Arts and Humanities Commons^™

A Sonic Intervention Into Authenticity And Black Metal, Easton Daniel Draut

Theses - ALL

This thesis is an intervention into the world of black metal and the role that authenticity plays within the politics of the subgenre. I explore the evolution and escalation that takes place between the theatrics, the music, and violence committed in the clamoring to be perceived as ‘true’ metal. Throughout my thesis I use a variety of approaches to create a holistic view of black metal as a subgenre and analyze the ways in which it evolved. My primary focus was studying the music itself, paired with lyrics and later subcultural analysis of my selected bands. As a fan and …

A Sonic Intervention Into Authenticity And Black Metal, Easton Daniel Draut

Theses - ALL

This thesis is an intervention into the world of black metal and the role that authenticity plays within the politics of the subgenre. I explore the evolution and escalation that takes place between the theatrics, the music, and violence committed in the clamoring to be perceived as ‘true’ metal. Throughout my thesis I use a variety of approaches to create a holistic view of black metal as a subgenre and analyze the ways in which it evolved. My primary focus was studying the music itself, paired with lyrics and later subcultural analysis of my selected bands. As a fan and …

Why Is The Culture Surrounding Electronic Music So Attractive, Joseph Monopoli

Theses - ALL

Electronic Dance Music, also known as EDM, is a musical genre that has recently dominated the current music landscape and industry. However, there is a lack of understanding behind this beloved genre in terms of its culture and the fans that idolize it. In fact, this new culture that EDM fans have created, coined by them as "Rave Culture", is understudied. This research project is designed to take an exploratory approach into answering questions about this newfound culture and what makes this culture that surrounds Electronic Dance Music, so attractive. Because of this newly established culture, research surrounding this topic …

Why Is The Culture Surrounding Electronic Music So Attractive, Joseph Monopoli

Theses - ALL

Electronic Dance Music, also known as EDM, is a musical genre that has recently dominated the current music landscape and industry. However, there is a lack of understanding behind this beloved genre in terms of its culture and the fans that idolize it. In fact, this new culture that EDM fans have created, coined by them as “Rave Culture”, is understudied. This research project is designed to take an exploratory approach into answering questions about this newfound culture and what makes this culture that surrounds Electronic Dance Music, so attractive. Because of this newly established culture, research surrounding this topic …

Introducing Alexandra Moniqué: A Journey Through The Music Industry, Alexandra Mayo

Honors Capstone Projects - All

The music industry is a wide field with careers ranging from artist management, publicity, marketing, promotions, and music litigation to songwriting, producing, recording, and mastering. The list goes on and on; but there is a clear distinction between the artistic side of the industry and the business side of the industry.

This Capstone Project is my journey through the music industry both artistically and commercially. As a singer/songwriter, I wrote, recorded, and released an EP under my artist persona, Alexandra Moniqué. I then tackled the business side of the industry by promoting the album as a manager, publicist, and marketer. …

I Want To Be In That Number: A Song Profile Of "When The Saints Go Marching In", Gregory H. Jacks

Honors Capstone Projects - All

“When the Saints Go Marching In” has never been subject to a sustained study of its origins, disseminations, and current manifestations. A study like this, focused on a song’s perceptions via various viewpoints through time, is typically referred to as a song profile; a form of reception history specifically concentrated on a single musical composition. “When the Saints Go Marching In,” also known as “Saints” or “The Saints,” is an African-American spiritual typically listed as a traditional in most songbooks without a composer.[1] I have laid out this paper into four sections, one for each period of the song’s …

Bat Boy: The Musical, Sarah Carlson Cassell

Honors Capstone Projects - All

When I began the process of producing my Capstone Project, Bat Boy: the Musical, I had no idea what I was about to do or how much work it was going to be. I ultimately learned that the key tools I needed were passion, confidence, and creativity.

