Composition Commons^™

Formal Properties As The Basis For Value In Music, Thomas B. Yee

Global Tides

This paper defends the thesis that value in a piece of music is based in its formal properties rather than its non-formal properties. Two arguments are presented to support this conclusion. The first argument shows that if value in music is to be objective, then it must be grounded in a piece's formal properties rather than its non-formal properties. In the second argument, a number of alternate possibilities for grounding value in music are considered and shown to miss the mark or be inadequate. Finally, a number of possible objections against the arguments and conclusion are considered and possible responses …

Exploring The Mediality Of Live And Studio Composition: The Case Of Computer Music, And Its Implications In “Ambivalence Of Density”, Michael Terren

Theses : Honours

This dissertation attempts to apply the communications theory concept of “mediality,” as described by Jonathan Sterne, to the context of music composition for different mediums, namely the media of the live performance and the studio work (the recording, the concrete work). Mediality denotes the complex “web of practice and reference” between different media—how we interact with and perceive media, and how this affects the content of the medium. The mediality of live and studio composition is posited as cross-referential, non-hierarchical and non-dichotomous—a relationship of “dependence and imbrication” rather than antagonistic binaries.

I investigate the mediality of live and studio composition …

Something Wicked This Way Comes: Scoring Hamline University's Production Of "Macbeth", Andrew Brady

Departmental Honors Projects

This project represents a practical investigation into using original underscore in the modern theatrical experience. Over 40 minutes of cinematic, orchestral underscore were composed by the author specifically for Hamline University Theatre Department’s 2014 production of Macbeth. Using electronic scoring methods and digital playback strategies, the music was “performed” with variable timing that was able to directly match the performance of the actor’s for each show. The accompanying written musicological analysis explores the score’s uses of themes, spotting strategies, and integration of the show’s artistic concept. The analysis, in conjunction with the recorded score, demonstrates a cohesive effort to …

Composing After The Italian Manner: The English Cantata 1700-1710, Jennifer Cable

Music Faculty Publications

In this chapter, I will examine examples from several of the earliest eighteenth-century English cantatas written after the Italian style and in direct response to the growing popularity of Italian vocal music in England.³ The early English cantatas of three composers-John Eccles, Daniel Purcell, and Johann Christoph Pepusch-portend how each would fare in the new musical century, when the compositional ideals of an earlier era were foresaken as the focus on Italian vocal music, the 'talk of the town', broadened in scope and sharpened in intensity.

Shift : For Flute, Clarinet, Violin, Violoncello, Piano, And Percussion, Robby Schranze

Honors Theses

No abstract provided.

Fiesole: The Hillsides Of Tuscany, A Musical Work For The Classical Guitar And A Study Of The Compositional Process, Matthew Goodman

Music

Fiesole: The Hillsides of Tuscany

This piece of music is composed for 4 guitars, and it includes all of the right and left-hand fingerings for all notes. The individual parts are printed out so it can be distributed easily.

Adding To Blake Set To Music: A Bibliography, Ashanka Kumari

Department of English: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

William Blake, like other Romantic-era poets, was inspired by and wrote about the world around him. The hundreds of poems he wrote later inspired other genres such as music. In 1990 the University of California Press published Blake Set to Music: A Bibliography of Musical Settings of the Poems and Prose of William Blake written by Donald Fitch. This bibliography lists 1,412 pieces up to 1988. The following bibliography consists of pieces of music written after Fitch’s bibliography was published or, in a few cases, a composition written before Fitch’s bibliography was published, but not mentioned in that bibliography. This …

The End Of The World And Other Times In The Future, Gary Shapiro

Philosophy Faculty Publications

In an interview with his biographer Sylvie Simmons, Leonard Cohen identifies the main interests in his work as "women, song, religion". These are not merely personal concerns for Cohen, they are dimensions of the world that he tries to understand as a poet, singer, and thinker.

Now it's something of a cliché to see the modern romantic or post-romantic singer or poet in terms of personal struggles, failures, triumphs, and reversals. Poets sometimes respond by adopting elusive, ironic, enigmatic, or parodic voices: think, in their different ways, of Bob Dylan and Anne Carson. Yet Cohen has always worn his heart …

Dolce Stil Novo, Timothy W. Mcdunn

Compositions

Dolce Stil Novo is a slightly unconventional kind of tone poem. As the title suggests, the main inspiration for the piece is the poetry of Dante Alighieri, especially that subset of it which belongs to his so-called "Sweet New Style." While the three successive intermezzi are tied only obliquely to this subject, the first and final movements make direct reference to Dante's Sweet New Style as found in the Vita Nuova, an autobiographical compilation of prose and verse. In this way, the piece is a reflection on Dante's writings from two perspectives: that of the author (in the first and …

Explorations In Double-Stops: Three New Pieces For Expanding The Role Of The Double Bass In The Jazz Ensemble, Ashley De Neef

Theses : Honours

This dissertation investigates the potential for using double-stops - the sounding of two or more simultaneous notes - as a means for extending the traditional role of the double bass, within compositions for a small jazz ensemble. It is the contention of this dissertation that it is possible to use double-stops to perform a more advanced function within the jazz ensemble, without compromising the double bass’ primary harmonic and rhythmic duties.

