Music Commons^™

Bach To Bassics - From A Student's Perspective, Samuel Robinson Pasqualetto

Theses and Dissertations

This paper adds the valuable perspective of a student to the research of J.S. Bach’s Suites for solo violoncello BWV 1107-1012 performed on the double bass. This study stands on two main premises: the individual study and performance of J.S. Bach suites for solo cello on the double bass and postulates that there are invaluable positive effects to be achieved through the extended exposure, studying, and performing of the aforementioned works as means to promote high-level critical thinking and better understanding of the phrasal, motivic and thematic structure of musical works of the Baroque period. This paper covers the journey …

Chasing Expression: Tracing Notated And Performative Devices That Create A Bel Canto Style At The Piano, Paul Zeller

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

Discussions of interpretation and performance practice often address specific historical periods, offering analyses of musical practices within a predetermined set of dates, such as ornamentation in the Baroque period, articulation as applied in the Classical era, and phrasing “the long line” in the Romantic era. Such a sectionalized approach yields many valuable insights on how to perform the music of specific composers, but it fails to consider the development of notational practices and performative idioms across different historical eras. Studying the ways in which musicians of different eras applied the same set of musical devices within a specific style could …

In Seeking A Definition Of Mash: Attitude In Musical Style, Thomas Cassell

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

“Mash” is a term used to describe one of the most recent major style shifts in the iconic American string band music known as bluegrass. Beginning in the 1990s, the bluegrass sound began to evolve, and ‘mash’ worked its way into the genre as a descriptor of a certain sound. Though a handful of scholars have discussed the social stigmas of the style, no one yet has investigated the simple musical question about mash: what is it?

The purpose of this thesis is to define mash in its musical form through a combination of transcription methods and extensive analysis. Through …

Red Note Left Coast Chamber Ensemble, May 1, 2021, Illinois State University School Of Music

School of Music Programs

Online Video Premiere
May 1, 2021
7 PM Central Daylight Time

Old Testament Principles For Worship: Worship Practices Applied To Modern-Day Worship In The Evangelical Church From The Life Of Abraham, Cameron Scott Gaddy

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Worship in the evangelical church faces challenges regarding its purpose, design, and method of expression. In order to cultivate an authentic community of worshippers, Christians must first strive to understand the biblical basis of worship. Worship is initiated by God and requires a response from man. Many studies have shown the importance of understanding the biblical foundations of worship; however, few studies have focused on understanding biblical worship through observing the historical development of God’s identity through the biblical character of Abraham. The purpose of this study is to identify key worship principles from the life of Abraham that may …

Music Appreciation Course Design: Facilitating The Increased Participation Of Non-Music Majors In Collegiate Music Performance Ensembles, Rebecka Elizabeth Rose

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The cessation of music performance after high school graduation can be mitigated through recruitment type course design methods interwoven within collegiate Music Appreciation courses. When appropriately designed, Music Appreciation could serve as a catalyst for resuming musical participation in music ensembles. This study investigated how the college level Music Appreciation course may renew interest in performing music by non-music major students. Best teaching methodologies and Music Appreciation curriculum components to engage non-music majors are examined in addition to music ensemble recruitment techniques that can be integrated within Music Appreciation course design. This study is of qualitative design and utilizes the …

"Let Thy Conscience Act Her Part": Republican Motherhood In Civil War Popular Song, Gianna Patchett

Undergraduate Honors Capstone Projects

In the American Civil War, described by Christian McWhirter as a war fought to music, popular song played a significant role in the expression and processing of wartime emotions and ideologies. Civil War songs with lyrics written by women show feminine strength in tragedy, challenges due to societal expectations, and the day to day difficulties of wartime on the homefront. One concept that unites these themes is that of Republican Motherhood, an ideology developed in the Revolutionary War, but which continued to be prevalent throughout the 19^th Century. This paradigm places female experience in the context of duty, patriotism, …

The Glob, Spring 2021, Students Of Risd, Risd Archives

All Student Newspapers

The Glob was a one-off student newspaper created for the course Words, Images and Ideas, ILLUS 3412-01, taught by Ernest A. Bryant III. Students contributed 1-2 pages each of writing and images on topics such as COVID-19, fashion and style, risograph printing, and more.