I originally had a very difficult time deciding what show I wanted to do. I changed my mind several times between other shows, but once I landed on Bat Boy I never second-guessed my choice. I found a show I was passionate about, and subsequently poured myself into every second I spent …

Musicianmaker An App For Teaching Musicality To Beginners, Jamie Yavorsky

Honors Capstone Projects - All

The purpose of this paper is to support and defend my senior capstone project, which takes the form of an educational app for iPad called MusicianMaker. The paper is split into two main sections: a rationale for the necessity of the app, and a justification for the educational benefits it provides. Over the course of my undergraduate career I have studied available resources for music education and found a disappointing majority that make no attempt to teach musicality. Teachers and scholars debate that music learning is either absolute or relativistic, but regardless of their opinion I have found no pedagogy …

The Choral Hierarchy Examined: The Presence Of Repertoire For Women's Choirs In Monographs On Choral Literature And Choral History, Lauren Elizabeth Estes

Theses - ALL

Women's choirs have been perceived as less prestigious than and inferior to mixed choirs. There is a well-documented choral hierarchy in academia that favors mixed choirs above other choir types. Most frequently, the delineation of the choral hierarchy places women's choirs at the bottom. Books about choral literature and choral history are influential media for those selecting repertoire for choirs. In this study, the monographs recommended as resources on choral literature and choral history by the American Choral Directors Association were surveyed to ascertain the quantity and kind of repertoire included for women's choirs as compared to the quantity and …

Uncommon Action: An Interdisciplinary Arts Performance On Ally Involvement, Rachel Dentinger

Honors Capstone Projects - All

This instrumental and dance performance, titled “Uncommon Action: An Interdisciplinary Arts Performance on Ally Involvement”, was designed to raise awareness about bullying and becoming an active ally in the event of bullying. Sixteen student musicians and a team of production assistants were enlisted to produce this interdisciplinary program that was over a year and a half in the making. This production is a unique artistic effort where the classical musicians will also perform as dancers while playing, similar to what is seen in performances by marching bands, drum corps, Stomp, Barrage, Blue Man Group, etc.

The musical piece, commissioned from …

The Effects Of Totalitarian Regimes And The Individual On Russian And Soviet Music, Tyler Christian Mills

Honors Capstone Projects - All

This paper addresses the development of Russian and Soviet music from the 1860’s through Stalin’s terror in the late 1930’s. It focuses on the constraints placed on the composers by the totalitarian regime and how these individual composers were able to not only survive, but leave a greater impact on the development and style of music than the state that was constraining them. The paper focuses on how individual composers were able to use their innovation and talent to create unique material that captivated audiences both at home and abroad.

A Comparative Analysis Of Morten Lauridsen's O Magnum Mysterium And H. Robert Reynolds' Setting For Wind Band, Brent Paris

Setnor School of Music - Theses

Morten Lauridsen is one of the most prominent choral composers of the 20th and 21st centuries. O Magnum Mysterium, a sacred motet, is one of his most popular compositions. In collaboration with Lauridsen, H. Robert Reynolds created a transcription for wind band. Premiered in 2004, Reynold's transcription quickly joined the ranks of other respected transcribed choral works in the wind band repertoire. While there is only one major difference between the two versions, there are many minuet differences found in the phrasing, texture and tessitura.

Mouth's Cradle Presents: Wisdom Teeth, Kevin Hegedus

Honors Capstone Projects - All

[See attached document for abstract]

Late Night Television And Its Impact On The Music Industry Via Album Sales And Social Media, Matthew Robin

Honors Capstone Projects - All

Experiential learning has been a large part of my college experience. My work experiences have allowed me to understand the music industry in a very unique way. One experience was my semester in Los Angeles, where I worked at Jimmy Kimmel Live! It was there that I was able to see the influence that these shows could have on musical guests and vice versa. The late-night landscape is as booming as it ever has been, with many different outlets for talent. I wanted to demonstrate that the process of getting an artist on a late-night show is a very …

University Union: Becoming Syracuse University’S Official Programming Board And A College Programming Paradigm, Robert John Dekker

Honors Capstone Projects - All

This Capstone project completed per the requirements of the Renee Crown University Honors Program in form is part research paper, part personal narrative, part topical history, part business plan, part guide and resource, and part portfolio. It is structured in four critical parts. The first will be a history of programming at Syracuse University as it relates to the history of University Union, the university’s official programming board. This overview covers fifty years, beginning in 1962 with the founding of the board. Following this will be an assessment of the capacity of college programming to further the goals of unifying, …

