Arts and Humanities Commons^™

Florence Price: Forgotten No More, Kathryn E. Amdahl

2023 Symposium

Florence Price was a composer and musician who lived from 1887 to 1953. She composed music in every genre except for opera. The music of Florence Price traveled practically everywhere; from the radio to the concert halls to the church. Throughout her life, she became well-known as the first African American female composer who was featured by a major symphony. Florence Price was tenacious, brave, and courageous during her era which contributed to the level of acceptance that society now holds for African American composers. Despite the challenges she faced during her lifetime, she never gave up or collapsed due …

Songs Of Wartime: An Anthology Of Music Composed By Women During The Second World War, Brittany Weinstock

Seaver College Research And Scholarly Achievement Symposium

During the Second World War, female European composers wrote a prolific amount of music which often goes unrecognized in favor of their male counterparts. The composers that I focus on are Elsa Barraine, Ilse Weber, Josima Feldschuh, Germaine Tailleferre, and Grażyna Bacewicz. The goal of this study is to collect an anthology of five pieces, one piece by each composer, in order to highlight and celebrate their contribution to the musical canon, as well as to understand how the conflict in Europe affected them.

For my research, I first found five female composers who were in some way affected by …

The Court Of Burgundy : A Musically Fluent Society, Elizabeth Lee Ferris

The Research and Scholarship Symposium (2013-2019)

The court of Burgundy supported music in the daily life for reasons spanning from religious practice to showing off the wealth of the duke. The importance of hearing different styles of music was emphasized through the patrons of the court of Burgundy. The culture of Burgundy supported music and made it available to most people. This was possible because their land provided safe travel amongst it and they were well off politically and economically. The practice and performance of music were supported in the daily routine through the church and organizations that patrons sponsored. It must first be understood that …

Music Next To Theology: The Impact And Influence Of Martin Luther's Reformation On Johann Sebastian Bach, James Ryan

The Research and Scholarship Symposium (2013-2019)

The artistic figure and music of Johann Sebastian Bach looms large in the history of Western arts and culture. His influences were many, but one strong influence in his life’s work was that of the Protestant Reformation and the theology of the Lutheran church. Through this research, it is evident that Bach strongly held to the doctrines and theology of the Lutheran church and that his employment in the Lutheran church was not merely a vocation for him, but an outward expression of his inward religious and theological conviction. This position is evidenced by the writings and teachings of Martin …

Shakespeare's Philosophy Of Music, Emily Sulka

The Research and Scholarship Symposium (2013-2019)

Shakespeare is one of the most widely read figures in literature, but his use of music is not usually touched on in literary discussions of his works. In this paper, I discuss how Shakespeare portrays music within the context of his plays, both through dialogue and songs performed within each work. In Shakespeare’s time, Boethius’ philosophy of the music of the spheres was still highly popular. This was the idea that the arrangement of the cosmos mirrored musical proportions. As a result, every aspect of the universe was believed to be highly ordered, and this idea is prominent throughout Shakespeare’s …

The Partimento Tradition In The Shadow Of Enlightenment Thought, Deborah Longenecker

The Research and Scholarship Symposium (2013-2019)

This presentation investigates the relationship between partimento pedagogy and Rameau’s music theories as influenced by Enlightenment thought. Current research on partimento has revealed its importance in Neapolitan music schools of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. Along with counterpoint, partimento was a core subject in the study of composition in the Neapolitan schools; however, as pedagogy and theory began to be influenced by Enlightenment ideals such as the scientific method or a preference for clear systemization, the partimento tradition began to wane. In this presentation, I examine Rameau’s music theory as an example of Enlightenment thought in music, juxtaposing the central …

Next Time Won’T You Sing With Me? The Role Of Music Rooted In Oral Tradition As A Resource For Literacy Learning In The Twenty-First Century Classroom, Catherine Milliron

The Research and Scholarship Symposium (2013-2019)

Most children learn music by rote long before they begin to learn by note. Early music learning is often facilitated through the oral transmission of music – a practice that has existed since long before the emergence of standardized music notation. Orality has long been linked to literacy and the relationship between the two – both in the past and in the present – has been studied in depth by modern scholars. Although it could be supposed that the innovation of music notation has negated the necessity for oral music transmission, in reality the two music transmission methods work in …

The Doctrine Of Affections In Music: Where Art Meets Reason, Sharri K. Hall

The Research and Scholarship Symposium (2013-2019)

The Doctrine of Affections was a widespread understanding of music and musicality during the Baroque era. The Doctrine was a result of the philosophy of reason and science as it coincides with music. It aimed to reconcile what man knew about science and the human body, and what man thought he knew about music. It was a reconciliation of practical musicianship and theoretical music which had begun to rise in the time. Though it is generally understood as being apart from Enlightenment thinking, the Doctrine is a result of Enlightenment-style philosophy. As the Enlightenment sought to explain why things occurred …

