Composition Commons^™

Uncommon Action: An Interdisciplinary Arts Performance On Ally Involvement, Rachel Dentinger

Renée Crown University Honors Thesis Projects - All

This instrumental and dance performance, titled “Uncommon Action: An Interdisciplinary Arts Performance on Ally Involvement”, was designed to raise awareness about bullying and becoming an active ally in the event of bullying. Sixteen student musicians and a team of production assistants were enlisted to produce this interdisciplinary program that was over a year and a half in the making. This production is a unique artistic effort where the classical musicians will also perform as dancers while playing, similar to what is seen in performances by marching bands, drum corps, Stomp, Barrage, Blue Man Group, etc.

The musical piece, commissioned from …

Symphony No. 1 For Double Wind Orchestra, Amanda Mccullough

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

This piece represents the splitting of the mind as well as the irrational and often violent thoughts that compete against each other in order to blur the line between the real and the imaginary. The piece culminates in the third movement into a sort of psychotic break and ends in the disquieting limbo between life and death represented by the solo piano.

This symphony also explores the sonic possibilities of creating a stereo effect by splitting the wind ensemble into two separate ensembles. This includes the resolution of dissonances on one side by the opposite side, the continuation of melodic …

The Final Cut: Music For Film And Electronic Media, Johnathon Edward Paape

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This thesis contains both music scores and audio files that pertain to the scoring of music for film and video games. My thesis contains five pieces that were written for either film or video games. The scores were made using Finale 2011 and the audio tracks were created using the sequencer Reaper in combination with East West Hollywood Brass, East West Stormdrums 2 and Vienna Symphonic Orchestra virtual instruments. With these, I will demonstrate my ability to effectively compose and orchestrate music for various genres.

Fight Or Flight, Asher Griffith

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Fight or Flight is a one-act, science-fiction opera. Outwardly the story of an astronaut who is marooned on the Moon, this dark comedy is an allegorical tale of forced isolation and loss; and of the anxiety and sadness that inevitably result. Musically, this piece began as an experiment in the reverse-engineering of mostly improvisatory methods of musical spoken-word delivery such as rap or slam poetry; this compositional device being a means to the more important end of creating a live musical theatre lacking the flippant sparkle commonly associated with Broadway and the like, but also free of the "intellectual" or …

In Autumn Rhythm, Daniel Joseph Thompson

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

In Autumn Rhythm is a twelve-minute work for orchestra inspired by the improvisational processes and artistic outlook of American painter Jackson Pollock (1912 - 1956). Pollock's work Autumn Rhythm manifests itself in this piece as a web of dense, improvisatory counterpoint that emphasizes aggregate texture over clear linear designs. The form is delineated by a metric palindrome extrapolated from the symmetrical rhythmic design of the opening section.

Adapting J.S. Bach's Solo Violin Sonatas And Partitas For The Marimba: Broken Chord And Arpeggio Performance Practices, Jason Eugene Mathena

Dissertations

This purpose of this study is to provide the keyboard percussionist with information and examples for breaking chords and properly executing arpeggio passages in J. S. Bach’s solo violin Sonatas and Partitas. Primary sources included Baroque treatises on performance practice and recent scholarship of the past one hundred years. Various editions of the Sonatas and Partitas were surveyed for this document but, in the end, only Bach’s autograph manuscript and Gunther Hausswald’s critical edition were used for the musical examples as well as the marimba transcriptions included in appendices.

Topics covered are appropriate places to break chords and the various …

The Harmonic Implications Of The Non-Harmonic Tones In The Four-Part Chorales Of Johann Sebastian Bach, Timothy Willingham

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This study sought to identify the harmonic implications of the non-harmonic tones in the four-part chorales of Johann Sebastian Bach and to identify if the implications were modern, extended harmonies. The study examined if non-harmonic tones implied traditional or extended harmonies more often, which non-harmonic tones more frequently implied extended harmonies, and which chords typically preceded implied extended harmonies. The study was a corpus analysis of the four-part chorales. The data collected was organized in and analyzed with frequency charts and a chi-square goodness of fit test and chi-square tests of independence from the chordal analysis conducted by the researcher. …

A History Of Musique Concrete And Ulysses, Thomas Elijah-William Rastall

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This thesis paper examines the compositional techniques used in the construction of my capstone project for a Masters in Music Composition from the University of Arkansas. A history of musique concrete is included to place perspective on my work and to discuss techniques and philosophical approaches to concrete music. This history examines the work by the Futurists, Pierre Schaeffer, Karlheintz Stockhausen, and Edgard Varése among others. The technological history includes significant developments in audio recording but does not discuss the development of electronic instruments. A philosophical perspective of music and noise is included to validate the techniques and materials used …

Paul Moravec: Polystylism In Cool Fire (2001), Jennifer Kuk-Bonora

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The goal of this document is to provide a structural and stylistic analysis of Paul Moravec's chamber piece, Cool Fire (2001) within the context of Alfred Schnittke's polystylism. Fundamental polystylism is the use of two or more music styles within one composition and focuses on a more evolved portrayal of the style when, "there are no longer any direct quotations, but rather a certain element which indicates a `genetic refill' of memories." Techniques from Impressionism, Jazz, Baroque and Classical styles are utilized in Cool Fire.

