Musicology Commons^™

A Sunlit Ambience: How Reverb Pedals Influence The Contemporary Worship Music Imagination, Dylan Crosson

Yale Journal of Music & Religion

With the recent proliferation of scholarship on the musical elements of Contemporary Worship Music (CWM) in addition to ethnographies exploring the tradition’s inner machinations, readers now enjoy unprecedented levels of insight into the actions of human actors and their music. But what of CWM’s non-human actors? Could the instruments and musical equipment used by CWM practitioners, for example, impact evangelical piety? In this article, I entertain this question by arguing that the materiality of reverb pedals—devices used by guitarists to add artificial reverberation to their sound—influences how evangelicals conceptualize elements of their faith by introducing new imagery or enriching pre-existing …

From The Heaviest, Dirtiest Depths To The Washy Ambient Clouds: Guitar Timbre In/As Schismogenesis In North American Christianity, Joshua K. Busman, Nathan Myrick

Yale Journal of Music & Religion

This essay argues that within the socio-cultural context of North American Christianity, the timbral qualities of electric guitar, with its long lineage as a site of cultural values conflict and identity negotiation, serves a theological function in the emerging and cohering sonority of digital worship. Using as comparative case studies the timbral qualities of delay and ambience as promoted and sold by Worship Tutorials as representing normative sonic values for these Christians, on the one hand, and the dialectic and schismatic deployment of distortion by the band My Epic on the other, we suggest that these timbral qualities become important …

Sounds Like 'Saudade': Eschatological Echoes In Brazilian 'Gospel' Music, Fernando Berwig Silva

Yale Journal of Music & Religion

This paper analyzes the song “Saudade” by the Brazilian gospel singer Stella Laura. In the song, I argue that Stella Laura uses Brazilian timbral markers from the Sertanejo and Gospel Brazilian music genres to articulate a unique perspective on eschatology, one that is based on the affective structure of the Lusophone word ‘saudade.’ Furthermore, I contend that the song, rooted in the Brazilian nostalgic sertanejo music tradition, leans on stylistic and timbral tools to communicate the idea of saudade from heaven. Beyond lyrics that feature theological notions of origin, identity, and nostalgia, Stella Laura’s song employs timbral, poetic, …

Soundscapes, Pioneers, And Practices: Laying The Foundations Of The Russian Guitar, Wojciech Gurgul

Soundboard Scholar

A review of The Seven-String Guitar in Russia: Its Origins, Repertoire, and Performance Practice, 1800–50, by Oleg Timofeyev (Cambridge Scholars, Newcastle upon Tyne, 2023), Worldcat, publisher's website

Florent Schmitt's Dionysiaques, Op. 62, Trevor Frost

Faculty Scholarship

This article by Trevor Frost explores Dionysiaques, Op. 62, a groundbreaking work for wind band by French composer Florent Schmitt, situating it within its historical, cultural, and musical contexts. Written in 1913 for the elite Musique de la Garde Républicaine, Dionysiaques stands out as a rare example of original symphonic band repertoire during a time when military bands primarily played marches and transcriptions. Schmitt’s composition blends French impressionism with rhythmic intensity, drawing on the influence of composers like Debussy, Ravel, and his teacher Gabriel Fauré, while also aligning with the forward-looking aesthetics of Stravinsky and early neoclassicism.

Frost discusses …

Incorporating The Framework Into The Music History Curriculum, Or, How To Not Teach The Same Thing Three Times In One Day, Lina Sheahan

Library Faculty Scholarship

No abstract provided.

Msh 245 The American Musical Experience Fall 2025 Syllabus, Margaret Farrell

Open Educational Resources

This syllabus guided our exploration of the ways in which the musical cultures of those who arrived on our shores from Europe and Africa shaped the emergence of a distinctly American musical tradition. Links to relevant readings were provided on our LMS (Brightspace) page. Since this was an asynchronous online section, engagement was mainly through videos and slide presentations. Discussion assignments reinforced learning and encouraged critical thinking. In addition, students were required to submit a report on a live American music experience.