Reinventing The Classical Recital: Examining The Connections Between Performer And Audience, Kimberly R. Dinicola

Honors Capstone Projects - All

Reinventing the Classical Recital: Examining the Connections Between Performer and Audience was a project intended to create a dialogue between the performer and audience about the kind of experience a classical recital typically is versus what it can be. Recitals given at Syracuse University, and in the classical music community in general, generally have strict guidelines for the amount, type, and quality of music to be performed. Certain composers or types of song are considered more appropriate than others, depending on the instrument and length of the recital. In creating a recital to evaluate in what ways the performer can …

New Horizons: A Folk Song Cycle, Chris Cresswell

Honors Capstone Projects - All

The purpose of the project was to create a piece of music that transcended musical genres and told the story of my coming of age in the first decade of the 21st century. The work featured both original text and original music and culminates in a live performance of the work.

I wanted to tell a story. More specifically, I wanted to tell my story. The story of coming of age in the 21st century. I was 11 in the year 2000, I was 21 in 2010. My formative years correlate directly with the formative years of the 21st century. …

Tokoyo: A Story Of Cultural Movement, Melissa Jessel

Honors Capstone Projects - All

Tokoyo: A Story of Cultural Movement is an exploration of Japanese culture through performance. The piece incorporates stylized, ritualistic, and contemporary movement. The device used to portray our research was a folk tale told solely through physical expression. Music by Japanese composers and projections of the country supported the movement and helped to tell the story of the culture.

We were deep into our research when we embarked on our trip to Japan to observe the specificity of the culture in everyday life and performance. Everything that we read, watched, and took part in manifested itself in the final presentation. …

When You Got It, Bump It: A Lost Showgirl’S Cabaret, Mary Claire King

Honors Capstone Projects - All

For my Capstone project, I developed an original cabaret entitled “When You Got It, Bump It: A Lost Showgirl’s Cabaret.” The story follows Mazeppa, the lost showgirl, as she travels the vaudeville “circuit” in an attempt to regain her fame. I portray this leading character, while two other women portray her friends and co-stars. All three characters are based on perhaps some of the most famous showgirls on Broadway, Mazeppa, Tessie Tura and Electra of the 1959 musical, Gypsy.

I performed the cabaret twice, on the evenings of April 2^nd and 3^rd, at the First Unitarian …

Living In Spring, Danielle Peck

Honors Capstone Projects - All

Music is universally recognized as a tool for transcending the natural and cultural boundaries that separate one individual from the next. Living in Spring, a short film built upon Beethoven’s Sonata No.5 in F Major, Op. 24, 1^st Movement (informally referred to as the “Spring” Sonata), introduces this idea as a violin teacher’s advice to his student: “Each of us, we are only inside ourselves, you can only move your own fingers… music is different,” Sasha explains. Eve, the violinist, faces a challenge for her final performance—one that cannot be found in the practice room, no matter how …

Mash-Up Culture: Reconciling Art, Commerce And The Law, Trevor Kiviat

Honors Capstone Projects - All

The proliferation of “sampling” in recorded music and live performances has amplified the level of appropriation and cultural borrowing that exists in the music industry. Artists, music companies and stakeholders on every level from independent to mainstream have been affected by this trend. In addition to catalyzing innovation and inspiring new forms of expression, these creative works, broadly referred to as “mash-ups”, have also been the subject of heated legal debates related to claims of copyright infringement in the last 20 years. This study discusses the essential issues surrounding the musical practice of “sampling” audio recordings, including the issues of …

Jane, The Quene, Kathleen Wrinn

Honors Capstone Projects - All

I wrote and performed a one-woman show entitled Jane, the Quene, about the life, reign, and death of Lady Jane Grey, the 9-day Queen of England in 1553. With the help of my advisor, Lauren Unbekant, I created my piece in a physical storytelling style in which I played all of the characters, adopting different voices, physicalities, and slight costume modifications to distinguish between them. I collaborated with film, costume, set, lighting, and sound designers to create my final product, and the whole project took about a year to complete. I had begun my research in London the previous …

Crossing Borders In Leonard Bernstein’S Mass, Theresa Hubbard

Honors Capstone Projects - All

On September 8, 1971, Mass by Leonard Bernstein premiered at the inauguration performance at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Arts in Washington, D.C. Subtitled “A Theatre Piece for Singers, Players, and Dancers,” Mass possess examples of several different types of music, making the piece very eclectic in nature. It is a huge work which requires close to 200 performers who are well-versed in several musical genres.