The method of analysis will follow Jan La Rue's Guidelines for Style Analysis to better …

Symphony No.1, Roger Lowe

Original Compositions

Unpublished, Premiered April 29, 2013 in Dover Theater, Gardner-Webb University

Symphony in four movements available on YouTube:

Mvt. I

Mvt. II

Mvt. III

Mvt. IV

Instrumentation: 3231, 4331, Euphonium, 5 perc plus timp, glock, xyl, piano, harp, strings

Additional Instruments, 4^th mvt. only: alto flute, drum set, electric guitar, electric bass.

A Chant From The Great Plains: An Analysis And Rationale For A Critical Edition, Raul G. Barcenes

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

This document explores A Chant from the Great Plains by Carl Busch. As the winner of American bandmaster Edwin Franko Goldman’s composition contest in 1919, this work helped launch the tradition of commissioning upon which the repertoire of the modern concert band medium relies. Inexplicably, Busch’s piece fell into obscurity and has become so rare that the primary researcher on Carl Busch, Dr. Donald Lowe, was not able to view any of the music while compiling his research with the exception of citations and articles. This document provides a rationale for the revival of the work in both scholarship and …

Violin Concerto #1, Matthew J. Holman

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

This piece is a violin concerto modeled after, but not explicitly quoting melodic material of, several pieces of music by composers Bear McCreary, and Martin O’Donnell. The first and third movements of my piece were each modeled after two of Bear McCreary’s pieces from the soundtrack to Battlestar Galactica Season 2 – Allegro, and Prelude to War, respectively. The second movement of my piece was modeled after Martin O’Donnell’s piece Ashes, from the soundtrack to Halo: Reach.

Although I model my piece on the formal structures and, occasionally, the chord progressions of McCreary’s and O’Donnell’s pieces, …

An Integrated Approach To Preparing Paul Hindemith’S Sonata For Trombone And Piano: A Guide To Help Achieve A Better Performance, Jemmie Robertson

Faculty Research and Creative Activity

The aim of this article is to enhance understanding of the Hindemith Sonata and assist performers toward performances of the highest musical quality and emotional impact. The goal is to produce a musical and historically informed performance, based on a good theoretical foundation and thorough technical preparation. We will briefly discuss the history and theory behind Hindemith’s Sonata, examine unique performance issues, and introduce ways to prepare for a successful performance with several specific exercises designed to help the trombonist decode Hindemith’s complex compositional language, which involves a unique approach to tonality and rhythm.

An Integrated Approach To Preparing Paul Hindemith’S Sonata For Trombone And Piano: A Guide To Help Achieve A Better Performance, Jemmie Robertson

Faculty Research and Creative Activity

The aim of this article is to enhance understanding of the Hindemith Sonata and assist performers toward performances of the highest musical quality and emotional impact. The goal is to produce a musical and historically informed performance, based on a good theoretical foundation and thorough technical preparation. We will briefly discuss the history and theory behind Hindemith’s Sonata, examine unique performance issues, and introduce ways to prepare for a successful performance with several specific exercises designed to help the trombonist decode Hindemith’s complex compositional language, which involves a unique approach to tonality and rhythm.

Earthless - A Sonic Exploration Of The Space Between Death And Life, Composed In Five Movements For Chamber Ensemble., Samuel P. Tygiel

Music Honors Projects

“Earthless” is a composition in 5 movements for a mixed chamber ensemble. The piece is loosely programatic and draws its “narrative” from the Tibetan Book of the Dead, a Tibetan Buddhist Text that gives instructions on how to traverse the space between death and rebirth. Rather than telling a direct narrative, each movement is designed to give a broad impression of the different aspects of the experience between death and life through the combination of text and music. The text is taken from poems by Gerard Manley Hopkins, Sir Walter Scott and Sara Teasdale and compiled in an original “libretto” …

Listen, Rebecca Green

Colby Magazine

When you think composer, do you think dead, white, male, with scary hair? Well, think again. Colby has fostered a number of composers who are neither dead nor exclusively white or male. They use the medium of music in a variety of ways to express their artistic ideas, and they want you to listen.

Colby alumni and faculty composers use the medium of music to express their artistic ideas.

Composition Portfolio With Accompanying Comments And Analysis, Dermot Mcdermott

Masters

My M.Phil project consists of eight original musical compositions of varying genre and style, together with accompanying analysis and commentary on these works. The compositions include pieces for full symphony orchestra, string quartet, clarinet quartet, and a number of other chamber works with varying instrumental combinations. Together, the works represent approximately fifty minutes of music, together with over nine thousand words of commentary and analysis. Some of my compositions have already been performed by the contemporary music ensemble, Concorde, and I have also completed a commission, with funds supplied by the Arts Council, for a work which was publicly performed …

4th Annual Festival Of New Music February 28, March 1, 2013, Mark Zanter

All Performances

No abstract provided.

"Western Evening Vistas" For Concert Band, Dominic Dousa

Selected Works Temporary Series

A performance of my original composition by the UTEP Wind Symphony, conducted by Ron Hufstader.

Lawrence Pianist Michael Mizrahi Earns “Best Of 2012″ Honors For His Album “The Bright Motion”, Lawrence University

Press Releases

Lawrence University Assistant Professor of Music Michael Mizrahi ended the year in style. His album, “The Bright Motion”, was cited by both Time Out New York and Time Out Chicago on their annual list of best albums of 2012.

Released last May on New Amsterdam Records, “The Bright Motion” was listed eighth on Time Out New York’s 2012 list of the best opera and classical music of the past year, while Time Out Chicago included it on its year-end, non-numerical top-10 list of the year’s best opera and classical music albums.

The Bright Motion” features 10-tracks of newly composed works …