Reclaiming Sound: Copyright Restoration As Cultural And Economic Justice For Black Musicians, James Roberts Jr.

Senior Theses

This paper examines copyright restoration as both a legal mechanism and a form of cultural reparations for Black musicians historically excluded from ownership and profit in the American music industry. It traces the evolution of U.S. copyright law from its earliest forms to the Music Modernization Act of 2018, highlighting how shifting statutory frameworks have gradually extended protection and restoration rights to artists who were once denied them. The analysis situates this legal trajectory within a broader history of racialized exploitation in the recording industry, where inequitable contracts and systemic power imbalances functioned as modern forms of artistic sharecropping. Through …

8th Lake Constance Guitar Research Conference, Soundboard Scholar, Daniel Marx

Soundboard Scholar

A brief report on this year's Lake Constance Conference series for researchers specializing in guitar, which took place on May 1–4, 2025.

Stolen Moments: Jazz And The Opportunity To Capture Hip Hop Fans, Fahiym Abdul-Wasi

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

This thesis explores the intricate relationship between jazz and hip-hop, examining how these two influential genres intersect culturally and musically. Jazz, with its rich history and expressive improvisation, laid the groundwork for hip-hop, a genre that emerged as a powerful voice for Black Americans and other disenfranchised communities. The thesis highlights the impact of sampling, a fundamental technique in hip-hop that allows artists to repurpose jazz recordings and thereby preserve their legacy while infusing contemporary narratives. By analyzing key albums and the contributions of notable artists, this study underscores the potential for reintroducing jazz to new audiences through hip-hop. As …

Britten’S Violin Concerto And His Early Period—Score Analysis And Pacifist Narrative, Magdalena Filipczak

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

This dissertation presents a comprehensive study of Benjamin Britten’s Violin Concerto, Op. 15, using the work as a lens through which to examine the composer’s early period. Rather than treating the concerto as a purely technical or stylistic artifact, the study situates it within the broader context of Britten’s formative years, his early artistic circles, the political tensions of the 1930s, and his evolving pacifist stance.

The final third of the dissertation offers a detailed formal and interpretative analysis of the full orchestral score, tracing an expressive arc across the entire work by identifying an idée fixe motif and following …

Tradition, Individuality, And Innovation In Western Classical Music Performance: A Quantitative Analysis Of Bach’S Fourth Cello Suite Prelude, Clare Monfredo

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Why do we seek out new performances of a commonly performed piece of music? An essential tradition of Western classical music (WCM) is the performance of canonical works by composers, an activity that requires the interpretation and execution of written scores by individual performers. In this practice, performers are not only expected to determine the composer’s “intentions,” but also somehow (paradoxically) share these in a “unique” performance interpretation. In musical education, performers are trained by teachers to create these “unique” interpretations by learning how to intuit composers’ intentions in a system that passes down interpretative traditions through master-apprentice one-on-one lessons. …

Manjón, Llobet, And Barrios In Chile: Concerts And Reception In The Newspaper Record, Pablo Soto Hurtado

Soundboard Scholar

Based on an investigation of newspaper articles, this article presents a first look at the activities of Antonio Jiménez Manjón, Miguel Llobet, and Agustín Barrios in Chile between 1893 and 1918. Manjón’s concerts were well received, clashing with some of the discourse in the local media, which considered the guitar vulgar and expressionless. Llobet introduced the Tárrega school in Chile in 1912, which is in itself a milestone in the study of Tárrega’s pedagogical philosophy in that country. Furthermore, his technique was praised and, like Manjón’s, led to the challenging of prejudices against the guitar. The case of Agustín Barrios, …

La Rumba Criolla Al Estilo De Emilio Sierra, Desde El Contexto Académico Y Creativo, Adalberto Pardo Rodríguez, Jair Herrera Bohórquez

Ciencias Sociales, Humanidades y Ciencias Políticas

La rumba criolla es un género musical identitario del departamento de Cundinamarca, cuyo precursor más destacado es el maestro Emilio Sierra Baquero, quien a través de sus composiciones puso a rumbiar al país en los años cuarenta, legado que aún sigue vigente. Este libro representa el estilo compositivo e interpretativo característico del maestro y su orquesta, incorporando arreglos, grabaciones y composiciones que permiten exaltar ese legado cultural y patrimonial reflejado en esta música, resultado de un proceso de investigación y análisis realizado por docentes investigadores del programa de Música de la Universidad de Cundinamarca. Se rinde homenaje al compositor Emilio …