Bernstein composed Mass using the form of the Roman Catholic Mass celebration, as many composers have done in the past. Bernstein was a bit more daring, however, and instead of composing music …

Natural Horn Performance In The 19th Century, Paula Kinev

Honors Capstone Projects - All

The natural horn developed from an instrument of the hunt into an orchestral instrument in the 18^th century. The switch from outdoors to concert hall was helped along by the development of hand horn technique, which allowed for all chromatic notes to be played on the instrument. This led to an extremely fruitful time of virtuoso hand horn soloists through outEurope. The instrument evoked a very particular aesthetic: light, nimble, virtuosic, “natural”, voice-like, etc. Then when the invention of the valves was applied to the natural horn it was met with a fair amount of resistance. The natural horn …

Tradition And Innovation: The Lives And Music Of Women Composers, Shannon K. Kane

Honors Capstone Projects - All

My Capstone Project, entitled “Tradition and Innovation: The Lives and Music of Women Composers,” is a combination of a creative project and written thesis that explores the struggles that women faced as members of society and composers throughout history. The written portion details the expectations set for women by society and how these expectations had a role in their personal lives and their music. I explore stereotypes and societal values that women lived regularly, including the expectation of women to never perform for a public audience, to obey their fathers and husbands and therefore only receive training with their permission, …

More Than Pictures: The Emotional Journey Of Mussorgsky’S “Pictures At An Exhibition”, Meredith Laing

Honors Capstone Projects - All

A piece of music is so much more than notes on a page. It embodies the historical context in which it was written, the feelings or events which inspired the composer to write it, the message the composer wishes to convey, the way a performer chooses to interpret it, and the impact it has on the audience. Since we know that different performances of one particular piece are often compared to each other as being higher or lower in technical and musical quality, it is clear that not every performance is the same, and that the differences that exist can …

Parallel Dichotomies: Serialism, Folk Song, The University, And Authenticity, David Blake

Honors Capstone Projects - All

This thesis seeks to analyze the similarities between the electronic music and serialist movement in art music, and the folk revival, both of which peaked during the late 1950s and early 1960s. Each of these movements contained within them an avant-garde that positioned itself on the university setting to gain cultural terrain to combat what they perceived to be commercialized “kitsch.” The avant-gardes within each culture felt the ideologies they promoted were justified because they were authentic. Electronic music composers and serialists viewed themselves as aligned with the modernist tradition of art music, which promoted the progression of music through …

La Petite Piaf: The Development And Performance Of An Original One –Woman Show, Rachel M. Moulton

Honors Capstone Projects - All

My thesis project was the process of adapting the script and music, rehearsing, performing, and producing an original one-woman show. The production is called “La Petite Piaf” and is based on events in the life of Edith Piaf. I adapted, produced, starred in an original one-woman show. It ran seventy-five minutes without an intermission and consisted of dialogue in English and fifteen songs in French. I portrayed Edith Piaf. I oversaw every element of the production. I was in charge of my marketing, finding a performance space, securing dates, hiring a pianist, stage manager, and run crew, finding a lighting …

The Effects Of Live And Recorded Musical Presentation On Stimulated Behaviors In Individuals With Alzheimer’S Disease, Nicole Mancini

Honors Capstone Projects - All

Alzheimer’s disease is a progressive brain disorder that affects a person’s memory and cognitive functioning ability. Millions of Americans are currently suffering from this disease and the number will continue to grow as life expectancy increases for the general population. There is currently no cure for Alzheimer’s disease and treatment options are limited. Therefore, it is necessary to investigate new ways to improve the quality of life and care provided for these individuals. Research in music therapy has generated promising results suggesting that music can be an effective intervention when caring for Alzheimer’s patients. The purpose of this study was …