Swing It Sister: The Influence Of Female Jazz Musicians On Music And Society, Kirsten Saur

The Research and Scholarship Symposium (2013-2019)

Female jazz vocalists, both as soloists and in groups, and instrumentalists, both as solo artists and in ensembles, of the jazz era influenced music and society in their own times and in later times. They added new musical concepts, added new vocal styles, worked to change the society they lived in, and worked hard to find their place in music no matter what got in their way, making them inspirations for future generations of women striving to succeed in the world. This paper looks at how these women of jazz influenced music, society, and future generations of women through their …

Music And Athletics: An Inseparable Bond, Alisha Symington

The Research and Scholarship Symposium (2013-2019)

Music is so deeply ingrained in nearly every part of our culture, it sometimes passes by unnoticed. However, if one were to remove music from its typical appearance, the resulting silence can be deafening. For example, in a film, such as Star Wars, if the main theme did not exist, the anticipation of the film and the overall reaction to the plot would be far less appealing. If clothing stores did not play spunky electronic music, would consumer’s shopping habits be altered? A strongly universal and historic aspect of culture that a lack of music would dramatically is the world …

Musica In Tempore Belli: An Analysis Of “Black Angels”, Calvin D. Hitchcock

The Research and Scholarship Symposium (2013-2019)

Described as “…extraordinarily haunting” and “[the] intoxicating magic of…sound,”(Steinitz, 1978) the music of George Crumb is some of the most evocative and expressive music of the 20th century. His extensive use of extended techniques (many of which he pioneered) is in part what makes his music so memorable. Also known for its liberal use of theatricality, Crumb’s music has become a standard of the 20th century, as well as in the contemporary music canon overall.

“Black Angels” for Electric String Quartet, subtitled “Thirteen Images from the Dark Land” was written as a response to the Vietnam War and is one …

From Silence To Golden: The Slow Integration Of Instruments Into Christian Worship, Jonathan Lyons

The Research and Scholarship Symposium (2013-2019)

The Christian church’s stance on the use of instruments in sacred music shifted through influences of church leaders, composers, and secular culture. Synthesizing the writings of early church leaders and church historians reveals a clear progression. The early musical practices of the church were connected to the Jewish synagogues. As recorded in the Old Testament, Jewish worship included instruments as assigned by one’s priestly tribe. Eventually, early church leaders rejected that inclusion and developed a rather robust argument against instruments in liturgical worship. The totalitarian stance on musical instruments in sacred worship began to loosen as the organ increased in …

Coursing With Coils: The Only Orchestral Instrument Harder Than The French Horn, Sarah R. Plumley

The Research and Scholarship Symposium (2013-2019)

Playing the horn has become not only more sophisticated and accurate, but simpler and more efficient for the horn player than what it was three hundred years ago. The natural horn, used in a variety ways in early history, demanded an incredible level of skill and precision, more than our valved horn today in some ways because it required a more accurate ear, more embouchure dexterity, and the necessity of wrangling crooks for different keys. Thus, it required many practiced skills of the player that are no longer as necessary as they once were. This paper discusses each of these …

Identity In Music, Josiah D. Keith

The Research and Scholarship Symposium (2013-2019)

Whether consciously or not, every person answers the question, “Who am I?” Every mundane action, every syllable spoken, and even every event that affects someone, contribute to the realization of “who I am.” The answer to this question is always an individual’s identity. Identity helps a person achieve a desired social acceptance or success in a certain field. Much of the same can be said for the identity of a group. Different groups throughout history have constantly been fighting for their place in history. The identity of a group is based on the values that they hold, their ideals, actions, …

Oral Transmission: A Marriage Of Music, Language, And Tradition, Emma E. Patterson

The Research and Scholarship Symposium (2013-2019)

There are a number of misunderstandings about ancient oral transmission that negatively affect the way musicians view music history but also the process of how music was and currently is conceived, recorded, and shared. A common misconception is that oral transmission of music is an ancient practice that occurred before written notation of music was developed. However, I seek to prove that there is a false dichotomy between oral transmission and written notation and I focus on the changing definition and importance of oral tradition. Firstly, I discuss the misconceptions of ancient oral transmission. Secondly, I examine the continuing development …

A Look At The Musical And Poetical Language Of Secular Vocal Music Of The Seicento Through Selected Works By Barbara Strozzi, Kylee E. Slee

Seaver College Research And Scholarly Achievement Symposium

In this study, I seek to explore the poetical and musical language of the "cantata" genre of Baroque secular vocal music. The focus is on Italian poetry and music of the Seicento (1600s) with a particular focus on the works of Barbara Strozzi, who was a prominent female composer of the time. I will examine the poetry that Strozzi used in her compositions from a socio-historical standpoint, which will enable a better understanding of how the poetry was written and why the poetry was written in that manner. I will also examine Strozzi’s personal compositional style through the way she …