Arts and Humanities Commons^™

An Analysis And Conductor's Guide To Allen Webber'sThree American Poets, John Wayne Weatherspoon

Theses and Dissertations--Music

Allen Webber’s Three American Poets is a three-movement choral work based on texts by several American poets. This monograph shines light on the compositional style of Webber by means of an in-depth score analysis of this work. Webber’s experience as a written theory and aural skills professor informs his writing style. Frequent correspondence and interviews with the composer informed the study through qualitative data. Though the piece is accessible to advanced high school choruses and beyond, it will at times challenge those choirs with unexpected chromatic movements. This study provides conductors with a guide to develop a creative and scholarly …

The Forgotten Trio: Tenor, Bass, And Basso Continuo An Exploration Of Music For The Tenor/Bass Ensemble From The 17th And 18th Centuries, Joshua Golden

Theses and Dissertations--Music

Music written for and performed by tenors and basses has permeated vocal expressions since medieval chant. The history of male choral singing is as lengthy and storied as the history of all choral singing. However, the current canon of programming for this type of ensemble reveals a significant gap in historical tradition and presentation.

This research delves into the historical, cultural, and artistic milieu that influenced the development of tenor/bass choral music throughout this time period. Utilizing primary sources, as well as a rich body of secondary literature, the study employs a comparative analytical approach to dissect the musical styles, …

From A Humble Cry To A Holy Chaconne: The Background, Analysis, And Performance Guide To Chaconne For Tokkae, Op. 96 By M. W. Johann Kim, Jurang Kim

Theses and Dissertations--Music

The cries of animals have been used as motivic material in classical music literature throughout history. This project considers the Cambodian tocay gecko’s cry as the motif which embodies the harmonic structure in Chaconne for Tokkae for Violin and Piano, Op. 96 by Dr. Myung Whan Johann Kim. It reveals how Dr. Kim adapts unique compositional style and technique such as the bell harmony of Dr. Kurt Anton Hueber, to develop the theme into 39 colorful variations. The essential elements of the chaconne and the composer’s intentions are examined through personal interviews and correspondence with the composer. These elements are …

Exploring Cary Boyce's 'Kosmos', Kristina Ploeger-Hekmatpanah

Theses and Dissertations--Music

A text with many layers of depth married to music with a variety of methods of interpretation allows for an academically satisfying learning, rehearsal, and performance process. Choral directors, and the choristers they serve, enjoy scrutinizing all the ways they feel connected to or disconnected from the text and music in any piece that proves worth their efforts. American composer Dr. Cary Boyce’s (b. 1955) Kosmos (2007), a setting of a poem from Walt Whitman (1819-1892) of the same name, indeed provides the substance an academic group desires. At choral festivals in the Pacific Northwest during the 2021-2022 academic year, …

Gesture And The Auditory Impact On The Perception Of Sound: A Performance Guide For Understanding Gestural Function On Percussion Pedagogy And Performance, Emily Lane Durocher

Theses and Dissertations--Music

I will address the concept of physical gestures and discuss how they are applicable to the way percussionists visually and audibly perceive music. Through my research, I will focus on performance and pedagogy, seeking new possibilities for introducing percussionists at all ability levels to different articulations. Percussionists have traditionally been led to believe that they do not have the versatility over the initial musical attack and sustain that wind and string players do. This document has been developed to provide a more in-depth approach to how physical and musical gestures can function to create a more versatile and musical percussionist. …

Relojerías Sensibles By Juan Trigos – A Performance Guide, Geraldo Leite Da Costa Neto

Theses and Dissertations--Music

This dissertation provides insights into the compositional style of the Mexican composer Juan Trigos (b. 1965) and his brand-new work for solo guitar: Relojerías Sensibles (2022). Included in this document is a brief biography of the composer, commentaries about other of his works, as well as a description of his musical concept: Abstract Folklore. The main purpose of this research is to introduce the reader to Trigos’ artistic universe as well as provide a performance guide that may facilitate the understanding and learning process of his new solo piece. In addition, the first two appendices are dedicated to a catalog …

A History Of Educational Concerts Of The Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, Sean Radermacher

Theses and Dissertations--Music

This project illuminates the history of educational concerts of the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra (PSO) and reveals a legacy of performances for young audiences, today’s educational innovations, and the orchestra’s evolving mission to serve young people. Concerts for young people are an important facet of the history of American orchestras. Today, these concerts and other educational programs are essential to increase the accessibility of orchestral music.

