William Albright's Whistler (1834-1903): Three Nocturnes: "Why The Hell . . . Should Anyone Listen To This?!",
2023
independent scholar
William Albright's Whistler (1834-1903): Three Nocturnes: "Why The Hell . . . Should Anyone Listen To This?!", R. Douglas Reed
Music & Musical Performance
William Albright's Whistler (1834-1903): Three Nocturnes: "Why the hell...should anyone listen to this?!"
By Douglas Reed--2022
The article explores William Albright's Whistler (1834-1903): Three Nocturnes (1989) through historical context, musical analysis, performance practice, and the composer's essay on the relationship between his composition and Whistler's paintings. Commentary by composer Sydney Hodkinson gives information about the 1960s new music scene in Ann Arbor (the ONCE Group, The Grate Society) composition study with Ross Lee Finney.
How Wagner Landed In A Far Away Galaxy: Examining Film From A Musical Perspective,
2023
Cedarville University
How Wagner Landed In A Far Away Galaxy: Examining Film From A Musical Perspective, Elise J. Camillone
Musical Offerings
What does music add to drama, or more specifically, movies? Without music, movies today would not be the same. When it comes to creating a film, the soundtrack is arguably just as important as videography or acting. Exploring the roots that soundtracks have in opera and investigating Wagner’s leitmotif will help discover how it influenced modern-day movie scoring. Furthermore, a deeper understanding of filmmaking can be obtained by examining the role music has to play in modern movies. The soundtracks from the original Star Wars trilogy films can be used to demonstrate the application of these things by looking deeply …
The Dilemma Of Empty Halls,
2023
Cedarville University, Cedarville
The Dilemma Of Empty Halls, Joanna Lauer
Musical Offerings
Today, live classical concert attendance is low, a fact which threatens the careers of professional musicians. This paper examines recent statistics of classical concert attendance, theories as to why attendance rates are low, marketing methods for target audiences, and finally, recommendations to solve the dilemma of empty concert halls. To encourage concert attendance, classical music must be tastefully marketed to present-day audiences through the experience of technically excellent, musical, and interesting live performances. Ultimately, the relationship between art and its audience (the consumer) reveals that the key to the dilemma is the audience.
Ways Of Silence And Other Absences In The Music Of George Crumb,
2023
The Graduate Center, City University of New York
Ways Of Silence And Other Absences In The Music Of George Crumb, Jean-Patrick Besingrand
Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects
The music of American composer George Crumb (1929-2022) is undeniably singular in the musical landscape. His aesthetic is often characterized by his exploration of timbre, his graphic scores, his use of quotation, his theatricality, and his interest in unusual instruments. This study proposes to take a different approach to Crumb’s aesthetic through the spectrum of silences and other absences. The concept of silence will be broken down and reconstructed through the Japanese concept of ma (間) and of empty spaces. Multiple types of silences and absences will be considered throughout this dissertation, expanding thus the concept of silence not only …
Cyberinet: Integrated Semi-Modular Sensors For The Computer-Augmented Clarinet,
2023
Louisiana State University
Cyberinet: Integrated Semi-Modular Sensors For The Computer-Augmented Clarinet, Matthew Bardin
LSU Doctoral Dissertations
The Cyberinet is a new Augmented instrument designed to easily and intuitively provide a method of computer-enhanced performance to the Clarinetist to allow for greater control and expressiveness in a performance. A performer utilizing the Cyberinet is able to seamlessly switch between a traditional performance setting and an augmented one. Towards this, the Cyberinet is a hardware replacement for a portion of a Clarinet containing a variety of sensors embedded within the unit. These sensors collect various real time data motion data of the performer and air fow within the instrument. Additional sensors can be connected to the Cyberinet to …
Bluegrass: A Voicing,
2023
University of Tennessee, Knoxville
Bluegrass: A Voicing, Cade Botts
Masters Theses
In 2010, Fred Bartenstein’s detailed the voice stackings found in bluegrass in his article “Bluegrass Voicings.” [1]This paper will go beyond this discussion of the arrangement of voices to an examination of the harmonic voicing styles found in bluegrass music. Stamps-Braxter’s 1937 arrangement of “Farther Along”[2] and transcriptions of recordings by bluegrass legends Bill Monroe, Stanley Brothers, Reno & Smiley, the Osborne Brothers, Dolly Parton, and the Grascals will be used as a case study to look at multiple chord voicings. Based on the analyses of these transcriptions, a list of “voice leading conventions” for bluegrass compositions will …
The Wind Band Music Of Steven Reineke: A Study Of Three Of His Musical Compositions, His Characteristic Sound, And The Inspiration Behind His Works,
2023
Pittsburg State University
The Wind Band Music Of Steven Reineke: A Study Of Three Of His Musical Compositions, His Characteristic Sound, And The Inspiration Behind His Works, Eric Stark
Electronic Theses & Dissertations
