Composition Commons^™

Voice Recitals At The Unl School Of Music: Compilation Study, Audrey M. Nicholson

Glenn Korff School of Music: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Creative Work, and Performance

An informative compilation of Voice Recitals at the UNL School of Music categorized by Masters, DMA, and Faculty recitals from 1988-2012. Information includes: composer, work title, song title, performer, performance date, instrumentation, audio availability, and online program link.

"Download" button links to pdf version of file. Spreadsheet version (.xls) is attached below as "Related file." ".xlr" files are spreadsheets and can be opened from MS Excel.

The Choral Music Of Allen Henry Koepke (1939-2012) With A Conductor's Special Focus On The Preparation Of His Seminal Work, Missa Brevis, Keith J. Curington

Glenn Korff School of Music: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Creative Work, and Performance

Although American choirs have been performing Allen Koepke’s compositions since 1973 and his music is witnessing greater and greater international appeal, especially in Asia, academic writings about the composer and his contribution to the choral art have been absent. This document examines Missa Brevis, the seminal work by Allen Koepke, and serves as a conductor’s guide for score study and rehearsal preparation. It will address practical problems unique to the work and will suggest solutions that will ensure excellence in its performance. A biography, a complete catalogue of the composer’s large number of choral works in print, a listing …

2012-2013 New Music Festival, Donald Waxman, Lisa Leonard

New Music Festival

Seventh Annual New Music Festival

• Donald Waxman, Composer-in-Residence
• Lisa Leonard, Director

Monday, October 1, 2012 at 7:30 pm

• Spotlight 1: Young Composers

Tuesday, October 2, 2012 at 7:30 pm

• Contemporary Forum

Thursday, October 4, 2012 at 7:30 pm

• Spotlight 2: Donald Waxman

Concertino, Doug Lofstrom, Jennet Ingle, Kelsey Molinari, Kirk Muspratt

Doug Lofstrom

Orchestral works released on Origin Classical out of Seatlle, Washington on July 17, 2012. Featuring: Jennet Ingle, oboe; Kelsey Molinari, harp; with accompanying musicians; Kirk Muspratt, conductor; Doug Lofstrom, conductor.

Student Teaching Band Arrangement, Whitney Mensink

Undergraduate Honors Capstone Projects

As a future music educator, I have learned how to teach students through various courses and instruction. During the last semester of my undergraduate, I am required to student teach. This gives me an opportunity to apply everything I’ve learned to see if it really works, and what my particular teaching style and philosophy is. At Sky View High School, I had the opportunity to teach the Sophomore Concert Band. For my thesis project, I decided to arrange a piece just for them – to rehearse with them and to score it to the strengths of the ensemble. Since I …

A Performer’S Guide To Six Song Cycles Composed Between 1959 And 2010 By Mississippi Composers, Sarah Hogrefe Mabary

Dissertations

This dissertation offers a performer’s guide to six song cycles by Mississippi composers, including the structure and form of the songs, possible poetic interpretations, and performance practice techniques. The song cycles addressed are Samuel Jones’s Four Haiku, Howard Keever's Dreams, Raymond Liebau's Song Set I and Song Set II, and James Sclater's Three Songs on Texts of Emily Dickinson and Songs from “Telephone Poles.” For the purposes of this study, a Mississippi composer is defined as one who has a significant connection to Mississippi, either by birth or by having worked as a musician in the state for many years. …

Joseph Kreines: A Biographical Sketch, An Analysis Of American Song Set For Band And A Descriptive Catalogue Of His Original Compositions And Transcriptions For Wind Band, Paul Eugene Weikle Jr.

Dissertations

Joseph Kreines is a well-respected composer, conductor and educator who has maintained an illustrious musical career in Florida and elsewhere. Originally from Chicago, Illinois, Kreines came to Florida in the 1960s as the Associate Conductor of the Florida Symphony Orchestra. Other professional conducting appointments with the Brevard Symphony Orchestra, The Gulf Coast Symphony Orchestra and appointments as the conductor of the Florida Symphony Orchestra Youth Symphony, Pinellas Youth Symphony Orchestra and Brevard Youth Symphony Orchestra proved to be the launching of a successful free-lance career as guest conductor for hundreds of Secondary programs in Florida and elsewhere including band, orchestra …

Olympia: A Musical Composition For Wind Ensemble, Kyle Macdonald

Mahurin Honors College Capstone Experience/Thesis Projects

Olympia is a one movement musical composition to be performed by a wind ensemble. Written for the composer’s honors capstone project, Olympia is an exploration into the world of composing for large musical ensembles. The main theme, heard in the trombone solo at measure 40, is the proverbial “voice in the wilderness” that heroically comes out of chaos and is heard throughout the piece in different forms. Starting in short score with piano and percussion, the piece was then orchestrated into the final version. Written in the fall of 2011 and the spring of 2012, Olympia was rehearsed and performed …

Mouth's Cradle Presents: Wisdom Teeth, Kevin Hegedus

Honors Capstone Projects - All

[See attached document for abstract]

A Conductor’S Guide To The Poetic And Musical Style Of The Cante Jondo Based On The Work Of Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco’S Romancero Gitano, Op.152, For Choir And Guitar With Selected Poems Of Federico Garcia Lorca’S Poema Del Cante Jondo, Elsa Patricia Ramierz-Hacker

Dissertations

Composers around the world have found the poetry of Federico García Lorca a source of inspiration for solo and choral works. Mario Castelnuovo- Tedesco used seven texts from Lorca’s Poema del Cante Jondo (Deep Song Poems) in his work Romancero Gitano, op. 152, for choir and guitar.

