Digital Commons Network^™

The Incorporated Hornist: Instruments, Embodiment, And The Performance Of Music, M. Elizabeth Fleming

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Roland Barthes famously described the “grain” as “the body in the voice as it sings, the hand as it writes, the limb as it performs.” Stated simply, this project asks What is the body in the horn as it sounds? Instrumentality is typically understood as extension and expression beyond the boundaries of the body; brass instrument musicking, however, begins not where the sound emerges from the bell, but at the very least at the meeting point of the player’s breath, the surfaces of the body, and the tube of the instrument. This project of instrumental incorporation understands music as a …

Poems To Open Palms: Praise Performance And The State In The Sultanate Of Oman, Bradford J. Garvey

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

This dissertation traces the musical constitution of moral, economic, material, and social relations between rural communities and the state in the Sultanate of Oman. I argue that communities embedded within the authoritarian state hegemony of the Sultanate form and affirm social relations with the state through its embodied proxy, Sultan Qābūs bin Ṣa‘īd Āl Bū Ṣa‘īd, via the reciprocal exchange of state-directed giving and praise poetry responses. The circuit of exchange catalyzes the social production of political legitimacy and ensures continued generous distribution by mythopoetically presenting such cyclicity as resulting from elite and non-elite mutuality. This praise poetry is rendered …

Afro-Cuba Transnational: Recordings And The Mediation Of Afro-Cuban Traditional Music, Johnny Frias

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

This dissertation analyzes the way audio and video recordings and the internet have impacted, shaped, and helped create a transnational Afro-Cuban music scene. My focus will be on the most popular and widely-recorded genres of Afro-Cuban music—rumba and the religious repertoire of Santería, particularly batá drumming—both of which I also perform regularly with other Cuban musicians in Miami. Incorporating interviews, online ethnographic research, and participant-observation as a musician, my research has three main arguments.

First, recordings of Afro-Cuban music helped create a transnational Afro-Cuban music scene by increasing the popularity of these traditions outside of Cuba, including their amateur performance …

Imagining Africa: An Analysis Of Tropes And Motifs In Turn Of The Century Black Music, Shane Ortale

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

References to Africa exist in different forms in diasporic music from every country in the New World. In the case of the United States, an abundance of song lyrics of black writers and musicians from the turn of the twentieth century contain imaginings of the African continent. This thesis analyzes the many ways that these depictions were produced within the minstrel and vaudeville genres. While these artists faced many obstacles that limited the scope of their lyrical content, they used diverse strategies to undermine the racist world in which they lived. By juxtaposing and conflating tropes about black folks in …

Yeezus Is Jesuz: Examining The Socio-Hermeneutical Transmediated Images Of Jesus Employed By Kanye West, Daniel White Hodge

Journal of Hip Hop Studies

Kanye is enigmatic in many ways. His continuous reference to deity while still embracing a person like 452 makes him worth the study and effort to explore his contribution and effect in the Hip Hop cultural continuum. This article investigates, Kanye West from a theological and spiritual standpoint to provide insights from his theological aesthetics. While the ever-growing field of Hip Hop studies begins to explore religion in Hip Hop, the present work seeks to address this and develop new theologies/theories that fit both a Hip Hop and Black theology context. While the formal discipline of theology in the United …

I Gotta Testify: Kanye West, Hip Hop, And The Church, Joshua K. Wright, Adria Y. Goldman, Vanatta S. Ford

Journal of Hip Hop Studies

The goal of this project, “I Gotta Testify: Kanye West, Hip Hop, and the Church,” is to add a new perspective to the scholarly discourse on Hip Hop and Christianity within classrooms, religious institutions, and popular culture by focusing on Kanye. We chose to focus on Kanye because he has been one of Hip Hop’s most influential artists in the past decade. Furthermore, Kanye is one of the most polarizing celebrities in America and across the globe. His music, fashion, political views, and family (which includes the Kardashians) dominate discourse on social media, blogs, television, and other forms of mass …

Introduction - Enigma Embodied: The Curious Complexity Of Kanye West, Daniel White Hodge

