Arts and Humanities Commons^™

Sound For The Cinema: A Senior Composition Recital By Lindsay Dills, Lindsay Dills

Honors Theses

Sounds for the Cinema involves the exploration of all elements encompassing the creation of film within one composition recital. Pieces were written with the intention of pursuing effective storytelling in writing the music, sound design, foley sound art, and directing videography. Every composition explores different facets of the filmmaking experience. The Batman, Spring, and Lord of the Rings: Two Towers are all rescorings opening the recital showcase to exhibit how altering the music of an already created scene can change the entire tone of a movie. Following this, the composition utilizing a clip from Antman and the Wasp …

Fungal Chapel, Gabrielle Joy Cerberville

Masters Theses

FUNGAL CHAPEL is an interactive installation exploring the ties between people and place through the deconstructed visual language of Judeo-Christian religious iconography. Comprising five sculptures; BELFRY, OFFERTORY, BAPTISMAL, DOORWAY, and ALTAR, visitors are encouraged to interact on multiple levels of physical touch and consciousness, including pouring water, self-expression through writing, interacting with sonified fungal biodata, meditation, and offering and receiving gifts. Most of the objects in the chapel are “sounding sculptures” hooked up to contact microphones with added effects, and can be manipulated to produce a variety of musical sounds. Through the process of semi-guided ritual as an individual moves …

Engaging With The Score: Wadada Leo Smith, Graphic Notation, And The Performer’S Perspective, Kennedy Taylor Dixon

Masters Theses

As a Composer/Performer, my work exists in both realms. This thesis reflects the principle that my experience as a violist influences my compositional process and vice versa. Since identifying under both artistic skill sets, it has become evident that the two areas that exist as a creative and presentational output, thrive off one another’s success.

In June 2019, I had the chance to play Wadada Leo Smith’s String Quartet No. 3: Black Church, The First World Gathering of the Spirit (1995) at the Nief-Norf Summer Festival. This encounter was the first time I interacted with graphically notated scores as a …

Common Ground, Cody Christopher-Park Ray

Masters Theses

Common Ground is a work that explores ideals of unity through the shared awareness of human mortality. I wrote the majority of this work during the COVID-19 pandemic in the fall of 2020. Throughout this period, including the summer leading up to it, political and social tension was felt throughout the country. This sentiment stemmed from the unjust killings of unarmed people of color at the hands of law enforcement, to blatant errors in the way political figures handled the spread of this newfound disease, leading to more than 400k civilians prematurely dead. In experiencing these external pressures, I found …

Compositions For 0 Or 1 Performers, Rodrigo Valente Pascale

Masters Theses

This thesis includes a collection of pieces composed for 0 or 1 performers – unaccompanied solo, solo and electronics or fixed media. The compositions for solo instruments include “Unnest” for bassoon solo, premièred by Ariane Petri during the V Congress of Music and Mathematics in 2020, and “Assemblage” for baritone saxophone solo, premièred by Erin Rogers in 2020. “Reizantwort” is a composition for viola and electronics which was first recorded by Laura Parra in summer 2020. Finally, "Discontinuous Mediation I" and "Discontinuous Mediation II" are fixed media compositions that were composed in Summer 2020 and Spring 2021, respectively. This collection …

Prescribed Freedom, Proscribed Freedom: Compositional And Improvisational Balances In Jazz, Andrew W. Saliba

Masters Theses

Jazz is a recent and flexible art form, rooted in the twin musical strains of occidental canon and folkloric African-American music. From its genesis, jazz musicians have had the difficult task of reconciling these seemingly opposite musical parents while simultaneously building a new musical canon that respects and upholds its past, even as it celebrates new individual voices. Like any multifaceted challenge this balancing of elements has not always gone smoothly, and attempts to codify the delineation and categorization of jazz remain controversial even now. There is additional challenge in defining the nature of “free” improvised music. While free music …

The Boundaries Of Modern Jazz Composition: Interaction Between Tango And Jazz Music, Evgeniya Kozhevnikova

Masters Theses

The history of jazz music is not very long in comparison to the history of music in general – from the end of the 19th century until present. This period, however, is very dense in terms of musical influences and became especially denser recently because of globalization.