The purpose of this study is to provide a conductor’s guide to the poetic, historical, and musical structure of the cante jondo. Cante jondo or “deep song” is considered the most serious and profound collection of songs in Flamenco music. These songs express the history and landscape of the Andalucían region. Donn Phoren …

Sonnet 29, Matthew Carlson

Student Publications

"Sonnet 29" is an a capella choral piece written for the Gettysburg College Choir in the Spring of 2012. Dr. Robert Natter, director of the College choir, asked me if I would like to write a piece with text of Shakespeare, as he was planning to program a concert that consisted entirely of Shakespearean text. I chose this particular sonnet because it has a great metaphor of transformation which lends itself well to being set to music. In the first half of the piece, the speaker is in utter despair, and I bring this out with clustered harmonies, quiet dynamics, …

Rebekah & Aliya, Mark Hirsch

Lawrence University Honors Projects

Rebekah & Aliya is a multimedia ballet for two dancers, ten musicians, and film based on a story of love, timelessness, and transcendence. Drawing inspiration from literary themes of Jorge Luis Borges as well as composers of the Renaissance and Avant-garde alike, this collaboration with choreographer Madeline Bunke is a four-scene work, alternating between film and live dance, with live music throughout.

Chapter 11, Songs In Intimacy And Community In A Changing World: Sikaiana Life 1980-1993, William Donner

Sikaiana Ethnography

A chapter on song composition and performance in the Sikaiana ethnography. Songs were an important part of Sikaiana life in 1980-1993. There were two major song types: songs composed in a traditional Polynesian style, and songs composed for the more recently introduced guitar.

A related website is www.sikaianaarchives.com

Running Barefoot, Benjamin Marx

Senior Projects Spring 2012

I have been required by the registrar to submit an artist statement, and to be honest I do not know what I am supposed to say. If I am expected to explain a deep profound message about my music, I have none. And if I should to discuss the pieces in my concert, I would rather leave it up to the audience to figure out what the pieces mean to them. Now I am only on the cusp of my musical exploration. I have just this year glimpsed the vast world of music and begun to understand its endlessness. While …

Exploring The Multi-Generational Influence Of American Ragtime Music Through The Works Of Charles Ives, William Walton And William Bolcom, Rebecca E. Smith

Theses : Honours

Ragtime music is a style of popular music established in America that came to prominence between the years of 1896 and 1918. It is believed to have its roots in Blackface minstrel shows, it's defining feature, the heavily syncopated rhythm, quickly becoming a stereotype of African-American music. This thesis will explore the multi-generational influence of American Ragtime music on the art-music world through the works of Charles Ives (1874-1954), William Walton (1902-1983), and William Bolcom (1938-). It will timeline the undulating influence of Ragtime music on these subsequent generations of composers, noting in particular the revivals of the 1940's and …

A Survey Of The Sacred Choral-Orchestral Works Of Sir Henry Walford Davies (1869-1941), Martin C. Cook

Glenn Korff School of Music: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Creative Work, and Performance

In the closing years of the 19th Century, when Charles Villiers Stanford, Hubert Parry and Edward Elgar were at the height of their fame and influence in British musical society Henry Walford Davies emerged as one of the most promising talents of the day, receiving commissions from the provincial music festivals of Great Britain, which were a rite of passage for emerging composers.

Between 1904 and 1929 Davies produced eleven sacred choral-orchestral works for these festivals and one further work, which were received favorably in their day but are now almost forgotten. There are five large multi movement works: The …

Christopher Rouse: An Exploration Of Three Percussion Standards, Brian T. Nozny

Theses and Dissertations--Music

The percussion ensemble is still a relatively young ensemble, with the first works by Edgard Varèse and Amadeo Roldan composed in the first third of the 20th century. Because of this youth, it is important to examine significant works for the percussion ensemble which establish themselves as staples to the repertoire. Christopher Rouse, a Pulitzer-Prize winning composer has written three such works, Ogoun Badagris (1976), Ku-Ka-Ilimoku (1978), and Bonham (1989). This study will closely examine each of these works, providing background, detailed analysis, and performance practice for each of these works.

Double Barrel Rhythm Thing, Chris Rutkowski

Chris Rutkowski

Double Barrel Rhythm thing (two tenor saxes, piano, bass, drums) is an original interpretation of mainstream bebop and the jazz trope "I Got Rhythm".

