Music Commons^™

Disparities In Programming African American Solo Vocal Music On College Campuses Across The United States, Ramelle Brooks

Theses and Dissertations

This study investigates the representation of African American composers within the solo vocal literature genre of classical music. Literature suggests the music of African American composers is seldom taught in classical musical studies. The study explored one publicly available college recital database from each U.S. geographical region (Northeast, Midwest, South, West), which included listings of songs performed at each recital. The researcher recorded the number of recitals including African American composers and provided a numerical breakdown of song genres associated with African American Americans that included African American arts songs, Spirituals, Blues, Gospel, Jazz, and operatic arias. The number of …

The Apprenticeship Structure And The Applied Pedagogical Methods Of The Holy Roman Empire Imperial Trumpeters’ Guild During The 17Th And 18Th Centuries, Noa Miller

Theses and Dissertations

The Imperial Trumpeters’ Guild of the 17th and 18th centuries Holy Roman Empire implemented a remarkable and effective training program for its apprentices: an expedited two-year apprenticeship structure with a seven-year journeyman period when the training was applied. Studying the structure of the apprenticeship and how the expedited system was implemented gives a new insight into an effective and efficient teaching model. This training regimen was made possible because apprentices received the necessary musical foundation and pedagogical methods through attending the Latin school. This is evidenced through analysis and comparison of the Latin school primers (textbooks) and the trumpet treatises, …

Music As Complementary And Alternative Medicine (Cam) Therapy: An Exploratory Literature Review, Amy Arlene Clary

Theses and Dissertations

Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) is a broad term for treatment plans outside of conventional therapy or conventional medicine.1 The National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH) divides CAM therapies into three categories “Natural Products,” “Mind and Body,” and “Other Complementary Health Approaches.” The NCCIH places music in the category “Mind and Body.” This exploratory literature review provides a comprehensive review of the various ways music is being studied for its psychological, sociological, and physiological benefits.

The purpose of this study was to create a comprehensive literature review of music as a CAM therapy. The study codifies a current …

Composers And Publishers Of Parlor Songs And Spirituals From Civil War Richmond: 1861 – 1867, Michael Gray

Theses and Dissertations

This document is an historical compendium of how Richmond, Virginia contributed to a significant shift in early American music during and after the American Civil War. Firstly, we will explore the music industry practices of the 1850’s and 1860’s in Richmond, and how they were a reflection of the rest of the American South at that time. Secondly, we will explore the height of parlor song repertoire in the South, its technical simplicity, and use as a tool for music education, artistic expression, but perhaps most notably as a means of informal propaganda for the Confederate cause. Finally, we will …

A Comparison Of Approaches To Pianoforte Technique In The Treatises Of Lhevinne, Leimer, And Neuhaus, Louis S. Hehman

Theses and Dissertations

Throughout the history of piano playing as an art form, various performers, teachers, and theorists have written treatises as a means of conveying their thoughts on interpretation, education, and technique. As the Romantic tradition of pianism peaked in the early- to mid-20th century, three particular treatises were written that continue to have a major impact upon pianistic thought. These were Basic Principles in Pianoforte Playing by Josef Lhevinne, Piano Technique by Karl Leimer, and The Art of Piano Playing by Heinrich Neuhaus.

Each of these treatises was influential at the time of its publication, and each has remained in publication …

Transcribing Baroque Lute To Marimba: Viability, Techniques, And Pedagogical Possibilities, Cory James High

Theses and Dissertations

Transcriptions and adaptations of works originally composed for other instruments are commonplace within the current marimba repertoire. Marimbists have been borrowing repertoire from other instruments and transcribing or arranging them for performance on the marimba due to the relative youth of the instrument. These adaptations began as a necessity, but they are still often programmed due to their popularity, and because many academic institutions require the performance of era-specific works or works by certain composers such as Johann Sebastian Bach, and no literature was composed for the marimba during those times.

