Composition Commons^™

Light And Shadow In Kaija Saariaho's Maan Varjot, Benjamin M. Cornelius-Bates

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Kaija Saariaho’s work Maan Varjot is a relatively new addition to a set of repertoire that includes the organ as a part of the orchestra. This commission from the Orchestre Symphonique de Montréal, Orchestre National de Lyon, Southbank Centre, and the Philharmonia Orchestra, was premiered in 2014 and features the organ as a timbral enhancement and contrast to the orchestra. The 52nd Stanza from the poem Adonais, written by Percy Shelley and dedicated to John Keats, provide an important insight into the analysis and interpretation of the work. Two lines in particular are important: “The One remains, the many change …

The Influence Of Santería In Leo Brouwer's Solo Guitar Works (1955–1993), Eoin Flood

Doctoral

This study will assess the solo guitar works of Cuban composer Leo Brouwer (1939–present) in terms of influence from Santería, a ritual music derived from WestAfrican slaves and still practised in Cuba. This will be achieved by using both analytical and evaluative processes. For the former, a range of influential parameters have been identified, each falling under three strands: rhythmic and metric, structural, and melodic. These will be revealed in all of Brouwer’s solo guitar works written from 1955 to 1993. A parameter’s influence can be revealed in two ways: the multitude of its usage per piece, or the percentage …

To Become Wind [Full Score], Jie Hong Yang

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

No abstract provided.

Composition Portfolio, Alexander J. Juhan

Theses and Dissertations

A selection of works. Includes contemporary pieces, as well as music scored to picture.

An Analysis Of Western Art Music Arrangements For Steel Pan Chamber Ensemble, Ian Meiman

Dissertations

This dissertation is an analysis of western art music arrangements for steel pan chamber ensembles. Specifically, this dissertation will analyze how certain arrangers have adapted western art music for steel pan chamber ensemble while discussing the possible methods the arranger used to create this adaptation. The analysis will observe the melodic, harmonic, rhythmic, and other significant alterations made in the steel pan chamber arrangement, and discuss any changes made, whether due to the adaptation of the instruments or otherwise, from the original works. The dissertation will also include a brief historical discussion on western art music’s influence of early steel …

The Sound Of Adventure: Two Original Compositions That Combine Music, Sound Design, And Post-Production, Inspired By Outdoor Experiences, Jason K. Gibson

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Composers have been inspired by nature for centuries, but writing music about nature is becoming more popular in our day. Now, under titles like “Landscape Music” and “Environmental Music,” many composers seek to embody the feeling of nature in music. What has yet to be fully developed is how electronic music and landscape music can overlap in the chamber music world. This project culminates in two original compositions, Natural Opposition (ca. six min), and Giants at Night (ca. 15 min), that seek to satisfy the requirements of both realms by combining naturally inspired music with electronic influences. The compositions themselves …

Fluids In Music: The Mathematics Of Pan’S Flutes, Bogdan Nita, Sajan Ramanathan

Department of Mathematics Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works

We discuss the mathematics behind the Pan’s flute. We analyze how the sound is created, the relationship between the notes that the pipes produce, their frequencies and the length of the pipes. We find an equation which models the curve that appears at the bottom of any Pan’s flute due to the different pipe lengths.

J.K. Mertz’S Bardenklänge: A Context For The Emergence Of The Character Piece Genre Within The Repertoire For Solo Guitar, Brinsley Doran

Masters

Having experience a large increase in concert activity in recent years, one would assume that the works of J.K. Mertz (1806–1856) would haveexperience the same level of attention within academic circles, however research is still limited. As a result, this thesissetsout to understand in what areas do Mertz's works differ fromother guitar works in the first half of the nineteenth century—specifically Mertz's set of character piecesfound in hisBardenklänge, op. 13. This thesiswill address shifts in culture, aesthetics and the increasing interest in the ‘Folk’c.1800–1850 that led to the composition of Mertz’s Bardenklänge. Published in 1847, these works are unique in …

Sonata In Neo Sol: Piano Solo, David Patterson

Compositions of David Patterson

Sonata in Neo Sol: Piano Solo by David Patterson

Three movements:

i: solmization (for Estefan and Val, students who kept the opening measure going with "that sounds like neo soul")

ii: immaterial (for Wylsner Bastien, a student well-versed in neo soul)

iii: spritzer away (for Rick David Salomon, a student and guide through this quest)

Quest sparked by students who overheard me improvising and claiming to my surprise "that sounds like neo soul." The note G is Sol.

Performing Rhythmic Dissonance In Ligeti’S Études, Book 1: A Perception-Driven Approach And Re-Notation, Imri Talgam

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Interpretive approaches to the Études have been limited by Ligeti’s choice of notation, which creates several layers of difficulty in the presentation of complex rhythms. In order to resolve some of these difficulties, this dissertation includes a complete re-notation of four Etudes, using a methodology based on research in cognition and perception of rhythm.