Ethnic Irony In Melvin B. Tolson's "Dark Symphony", Elizabeth Newton

Publications and Research

This article historicizes musical symbolism in Melvin B. Tolson’s poem “Dark Symphony” (1941). In a time when Black writers and musicians alike were encouraged to aspire to European standards of greatness, Tolson’s Afro-modernist poem establishes an ambivalent critical stance toward the genre in its title. In pursuit of a richer understanding of the poet’s attitude, this article situates the poem within histories of Black music, racial uplift, and white supremacy, exploring the poem’s relation to other media from the Harlem Renaissance. It analyzes the changing language across the poem’s sections and, informed by Houston A. Baker Jr.’s study of “mastery …

Daring To See: White Supremacy And Gatekeeping In Music Education, Brian A. Gellerstein

Graduate Doctoral Dissertations

Music education in the U.S. maintains a legacy of cultural hegemony that has historically and systemically benefited the White students it was designed to serve, at the expense of Black and Brown students and teachers. As a subdiscipline concerned with cultural production and reproduction, the persistence of White supremacy within music education contributes to its indefatigability within the broader society.

This study is cast within a theoretical framework that connects critical race theory and critical pedagogy in order to address the ways in which music teachers make meaning of gatekeeping practices mediated within hidden structures of White supremacy. This inquiry …

Tennessee High School Band Directors' Knowledge, Perceptions, And Training Regarding The Teaching Of Students With Autism Spectrum Disorder (Asd): An Initial Inquiry, Cameron L. Phillips

Undergraduate Honors Theses

In hopes to add to the existing, yet limited literature surrounding music educators’ experiences with students with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), our study surveyed n=62 high school band directors currently serving in the state of Tennessee about their knowledge, perceptions, and training regarding the teaching of such students. By administering an originally designed, twelve-item survey, it was discovered that the majority of respondents had been underprepared in both their preservice and in-service training to effectively address the needs of students with ASD. Despite their lack of preparedness, an overwhelming amount of the surveyed band directors reported their students experiencing social, …

Marine Melodies: Traditional Scottish And Irish Mermaid And Selkie Songs As Performed By Top Female Vocalists In Contemporary Celtic Music, Olivia H. Phillips

Undergraduate Honors Theses

Mermaids and human-seal hybrids, called selkies, are a vibrant part of Celtic folklore, including ballad and song traditions. Though some of these songs have been studied in-depth, there is a lack of research comparing them to each other or to their contemporary renditions. This research compares traditional melodies and texts of the songs “The Mermaid,” “The Grey Selchie of Sule Skerry,” and “Hó i Hó i” to contemporary recordings by top female vocalists in Scottish and Irish music.

The texts and melodies I have identified as “source” material are those most thoroughly examined by early ballad and folklore scholars. The …

Dimitri Mitropoulos A Champion Of New Music, Ioannis Protopapas

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

I am investigating the role of Dimitri Mitropoulos in promoting contemporary music primarily during his tenure as the principal conductor of New York Philharmonic. I plan to discuss the contemporary composers and works he found important, and why this music needed to be heard. This study will help to illuminate the new music of the 1940’s and 50’s, and the conductor’s role in cultivating audiences. Moreover, it will demonstrate the relationship between conducting and composition, and the role of this relationship in successful performance practice and interpretation. Additionally, I will provide a detailed list of Mitropoulos's premieres with New York …