The purpose of this project proposal is to examine the music of Steven Reineke. The study will investigate and discuss the background information of three pieces and find common compositional elements used by Mr. Reineke. The study will also include rehearsal and performance considerations of each work. Form graphs and conducting analysis will be included. Other information presented in this study will educate the reader about the life of Mr. Reineke. The goal of this thesis is to help band instructors with rehearsal guides and performance instructions for Heaven’s Light, The Witch and the Saint, and Pilatus: Mountain of Dragons …
The Post-Tonal Evolution Of David Diamond: A Theoretic-Analytical Perspective,
2023
University of South Carolina
The Post-Tonal Evolution Of David Diamond: A Theoretic-Analytical Perspective, William John Ton
Theses and Dissertations
David Leo Diamond (1915–2005) was a prolific and highly esteemed American composer whose works were premiered by such notable conductors as Dimitri Mitropoulos, Eugene Ormandy, Serge Koussevitzky, Leonard Bernstein, and Gerard Schwarz. In addition to his significant output and a large circle of famous friends and professional acquaintances, his sphere of influence also included his tenure as professor of composition at the Juilliard School where he worked from 1973 until 1997. His impressive roster of students includes distinguished composers such as Lowell Liebermann, Eric Whitacre, and Vivian Fung. Despite his stature as a composer, however, there is a surprising lack …
Christ Our Passover (Pascha Nostrum),
2023
Southern Methodist University
Christ Our Passover (Pascha Nostrum), Anthony Elia
Bridwell Library Research
Work was originally written for the Congregation of the Episcopal Church of the Redeemer (Irving, TX) in 2021, but not completed till 2023. Given in honor of Canon Victoria Heard's Distinguished Service and Retirement in Spring 2023. (9 pages). [Based off of texts from 1 Corinthians and Romans].
Florence Price: Forgotten No More,
2023
Eastern Washington University
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 …
Functional And Non-Functional Harmonic Devices In The Music Of Wayne Shorter From The 1960'S: Analysis And Application,
2023
Portland State University
Functional And Non-Functional Harmonic Devices In The Music Of Wayne Shorter From The 1960'S: Analysis And Application, Max Reynolds
University Honors Theses
During the 1960's, composers within the jazz genre began to expand their harmonic palette, diverging aesthetically from the compositional tendencies of music from the Great American Songbook and the Bebop repertoire. Of the people making these developments, Wayne Shorter was among the pioneers and is one of the most widely influential composers in jazz from the mid 20th century. My project has identified a selection of techniques that he used to explore new harmonic territory and applied them within an original body of work.
/////// Babaamiwizh – Blood Memory And How We Carry Ancestral Histories /////// On Memory, Immersive Theatre, Improvisation, & Absurdity,
2023
Dartmouth College
/////// Babaamiwizh – Blood Memory And How We Carry Ancestral Histories /////// On Memory, Immersive Theatre, Improvisation, & Absurdity, Olivia Shortt
Dartmouth College Master’s Theses
babaamiwizh – blood memory and how we carry intergenerational histories: a collection of fragmented stories and thoughts on making Indigenous art. These writings attempt to find the balance of an artist's humanity, the artistic process and working with colonial institutions. I am stitching together my perspective on Indigeneity, museums and the process of repatriation, collaboration with trusted community members, as well as the land and its medicines.
Why Not Be Free: The Black Worldmaking Praxis, Research Method, & Manifesto For Developing Music Interventions Against Stress In Black Youth,
2023
Dartmouth College
Why Not Be Free: The Black Worldmaking Praxis, Research Method, & Manifesto For Developing Music Interventions Against Stress In Black Youth, Armond Epps Dorsey
Dartmouth College Master’s Theses
Why Not Be Free? is an interdisciplinary exploration of music intervention development demonstrating the application of my integrated research and artistic practices through an outlined antiracist method for designing music to reduce stress in Black college youth and a manifesto detailing the compositional process. I draw from Black feminist and womanist thought, music cognition, and public health literature to outline a framework for designing music interventions to reduce stress among Black populations: the Music Medicine Critical Race Praxis. I situate my work among Black speculative artists reimagining experiences in everyday Black life as well as music intervention researchers integrating …
Understanding The Beauty Of Mathematics By Composing Claude Debussy's Syrinx Into Mathematical Equations,
2023
Seattle Pacific University
Understanding The Beauty Of Mathematics By Composing Claude Debussy's Syrinx Into Mathematical Equations, Mackenzi Mehlberg
Honors Projects
Mesmerizing melodies and narrative storytelling are exemplified in Claude Debussy's Syrinx. As a well-known piece of solo flute literature, it is considered beautiful. Conversely, mathematics is seen as logical, and by implication not beautiful. Using Fourier Analysis, Syrinx can be represented in a different context: a series of mathematical equations. These mathematical equations can then be played as a different interpretation of Syrinx. With this interpretation, we see that mathematics is beautiful.
