to songwriting, production elements are mentioned which indicate how the digital world influenced the final version of each song. This area relied …

A Contemporary Analysis Of Bradley Knight’S Musical Compositions, Ryan James Flug

Masters Theses

While there is a plethora of music arrangers within the Christian and gospel music industries, Bradley Knight’s arranging style and techniques have shown to set him apart among contemporary arrangers. The combination of musical techniques that uniquely contribute to Knight’s choral and orchestral arrangements include distinct rhythmic choices, intricate harmonies within orchestration and choral parts, and dynamic instrumental and vocal builds. Utilizing a qualitative approach, this study will use descriptive and exploratory research design to explain both the specific techniques and cultural contexts within the greater gospel genre that fashion Knight’s arrangements. While gospel music, choral arrangements, and contemporary music …

Bloom: A 21st Century Mandolin Concerto, Ashley Hoyer

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

I have created a career performing various types of music on the mandolin. Very little of the concert repertoire, however, includes music originally written for the mandolin with most of it consisting of rearrangements of violin, cello, or piano music. This observation has led me down a path to learn why there is a lack of mandolin concert repertoire as well as to create new music specifically written for the instrument. In this thesis, an original mandolin concerto, Bloom, aims not only to add to the instrument’s repertoire, but bring it into the twenty-first century using contemporary compositional techniques. I …

Edgerton Center 2023/24 Season, Edgerton Center For The Performing Arts

Edgerton Center Programs

Edgerton Center for the Performing Arts season brochure for 2023-24.

The Narrative Composer: Hector Berlioz’S Impact On The Evolution Of Film Scoring In The Twenty-First Century, Enrique Alberti

Honors Program Theses

Hector Berlioz was a French Romantic composer, whose literary and musical works have an undeniable effect on the history of Western music. Specifically, Berlioz’s most famous orchestral work, the Symphonie Fantastique, transformed how music could be utilized in an orchestral setting because it was the first programmatic symphony, which is a symphony with music set to a written narrative. The Symphonie would inspire German composer Richard Wagner to create what is now recognized as the leitmotif, a musical phrase used to identify an idea. In modern Hollywood film music, Wagner is credited with establishing the techniques that have become staples …

David Gillingham’S Stained Glass For Wind Ensemble: A Transcription From The Standard Percussion Repertoire, Ashley Shoupe

Theses and Dissertations--Music

Stained Glass (1994), by David Gillingham, is a work that is considered one of the standard pieces of percussion repertoire. To date, there are no known arrangements or transcriptions which exist for wind band that originated from the percussion ensemble repertoire. Stained Glass is a work which utilizes many musical characteristics and compositional techniques that could translate successfully to the wind ensemble, such as sweeping ostinato, sustained chordal structures, and a variety of colors and textures. It is because of this observation of musical characteristics that makes this work a good candidate for a successful first transcription from percussion ensemble …

Hearing Tolkien In Vaughan Williams?, Keri Hui

Journal of Tolkien Research

In recent years, musicians and Tolkien readers alike have associated Ralph Vaughan Williams’ music, particularly Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis (1910), The Lark Ascending (1914), and Fantasia on Greensleeves (1934), with Tolkien’s fantasies. This article explores this tendency to hear Tolkien’s Middle-earth in Vaughan Williams’ musical fantasies, calling attention to the similarities in their shared devotion to the idea of English consciousness, interest in combining ecclesiastical and folk materials, and pastoral vision. A juxtaposition of their approach and philosophies not only helps explain the musical echoes, however, but also confirms an appealing mark of Tolkien’s craft is its …

“800 Years We Have Been Down”: Rebel Songs And The Retrospective Reach Of The Irish Republican Narrative, Seán Ó Cadhla