Several researchers explored the jazz influences in the music of Astor Piazzolla, whom renovated traditional tango. While Piazzolla is considered a tango composer, some jazz bands use Piazzolla’s music as jazz standards and create compositions with traditional elements of jazz, such as improvisation. There are also composers influenced by tango music who write …

The Sunlight Cycle, Michael Flynn

Masters Theses

The Sunlight Cycle is a work in four movements which evokes certain time periods within a 24-hour day. In order of number, the movements are meant to represent dawn, daytime, twilight, and night, respectively. Each movement transitions seamlessly into the next, with Mvt. 4, “Nocturnal,” transitioning back to the beginning of Mvt. 1, “Matutinal”. This cyclical nature allows for a performance of the cycle to begin with any of the four movements. Theoretically, the work can repeat indefinitely.

Musically, the work develops in three main areas: harmony, rhythm, and timbre. Harmonically, the work is tonal, featuring extended and altered triadic …

A Collection Of Three Pieces For Solo Instrument And Electronics, Carolyn Borcherding

Masters Theses

This collection of three musical compositions for solo instruments and electronics explores the interaction between acoustic instruments and electronic media with a specific focus on musical form. The musical form is apparent due to clear musical segmentations, and the coherence of each work is maintained by the inter-contextual relationships evident in the musical material. Each piece is divided into three parts: beginning, middle, and end. Each beginning sets up a strong relationship between the two media by using closely timed action-reaction gestures. The middle section diverges away from these reactionary gestures, while the ending then brings about a short return …

In Old Bruges: Two Pieces For Chromatic Carillon, Emmanuel M. Dubois

Emmanuel Dubois Compositions

Op. 15/54: 1 score (iii + 6 pages) ; includes foreword

The two carillon pieces Op. 15/54, "In Old Bruges", are written for a non-transposing chromatic 48-bell instrument, ranging from c3 to c7, where c#3 is omitted, or, in organ notation, ranging from c to c4, where c# is omitted.

Movements:

1. Prelude – Sunday market (Three-part canonic palindrome)
2. Allegretto – Promenade

The Bended Tree, Graeme Shields

Masters Theses

The Bended Tree is a multi-movement, 40-minute cantata for chorus, organ, piano, flute, oboe, clarinet, trumpet, violin, and percussion. It explores timbral, textural, and harmonic development within loosely a symmetrical form divided in the center by 30 seconds of silence. The text for the cantata stems from a series of Lutheran hymns and Biblical passages, set to original music.

In the interest of facilitating flexibility for performances, the movements are written so that they can be performed individually, in any subset, or in the piece’s entirety. The instrumentation is also variable: the core ensemble is comprised of chorus, piano, and …

Morgen : Melody For Soprano And Piano, Emmanuel M. Dubois

Emmanuel Dubois Compositions

Op. 48 : 1 score (ii + 3 pages) ; includes the poem "Morgen" by John Henry MacKay, in German.

Winter Wood: Melodies For Soprano And Harp, Emmanuel M. Dubois

Emmanuel Dubois Compositions

Op. 49 : 1 score (ix + 26 pages) ; includes three Russian poems by I. Bunin, F. Tyutchev, Y. Petrachuk, poem translations, and composer's introduction.

"Russian writers are known for their beauty and severity, and their celebration in poetry, literature, music and films is legendary. The beautiful legend of the Snow-maiden - Snegurochka - sublimely put in opera by Rimsky-Korsakov, evokes the renewal of life in springtime and the end of life in winter without violence, without sense of loss. It is quite remarkable in comparison with the thirst of violence in so much of the world. It is …

String Quartet, Brut, Bernie Walasavage

Masters Theses

l’Art Brut , also commonly referred to as “outsider art,” is comprised of a variety of visual media by untrained or mentally ill artists. The string quartet is subtitled this because it takes inspiration from the work of these artists; with its jagged edges, vibrant colors, and horrid scenes, there is an organic beauty inherent in such eclectic and divergent art. Another factor which drew me to the artwork of the mentally ill was the commonality of Kenophobia: an abnormal fear of empty spaces. Schizophrenic, Swiss artists, Adolf Wölfli (18641930) and Aloïse Corbaz (18861964) were noted for suffering this phobia …