Play Makes Perfect: An Exploration Of Game And Play Elements In Composition And Performance,
2023
The Graduate Center, City University of New York
Play Makes Perfect: An Exploration Of Game And Play Elements In Composition And Performance, Gabrielle Chou
Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects
This dissertation aims to explore the intersection of play and games in Western classical music and define a new category of pieces, “ludic pieces,” which contain play structures and game mechanics within their composition. Starting with surveying perspectives in ludology and ludomusicology, including those by Roger Caillois, Johan Huizinga, Jesper Juul, Katie Salen, and Eric Zimmerman, I will examine various definitions of a “game” and what its qualifying aspects are. I will then turn to music and consider pieces that interact with play and games without containing game structures, including examples of musical humor and pieces which evoke the imagery …
Rearranging: Songwriting With Multi-Genre Influence,
2023
Portland State University
Rearranging: Songwriting With Multi-Genre Influence, Ryan Elliott
University Honors Theses
This craft essay examines the inspiration and creation of the song "Rearranging," which was written, recorded, and produced by Ryan Elliott in his home studio over the course of four months. The project's goal was to create a piece of music that challenged the songwriting conventions in modern popular music, while also exploring the fluidity of genre in modern music. The final piece of music is over 22 minutes in length, and explores a variety of styles within the spectrum of rock, pop, and jazz music. With lyrics attuned to the simultaneous anxiety, responsibility, and power of being a young …
Talking Heads, Fear Of Music, And The "Different Thinking" Of David Byrne,
2023
brunij@gvsu.edu
Talking Heads, Fear Of Music, And The "Different Thinking" Of David Byrne, John Bruni
Ought: The Journal of Autistic Culture
This article proposes that the 2006 post on the website of David Byrne, the vocalist/guitarist of Talking Heads, announcing his self-diagnosis as an autistic person, invites a reappraisal of the band’s discography, especially Fear of Music (1979), which foregrounds his lyrical approach. Fear of Music, I suggest, relies on “autistic misdirections” that illustrate Byrne’s “different thinking” about his body, mind, communicative (in)ability, and relationship to physical spaces – all prominent and productive areas of exploration within critical autism studies.
“Different thinking” is taken from the 2020 memoir of Chris Frantz, the drummer of Talking Heads, in describing, retroactively, how …
Jeff Scott’S "Startin’ Sumthin’, Composed For The Monmouth Winds," Transcribed For Full Wind Band,
2023
Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College
Jeff Scott’S "Startin’ Sumthin’, Composed For The Monmouth Winds," Transcribed For Full Wind Band, Trevor Butts
LSU Doctoral Dissertations
The goal of this project is to create a wind band transcription of a work for a chamber music ensemble by Jeff Scott. Jeff Scott creates works that he considers “Urban Classical Music”. These works are rooted in European traditions and informed by his African American culture. His music is unapologetically influenced by the cultural experiences of his diverse, urban environment upbringing.
This project is intended to contribute to the overall body of wind band literature, specifically the body of wind band literature composed by underrepresented composers. There has been a lack of representation of African American composers throughout the …
Experimenting With Colors In Music: Making And Breaking Rules In The Butterfly Effect,
2023
University of Mississippi
Experimenting With Colors In Music: Making And Breaking Rules In The Butterfly Effect, Chloe King
Honors Theses
The following thesis is a culmination of four years of academic and musical development as a percussionist at the University of Mississippi. It offers a discussion and analysis of my original composition, The Butterfly Effect (2021-2023), exploring the compositional process from preliminary sketches to the finalized score. It also discusses the inspiration for composing an original work, the use of different music theory techniques relevant to an analysis of the work, and comparisons to relevant compositions throughout the history of Western music. The Butterfly Effect experiments with compositional techniques that often depart from established rules of harmony and counterpoint, a …
Etudes For Marimba: An Assessment Of Intermediate And Advanced Techniques With Four New Works,
2023
James Madison University
Etudes For Marimba: An Assessment Of Intermediate And Advanced Techniques With Four New Works, William Alderman
Dissertations, 2020-current
Over the past century, the marimba has experienced rapid growth. From its construction, performance practices, and technical approach, the instrument has been elevated to a well-respected instrument. Since the development of the five-octave marimba in the early 1980s, literature for the marimba has expanded exponentially. Through this expansion, works for the beginning and advanced performer has become widely available. However, a gap in literature exists within intermediate to intermediate-advanced range. Although it is of utmost importance for the progressing performer, this stepping stone literature can be difficult to find. In response, I have written my book, Etudes for Marimba: Four …