Articles

From the glamorous, cross-dressing “Rebel, Rebel” of David Bowie, to the righteous Trenchtown “Soul Rebel” of Bob Marley and The Wailers, both varied and various musical articulations of cultural and socio-political rebellion have long enjoyed a ubiquitous presence across multiple soundscapes. As a musicological delineator in Ireland, however, ‘rebel’ conveys a specifically political dynamic due to its consistent deployment as an all-encompassing descriptor for songs detailing events and personalities from the Irish national struggle. This paper sets out to examine the specific musical delineator of “rebel song” from both musicological and politico-ideological perspectives with a view to interrogating its appropriateness …

Ensemble Concerts: University Band And Symphonic Band, April 20, 2022, F. Mack Wood Conductor, Tj Mack Conductor, Lauren Bobarsky Guest Conductor, John Gonzalez Guest Conductor, Seth Marshall Guest Conductor

School of Music Programs

Center for the Performing Arts

April 20, 2022

Wednesday Evening

8:00 p.m.

Guest Artist Recital: Songs Of Travel And Questing: A New Song-Cycle By Stephen Mcneff, Gavan Ring, Louise Thomas

Printed Performance Programs (PDF Format)

No abstract provided.

A Concert For Peace, Chapman University Choir, Chapman University Singers, Temianka String Quartet, Hye-Young Kim

Printed Performance Programs (PDF Format)

No abstract provided.

Nicholas Temperley, Edward Loder, And Retrospect Opera's Raymond And Agnes, Justin Vickers

Faculty Publications - Music

This review-essay chronicles nineteenth-century music specialist Nicholas Temperley's discovery of the obscure score and the long road to the present recording by Retrospect Opera, which navigates Loder's composition of Raymond and Agnes in spite of the puzzling complexities of Edward Fitzball's libretto.

Collective Expressions Of Monacan Indian Nation Identity: A Communicative Arts Genre Study, Gretchen E. Casler-Cline

Masters Theses

This study considers the current communicative arts practices of the Monacan Indian Nation, an Indigenous Virginia tribe of approximately 2500 people located in Amherst County, Virginia. Historically the tribe was a large nation that extended from the falls of the James River near Richmond, Virginia to the Southwestern portions of the state near Roanoke and now the Monacan Indian Nation homeland is at Bear Mountain in Amherst County, Virginia. The study was conducted through interviews and observations at tribal events such as the annual Powwow and culture class, as well as consistent attendance and participation as a musician at St. …

Graduate Recital: Blessed Are Those Who Mourn: A Journey Of Grief And Hope, Sara H. Jackson

Conducting Student Scholarship

This program includes:

Weep, O Mine Eyes (1599)

Sicut Cervus (1604)

“The Trumpet Shall Sound” from Messiah (1741)

“Wie Lieblich sind deine wohnungen” from the A German Requiem (1865-1868)

Great Is Thy Faithfulness (1923)

Over the Rainbow (1939)

Flying Free (1979)

Inscription of Hope (1994)

Keep Your Lamps (2003)

O Love (2016)

Those Who Mourn (2021)

All Things New (2021)

Hope Waits (2021)

Impressions On The American Cowboy: End Of The Trail, Ghost Town And Rough Men, Jude Edmund Markey-Smith

Senior Projects Spring 2022

“Impressions on the American Cowboy” seeks to consider, expose, and investigate the symbol of the cowboy in our culture–– in all of its twisted romance. After reflecting on my personal experiences as well as various historical texts and works of western fiction, I set out to make my own western-themed work. My intention is to comment and explore the so-called “man problem” across disciplines in live performed time and space. This work attempts to think critically about how and why cowboy culture has persisted, and to delve into this particular and troubling projection of masculine consciousness.

Empathy In And Through Music Education: Extending Artistic Citizenship, Amanda Ellerbe

Visions of Research in Music Education

Bowman, Elliott, and Silverman's concept of artistic citizenship helps characterize how music education accomplishes social change. However, while Elliott et al. regard artistic citizenship as a means of exercising music in political ways, further investigation of how musical activities prepare students to consider effecting social change might more comprehensively describe artistic citizenship as a socio-musical endeavor. In light of the goals of social justice-oriented programming, the relationship between citizenship and artistic practice, one might think not only of music in the service of exercising citizenship in the greater community but also as a means of developing citizenship skills in the …

Travelin' To The Promised Land: Symbolism Of The Jordan River In African Spiritual, English Hymn, And American Folksong Selections, Hope V. Dornfeld

Montview Journal of Research & Scholarship

These program notes originally accompanied a performance of three vocal pieces: Deep River, On Jordan's Stormy Banks, and Poor Wayfaring Stranger. The notes analyze the role of the Jordan river in each piece, focusing on their historical context, first performances, and issues of authorship. As part of a performing arts research project, the program notes also address the method of expression and creative process that went into preparing the performance of these pieces.

