Digital Commons Network^™

Crossing The Pond: The Influence Of Southern Appalachian Old-Time On Contemporary Irish Music, Amanda Morgan

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Numerous studies examine Irish traditional music influencing old-time music, but few examine the influence of old-time on contemporary Irish. As our societies become more global, folk music travels faster and becomes more open to influence. Thes influences can be heard in the music of “Alfi” and “Lankum,” two ensembles steeped in Irish traditional music.

This study defines common musical elements of old-time and examines the use of those elements in two recordings: Alfi’s, “Jubilee” and Lankum’s, “The Old Man from Over the Sea.” Much of my data comes from interviews with Irish and American musicians and my own professional knowledge, …

Annotated Bibliography: How Is Musical Labor Exploited In The United States’ Economy?, Kalen Meyer

Musicology and Ethnomusicology: Student Scholarship

The goal of this paper is to highlight the various ways in which musicians and their labor are exploited in today’s capitalist economy. Music can be labelled in different ways such as aesthetic labor or creative labor and is not typically seen through the same lens of labor as more traditional forms of work. Record labels will abuse the vagueness of artists contracts to unfairly pay them and streaming services such as Spotify will leverage their political power and capital power to keep royalty payments to artists as low as possible. Gig work is also an important aspect to the …

Is It Worth It? A Look At Antique And Modern Violins: An Annotated Bibliography, Calvin Luo

Musicology and Ethnomusicology: Student Scholarship

Violin family instruments have been made for hundreds of years. Cremona, a city in Northern Italy, is particularly renowned for producing world-class instruments. Old Italian violins especially from Cremonese makers such as Amati, Stradivari, and Guarneri, are often associated with high-caliber soloists, concertmasters, or quartet first violinists. A multi-million-dollar price tag is also not uncommon for these types of instruments. A newly made or modern violin by an established living maker (luthier) is often marketed toward section players of orchestras, chamber musicians, and conservatory students. These instruments usually carry a price tag of anywhere from eight to eighty thousand dollars. …

The Ongoing Death Of Classical Music: An Annotated Bibliography, University Of Denver

Musicology and Ethnomusicology: Student Scholarship

Live classical music is an art medium that has been seeing a decrease in attendance for several decades. Several factors play into this ongoing “death,” which include but are not limited to decreasing support or funding for the arts, lack of education, as well as stagnating programs from repetitive repertoire. This paper examines these factors, and it suggests initiatives or solutions to this problem.

The Scholarship Of Rock Music: Knowledge Mapping Through Bibliography, Monica Berger

Publications and Research

Scholarship on rock and popular music has grown dramatically in volume and methodological variety and complexity including extensive use of interdisciplinary approaches. There currently is no comprehensive resource for scholars and educators to explore monographic scholarly literature on rock. I will showcase a new annotated bibliography, with a focus on disciplinarity and methodology, which provides a lens into how this scholarly discourse has evolved. This bibliography also makes visible broader trends regarding research topics in rock and popular music. This project will be a resource to academics and other authors, faculty designing and updating curricula, and librarians interested in building …

Made In Italy: Gli Effetti Della Musica Italiana (T)Rap Sulla Società E Sulla Lingua, Paraskevi Z. Gkana-Alberico

Theses and Dissertations

This paper explores the history of Italian (t)rap music, and uses the lyrics of famous songs in an attempt to examine the effects the sometimes vulgar and explicit themes, which are usually accompanied by the use of foreign languages, could have on society and the Italian language.

New Music Ensemble, Chapman New Music Ensemble

Printed Performance Programs (PDF Format)

No abstract provided.

Give The Drummer Some: A Dive Into Drum Breaks And Drum Break Production, Kyle Kaldhusdal

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

This paper traces the history of hip-hop culture through the evolution of the drum break, the original context of drum breaks in funk and soul music, their influence on DJ culture, and the subsequent impact of drum breaks on music and music production. It follows the development of breakbeat compilations in the 1970s and 1980s, parallel to the development of turntablism and sampling techniques. It also examines in detail how copyright litigation in the 1990s shaped the development of sample-based music genres and created a niche market for originally-recorded drum breaks over the subsequent decades.