Les Structures Du Rêve, For Two Marimbas And Multipercussion., Bruno Louchourn

Bruno Louchouarn

Recent studies have likened dreams to virtual reality. They are much closer in nature to our conscious life than previously thought. In many ways the apprehension of dreams parallel that of music. In both case a stream of virtually real events is pieced together and accepted by the mind in a very intuitive fashion, with similar suspension of disbelief, and similar level of aesthetic responses from the beautiful to the disturbing. Their structure is clear from moment to moment but less precisely felt globally

Tiempos - Sun/Dial, For Orchestra, Bruno Louchourn

Bruno Louchouarn

The multi-movement Time Pieces is inspired by clocks through the ages, from the sun dial to the atom clock. The sun dial's time is primal, slow moving and only impresses on us the certainty that segments of the day have elapsed, a fact paralleled by the sectional nature of this movement. The use of special microtonal percussion highlights the disembodied nature of light. Since the sundial only works when the sun is casting focused rays, there is in the music a constant interplay between the diffused and the focused.

Tiempos Ii - Water/Clock, For Orchestra, Bruno Louchourn

Bruno Louchouarn

The ancient clepsydra, or water clock, measured time by gradual flow of water. In “Water Clock” the diffuse and fluid energy of water is transformed into rhythmic time, while always retaining the impalpable quality of the liquid element.

Mémoires De L’Eau, For Eight Percussionists, Bruno Louchourn

Bruno Louchouarn

“Mémoires de l’eau” means water’s memories or memoirs. I am, like many, fascinated by that element and the importance of its three states (liquid, solid, and gaseous) in nature. The different properties of water in each state are linked to the type of bond between the molecules. I wanted to explore this concept in music. Rhythmically the elemental motive of this piece - the polyrhythm 5 against 4 against 3 - presents a varying balance between order and freedom. At different tempos it behaves differently: very fast it is fluid and free, very slow it is open and intangible, and …

Images Surfacing, For 4 Flutes And 2 Pianos, Bruno Louchourn

Bruno Louchouarn

his piece was inspired by the work of American painter Lee Krasner. Her style, originally stemming from abstract expressionism, evolved to incorporate collage and a personal brand of abstract minimalism with repeated small hieroglyph-like motives. The expressiveness of her work at large, with its stunning balance between order and intuitive gestures is, for me, embodied in the title of a single painting entitled “Images Surfacing.” It prompted me to try to explore similar concepts in music. In this piece the melodic gestures have a free and abstract quality, sometimes coalescing in seemingly familiar harmonic or rhythmic structures. The freedom of …

Échanges, Guitar Duo, Bruno Louchourn

Bruno Louchouarn

No abstract provided.

Tiempos Iv - Atoms, For Orchestra, Bruno Louchourn

Bruno Louchouarn

The precision of the best mechanical clocks cannot rival that of the atomic clock which homes in on the absolute regularity of quantum changes within the atom. This regularity and the apparent simplicity of the atom are in contrast to the complex statistical nature of its electronic states, and the (growing) number of discovered sub-atomic particles. The fourth movement: "Atoms" is inspired by this notion of complexity generated by multiple simplicities.

Flux, For Flute, Multi-Percussion, And Electronics, Bruno Louchourn

Bruno Louchouarn

In Flux I sought to explore the shift of meaning between the clear denotation of the spoken words and their transformation into “music.” The process moves from the indexical nature of words to the corporeality of speech. The players embody that performative aspect of music-speech. This piece was conceived in layers generating each other centrifugally: “Flux,” the short poem by Carl Sandburg, has the alliterative simplicity needed for semantic and formal sonic manipulations. The 15 second reading is actually the seed from which everything is derived. The motives in the electronic layer are generated form the pitches and rhythm of …

Fiestas, For 12 Percussionists, Bruno Louchourn

Bruno Louchouarn

Fiestas is conceptually inspired by the "Feasts" as social rituals. The musical process and form mirror aspects of group dynamic in these gatherings. Although a few individual players may at times dominate, the ensemble has to "conduct" itself with several sub-groups emerging and disappearing. The main theme, introduced by hand claps, is an oscillation slowly quickening to a fast trepidation, giving way to a stable polyrhythm. The degree of synchronization between players or groups of players varies and generally increases toward more order as the piece unfolds. I wanted to impart a sense of “orchestra” to the group with relatively …

De Una Piedra De Gracia, For Marimba And Chamber Orchestra, Bruno Louchourn

Bruno Louchouarn

Text: “Y sucedió que incontables gracias nacieran de una piedra de gracia.” Libro de los espíritus Mayas “And it so happened that countless graces were born out of a stone of grace.” Book of Mayan Spirits In the cosmology of the Mayas there are various cycles of creation starting from simple elements and building upon themselves. The sober poetry of this fragment was the starting point for the piece. Through the three sections there is a increase in the complexity in the material and in the interraction between the players. Concurrently the degree of independence and stratification decrease all the …

Music For Films, Tv, Commercial, Bruno Louchourn

Bruno Louchouarn

Music for film, TV, and commercials. Titles include: Tango Flush, The Novice, Cover Up (Dolph Lungren), Latin, Surf Orpheus, Total Recall, 100 Centre Streetm Black Dog.

Hope, Chris Rutkowski

Chris Rutkowski

Hope is a composition for jazz combo featuring two meters, a 4/4 ballad and a 12/8 gospel waltz.