Singing And Pronunciation: A Review Of The Literature, Kassidy Joyner

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Observed differences exist in the pronunciation abilities of individual language learners, especially adult learners. Musical ability and experience are possible factors that have been attributed to language pronunciation abilities. Although there has been a large amount of research concerning the effects of general musical ability and training on language abilities, very few studies have investigated the musical sub-category of singing. Research on the use of songs in the language classroom has largely tested the effects of song on vocabulary acquisition, while very few studies have explored the effects of song on pronunciation. Given that singing and pronunciation both use similar …

The Neuroanatomical, Neurochemical, And Phenomenological Correlates Of Social Bonding, Empathy, And Flow In Music Improvisation, Edward A. Roth

Dissertations

The three studies in this dissertation explore the biological and phenomenological under-pinnings of music improvisation related to bonding, empathy, and flow. Musical improvisation is a multi-dimensional behavior encompassing motor, cognitive, affective, and often social domains, and as such, it is reasonable to consider that music improvisation shares many characteristics with other forms of non-musical extemporaneous behavior, such as carrying on a verbal dialogue. The primary aims of this three-study dissertation were to (1) determine the feasibility of the study designs and interdisciplinary methods; (2) examine potential differences in the neuroanatomical and neurophysiological correlates of improvisation between non-musicians and musicians; and …

Compositions For 0 Or 1 Performers, Rodrigo Valente Pascale

Masters Theses

This thesis includes a collection of pieces composed for 0 or 1 performers – unaccompanied solo, solo and electronics or fixed media. The compositions for solo instruments include “Unnest” for bassoon solo, premièred by Ariane Petri during the V Congress of Music and Mathematics in 2020, and “Assemblage” for baritone saxophone solo, premièred by Erin Rogers in 2020. “Reizantwort” is a composition for viola and electronics which was first recorded by Laura Parra in summer 2020. Finally, "Discontinuous Mediation I" and "Discontinuous Mediation II" are fixed media compositions that were composed in Summer 2020 and Spring 2021, respectively. This collection …

The Best Is Yet To Come: Approaches To Rhythmic Development, Robert W. Lindsay Ii

Masters Theses

For my Masters of Arts thesis, I recorded a number of songs that I had written between 2015 and 2020 for an album titled “The Best is Yet to Come.” In this adjunct essay, I will analyze four of those pieces to demonstrate my use of rhythmic development; I use rhythmic development extensively in my work in order to generate cohesion between songs. The opening song, “Fresh Vegetables,” demonstrates the rhythmic motive that all other songs develop from. If anyone chooses to learn or analyze my music in the future, this document can be a reference.

Uni Jazz Band One And Uni Jazz Band Two, April 30, 2021 [Program], University Of Northern Iowa. School Of Music.

Music Recital Programs

Program of a music recital given by faculty, students, or guest artists from the School of Music at the University of Northern Iowa.

Melodies Of Love: An Exploration Of Popular Love Songs And Love Styles According To The Ancient Greeks, Kevin Blackmon

Recital Papers

I conducted an investigation and application of how different types of affection, as expressed in Classical Greek philosophy, are conveyed in commercial music with love songs. I also analyzed how various love songs demonstrate these different meanings of affection. Through my discoveries, I applied the standards of these ideas to my music. I focused on the common characteristics that each love song shares. I divided each analysis of musical ideas and concepts that contain similarities into the six subsections of Jan LaRue’s SHRMGT framework: SHRMG(T) stands for sound, harmony, melody, rhythm, growth, and text. The focus for each song will …

A Graduate Recital In Conducting, Alex Chesney

Electronic Theses & Dissertations

This graduate thesis consists of a choral conducting recital and the accompanying program notes. The recital includes selections by Terry Schlenker, Marc’Antonio Ingegneri, Johann Michael Haydn, Ēriks Ešenvalds, David Dickau, Antonio Soler, Gustav Holst, Ethan McGrath, Antonín Dvořák, and Stephen Paulus. The program notes for each selection will include biographical information, musical analysis, and historical traditions, as well as other pertinent information.