Journal of Hip Hop Studies

“There’s no way Hip Hop and religion work. No way!” “I just can’t see anything coming out of religion and Hip Hop. It’s like the two don’t even go together.” “Rap music is of the devil. To say there is any God in it is blasphemous!” These were direct quotes I received when I began my journey into the field of Religion and Hip Hop. I was met with firm opposition and the very notion of combining Hip Hop and religion left many angered, bewildered, confused, but definitely not speechless. It was a trifling time and the very thought of …

“Native American Folk Song Suite”: A Study Of Traditional Native American Melodies, The Role Of Music In Native American Society, And Its Translation To The Modern Wind Ensemble, Preston Parker

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Music holds a sacred place for the many Native American tribes of the United States. Over the past 150 years, ethnomusicologists Dr. Theodore Baker (1851-1934), Dr. Frances Densmore (1867-1957), and John Donald Robb (1892-1989) have preserved these songs by sitting down with indigenous Native Americans and recording their music straight from the source. Through these recordings, these ethnomusicologists created a springboard for composers, including myself, to study the past and create new music that honors the traditions and culture of Native Americans. I have applied my new knowledge of these musical techniques and traditions to create a work for wind …

Singing God's Words: The Performance Of Biblical Chant In Contemporary Judaism, Mili Leitner Cohen

Yale Journal of Music & Religion

A book review is presented for Jeffrey Summit, Singing God's Words: The Performance of Biblical Chant in Contemporary Judaism (New York: Oxford University Press, 2016).

Thirteen Ways To “Hail, Mary”: A Case Study Of The 2013 Forum For The Inculturation Of Liturgical Music In Nigeria, Quintina Carter-Enyi, Aaron Carter-Enyi

Yale Journal of Music & Religion

Every two years since 1997, the Forum for the Inculturation of Liturgical Music (FILM) has given a platform for many of Nigeria’s cultures to contribute to the future direction of the Roman Catholic liturgy in Nigeria. This case study focuses on the 2013 Biennial Choral Competition, specifically 13 settings of the Ave Maria text in seven of Nigeria’s hundreds of languages. Prior to that year, FILM had already introduced music with lyrics in minority languages including Bini, “Osolobruvwe Do”, and Efik, “Yak Ikom Abasi”, into the Nigerian canon of choral music, including both concert and church performance. In 2013, the …

Influential Women In The History Of American Music Education, Christina Genae Mathis

Masters Theses

Early American music education is rooted not only in the work of Lowell Mason and other male music education pioneers, but also in the lives of a number of women whose work in the field was largely unnoticed until the twentieth century and the evolution of women’s rights in America. This project researched the lives and contributions of five of these women: Frances Elliott Clark, one of the first educators to take advantage of the technology available at the time, who incorporated the use of phonographs in the music classroom; Julia Ettie Crane, whose legacy lives on through the Crane …

The Shape Of You: Music's Impact On Identity, Codi Yhap

Music Summer Fellows

Investigating the multiple functions of music, scholars from various fields have expressed that music can regulate moods and emotions while providing listeners a way to navigate their identity. Focusing primarily on the genre of rap, this research has placed the field of Music and Emotion in conversation with Hip-Hop studies. The field of Music and Emotion has thoroughly measured/examined listener thought processes, bodily response, and cultural influences when engaging with music. Despite the rise in scholarship addressing popular music and emotion, the field rarely includes popular music in its discussions unless, perhaps, the genre is jazz. Recognizing that there are …

Peace, Love, And Politics: How Woodstock Of 1969 Epitomized The Relationship Between Social Movements And Music, Jacklynn Ramsey

Politics Summer Fellows

This research analyzes the role that music plays in social movements in the United States, focusing on Woodstock of 1969 as a pivotal moment. By examining the 1969 Woodstock through an academic lens, I illustrate the intrinsic relationship that exists between music and politics, specifically through social movements. First, I explore the relationship that music and politics have had historically and extrapolate why they are interconnected. Then, I dissect two different movements, paralleling them from their roots to present day, analyzing the integral role that music has had in them. Those movements include the Civil Rights Movement and Black Lives …

At The Origins Of Musicology In Uzbekistan, Saida Kasimxodjaeva

Eurasian music science journal

The article discusses the main stages of development of musicology in Uzbekistan. The introduction provides a brief overview of Uzbek musicology in the 18th and 19th centuries. The tasks and goals of each period are analyzed, and the most important problems of modern education are put forward from the point of view of two different approaches arising from the very nature of Eastern music making and the academic traditions of the European type of education. From the point of view of modern approaches, we suggest ways to combine all these possibilities for the formation of a fully developed spiritual personality …

Full Issue - Maya America V1, I1

Maya America: Journal of Essays, Commentary, and Analysis

Full issue of Maya America, the inaugural issue - volume 1, issue 1.