Northsong, Neal Endicott

Masters Theses

Northsong is a 20 minute tone poem for Wind Ensemble based on the landscapes of northern Michigan and my own personal and musical background. The piece takes its name from a melody that I composed during my undergrad while recovering from back surgery in Traverse City. Unable to actually play any of my instruments, I started composing for the first Mme. In addition to a number of jazz and saxophone quartet arrangements, I wrote a short melody that reflected my mood while I was stuck inside during a snowstorm. I titled the melody Northsong, but didn’t know what to do …

The Truth: Melody For Soprano And Piano, Emmanuel M. Dubois

Emmanuel Dubois Compositions

Op. 46 : 1 score (ii + 6 pages) ; includes poem "The Truth" by E.M. Dubois (August 2015)

Юлия / "Yulia" : Lyrical Images For Soprano And String Quartet (Score), Emmanuel M. Dubois

Emmanuel Dubois Compositions

Op. 45 : 1 score (ii + 61 pages)

Movements:

1. As he whispers
2. Happiness
3. Hold me so tight!
4. To sweeten our lips
5. Those were happy times
6. Yulia
7. Woman's first true love

Юлия / "Yulia" : Lyrical Images For Soprano And String Quartet (Score And Reduction), Emmanuel M. Dubois

Emmanuel Dubois Compositions

Op. 45 : 1 score + 3 parts (ii + 182 pages) ; includes full score ; parts (rehearsal practice score, extraction) for Soprano and Violin I ; Violin II with Soprano ; Violoncello with Soprano.

Movements:

1. As he whispers
2. Happiness
3. Hold me so tight!
4. To sweeten our lips
5. Those were happy times
6. Yulia
7. Woman's first true love

In Ténarèze Country: Clarinet, Violoncello And Piano Trio In Two Tableaus, Emmanuel M. Dubois

Emmanuel Dubois Compositions

Op. 44 : 1 score (ii + 32 pages) ; includes table of contents ; parts for Clarinet , Violoncello and Piano.

Movements:

1. First tableau: Intimacy of winter
2. Second tableau: Song of summer

Юлия / "Yulia" : Lyrical Images For Soprano And String Quartet (Reduction), Emmanuel M. Dubois

Emmanuel Dubois Compositions

Op. 45 : 2 parts (vi + 46 pages) ; includes table of contents, pencil drawing of Ballerina by E. M. Dubois (1982), foreword, addendum to the foreword, text of lyrics and poems ; parts for soprano and piano.

1. As he whispers
2. Happiness
3. Hold me so tight!
4. To sweeten our lips
5. Those were happy times
6. Yulia
7. Woman's first true love

Gesture-Sensing Technology For The Bow: A Relevant And Accessible Digital Interface For String Instruments, Zachary Boyt

Masters Theses

Technological advances in powerful, miniaturized electronics have created a growing potential to continue the evolution of string instruments through an accessible digital interface. Although many new types of instruments and controllers have explored this goal, gesture-sensing technology, when paired with the expressive nature of the bow, has provided the most eligible solution towards bridging technology and tradition. Through a selective showcase of technical development, artistic application, and future possibilities, this thesis traces the evolution of gesturesensing bow technology as an accessible digital interface in string instrument performance.

Stacy Busch Senior Honors Recital: Composer, Stacy Busch

Honors Theses

The works that I selected to be performed on my senior recital are pieces that I’ve written over the course of the past year. Most of my work is predicated on the exploration of the human condition. Rather than focusing on technical and cerebral complexities that abstract music aims to explore, my work is grounded in the emotional realm. This foundation, I hope, provokes the listener to experience and question the characteristics of their own self. The largest piece on my program, “Creature”, is a 20 minute multi-­‐media production that includes video, electronic music and live performance. The piece is …

Come Ye Who Love: Melody For Soprano, Horn And Piano Trio (Full Score, Horn Part, Soprano Part), Emmanuel M. Dubois

Emmanuel Dubois Compositions

Op. 43a : 1 score + 1 part (ii + 19 pages) ; includes parts for Horn and Soprano.

