Music Theory Commons^™

The Preservation Of Subjectivity Through Form: The Radical Restructuring Of Disintegrated Material In The Music Of Gerald Barry, Kevin Volans And Raymond Deane., Adrian Smith

Doctoral

This thesis examines Adorno’s concept of ‘disintegrated musical material’ and applies it to the work of the Irish composers Raymond Deane (b. 1953), Gerald Barry (b. 1952) and Kevin Volans (b. 1949). Although all three of these composers have expressed firm commitments to the ideal of creating new and radical works, much of the material in their music is composed of elements abstracted from the tonal past. This feature of their work would seem contrary to the views of Adorno, who is commonly seen as advocating progressive composition using only the most advanced means. This view comes across most strongly …

A Realization And Analysis : The Manifestation Of Franz Schubert Within Manuel Maria Ponce's Sonata Romantica., Parker S. Scinta

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Within early twentieth-century guitar repertoire, Manuel María Ponce’s Sonata Romántica distinguishes itself in both quality and historical significance. The manifestation of Franz Schubert’s compositional idioms within this work exhibits Ponce’s intense understanding of Romantic harmonic and formal treatment, in addition to his imitative compositional ability. The main aim of this document is to discover the specific ways in which Ponce emulates Schubert by incorporating comparative and Schenkerian analyses. This investigation examines Ponce’s treatment of harmonic, motivic and formal structures to reveal the unique aesthetic qualities that distinguish the piece as a guitar sonata in the manner of Schubert. In particular, …

Bruce Prince-Joseph: Toccata Giovane (Honors), Lucas W. Fletcher

Papers

This paper discusses Toccata Giovane, a composition for pipe organ by Dr. Bruce Prince-Joseph, in an effort to reintroduce musicians to this obscure but delightful work. Additionally, Dr. Prince-Joseph's life and career are also explored.

Tunes, Textures, And Trends: The Transformation Of Johann Walther’S Geistliches Gesangbüchlein (1524, 1525, 1537, 1544, 1551), Emily Marie Solomon

Masters Theses

This thesis examines the contents of Geistliches Gesangbüchlein, a sixteenth-­‐‑ century German Lutheran hymnal by Johann Walther, published in five editions between 1524 and 1551, the contents of which were substantially augmented, particularly between the 1525 and 1537 editions. Specifically, this project focuses on the twelve hymns with multiple settings, one or more of which were published in the first two editions and replaced by one or more settings in the last three editions, while assessing the characteristics across the original and removed settings and noting discernable trends of revision employed by Walther. Observable revision trends include length increase …

Musical Rebirth In Fearless And The Truman Show, Erik Heine

Journal of Religion & Film

Films have long made use of pre-existing music, most notably by well-known composers such as Bach, Mozart, Beethoven. Director Peter Weir makes use of pre-existing music in nearly all of his films. In his two films from the 1990s, Fearless and The Truman Show, Weir uses music from two living (at the time) and largely unfamiliar Polish composers, Henryk Górecki and Wojciech Kilar, to accompany the climax of each film, coinciding with the rebirth of the central characters. The films show a parallel narrative, each with minor instances of renewals, until the respective characters are reborn, accompanied by music …

About This Issue, Nancy November

HAYDN: Online Journal of the Haydn Society of North America

No abstract provided.

An Introduction To Fourier Analysis With Applications To Music, Nathan Lenssen, Deanna Needell

Journal of Humanistic Mathematics

In our modern world, we are often faced with problems in which a traditionally analog signal is discretized to enable computer analysis. A fundamental tool used by mathematicians, engineers, and scientists in this context is the discrete Fourier transform (DFT), which allows us to analyze individual frequency components of digital signals. In this paper we develop the discrete Fourier transform from basic calculus, providing the reader with the setup to understand how the DFT can be used to analyze a musical signal for chord structure. By investigating the DFT alongside an application in music processing, we gain an appreciation for …

On Constructing A Sonic Gangbang: System And Subversion In Gerald Barry’S Chevaux-De-Frise, Mark Fitzgerald

Articles

This paper examines Chevaux-de-frise by Gerald Barry. The work is from a transitional period in Barry's work forming a bridge between the work of the 1980s (most notably The Intelligence Park) and the more polyphonic work of the 1990s. The paper describes Barry's use of canonic devices and his manipulation of found material before making some brief links to later works from Barry's output.

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 …

Volume 28, Various Authors

Journal of Music Theory Pedagogy

No abstract provided.

About This Issue, Michael E. Ruhling

HAYDN: Online Journal of the Haydn Society of North America

No abstract provided.