Listening To The World: A Brief Survey Of World Music, Antoni Pizà

Publications and Research

A short and engaging introduction to music around the world.

Listen to the world. Explore music from around the globe. Acquaint yourself with a variety of international music styles and traditions. Investigate issues in popular music from both a social perspective (such as race, religion, language, economics, gender, diaspora, and politics), as well as an intrinsically musical position (beat, pitch, meter, rhythm, form, timbre, texture). Learn about how music reinforces values and negotiates tradition with innovation; how rural and urban contexts inform musical experiences; how soundscapes shape identity. Learn how to collect sounds and ask questions: what is this instrument’s …

Feeling Analogue: Using Modular Synthesizers, Designing Synthesis Communities, Eliot Bates

Publications and Research

When Harald Bode nominally invented the modular synthesiser in 1960, it was not yet clear whether it was a musical instrument or a less-defined form of studio-sited audio technology (Subotnik 1970). Much of the technology, from the interface design to the specific parts, was shared with nonmusical test and measurement equipment. Sixty years later, hardware modular synthesis is used not just for musical creation but for noise, sound art and data sonification/visualization. Through an ethnographic study of the design and use of the Eurorack modular synthesis format, and of modular synthesis maker and user communities spread through North America, Europe …

The Origins Of Dance: Characterizing The Development Of Infants' Earliest Dance Behavior, Minju Kim, Adena Schachner

Psychology Faculty Articles and Research

Dance is a universal human behavior and a crucial component of human musicality. When and how does the motivation and tendency to move to music develop? How does this behavior change as a process of maturation and learning? We characterize infants’ earliest dance behavior, leveraging parents’ extensive at-home observations of their children. Parents of infants aged 0–24 months (N = 278, 82.7% White, 84.5% in the United States, 46.0% of household incomes ≥ $100,000) were surveyed regarding their child’s current and earliest dance behavior (movement by the child, during music, that the parent considered dance), motor development, and their …

Etcètera Ii: Notes Sobre Música, Art I Literatura (2020-2022), Antoni Pizà

Publications and Research

A compilation of essays on music, the arts, and literature previously published in Bellver, the arts section of Diario de Mallorca (2020-2022). This is the second part of ETCETERA.

New Music Ensemble, Chapman New Music Ensemble

Printed Performance Programs (PDF Format)

No abstract provided.

Video Gamers As Performers: Annotated Bibliography, University Of Denver

Musicology and Ethnomusicology: Student Scholarship

This study is based on the concept and idea of video game players performing music through the games that they play. This serves as a very assessable way for people who do not have the money, time commitment, and or motivation to be able to play and perform music without any background in music literacy.

Why We Don’T Just Dance To A Metronome: Examining The Musical Characteristics Of American Rhythm And Smooth, Tommy Endicott

Musicology and Ethnomusicology: Student Scholarship

American Smooth and Rhythm are the fastest growing styles of ballroom dance in America, and as new ideas for how to perform the dances flood the dance floor, so do new ideas for what music best expresses the character of the dance. The music of American Smooth is trending towards electronic forms of the tango and towards pop ballads in place of traditional Viennese Waltzes; meanwhile, the music of American Rhythm is trending away from its Cuban roots and towards hip hop. These innovations could potentially revitalize ballroom dance music for new audiences and also help dancers to reach a …

Participation And Community Healing In The Me2/ Orchestra, Lee Cyphers

Musicology and Ethnomusicology: Student Scholarship

The Me2/ Orchestra is a Boston-based community orchestra for people living with mental illness and those who support them. Me2/’s mission, according to its website, is “to erase the stigma surrounding mental illness (including addiction) through supportive classical music rehearsals and inspiring performances.” In order to investigate the methods and practices used by Me2/ to fulfill this mission, this annotated bibliography compiles important literature on community music initiatives with social projects. Concepts of “participation” and “performance” are explored, as well as problems posed by research into the effectiveness of arts programs. In addition, the distinction is made between amateur music-making …

The Developmental Influence Of Both Musical Notation And Wind Instruments On Electronic Music And Music Software, University Of Denver

Musicology and Ethnomusicology: Student Scholarship

This annotated bibliography is meant for you – the person who wishes to learn more about electronic music and its roots. I argue that electronic music is a legitimate form of music, and despite films depicting machines and robots as cold and lifeless they have the potential to be humanistic and wonderfully expressive. Perhaps one day, sooner than later, electronic instruments will be quintessential for orchestras in the near future. Until that day these series of sources are critical in informing electronic music enthusiasts the history behind electronic music and synthetic sound.

