History Commons^™

Marching To The Beat Of Her Drum: A View Into The Music Heritage Of The Women's Army Corps, Jennifer Trotnow

Theses and Dissertations

The Women’s Army Corps (WAC) Band was a unique military band that consisted of all-women soldier musicians. This study examined the stories and music education of the women who served in the WAC band. Several questions guided this study including: 1) what kind of music education did these women receive before, during, and after serving in the WAC band? 2) how were the music educations of these soldiers different throughout the various eras of war? 3) did the women continue to play their instruments after they finished serving in the Army? If so, in what capacity did they play? and …

Us, Abundantly: From Africa To The Americas, Karisma Jay

Theses and Dissertations

"Us, AbunDantly," a Live theatrical dance performance and film, delves into the African Diaspora and its influences. An artistic and academic project built upon the amplification of Black excellence and Black pride, this paper contextualizes a work within the oral histories and contemporary dance studies of a powerfully ancestral community.

Time Machine Research And Approach, Tarek Bouraque

Theses and Dissertations

Time Machine is a hybrid documentary that explores the logics of enslavement, colonialism, eurocentrism and their interconnectedness in our globalized world. Mustapha Azemmouri, born in 1502, undertakes a journey to the 21st century to recount his own story of enslavement and exploration, and reflects on a collective puzzle of 500 years of hidden history.

Women In Music: Letting A Long Story Be Long Contemplating Women’S Sonic, Musical, And Spiritual Experiences In Prehistory, Deborah J. Saidel

Theses and Dissertations

Situated within deep history, this study explores the auditory and spiritual lives of Paleolithic women. It considers their personal agency in mediating the spiritual power of sound and how doing so contributes to a multifaceted musicality. The theoretical framework involves a wide spectrum of topics, from ways of rethinking the writing of history and reckoning with time, to sound studies and the study of acoustics in ancient sites, to a critical examination through a feminist lens of normative disciplinary scholarship in anthropology and archaeology, religious studies, and musicology. I explore potential audio-visual-lithic relationships for their implications for deepening an understanding …

Archival Enactment, Retelling 'The Big Book': Alison Knowles, Something Else Press And Fluxus, Meghan A. Dellacrosse

Theses and Dissertations

"Archival Enactment, Retelling 'The Big Book': Alison Knowles, Something Else Press and Fluxus," positions Knowles’ Big Book (1966) as a case study of historical methodology and interdisciplinary artistic practice in the post-war period. This comprehensive analysis of Big Book, a work of art no longer extant, contextualizes its publisher, Something Else Press through Dick Higgins’ concept of “intermedia,” and important lesser-known junctures relevant to Fluxus and the group’s leader George Maciunas are illuminated. Knowles' early and lesser-known silkscreen paintings are also examined.

That's Debatable!: Genre Issues In Troubadour Tensos And Partimens, Kelli Mcqueen

Theses and Dissertations

The troubadour repertory consists of an elaborate complex of genres, some of which are dialogs that employ argumentation in the form of a debate or contest. The precise classification of these debate songs, especially the tenso and partimen genres, involves a measure of controversy that arose in the fourteenth century and continues today. Modern scholars in both literary and musical disciplines reference the dispute in their study of these songs, but largely gloss over the controversy to uphold the traditional parameters of their own disciplines. For literary scholars, this means treating these dialogs as lyric poetry, and musicologists tend to …

The Struggle Is Real: Propaganda And Workers Songbooks Published By The Workers Music League, 1934-35, Jennifer Meixelsperger

Theses and Dissertations

In New York City, the 1930s saw an explosion of artistic activity through the growth of literary John Reed Clubs, Workers Theatres, and in music: the Composers Collective and Pierre Degeyter Club. These music organizations can trace their roots ultimately back to the Communist Party of the United States, and then to Comintern. They worked together with the goal of creating a distinctly “proletarian music,” which arguably culminated in the 1934 and 1935 releases of two Workers Songbooks. Together, these Songbooks serve as examples of the organizations’ attempts to create proletarian music, and also as examples of neutral propaganda, as …

William Grant Still And The Balance Of Popular Vs. Classical: Pace & Handy, Black Swan, And Shuffle Along, Jacqueline Brellenthin

Theses and Dissertations

Although known for his classical compositions, the African American composer William Grant Still worked in the popular music market at Pace & Handy Music Publishing, Black Swan Records, and as an orchestrator and pit musician for the black musical, Shuffle Along. These are all early experiences that must be considered when discussing his later success in art and popular music and that can offer valuable insight for scholars. In order to understand these employment experiences, this thesis places Still in the cultural context of early-1920s New York. By examining the ideology of racial uplift and the African American entertainment scene …

Two Historiographical Studies In Musicology: Josquin Des Prez, A History Of Western Music, And The Norton Anthology Of Western Music: A Case Study; & In Search Of Medieval Irish Chant And Liturgy: A Chronological Overview Of The Secondary Literature, Marianne Yvette Kordas

Theses and Dissertations

STUDY ONE: This study examines the changes made to the biography and works of the Renaissance composer Josquin des Prez (c.1450-1521) through the eight editions of A History of Western Music and its associated score anthologies from 1960 to 2010. It is hypothesized that there are significant correlations between the changes made to Josquin's biography in musicological scholarship at large during the 1990s and the changes to his life and works made in the textbook.