Source instruments for these marimba adaptations have varied some, …

Embracing Worship And Performance, Robson N. Galvao

Selected Honors Theses

Music is a very powerful tool. It is a very important part of the world around us. Some would even say that without it, life would not be the same. When it comes to church, it is not any different. Music plays a very large part of most church services today, whether that be having someone play a church organ in a more traditional church or by having a full worship band with lights and production in a more contemporary church. With that comes the issue of performance within the church music context. One of the biggest issues within the …

Virtual Piano Instruction For The College Learner, Gena Greher, Dominique Haughton, Jacob Hiser, Brandon Vaccaro

Journal of the Association for Technology in Music Instruction

This article investigates the affordability and feasibility of conducting virtual piano lessons for the college level learner. It proposes an approach that works well and requires equipment costing approximately $300 per student. We outline the pros and cons of conducting virtual piano lessons online. The main benefit is overcoming geographical distances, whereas limitations include challenges such as the instructor being able to check issues such as fingerings or dynamics. Latency is not a major problem as long as only one person is playing at any given time, as found in past work. The process of teaching and learning online requires …

Amateurism In Music Education (1967-2019): Three Calls To Action, Tom Fitzstephens

Visions of Research in Music Education

John Kratus’ 2019 Music Educators Journal article "A Return to Amateurism in Music Education" contained what many may interpret as radical ideas to focus music education curriculum and instruction on amateurism. But upon further research, leaders within the profession have consistently affirmed the goals of amateurism. The purpose of this study was to analyze and compare themes of Kratus’ concept of amateurism with declarative statements of the two most recent National Association for Music Education leadership summits, which charted the profession's future. Directed content analysis method and deductive content analysis of Kratus’ "Amateurism" article, compared to declarative reports of the …

The Academic-Support Group: Peer Mentoring Experiences Of Early-Career Music Teacher Educators, Christa Kuebel, Heather Waters, Christina Svec

Visions of Research in Music Education

The transition from doctoral student to higher education faculty member provides a unique set of challenges. Individuals attempt to balance research, service, and teaching requirements while also experiencing changes in their personal lives, such as geographical relocation. Peer-mentoring of early-career faculty may be used to support this challenging period and support the longevity of those who follow this career path. Therefore, the purpose of this phenomenological study was to explore the peer-mentoring experience of a group of early-career elementary general music teacher educators. Research questions were: (1) How did participants describe the experience of peer-mentoring? (2) How did participation impact …

Empathy In And Through Music Education: Extending Artistic Citizenship, Amanda Ellerbe

Visions of Research in Music Education

Bowman, Elliott, and Silverman's concept of artistic citizenship helps characterize how music education accomplishes social change. However, while Elliott et al. regard artistic citizenship as a means of exercising music in political ways, further investigation of how musical activities prepare students to consider effecting social change might more comprehensively describe artistic citizenship as a socio-musical endeavor. In light of the goals of social justice-oriented programming, the relationship between citizenship and artistic practice, one might think not only of music in the service of exercising citizenship in the greater community but also as a means of developing citizenship skills in the …

The Development Of Hark!, A Computerized Assessment Tool In Music Cognition, Anthony E. Kelly, William L. Berz, Brian Kershner

Visions of Research in Music Education

No abstract provided.

Rachmaninoff’S Second Piano Sonata, Op. 36: Large Scale Narrative Consequences Of Revision, Robert Brooks Carlson

James Madison Undergraduate Research Journal (JMURJ)

A staple of the solo piano recital, Sergei Rachmaninoff’s Second Piano Sonata, op. 36, stands as one of the final romantic submissions to the art of the piano sonata. Rachmaninoff first published the sonata in 1913, and he returned to the piece in 1931 to revise it substantially, removing about five minutes from its performance time. Despite its compositional, emotional, and physical virtuosity, the work has received little analytic attention regarding the relationship between the two versions. This paper investigates the consequences of Rachmaninoff’s revisions by constructing a musical narrative for the sonata. The process illuminates structures within the piece …

Celebrated Swedish Tenor Monday Concert Attraction

Journal of the Jussi Björling Societies of the USA & UK

Word was received from New York Friday that Jussi Bjoerling would be on hand to give his first American concert for the 1939-40 season in the Provo tabernacle Monday night. With him will be Mrs. Anna Lisa Berg Bjoerling, his wife, and Harry Ebert, his pianist.