Verifying Modeling And Audiovisual Stimuli As Strategies For Mastering Guedes Peixoto's Maracatú, Rodrigo Clementino Diniz

LSU Master's Theses

ABSTRACT

Literature has been saying that auditory Modeling can be a useful tool in order to develop or broaden musical interpretive ideas. In the same way, literature ventilates that audiovisual stimuli can be applied to musicians in order to raise emotions that some scholars consider as indispensable when it comes to deliver expressive musical communications. More specifically, research in the Music Performance field points out that Modeling and Audiovisual stimuli are useful strategies in the learning process of building up a musical interpretation, both, fostering expressive tools for aiming musical performance.

This research is intended to empirically verify the applicability …

Laja’B’Kanal Yet’ Ko’ Q’In, The Lasting Dances Of Our Fiestas: Music Embodiment As A Collective Memory Of The Maya Diaspora, Juan G. Francisco Cristobal

Maya America: Journal of Essays, Commentary, and Analysis

The purpose of this article is to shed light on the music embodiment and collective memory of the Maya Diaspora, focusing on the Maya Q’anjob’al communities in the United States

Sunésis: Evolving Aesthetic Discourse In Traditional Music Practices In Ireland, Nollaig Ó Fiongháile

Research Theses

The enquiry ‘Súnesis’ investigates aesthetic awareness in traditional music practices in Ireland and seeks to evolve an aesthetic discourse with the practices at hand.Súnesis undertakes a critical examination of a suite of performances from contemporary and traditional folk music practices in Ireland. Engaging an interpretative model evolved by Paul Ricoeur, the author designs a dimensional pathway to articulate the modes of consciousness and aesthetic awareness at work in the creative act.

It is proposed that a rethinking of traditional folk music is required, beyond the disciplinary, geographical or political boundaries more typically conceived in music studies. With an alternate …

Kelvin Burzon Interview, Maya Boustany

Asian American Art Oral History Project

Kelvin Burzon is a Filipino-American artist whose work explores intersections of sexuality, race, gender and religion. He was born on March 26, 1989, in Bataan, Philippines. As a child growing up in a Filipino culture, Burzon’s initial ambition was to become a Catholic Priest. “I have always been interested in the religion’s role in culture and familial relationships and have been drawn to the religion’s traditions, imagery, theatricality, and its psychological vestige.” His work is inspired by cerebral influences growing up in and around the church. “My cultural and familial identity, my memories as a child, cannot be separated from …

A Failure Of The Music Industry: The Frustration Of Women Of Color, Christina Estes-Wynne

Backstage Pass

Throughout the history of the music industry, women of color have not received the same recognition as their male counterparts because males have dominated the industry resulting in lack of female representation. Women have been oversexualized reducing their clout in their fields and the lack of acknowledgement of success, which discourages future generations of colored women from attempting to reach their highest potential.

The Role Of Music In Assimilation Of Students At The Carlisle Indian Industrial School, Abigail C. Winston

The Gettysburg Historical Journal

Despite the vast research on the Carlisle Indian Industrial School, music is often overshadowed by the recognition of the school’s athletic program in the discussion of the place of extracurricular activities in Native American assimilation. This paper discusses the role of music in the assimilation of students at the Carlisle Indian School, drawing from the fields of both history and ethnomusicology to demonstrate that music had a much more profound effect on assimilation than athletics. Through a discussion on the differences between Native American and Western art music, and the disparity between their functions in society, it is clear that …