Setting to Music of a Collage of Verses by Transcendentalist Poets. Commissioned by Michigan State University College of Music.

Come Ye Who Love: Melody For Soprano, Horn And Piano Trio (Full Score, Horn Part), Emmanuel M. Dubois

Emmanuel Dubois Compositions

Op. 43a : 1 score + 1 part (ii + 19 pages) ; includes part for (F) Horn

Setting to Music of a Collage of Verses by Transcendentalist Poets. Commissioned by Michigan State University College of Music.

A New Kind Of National: Modified String Quartet Practices In Post-Soviet Eurasia, Adam Taylor Lenz

Masters Theses

This thesis examines the practices of string quartet modification implemented by three post-Soviet Eurasian composers: Franghiz Ali-Zadeh (Azerbaijan), Vache Sharafyan (Armenia), and Dmitri Yanov-Yanovsky (Uzbekistan). After an introduction to the geography of the region and the biographies of the composers, their works containing modified string quartet configurations are examined within three distinct modification practices. These practices consist of the addition of outside instruments, the addition of electronic components, and the alteration of performance practice. The evaluation of these techniques is carried out through musical analysis and examination of cultural context. After each work has been examined, the body of works …

Concerto For Trumpet And String Orchestra (Full Score), Emmanuel M. Dubois

Emmanuel Dubois Compositions

Op. 40 : 1 score (iv + 96 pages) ; includes table of contents and Instrumentation table.

National Treasures of the American Midwest

Movements:

1. At Sleeping Bear Dunes - Lake Michigan
2. On the Great Plains
3. Dance of the Loons - the Ten Thousand Lakes of Minnesota

Tiny Sounds, Valeria Ch. Jonard Perez

Masters Theses

Our auditory system perceives sounds within a specific range of frequencies and amplitudes. It is the way we define our aural world and the sounds we are able or willing to hear. Just above the border of the threshold of human audition hearing, we find unique sounds with particular characteristics. These sometimes forgotten or ignored sounds interest me as compositional elements.

Listening attentively requires extra effort from our ears and concentration; listening to sounds that vacillate from imperceptible to audible changes how humans typically listen to sounds in their environment. Although amplifying these discreet sounds would rob them of their …

National Treasures Of The American Midwest: Concerto For Alto Flute And String Orchestra (Full Score), Emmanuel M. Dubois

Emmanuel Dubois Compositions

Op. 40a : 1 score (iv + 42 pages)

National Treasures of the American Midwest
Movements:

1. At Sleeping Bear Dunes - Lake Michigan
2. On the Great Plains
3. Dance of the Loons - the Ten Thousand Lakes of Minnesota

National Treasures Of The American Midwest: Concerto For Alto Flute And String Orchestra (Parts), Emmanuel M. Dubois

Emmanuel Dubois Compositions

Op. 40a : all part (i + 41 pages) ; parts for G-Flute, violins I & II, violas, cellos, double basses.

National Treasures of the American Midwest

1. At Sleeping Bear Dunes - Lake Michigan
2. On the Great Plains
3. Dance of the Loons - the Ten Thousand Lakes of Minnesota

Concerto For Clarinet And Orchestra (Reduction For Clarinet And Piano), Emmanuel M. Dubois

Emmanuel Dubois Compositions

Op. 34 : 2 parts (iv + 41 pages) ; includes parts for clarinet and piano.

Score Reduction for practice only, not for performance.

This reduction of the original score for clarinet and orchestra to clarinet and piano was prepared by the composer and is intended for rehearsal purposes only.

Movements:

1. Summer - As Told in the Language of Clouds
2. Autumn - Spider on a Web (Cadenza)
3. Winter - Rustle of Wind over the River of Grass
4. Spring - Alligators and Egrets in the Mangrove