Reprinted from The Daily Herald, Provo, Utah—November 20, 1939

Listening Room: Jussi Björling—Monday, August 22, 2011, Fred Plotkin

Journal of the Jussi Björling Societies of the USA & UK

Very early on, my musician father decided that, in terms of classical singing, I should be raised on four voices: soprano Victoria de los Angeles, mezzo-soprano Marilyn Horne, tenor Jussi Björling and bass Ezio Pinza. It was not that there weren’t other great singers in opera and recital and the great interpreters of the American songbook, but Dad felt that these four would give me a foundation for loving all singing. Perhaps this group is a bit short on Wagner and Strauss, but they are great on Lieder and all kinds of art song.

Jussi Björling: Advertising Tenor, Harald Henrysson

Journal of the Jussi Björling Societies of the USA & UK

One of the clearest proofs of Jussi’s enormous popularity in Sweden is the frequent use of his name in advertising. His name and portrait were not only used when his concerts or his recordings were advertised, but his commercial potential was taken advantage of to promote both products which could to some extent be related to his profession, like pianos, radio receivers and lozenges, but also a wide array of other products: typewriters, razor blades, fountain pens, newspapers, perfume, vermouth and whisky. This article will present a selection of these advertisements and give an idea of their background.

Some Memories Of Licia Albanese And Her Surprising Husband, Joe Gimma, James A. Drake

Journal of the Jussi Björling Societies of the USA & UK

Jim knew Licia and Joe Gimma well and offered to set down these remarks about their interactions for our JBS Journal and, in August 2014, for our JB Yahoogroup. (Dan Shea)

Licia Albanese and I spent a considerable amount of time together from 1977 until 2008, when she and I did an onstage interview here in Florida, at the Vero Beach Opera Company. Additionally, and just as importantly to me, I had the privilege of getting to know Joseph A. Gimma, whom she had married in 1945.

Remembering Irene Dalis, Walter B. Rudolph

Journal of the Jussi Björling Societies of the USA & UK

The Met Auditions, Utah Festival Opera (Logan, Utah) and JBS-USA— each gave me a non-performing experience with Irene Dalis. The last time was July 2012 when she accepted the JBSUSA offer to become an Honorary Advisor of the Society.

The Jussi Björling Museum 20 Years: Borlänge And The Björling Memory, Harald Henrysson

Journal of the Jussi Björling Societies of the USA & UK

The idea of a Jussi Björling museum in Borlänge was put forward soon after his death in September 1960 by a local, culturally active merchant, Göte Åhsberg. Jussi himself had expressed the wish to preserve his childhood home at Magasinsgatan, which would later also prove to be the place of his birth, and had offered to give concerts for the purpose. Now the house was soon going to be pulled down due to large building projects, including expansion of the railway tracks. The first proposal was to move the house to the open-air museum Tunabygdens gammelgård, and install an exhibition …

June 3, 1935 – June 3, 2015: Celebrating The Björling 80th Wedding Anniversary, Walter B. Rudolph

Journal of the Jussi Björling Societies of the USA & UK

The following information is condensed and quoted from Jussi by Anna-Lisa Björling and Andrew Farkas, pp. 76-78. We hope that reading this excerpt will motivate you to reread the complete account in that book. The engagement of Anna-Lisa Berg and Jussi Björling was prompted with a catalyst.

The couple held undeniable feelings for each other. And even though the subject of marriage had not been openly discussed, it was almost a given that they would one day marry.