Based on this new score, the notion of rhythmic dissonance is developed as an analytical tool to investigate in-time perception of rhythmic complexity, drawing on existing work on metric entrainment and metric dissonance. Different compositional strategies for the production of rhythmic dissonance are shown to have …

“Native American Folk Song Suite”: A Study Of Traditional Native American Melodies, The Role Of Music In Native American Society, And Its Translation To The Modern Wind Ensemble, Preston Parker

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Music holds a sacred place for the many Native American tribes of the United States. Over the past 150 years, ethnomusicologists Dr. Theodore Baker (1851-1934), Dr. Frances Densmore (1867-1957), and John Donald Robb (1892-1989) have preserved these songs by sitting down with indigenous Native Americans and recording their music straight from the source. Through these recordings, these ethnomusicologists created a springboard for composers, including myself, to study the past and create new music that honors the traditions and culture of Native Americans. I have applied my new knowledge of these musical techniques and traditions to create a work for wind …

The Boundaries Of Modern Jazz Composition: Interaction Between Tango And Jazz Music, Evgeniya Kozhevnikova

Masters Theses

The history of jazz music is not very long in comparison to the history of music in general – from the end of the 19th century until present. This period, however, is very dense in terms of musical influences and became especially denser recently because of globalization.

Several researchers explored the jazz influences in the music of Astor Piazzolla, whom renovated traditional tango. While Piazzolla is considered a tango composer, some jazz bands use Piazzolla’s music as jazz standards and create compositions with traditional elements of jazz, such as improvisation. There are also composers influenced by tango music who write …

On The Question Of The Relationship Of Ideas And The Particle Of Microworld On The Example Ofa Musical Composition, Victor Khandamian

Eurasian music science journal

This article deals with the notion of «idea», its transformation in time and a structural connection with musical thinking. Parallels are being drawn between the shape of the microworld and the structure of the musical piece, the structural links between the overtone series and the chronological order of the appearance of musical epochs.

Finding A Voice – Exploration Of Modes And Timbres : A Portfolio Of Ten Original Compositions With Accompanying Commentaries, Ekapon Muenyam

Doctoral

This thesis marks the culmination of four years’ work, as part of my PhD study in composition. The portfolio consists of ten pieces, lasting in total approximately 2 hours and 10 minutes, and a commentary comprising an analysis of each of the works. The main emphasis has been on the development of an individual style, informed by the exploration of twentieth and twenty-first century compositional techniques, instrumental timbres, stylistic genres, forms, scale derivations and the wider aesthetic of contemporary music. The portfolio includes works for solo instruments, ensemble and orchestra. One of the main areas of research has been to …

Increasing The Inclusion Of Women Composers In The Wind Band Repertoire: Pale As Centuries By Sarah Kirkland Snider, Clifton Gerod Croomes

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Women composers are underrepresented in the wind band medium. This study aims to determine the major factors for the disparity between men and women composers. I’ve transcribed a contemporary chamber music piece, Pale As Centuries by Sarah Kirkland Snider, for the wind band. Expanding on Snider’s existing work for chamber ensemble I will explore her compositional style and reinterpret the piece using the colors of the wind band.

A review of the literature focuses on trends within western music in the United States over the last century and establishes a documented history of institutionalized marginalization. In an interview with Snider …

Analyzing Sentiment In Twitter Tweets As A Basis For Music Creation, Jeff Lupker

Western Research Forum

Analysis of the sentiment associated with different words has long been used as a pre-compositional tool by various composers through their use of the words of poets, lyricists or writers in creating their music. While the interpretation of any given word and its relation to music might have loosely followed some implicitly accepted notions amongst composers, there was no accurate method for qualifying each word according to its sentiment in standard usage. More recent research measuring individuals’ evaluation of text has led to a quantitative ranking of words in terms of properties concerning sentiment. My current research is an attempt …

Dimër (Winter), Anthony Elia

Bridwell Library Research

This work is an original musical setting of the poem by Albanian poet Lasgush Poradeci (1898-1987). The work was written for the esteemed mezzo-soprano Etleva Shemai.

A Failure Of The Music Industry: The Frustration Of Women Of Color, Christina Estes-Wynne

Backstage Pass

Throughout the history of the music industry, women of color have not received the same recognition as their male counterparts because males have dominated the industry resulting in lack of female representation. Women have been oversexualized reducing their clout in their fields and the lack of acknowledgement of success, which discourages future generations of colored women from attempting to reach their highest potential.

Phoenix For Orchestra, Niloufar Iravani

LSU Master's Theses

Phoenix for Orchestra consists of three movements of Life, Death, and Rebirth each presenting specific thematic and rhythmic elements. A variety of modes and textures are presented to depict mythology of the legendary bird phoenix as a tone poem. The first movement, Life, comprises five sections labeled as Sky, Sun, Beauty, Dignity, and Immortality. Each section features specific motives, structures, and textures. The second movement, Death, consists of three sections labeled as Fire, Destruction, and Grief and is based on the twelve-tone and whole tone collections. The third movement, Rebirth, comprises three sections labeled as Transformation, Renewal, and Immortality. The …

Six Vignettes For Solo Violin, Deshawn A. Withers

Theses and Dissertations

Six Vignettes for Solo Violin

• Adagio Misterioso
• Allegro con fuoco
• Adagio
• Allegro
• Interlude- Presto
• Finale- Allegro con moto

Deshawn Withers (b. 1982)

Six Vignettes for Solo Violin written for the illustrious Pala Garcia blends different moods and techniques into short segments. These vignettes each contain their own character ranging from reserved to furious, pensive to sassy, traditional to defiant. Each movement explores range and timbre uniquely as to bring out some of the infinite colors of the Violin.