Arts and Humanities Commons^™

From Ictus To Raptus, Andrea Abel

Senior Projects Spring 2023

Senior Project submitted to The Division of Multidisciplinary Studies of Bard College

FROM ICTUS TO RAPTUS

From Ictus to Raptus is a story about the emergence of sound. This performance is only a human attempt to capture the Event from which all existence emerges (Ictus), and an attempt to interpret and rejoice in the resulting complexity of the world, by tracing multiplicity back to singularity and reuniting it with its origin (Raptus).

Challenges And Solutions For Native Mandarin-Chinese Speakers In Singing German Lieder, Fei Xia

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports

ABSTRACT Challenges and Solutions for Native Mandarin-Chinese Speakers in Singing German Lieder Fei Xia The purpose of this research is to focus on the challenges faced by Mandarin-Chinese speaking singers singing German Lieder, as well as providing these singers with solutions for overcoming these difficulties. Singing art songs such as French Mélodies and German Lieder can greatly improve singers’ artistic and aesthetic values because of the beauty of the poetry and the language. However, it is very difficult for native Mandarin- Chinese speakers to sing German Lieder. Some of the primary difficulties faced by Mandarin-Chinese-speaking singers are German diction and …

A Bird’S Eye View: Large-Scale Tonal Structures In Robert Schumann’S Four Song Cycles (Op. 42, 24, 39, And 48), Peter Kramer

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Some of Robert Schumann’s most notable works are his Lieder for solo voice and piano accompaniment. Schumann's Lieder are considered some of the best compositions in this genre, engendering various interpretations by performers and exciting vigorous debate among musicologists and theorists. Robert Schumann’s early music was almost entirely composed for the piano alone; it wasn’t until 1840 that he started to compose almost exclusively Lieder and song cycles inspired by his predecessors Beethoven and Schubert. This was a prolific year for Schumann compositionally, in part due to his marriage to Clara Schumann who was one of Europe’s most preeminent piano …

The Temple Of Immensity: For Choir And Electronics, Steven Naylor

Honors Projects

the temple of immensity is a composition for 16-part choir and fixed media electronics composed by Steven Naylor using astronomical data concerning the stars nearest to Earth and their properties. “The temple of immensity” is an archaic and rarely used term, defined as “the universe or the complete overhead expanse of the heavens, especially as conceived as an object of religious reverence.” This piece seeks to convey feelings of wonder and awe for outer space through the setting of an original self-composed poem and through the use of star data to determine musical aspects. The resulting 28-minute composition blends voices …

The Correlation Between Traditional And Modern Day Performance Poetry: Where Music And Poetry Collide, Jaya Hodges

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

"Music and poetry have similar roots that have made them both into what they are today. From chants to church hymns, they both have kept the Black community intact during times of sorrow and grief. The words that ride along the rhythm and structure of any song brings an unforgettable emotion out of these art forms. This paper will discuss how they have merged themselves together along with the influences they have made within Jame Weldon's "Lift Ev’ry Voice and Sing" and Lauryn Hill's "Doo Wop (That Thing)".

Where We Cannot Remain Standing, Isabella Louise Argondizza

Senior Projects Spring 2021

Where We Cannot Remain Standing is the culmination of my contemplation and growth while being a performer and student during the COVID-19 pandemic. How does a singer connect to their fellow musicians and audiences when traditional methods are no longer safe? As Rainer Maria Rilke describes, the ongoing isolation is “the alien thing” (Letters, 40) that has entered all of us. This year has been intensely emotional and unpredictable, a state of constant transition. The solitude has given me space for reflection, and this project shows the inspirations behind my recital concept. It brings together every possible element of my …

On The Total Communicative Efficacy Of Music And Its Synthesis To Written Word Through Bob Dylan And Kendrick Lamar, Skyler Addison

CMC Senior Theses

In a social conversation, words spoken carry less than 35% of the interaction’s social meeting, with 65% conveyed by the non-verbal. While poetry relies on the word and it's subtext, songwriting may also weld the other 65%. By dissecting the dynamic communicative aspects of song, modern poets may find useful ways in which they can make their lines have more staying power with the listener, encompassing both the rhythmic catchiness of their lines to an all-encompassing emotive transfer. We may isolate the interwoven components of a song that dictate how a story is told in order to better understand how …

Dreamvision Songbook: Five Songs For Mixed Ensemble, Maxwell R. Lucas Mr.