Letter From The Editors, Brandon R. Katzung Hokanson, Abigal K. Major

The Gettysburg Historical Journal

The Gettysburg Historical Journal embodies the History Department’s dedication to diverse learning and excellence in academics. Each year, the journal publishes the top student work in a range of topics across the spectrum of academic disciplines with different mythological approaches to the study of history. In the word of Marc Bloch, author of The Historian’s Craft, “history is neither watchmaking nor cabinet construction. It is an endeavor toward better understanding.” In the spirit of this maxim, our authors strive to elucidate the many facets of human societies and cultures. Whether this research is focused on politics, religion, economics, environmental history, …

Front Matter

The Gettysburg Historical Journal

Front Matter of the Gettysburg Historical Journal 2019

Gettysburg Historical Journal 2019

The Gettysburg Historical Journal

Complete issue of The Gettysburg Historical Journal 2019.

The Impact Of Informal Music Learning On Fifth Graders' Music Learning Processes And Perceptions Of General Music Class, Alejandro Juarez

Music Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to describe qualitatively the learning processes and perceptions of music class that emerged in a fifth-grade general music setting in which informal music learning processes were the fundamental components of the pedagogical approach. Initial research questions aimed to examine the ways students perceived their previous music classroom, how they used music outside of school, how informal music learning strategies impacted them, and how they believed popular musicians learned music. Students in this action research study were 50 fifth graders in two classes. Data were collected using many ethnographic techniques including interviews, questionnaires, and video/audio …

Margulis Revisited: Once More On Program Notes And Audience Enjoyment, Jocelyn Abrahamzon

Senior Honors Projects, 2010-2019

In a 2010 study, Elizabeth Margulis finds that audience members enjoy classical music less when they read information about the piece before they hear it. Her result is surprising because conventional wisdom suggests that such pre-concert information would add to an audience members’ enjoyment of a concert. To gain further perspective, I decided to conduct a similar study on JMU’s campus that differed from Margulis’ in many ways. For example, participants attended a live concert rather than listening to excerpts of music through headphones. I created a survey that asked participants questions about their experience at a concert they attended …

Traditional Irish Musical Elements In The Solo-Piano Music Of Ryan Molloy, Brian Thomas Murphy

Dissertations

Music in Ireland has become increasingly popular in recent decades. There is no shortage of Irish musical groups, recordings, and live performances featuring Irish music both in Ireland and abroad. Contemporary art music in Ireland has also seen an increase in support and notoriety. Irish composers face a decision of how, if at all, to engage with traditional folk music that is so prominent in their culture. Ryan Molloy (b. 1983 in Pomeroy, County Tyrone, Northern Ireland) is a composer and performer who incorporates elements of traditional Irish music in the context and in the language of modern art music. …

The Influence Of Film Music On Emotion, Alyssa D'Artenay

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

This paper examines the use of music as a narrative device to influence an audience’s emotions and response in the context of film and visual media as well as its use as a tool to impart psychological transportation and assist the visual narrative. By identifying the contributions of music as a whole, I evaluate and describe its functions, roles and relationship with the audience through the medium of film. Using information collected from published reports, articles and books, I provide a thorough analysis of the varying methods and approaches used and the roles music plays in affecting the emotional response …

They Never Stopped Rockin': A Brief History Of The Chitlin' Circuit, Mississippi, And Their Effects On America's Music, Warren Beebe

Honors Theses

This work focuses on the development of one of America's first musical tour routes: the Chitlin' Circuit. While its name may sound strange, the Chitlin' Circuit was responsible for the development of numerous distinct musical genres throughout the United States, such as blues and rock and roll in the twentieth century. Southern roadhouses, dive bars, and juke joints proudly showcased performers that gained initial fame touring with old medicine shows. As these artists gained recognition for their new musical stylings and elaborate showmanship, the owners of these local nightspots began to exchange contact information to better capitalize on these highly …

"What Is An Mc If He Can't Rap?", Dominique Jimmerson

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

The goal of this paper is to tell about the history of hip-hop and the many lyricists who have come throughout the years and help the genre advance. The paper starts with the foundation of hip-hop and how the genre set itself apart from disco to become its own genre. It ranges from the late 70’s and ends in the mid 2000’s and describes how the landscape of rap is constantly changing and so are the lyricists who come out. Throughout the paper there will be examples of the lyrics and used and what made them revolutionary at the time. …