STUDY TWO: The study of liturgy and chant in medieval Ireland not only informs our understanding of insular Christianity, but also illuminates the broader practices …

Western Swing In Transcription: Who's Sorry Now? By Milton Brown And His Musical Brownies (Decca 5158-B), Madeline Olson Dietrich

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis presents a full-score transcription of a recording of a string band performing a Tin Pan Alley song. Context is established through a review of events leading up to the recording, focusing on contributions by key personnel. Decca 5158-B, Who's Sorry Now? by Milton Brown and His Musical Brownies is today regarded as westerns swing, but the

style is hardly comparable to the slick, highly arranged sound of western swing orchestras from the late 1940s and early 50s. The Brownies were a Texas fiddle band playing mostly pop and jazz standards, not the cowboy and western themed repertory of …

The Congress For Cultural Freedom, La Musica Nel Xx Secolo, And Aesthetic "Othering": An Archival Investigation, Shannon E. Pahl

Theses and Dissertations

Between 1950 and 1967, the Congress for Cultural Freedom, an organization of anti-totalitarian intellectuals funded by the United States government, hosted conferences and festivals regarding the pursuit of intellectual freedom. In 1952 and 1954, the Congress for Cultural Freedom hosted two music events. While the first festival has been researched considerably, the 1954 conference has not been documented comparably. While unexplored, this conference has been the cause of much speculation on the political connotation of dodecaphonic and avant-garde techniques in postwar Europe. This project explores archival evidence related to the 1954 conference, with a focus on internal memoranda, correspondence, program …

An Improvised World: Jazz And Community In Milwaukee, 1950-1970, Benjamin Barbera

Theses and Dissertations

This study looks at the history of jazz in Milwaukee between 1950 and 1970. During this period Milwaukee experienced a series of shifts that included a large migration of African Americans, urban renewal and expressway projects, and the early stages of deindustrialization. These changes had an impact on the jazz musicians, audience, and venues in Milwaukee such that the history of jazz during this period reflects the social, economic, and physical landscape of the city in transition.

This thesis fills two gaps in the scholarship on Milwaukee. First, it describes the history of jazz in Milwaukee in a more comprehensive …

The Symphony In America: Maurice Abravanel, And The Utah Symphony Orchestra: The Battle For Classical Music, Alex D. Smith

Theses and Dissertations

Between 1947 and 1979 the Utah Symphony Orchestra was transformed from an obscure, part-time, amateur orchestra into one of the major symphony orchestras in America. By 1947 the orchestra, which had begun as a Works Progress Administration organization, was barely hanging on. The symphony struggled to remain financially solvent, performing only a few concerts per year. Thirty-two years later the Utah Symphony Orchestra was one of the most prestigious musical ensembles in the country— receiving rave reviews from critics around the world, touring extensively, and with more than a hundred albums to its credit. The remarkable growth of the Utah …

A Mormon Cultural Study Of Musical Preference, Alden L. Weight

Theses and Dissertations

Music is an important yet relatively unnoticed part of the everyday world almost all of us take for granted. Whether in the car, watching television, shopping, at work or at home, even waking up in the morning or going to sleep at night, and so forth, music surrounds us, soothes us, disturbs us, and occasionally goes so far as to persuade us. Although music plays a significant role in many areas of life, its relationship to society is especially evident in the religious sphere. Therefore, the religious sphere is an ideal place to examine what music does and what it …

The Song Of The Righteous: An Historical And Literary Analysis Of The Latter-Day Saint Hymnal, Ruth Alene Thomson Symons

Theses and Dissertations

The hymnal of the Latter-day Saints first proposed only shortly after the organization of the Church and published continually every few years between 1835 and 1871, is a remarkably accurate indicator of the changing fortunes and beliefs of the early Saints. The first hymnal, gathered by Emma Smith, uncompromisingly sets forth the basic Mormon belief in man's free agency, his innate perfectability, and his kinship to his Heavenly Father. Later editions reflect the missionary concerns of the church (1840), the tremendous persecution the saints are subjected to (1841), the Church difficulties after the martyrdom of Joseph Smith (1849), the call …

The Ogden Tabernacle Choir: Its History And Contributions To The Cultural History Of Utah, Merlin Ray Sorensen

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this thesis is to present a history of the Ogden Tabernacle Choir, to ascertain the extent to which it developed musically, and to include any contributions that were made by the various conductors in attaining that degree of artistry achieved by this musical organization. Inasmuch as the choir was disbanded in 1949, this study will encompass its complete history. It will also include a biography of its conductors. Because the choir rehearsed and performed primarily in the Pioneer Tabernacle, a short history of this building and the Ogden Tabernacle Organ will be included, as well.

George Edward Percy Careless: His Contributions To The Musical Culture Of Utah And The Significance Of His Life And Works, Howard Hoggan Putnam

Theses and Dissertations

Through study of the conditions of the past one is often able to appreciate the present a great deal more. Particularly does this seem true when one looks into the early musical activities in our State of Utah. Most people are aware of the great amount of musical activities existing at the present time in Utah, but many fail to stop and realize the background of work and effort applied to bring these musical experiences before the public. Many fail to realize the pioneering work done by individuals to advance music to its present degree of performance. Names such as …

Eighty Years Of Music In St. George, Utah, 1861-1941, Reed Paul Thompson

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study has been to trace the development of music in St. George, Utah from its settlement in 1861 to 1941, an eighty-year period of much change. It has been an attempt, therefore, to show the musical heritage which this city now enjoys.

Brigham Cecil Gates: Composer, Director, Teacher Of Music, Lyneer Charles Smith

Theses and Dissertations

Every now and then, in the realms of science and art, we learn that some especially striking figure, who captures our attention, is from Utah. The achievements of the sons and daughters of the Utah pioneers reflect the substantial character of the work of the men and women who laid the foundation of Utah.

This foundation was composed of material gathered from every worthy purpose engulfing character and cultural expression of the people. Among other accomplishments, Utah has had a notable development in musical art. Her achievements have not been a result of extraordinary circumstances, but from the long and …