Edward Elgar’S Extended Tonal Procedures—An Inquiry Into Elgar’S Chromatic Realm, Higo Henrique Rodrigues

Theses and Dissertations--Music

This study aims to examine the ways in which English composer Edward Elgar (1857–1934) expanded common-practice tonality; it shows how Elgar employed harmonic structures and syntax in an innovative manner through specific extended-tonal techniques such as the use of chromatic-third relations (both harmonically and as a tonal plan), harmonic substitutions, and local ambiguous sonorities that at times lead to tonal ambiguity. The system that Elgar expanded upon has been called “Classical diatonic tonality”, which was extended when late nineteenth-century composers such as Elgar infused their music with chromaticism. Through an investigation of Elgar’s extended tonal techniques one can come to …

An Analytical Example For Bob, Joseph N. Straus

Publications and Research

In the fall of 1981, I was the greenest, most naïve young music theorist you can possibly imagine. The ink on my doctoral diploma was still wet, and I had just started my first job, at the University of Wisconsin. It was a simpler, less demanding time for music theorists: I had never attended a conference, much less presented at one. But I found myself at the 1981 meeting of the newly formed Society for Music Theory in Los Angeles, giving my first-ever theory paper. I recognized Milton Babbitt, the keynote speaker for the conference, sitting right in front of …

Connecting Analysis And Performance: A Case Study For Developing An Effective Approach, Annie Yih

Gamut: Online Journal of the Music Theory Society of the Mid-Atlantic

Although theorists and performers both engage in score study, we often say that performers “interpret” and theorists “analyze” because, in general, performers are more interested in interpreting the meaning of the music, which usually involves extracting and projecting the mood, character, or drama in the music, whereas theorists focus on understanding the structure of the music. Recognizing that there is need for connecting the practices of analysis and performance, the author suggests developing an effective approach to this concern. It is proposed that both theorists and performers understand structure as process, and that this particular process expresses the unfolding …

Russian Pitch-Class Set Analysis And The Music Of Webern, Philip A. Ewell

Gamut: Online Journal of the Music Theory Society of the Mid-Atlantic

Prompted by a live performance of Webern’s Op. 6 in Moscow, in 1965, brother and sister Yuri Kholopov and Valentina Kholopova began to analyze the music of Webern; from 1965 to 1970 they wrote two books thereon. Working from scores and a few writings by Europeans (i.e., Stockhausen, Pousseur, Metzger, Kolneder, and Karkoschka), Valentina Kholopova devised a system of pc set analysis, which Yuri later named “hemitonicism.” She first presented her findings to the Soviet “Union of Composers” in the early 1970s, and then published a follow-up article in 1973. In the present essay, the author explicates this important development …

John Harbison’S Use Of Music Of The Past In Three Selected Compositions, Peter Silberman

Gamut: Online Journal of the Music Theory Society of the Mid-Atlantic

John Harbison’s music is rich in allusions to music of the past. Many of his compositions incorporate excerpts from pre-existing works or newly written passages in earlier styles, predominantly jazz. This article discusses the interaction of pre-existing and new music in three compositions by Harbison (Twilight Music, the Gatsby Etudes, and November 19, 1828), as well as three modes of borrowing used by Harbison (misreading, pastiche, and quotation). Each analysis examines how Harbison transforms pre-existing tonal material to create a post-tonal work, and shows that Harbison’s integration of tonal and post-tonal materials varies depending on the …

Modal Tonicization In Rock: The Special Case Of The Lydian Scale, Brett Clement

Gamut: Online Journal of the Music Theory Society of the Mid-Atlantic

This article reexamines modal techniques in rock music, using the “problematic” Lydian mode as a test case. I argue that the Lydian scale plays a larger role in rock music than has been previously acknowledged, particularly in songs of the 1970s and ’80s. First, I outline a hierarchy of pitches and chords in the scale, which will aid in recognition of Lydian patterns in rock. Then, I address existing controversies surrounding Lydian interpretations of chord progressions, which will be viewed in light of three “tonal stability rules” necessary for convincing Lydian centricity. This will lead to a general theory of …

Classical Models, Sonata Theory, Equal Division Of The Octave And Two Nineteenth-Century Symphonic Movements: Comparing Analytical Approaches, Howard Cinnamon

Gamut: Online Journal of the Music Theory Society of the Mid-Atlantic

The first movements of Tchaikovsky’s Fourth and Brahms’s Third Symphonies are examined from the perspective of earlier models of sonata form (those of Kollmann, Galeazzi, and Czerny). The author demonstrates how they adhere to the models in remarkably consistent ways, and shows how analyses based on the models can prove valuable in the study of a group of pieces with similar unconventional harmonic structures. Aspects of Hepokoski and Darcy’s Sonata Theory are incorporated in each case to show how its conclusions differ from—and how they might complement—those arrived at through the application of earlier models.

Table Of Contents, David Carson Berry

Gamut: Online Journal of the Music Theory Society of the Mid-Atlantic

No abstract provided.

Revising Music Theory Curricula In Response To Varied Student Backgrounds: A Survey, Anna Barbara Vezza

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

This study examines the relationship between undergraduate music theory curricula and the widely varied backgrounds in written theory and aural skills brought to post-secondary institutions by entering students. A survey of Midwestern, large, public universities that offer a bachelor’s degree in music forms the basis for my discussion of how the curricula meet students’ needs. This analysis gives rise to specific proposals for music theory programs and curricula at these schools which, if implemented, can increase success rates of students.

Advisor: Stanley V. Kleppinger