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

The DREAMVISION SONGBOOK is a musical dream vision: a cycle of allegorical songs for mixed ensemble (three sopranos, guitar, violin, double bass and percussion). The text for the work consists of five original English poems written by the composer. The poems take the characteristics of the medieval rondeau, virelai and ballade as a formal departure point. The five poems depict a series of episodes that weave together a dream vision; a pilgrimage in which the dreamer encounters imagery of environmental collapse, death, decay and catastrophe, but also symbols of hope and repair.

Ariadne’S Transformation: Presenting Femininity From Roman Poetry To Modern Opera, Xinyi Wang

Senior Projects Spring 2020

Ariadne's story is dominated by her relationships with men: Minos, Theseus, and Bacchus. But who is she? Can her personality be examined independently from men? If yes, does she have her own voice in expressing herself? Do we hear her voice? If no, then, how does her personality help construct her story? My analysis will focus on how the Roman poets Catullus and Ovid, the Baroque composer Monteverdi, and the twentieth-century composer Strauss present Ariadne, and how their Ariadnes’ voices are heard. Perhaps she will always be eternal and undying as long as she remains a figure around which discussions …

"Woven Into The Deeps Of Life": Death, Redemption, And Memory In Bob Kaufman's Poetry, Peter Davis

Pomona Senior Theses

The scholars who have taken up the task of writing about Bob Kaufman have most often done so in response to a perceived demand: the lack of Kaufman scholarship, readership, anthology, publicity, canonization. The basis of this need is clear: Kaufman is almost never included as even a third-string Beat, a fringe Surrealist, or an underappreciated Jazz performer. To the committed readers of Kaufman – and almost all of his readers seem to be committed ones – it’s unforgivable. These various canons, major (mid-century American poets, Beat poets) and minor (Jazz poets, American Surrealists), are clearly missing one of their …

African-American Poetry, Music, And Politics, Tyler H. Macdonald

Honors Theses

The 2016 decision to award songwriter and musician Bob Dylan the Nobel Prize in Literature sparked a worldwide debate on the relationship between music and poetry and raised many questions about music’s place in literary canon. However, this debate is nothing new. Questions about the relationship between music and poetry have long been debated. Some scholars believe the two disciplines should be studied separately, while others prefer to consider the connections between the two.

My project begins with a question: if Bob Dylan’s songs can be considered poetry, what other forms of music might also be considered poetry? Rap implements …

A Stiff, Brocaded Gown: Patterns In The Life Of Amy Lowell, Emily Jinju Cottam

Undergraduate Honors Capstone Projects

Amy Lowell's poetry serves as a reflection of the challenges and struggles that permeated her life. Her late entry into the world of published poetry at the age of 38 resulted in the presentation of already-solidified beliefs that she had developed since childhood. Although the techniques she employed and the quality of her writing varied in the last decades of her life, Lowell's focus on imagery, rhythm, and mood remained consistent in many of her works. Published in 1916, the poem "Patterns", from Men, Women, and Ghosts, contains themes that are of particular note when placed into the context of …

Ostinato My Ass: Finding A Voice In The 21st Century, Richard Luke Koenig

Senior Projects Spring 2017

Senior Project submitted to The Division of Arts of Bard College.

Six Reflections Through Music And Poetry, Nicholas Shawn Vecchio

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Since beginning school at the University of Arkansas in 2008 I have learned many lessons both in and outside the classroom. To date, the most challenging lessons have been those that I have learned about myself. The manifestation of the person that I am today has been an adventure with many twists and turns. This piece aims to capture the essence of some of the lessons that I have learned. Each poem offers the product of that lesson.

The movement entitled “Memories” has a subdued joy in its message. The poem offers nostalgia to begin the piece with. However, it …

Romantic Ideals In Contemporary Folk Music, Brett Schwartz

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This thesis examines contemporary folk music from no earlier than 2006, specifically music of the bands The Decemberists, Fleet Foxes, and Bon Iver. Providing a close reading of select songs, I prove that modern music is seeing a revival in the Romantic Era and Transcendentalist ideals and philosophy. The works and philosophy of Samuel Taylor Coleridge (1772-1834), William Wordsworth (1770-1850), John Keats (1795-1821), as well as Henry David Thoreau (1817-1862), Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803-1882), among others and their critics are all considered for points of comparison to the modern lyrics. The reason for this revival is considered in the conclusion …