The PSO’s history highlights the close relationship of American orchestras with an educational mission from their early years to the present. After an overview of the origins of permanent orchestras and the national context of …

A Pianist Looks At Gerald Finzi's A Young Man's Exhortation, Op. 14, Mary Ann Wilder

Theses and Dissertations--Music

Gerald Finzi is a twentieth-century British composer. Though he also composed for orchestra and chamber ensembles, he is primarily known as a composer of vocal works, both solo and choral. In this solo vocal works, he favored the poetry of Thomas Hardy; six of his nine song cycles set Hardy’s poetry. One of these, A Young Man’s Exhortation, was Finzi’s second song cycle for voice and piano, but the first to earn notable success. Finzi writes for the piano lyrically and independently, as though the piano were a duetting voice—or in many cases, voices. This paper focuses on a …

The Yi Cycle: Finding The ‘Existing’ And ‘Potential’ In Tan Dun’S Intercourse Of Fire And Water For Cello Solo, Kevin He

Theses and Dissertations--Music

The Chinese American composer Tan Dun was born in 1957 in the Hunan province of China. His early life reflected the difficulties of being a student during the Cultural Revolution. Tan Dun’s Intercourse of Fire and Water for Cello Solo reflects the composer’s journey from China to the USA in the aftermath of the Cultural Revolution. The piece is the first solo concerto originating from Dun’s Yi0: Concerto for Orchestra, which was written in 2002 and is based on the ancient Chinese book I Ching (Book of Changes). The Yi Cycle includes four works: Yi0: Concerto for …

Julie Giroux’S Symphony No. 6: The Blue Marble Background, Analysis, And Conductor’S Guide, Josh Gillen

Theses and Dissertations--Music

Julie Giroux’s Symphony No. 6: The Blue Marble (2022) is an original work for wind band that is quickly rising in popularity among instrumental conductors and ensembles throughout the world. The purposes of this document are to

1) provide biographical details regarding Julie Giroux and her musical career;

2) provide a background of the work’s conception from a musical and multi-media perspective through interviews with Giroux and the first conductors of the work;

3) provide a multi-parametric structural analysis of the work and its companion film;

4) provide conductors with useful information for programming and rehearsing the work.

Chapter one …

A Conductor’S Analysis Of Selected A Cappella Works By Samuel Coleridge-Taylor, William Bernard Chandler Iii

Theses and Dissertations--Music

Despite experiencing a great deal of recognition in his lifetime, Samuel Coleridge-Taylor’s music is seldom performed today. His more famous pieces were his choral cantatas, but they require resources that most choirs cannot access. To encourage performance of his music, this monograph focuses on four of his part songs, which are much more accessible.

While many choirs will have the voicings to perform these pieces, they are very chromatic. Coleridge-Taylor is a product of late Romanticism and he employs many chromatic techniques to embellish his music. Inexperienced choirs will struggle to maintain a sense of tonal center if they are …

A Contextual History And Modern Edition Of J. Hyde’S 1799 English Trumpet Treatise: A New And Compleat Preceptor For The Trumpet & Bugle Horn: With The Whole Of Cavalry Duty As Approved Of And Ordered By His Royal Highness The Duke Of York … To Which Is Added A Selection Of Airs, Marches & Quick Steps For Three Trumpets, A Scale Of The Chromatic Trumpet With Airs Adapted For It, And A Collection Of Bugle Horn Duets, Clinton Gregory Linkmeyer

Theses and Dissertations--Music

For much of the trumpet’s long and varied history, it was considered a practical tool used for signaling more so than a music-making instrument. In 1614, Cesare Bendinelli wrote his Tutta L’arte Della Trombetta, which is often recognized as the first musical treatise written for trumpet. Scholars also recognize two other texts as being significant treatises: Girolamo Fantini’s Modo per imparare a sonare di tromba (1638), and Johann Ernst Altenburg’s Trumpeters’ and Kettledrummers’ Art (1795). The compilation and composition of A New and Complete Preceptor for the Trumpet and Bugle Horn by John Hyde in 1799 places it not only …

Musical Portraiture In Acht Korte Karakterschetsen Voor Piano Vierhandig By Hans Osieck, Yuri Kim