A historical overview of the history of the double bass within western classical and jazz music will be provided, as to outline and define what the double bass’ role …

Graduate Recital In Composition, Joseph Carey

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

This graduate composition recital was a compilation recital of two separate events. The first was a public recital which took place on 29 March 2013. This recital included three main pieces: in the day, cloak + dagger, and Fib. The second event was a reading session of Corpus Loci by UNI Concert Chorale, which took place on 14 November 2013. This abstract will summarize the structural, rhythmic, melodic, and harmonic components of each of these pieces, and will recognize and acknowledge the many musicians who donated their time to make this recital possible.

Jonathan Green, Charlie Schlenker

Interviews for WGLT

"How Do You Get To Carnegie Hall? Write - As Well As Practice"

An Illinois Wesleyan University composer recently had a work of his debut at Carnegie Hall. WGLT's Charlie Schlenker has more.

Folk/Traditional Music Of West Virginia Arranged For Classical Guitar Ensemble, Júlio Ribeiro Alves

Music Faculty Research

My motivation for writing this book grew from my desire to better understand the people and the music heritage of West Virginia and to share the findings of my experience, with the guitar community, in the form of guitar ensemble arrangements.

Music And Art: Exploring Cross-Pollination., Chelseigh Robinson

Undergraduate Honors Theses

As a music student who was always more attracted to the “academic” side of music rather than the performance side, I have come to hold a great respect for music history. This interest only grew when I got the opportunity to study music for a semester in Edinburgh, Scotland. Being surrounded by so much history, both musical and artistic, only fed my passion. I began to notice many similarities between the development of music and art both during lectures at the university and in my leisure time in galleries. I noticed that composers and visual artists in the same time …

Follow The Dotted Line: Composition Portfolio With Commentary., David Bremner

Doctoral

This research consists of a portfolio of original musical compositions, accompanied by a commentary which examines the aesthetic and technical aspects of each piece and of the body of work as a whole. It traces the development of a mature and original compositional style. The works presented share a focus on the concept of line. This concept is explored in a range of diverse instrumentations (orchestra, choral, solo instrument/voice, chamber ensemble, electronics) and diverse compositional methods (fully-notated scores, graphic scores, devised improvised schemes). The emphasis is on lines that are constrained within a particular pitch register, while being explored fully …

Solo Composition Recital (October 26, 2013), Dominic Dousa

Selected Works Temporary Series

Faculty Compositon Recital, presented by Nayeli Dousa (Universidad Autonoma de Ciudad Juarez) and Dominic Dousa (piano). Performances of the following original compositions: "Lands of Enchantment"

Harmon, Arlis Odell, 1905-1992 (Mss 153), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

Manuscript Collection Finding Aids

Finding aid only for Manuscripts Collection 153. Poems, 1934-1991, obituaries, 1964-1990, written by Arlis Odell Harmon, a gospel song writer and enthusiast, of Allen County, Kentucky. Includes correspondence about gospel music, genealogical data, photos, etc.

Beethoven's Opus 96: The Sonata For Piano And Violin Perfected, Paul S. Roberts

Honors Theses

This thesis attempts to shed light on Beethoven's final sonata for Piano and Violin, the Sonata for Piano and Violin op. 96 in G major. Presented first is a survey of music for violin and piano throughout previous centuries (in itself a valuable resource for those who want to approach this ambiguous and disorganized subject) followed by a discussion of Beethoven's sonatas leading up to the composition of Opus 96. Then follows a more detailed discussion of the piece itself as seen through the eyes (more accurately, heard through the ears) of one who has prepared a performance of it …

Misheard Me Oronyminator: Using Oronyms To Validate The Correctness Of Frequency Dictionaries, Jennifer G. Hughes

Master's Theses

In the field of speech recognition, an algorithm must learn to tell the difference between "a nice rock" and "a gneiss rock". These identical-sounding phrases are called oronyms. Word frequency dictionaries are often used by speech recognition systems to help resolve phonetic sequences with more than one possible orthographic phrase interpretation, by looking up which oronym of the root phonetic sequence contains the most-common words.

Our paper demonstrates a technique used to validate word frequency dictionary values. We chose to use frequency values from the UNISYN dictionary, which tallies each word on a per-occurance basis, using a proprietary text corpus, …

A New Kind Of National: Modified String Quartet Practices In Post-Soviet Eurasia, Adam Taylor Lenz

Masters Theses

This thesis examines the practices of string quartet modification implemented by three post-Soviet Eurasian composers: Franghiz Ali-Zadeh (Azerbaijan), Vache Sharafyan (Armenia), and Dmitri Yanov-Yanovsky (Uzbekistan). After an introduction to the geography of the region and the biographies of the composers, their works containing modified string quartet configurations are examined within three distinct modification practices. These practices consist of the addition of outside instruments, the addition of electronic components, and the alteration of performance practice. The evaluation of these techniques is carried out through musical analysis and examination of cultural context. After each work has been examined, the body of works …