Technology, Artistic Collaboration, And Performance Practice In Bella Voce’S 2019 Recording Of Brahms’ A German Requiem, University Of Denver

Musicology and Ethnomusicology: Student Scholarship

How do the recordist, conductor, and performers work together to create a unique recorded statement within the discourse between a 19^th century composer and a 21^st century listener in Bella Voce’s 2019 recording of Brahms A German Requiem (1871 London Version)?

The complexity of preparing a musical work and creating a recording of its performance encompasses many disciplines and the collaboration of many individuals. The process involves questions of performance practice, recording technique, applications of digital technology, and artistic choices on the part of all involved. The 2019 Bella Voce recording of Brahms’ A German Requiem is an …

The Effective Concertmaster: A Look At The 21st Century Role, Eva Toncheva

Musicology and Ethnomusicology: Student Scholarship

The role and responsibilities of the orchestral concertmaster have evolved alongside the orchestra over the last several centuries, shifting away from composing music for the ensemble and organizing events, and towards being aware of union standards, etiquette, and musician morale, as well as the important task of writing bowings. What makes an effective concertmaster? In attempting to answer this question, this paper will be examining both the musical and extra-musical duties of the modern day concertmaster, primarily focusing on leadership qualities such as cueing and leading with the bow. The paper will draw on biographical sources of current concertmasters of …

The Story Of Orpheus And Eurydice As Told In L’Orfeo Vs. “Hadestown”: Annotated Bibliography, University Of Denver

Musicology and Ethnomusicology: Student Scholarship

An analysis of the myth of Orpheus and Eurydice as told in Monteverdi’s L’Orfeo and Mitchell’s “Hadestown,” with some brief history and context of the time periods in which these works were written and performed, and how certain ideals and values have changed and altered over time within society. In addition to descriptions of musical form and orchestration of these works, comparisons between both works will be made as they relate to the original myth of Orpheus and Eurydice, as well as discussion on how much of the origin story was retained with each retelling.

Andy Thurlow’S Anarchestra: Traditional Musical Paradigms Brought Into Question: An Annotated Bibliography, Alex Moulton

Musicology and Ethnomusicology: Student Scholarship

Joining the words Anarchy and Orchestra, Thurlow’s inventive ensemble, Anarchestra breaks down barriers to musical experience. Thurlow seeks to make a musical experience that everyone can participate in. Thurlow creates anarchy by calling out several musical paradigms – that music is something other than sound over time, that it needs to follow rules of tonality, and that musicians must be absolute experts in their craft. Thurlow invents his own instruments, and his instruments are designed to be easy to play and free players from any preconceived notions when it comes to making music. These instruments have no history or methodology …

Perils Of Heavy Rainfall: Displacement And Resettlement Driven By Floods, Shumaila Hemani Dr.

The Goose

Monsoon is typically a season to rejoice in South Asia because it cools off July's hot summer weather. In the poetry of Sufi mystic Shah Abdul Latif Bhitai, the monsoon represents a time of abundance, and his verses are prayers of abundance for Sindh and the entire world as rainfall is indeed a much-awaited season to cast off dry spells of the desert. However, in the past few years, climate change has led to heavy floods and massive displacement of poor people in Sindh. This year, floods even reached Karachi's urban city, the biggest metropolis of Pakistan, causing the displacement …

Phantasticus: An Exploration Of The Sound World Of 17th Century Italian Instrumental Music, Ian Jones

Musicology and Ethnomusicology: Student Scholarship

The Baroque period is home to some of the most prolific composers known today: Handel, Vivaldi, Bach all fill the standard repertoire of many instrumentalists today. However, who came before, and why should we care? Prior to these notable composers of the High Baroque, the 17th century marked an era of immense musical discovery. The early 1600s was a time of exploration and excitement within the realms of music making and musical thought. Claudio Monteverdi was a pivotal figure in the development of the early Baroque world, and with that, new styles of music emerged, noted as stil concertato …

Colorism And Its Affects In R&B Music: Annotated Bibliography, University Of Denver

Musicology and Ethnomusicology: Student Scholarship

This is an annotated bibliography of some of the sources that I will be using for my research paper due next quarter.