Art Management Of Batavia Madrigal Singer (Bms) In The International Choir Competition, Agustinus Arbi Putra, Hery Budiawan, Rien Safrina

Bahasa dan Seni: Jurnal Bahasa, Sastra, Seni, dan Pengajarannya

This study aims to find out the management of the Batavia Madrigal Singers (BMS) choir, especially in achieving achievements at the international level. Batavia Madrigal Singers is a choir from Indonesia that is consistent in participating in and winning choir competitions at the international level. This study uses a qualitative research method with a descriptive approach through observation techniques, interviews, and literature studies. The results of the study show that the art management of Batavia Madrigal Singers includes (1) Planning, (2) Organization, (3) Leadership, and (4) Control. Based on the results of the research, it was found that Batavia Madrigal …

Putting It Together, Bit By Bit: Partimenti For Guitarists, James Renwick

Soundboard Scholar

A review of Fenaroli's Musicali per i principianti di cembalo [Naples, 1775], edited for guitarists by Nicola Pignatiello, with translations of Fenaroli’s text by Robert Gjerdingen (Independently published, 2023), PDF available online.

Ferdinand Rebay And The Sonata Paradigm, Luiz Mantovani

Soundboard Scholar

With an output of over thirty sonatas or sonata-structured works, Viennese composer Ferdinand Rebay (1880–1953) may be considered among the most significant composers of guitar sonatas; as yet, however, little has been written to place Rebay’s sonatas in historical context. Departing from a review of a guitar concert held in Vienna in 1925, which clearly indicates a shift in the perception of the instrument’s role and capabilities among mainstream audiences, I begin this investigation exploring the guitar club environment in German-speaking territories around the turn of the century, with a focus on the activities of the IGV (Internationale Gitarristenverband; International …

Structural Models For Lyric-Setting Analysis In Popular Song, Matthew T. Hough

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

Studies of English text setting have long focused on "well-formed" examples, typically in 4/4 time, in which syllabic-stress-to-beat matching is prioritized (Halle and Lerdahl 1993, Hayes and Kaun 1996, Hayes 2009). Evidence of this prioritization has been presented in Palmer and Kelly 1992 and Girardi and Plag 2019, and such examples are ubiquitous in English-language nursery rhymes, children’s songs, and folk tunes. The present study contextualizes this type of text setting as one of four models for the structural interaction of English lyrics and music in popular song: 1) unified ("well-formed"), in which musical considerations and a preference for stress …

Voice Of My People: An Expression Of Welcome And Liturgical Justice For Afrodiasporic People In North American Catholicism, Marvand Roger Holland Ii

Doctor of Pastoral Music Projects and Theses

Music has always been central to the lives of Black people. The Black religious experience is even more profound when expressed through music. It is therefore no happenstance that music is of great import as pertains to the spiritual lives of Black people, including Black Catholics. Faith is expressed through culture. It is through culture that the faith is realized and known. In this, is the essence of inculturation.

Anscar Chupungco states that if not inculturated, the liturgy of the local Church will remain at the periphery of people’s cultural experience. For this reason, it is imperative that Afrodiasporic music …

Picturing The Victorian Revival Of The Guitar: The Diary Of Caroline Maud Berkeley (1859–1949), Christopher Page

Soundboard Scholar

The diary of Caroline Maud Berkeley née Tomlinson, compiled in thirteen sketch books from 1888 to 1901, offers the most extensive social record of guitar-playing to be found in any private document of the nineteenth century. This article, compiled with exclusive access to the original manuscripts, offers the first comprehensive digital record of more than twenty scenes of guitars in use, together with the accompanying diary text, which has never before been published in an authentic form. The diarist’s sharp eye for facial expressions and gestures, her radiant sense of color, and her keen sense of humor allow her to …