The songs included in this presentation all speak to the journey from earth to heaven. In each piece, the Jordan River is found to symbolize a …

Soundtrack Of A Life: A Musical Narration Of A Military Veteran’S Life, Caroline M. Melcher

Recital Papers

Soundtrack of a Life: A Musical Narration of a Military Veteran’s Life

“Beer & Hymns” And Community: Religious Identity And Participatory Sing-Alongs, Andrew Mall

Yale Journal of Music & Religion

As a series of loosely-organized events, “Beer & Hymns” started at the Greenbelt Festival in England in 2006 and migrated to the Wild Goose Festival in North Carolina in 2012. Local Beer & Hymns gatherings meet at bars, breweries, clubs, and pubs across the U.K., the U.S., and around the world. Most are not affiliated with a church or Christian denomination, instead relying on the energy of independent local organizers. Some attendees are regular churchgoers, other are not, but all find community in these sing-alongs—congregational singing, that is, outside of traditional congregational contexts. Beer & Hymns is exactly what it …

Unsung And Unheard: An Analysis Of The History And Impact Of Female American Vocal Composers, Shannon Marie Myers

Masters Theses

American female composers create music that is pedagogically valuable and should be included in the repertoire commonly used by undergraduate vocal students. The purpose of this research is to provide awareness of the existence and the contribution that American female composers have made to standard vocal repertoire and their pedagogical value. The essential question answered as part of this research is: how have the American women composers contributed to the development of standard vocal literature? Additional sub-questions addressed in this research include: 1) What historical factors (culturally, economically, etc.) have influenced the rise of female composers in America beginning in …

Palestinian Evangelical Christian Music In Bethlehem, Israel/Palestine, Abby Smith

Senior Honors Theses

Often the story of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is portrayed as Jewish vs. Muslim, Hebrew vs. Arab. There is little room in the international dialogue for minorities such as Arab Christians. Though Palestinians have a rich culture of Arabic musical and poetic heritage, they are unable to produce their own new songs. In this study I interviewed three members of Immanuel Evangelical Church on their experiences and opinions on local Christian worship. The findings show that Palestinian Christians may feel unable to write worship music because of a prevalent feeling of inadequacy and a lack of musical training. I propose several …

Study & Sing: A Music Class For Home Education Students, Joanna Luisi Reinhardt

Music Graduate Theses

The Study & Sing curriculum is designed (1) to provide homeschooling high school students with a music resource that is easy to access and incorporate within their homeschool environment; (2) to facilitate meaningful and effective music instruction by designing a music class for a qualified music teacher to use within cooperative homeschool groups; (3) to offer homeschooling families a comprehensive music class that closely follows the National Core Arts Standards for music education; and (4) to provide a music class for homeschool co-op students that offers a comprehensive design and fosters collaborative music experiences by integrating a performance component that …

From Prop To Partner: The Evolution Of Female Roles In American Opera, Mariah J. Berryman

Honors Theses

For many years, women in opera have been in service to their plots. They have always been present but have either been relegated to passive roles in their own stories or actively considered societal outcasts. They were dramatically stereotyped as either airheads or witches, mothers or daughters, love interests or foes to be conquered. And, along with the character stereotypes came typically associated vocal stereotypes. Lighter and higher voices were assigned to roles that portrayed virtue, innocence, and other general characteristics of the “feminine ideal.” Conversely, lower voices were assigned to sinful, outcast, “fallen women.” These vocal stereotypes are especially …