Embodying The Divine Feminine: Doja Cat’S Use Of Vocal Timbre, Text, And Body In Planet Her To Construct A Feminine Soundscape — Annotated Bibliography, Tommy Dainko

Musicology and Ethnomusicology: Student Scholarship

In 2021 Doja Cat released her album Planet Her, an imagination of a planet where there was no bigotry, and everyone could live in peace. The main theme of her album, however, revolves around femininity and the divine feminine. This paper will examine how Doja Cat constructs these concepts through a variety of ways. This paper will use Black feminist work to position Doja Cat’s work as feminist. Through the use of a variety of ‘feminine’ vocal timbres—both hers and from featured artists on her album—Doja Cat creates a feminine soundscape. Doja cat also embraces femininity and embodies the …

The “Mozart Effect”, Joshua Bonillas

Musicology and Ethnomusicology: Student Scholarship

The “Mozart Effect” is a name given to a supposed increase in cognitive functions due to listening to music before, or during, a task, such as taking a test. The name comes from the media after the original study, done by Rauscher, Shaw, and Ky, used Mozart’s Sonata for Two Pianos in D Major.

Kundiman As A Politically Contested Artistic Space In The Marcos Era: Annotated Bibliography, Jane Wee

Musicology and Ethnomusicology: Student Scholarship

Kundiman is a Filipino art song where Filipino poetry, often about courtship and love, is set into music. Like its Western counterpart, the German Lieder, the music in Kundiman seeks to reflect the words and the context of each phrase as true as possible. For centuries, Filipinos have used kundiman to express their dissent against oppression and colonization. It is quite common for Filipino composers and poets to express their nationalism in the subject of “courtship” since censorship was highly implemented throughout history.

Years later, we see the same patterns of revolutionary tactics and expression of nationalism. But what happens …

How Notation Dictates Our Musical Understanding: Annotated Bibliography, Simon Webber

Musicology and Ethnomusicology: Student Scholarship

Musical notation has a long and diverse history. The traditions of ancient Greece differ substantially from that of India or China in both content and technique, and even the Greek church has distinct notation from the Latin church. In our modern world there is an accepted notational style utilized for Western classical music, but the disparate regional and cultural styles that we may observe in history yields a deeper understanding of those cultures: what musical elements were prioritized over others, what performers were expected to interpret instead of purely reading, how their tonal structure is imparted. Contemporary musical notation has …

Friedenstag By Richard Strauss: An Exploration Of The Effect Of Nazi Propaganda On German Composers, Benjamin Swain

Musicology and Ethnomusicology: Student Scholarship

Richard Strauss was one of the most influential German composers in the first half of the 20^th century. His relationship with the Nazi Party has been a topic of debate among musicologists and historians for some time and the question of whether Strauss attempted to resist the regime through his work remains. Strauss’s opera Friedenstag has garnered much of this debate as it can be seen as either a piece of propaganda or a piece of pacifist resistance. Given the reach of the Nazi propaganda machine, there is little question that Strauss would have been influenced by it. This …

Communication Through Conducting: The Effects Of Verbal And Nonverbal Gestures On A Musical Ensemble, Jordon Schultze

Musicology and Ethnomusicology: Student Scholarship

Conducting as an artform has drastically changed throughout music history. The modern conductor assumes the role of leader, educator, and coach for a given ensemble. Their duty as a leader is to be the vessel from the composer to the ensemble to the audience. This process can only be completed with practical communication skills. These skills involve verbal communication (CCVS, figurative language, and instructions) and nonverbal communication (gestures, CCVS, and rehearsal preparation). These skills make up the vital role and responsibility of a conductor. A conductor is also responsible for balancing the importance and use of verbal and nonverbal communication, …