Metamorphosis And Persona In Ned Rorem's Poems Of Love And The Rain, Jacob Boca

Senior Independent Study Theses

Ned Rorem’s 1963 song cycle for mezzo-soprano, Poems of Love and the Rain, presents settings of texts by eight American authors loosely centered on the subject of unrequited love. The cycle’s formal structure is particularly unique given that each text is set twice, with contrasting settings placed directly opposite each other along the cycle’s temporal plane. That is, the sequential ordering of texts, one to nine then back to one, yields an overarching pyramidal or mirror form. The following study examines text-music relationships, both at various moments within the cycle and between contrasting settings, with the ultimate goal of …

In The Dream House, Tamzin F. Elliott

Senior Projects Spring 2015

Senior Project submitted to The Division of Languages and Literature of Bard College

A Soul Composed Of Harmonies: George Herbert's Life, Writings, And Choral Settings Of His English Poetry, Benjamin Todd Ebner

Theses and Dissertations

George Herbert’s poetry is among the greatest religious poetry written in the English language. His introspective and nuanced understanding of the human soul and his beautiful style of writing have earned him his place among the great poets. His catalogue is filled with poems ready to be set to music, and dozens of them have been. However, there is no document that seeks to gather an annotated list of these compositions in one place. Further, while a few of these compositions are performed often, there are dozens of other worthy compositions that should be heard on a more wide and …

Musical Landscapes: Theophile Gautier And The Evolution Of Nineteenth Century French Poetry, Dana Milstein

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Theophile Gautier's first edition of Emaux et camees (1852) marks the juncture at which Romantic, Neoclassical, and nascent Symbolist poetic theories converged under the umbrella ideology of "Parnassianism." Emaux et camees synthesizes the aesthetics promoted by these diverse groups, primarily by 1) using "musical" and "painterly" language, 2) emphasizing correspondences among arts, and 3) paradoxically demanding an attention to form and the artist's labor while also emphasizing art's inutility during a century characterized by Progress. Gautier's Emaux et camees bridges painterly and musical poetics to create a new model for poetry.

While the vocabulary of painting captivated many nineteenth century …

An Examination Of The Compositional Style Of Dorothy Rudd Moore And Its Relationship To The Literary Influence Of Langston Hughes, Latoya Andriel Lain

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Dorothy Rudd Moore, born in 1940, grew up during a period in American history where many of the principles upon which this country was founded were denied to African - Americans. It was a time when black people in this country, amidst a struggle, were fighting for the basic human rights afforded to whites. In addition to protests, marches, and speeches, black artists used the power of artistic expression to communicate anger at the racial climate in America. Writers, dancers, actors, and musicians all used their various genres as platforms to speak out against inequality. Dorothy Rudd Moore and Langston …

The Illumination Of E. E. Cummings' Poetry In J. A. C. Redford's "Love Is The Every Only God", Amy Louise Aucoin

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The choral work love is the every only god, composed by J. A. C. Redford, was published in 2001, placing it among the initial choral concert works published in the twenty-first century. love is the every only god is a song cycle for divisi mixed chorus with piano accompaniment based on six poems by E. E. Cummings. The work is organized into six movements with two interludes and lasts approximately twenty-five minutes. Beyond his regard for the art of poetry and care in choosing a text, Redford sees himself as an illuminator of the text, providing the listener with a …

Graduate Recital, Donna Gatlin Davis

All Graduate Plan B and other Reports, Spring 1920 to Spring 2023

Preparation for the graduate recital provides the Master's candidate an opportunity to exercise a variety of musical skills. Choosing the best possible program requires not only a working knowledge of the available repertory, but a personal assessment of the particular voice with its characteristic strengths and weaknesses. The final selection must reflect a fine balance of material difficult enough to provide a musical challenge and material with which a singer can feel comfortable in communicating.

Working toward the performance involves both intellectual preparation through research and physical preparation through vocal conditioning. It is not enough to anticipate vocal difficulties and …

The Seasons : Four Poems By Robert Frost For Tenor And Orchestra : Opus 5 (1969), Richard Meeks

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Negro Art, Vera H. Richards

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation

In recent years, especially in America, the Negro has been the subject of wide and varied discussions. These discussions concerns the intellectual and religious phases of his life. The Negro is inter-nationally known for his expression of music and poetry, especially for his of rhythmical phasing which is so essential to the above named arts in viewing the origin of the race. it is found that valuable material was contributed to humanity by the ancient Ethiopian tribes which the Negro has come