Theses and Dissertations--Music

Hans Osieck (1910-2000) was a Dutch composer, pianist, and teacher. His musical portraits, Acht Korte Karakterschetsen voor piano vierhandig (Eight Short Character Sketches for Four Hands), are a valuable addition to the piano duo repertoires for intermediate and advanced students. In Eight Sketches, Osieck musically portrays eight of his students using simple compositional techniques, much like the brushstrokes and color palette of an artistic portrait. As a result of their programmatic nature and relatable subjects, Osieck’s Eight Sketches can be particularly useful for students developing their imaginations and learning to perform expressively. As a piano duo, Eight Sketches also serves …

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 …

The Three E’S Of Horn Repertoire: From Excerpts To Etudes To Employment, Briana Pepilascov-Childers

Theses and Dissertations--Music

This project explores effective solutions for practicing orchestral excerpts, a challenge often faced by young musicians preparing for auditions. It introduces a method of adapting practice ideas and composition to facilitate a more profound understanding of fifteen orchestral excerpts. While primarily directed at horn players, the concepts and techniques explored in this study are applicable to musicians of all instruments, offering specific ideas, practice tips, and original etudes tailored to each excerpt. These etudes serve a dual purpose by addressing technical aspects of both the horn and the excerpt itself while familiarizing the musician with the standard orchestral repertoire commonly …

Momentary Endurance: The Effects Of Mouthpiece Pressure And Capillary Refill Time On Short-Term Muscle Recovery In Trumpet Players, Taylor Gustad

Theses and Dissertations--Music

The topic of proper mouthpiece pressure usage has been widely pushed off to the margins of trumpet pedagogy, only receiving the passing mention in a limited number of method books. This research paper contains a cross sectional view of the few, but most prominently used method books in the trumpet community that shows the prevalence of this issue, as well as steps to bring in new and useful information in this field. There are several aspects of mouthpiece pressure that should be studied; however, this paper focuses on its connection to momentary endurance and capillary refill time.

Momentary endurance is …

Jocelyn Hagen’S Choral Settings On Texts By Sara Teasdale: Analysis And Rehearsal And Performance Guidelines, Elizabeth Wilson

Theses and Dissertations--Music

This paper seeks to gain insight into American composer Jocelyn Hagen’s musical style, delving into her compositional process through analyses of three of her choral settings of Sara Teasdale’s poetry: April and the Sun, To See the Sky, and Joy. This work offers a detailed analysis of each piece using Jan Larue’s analytical method, which focuses on the basic musical elements of sound, harmony, melody, rhythm, and growth (known through its abbreviated form as SHMRG).

Because Jocelyn Hagen is a young composer, much of the relevant literature on Hagen comes from journal articles and dissertations. A significant resource …

Choosing Alternative Repertoire: Pedagogical Considerations For Robert Fuchs's Cello Sonata No. 2, Op. 83, Jerram Isaac John

Theses and Dissertations--Music

This document serves to promote Robert Fuchs's Cello Sonata No. 2, Op. 83, as a study piece for the cello, piano, and collaborative duo, showing the pedagogical benefits of this Romantic sonata. This project will begin with a biography of Fuchs and background of the work, followed by an analysis that establishes the piece in the Romantic tonal tradition. The next section will discuss the pedagogical benefits of the cello part, the technical accessibility in the piano part, and the collaborative opportunities encountered in the piece, comparing it with other Romantic sonatas in the standard repertoire. Additionally, I will be …

Viola Music Written By Costa Rican Composers: Analysis Of Three Compositional Trends In Costa Rica, Karen Soto Huertas

Theses and Dissertations--Music

What could come from a country that just this past year celebrated 200 years of independence that was only discovered in 1502 and was under the yoke of the Spanish Empire for over 300 hundred years? What contribution to the art music community could this third-world country, Costa Rica, bring to the table? Specifically, what contributions could Costa Rica make to the viola repertoire, which status as a soloistic instrument was raised only 100 or so years ago? How could a small country contribute to the repertoire of this often-forgotten instrument? To answer these questions, I have embarked on research …

The Hybrid Teacher: Expanding The Vocal Pedagogy Regime, Mary Joy Nelson

Theses and Dissertations--Music

The world of professional vocal training is becoming more and more eclectic and demanding in the United States. Academic music programs, and subsequently, vocal and vocal pedagogy programs are still predominantly classical in 2022, due to the American university system’s historical roots. In the 21st century, the commercial music industry is at an all-time high. However, in contemporary academia, vocal and vocal pedagogy degree programs remain primarily classical. In recent years, voice professionals have been discussing the implications of academic programs updating their programs and pedagogy in order to include professional CCM and hybrid training. Classical, CCM and hybrid singers …