Arts and Humanities Commons^™

Jussi And Elvis, David Lewis

Newsletter of the Jussi Björling Societies of the USA & UK

Jussi Björling and Elvis Presley. Elvis and Jussi. The Swedish Caruso and the King of
Rock ‘n’ Roll. An absurd pairing Or is it?

Birgit Nilsson Centenary 2018: Nilsson Autobiography Re-Issued In 2018: Excerpted From The Original 2008 Review, Andrew Farkas

Journal of the Jussi Björling Societies of the USA & UK

Whatever the actual circumstances under which the text was born—writing, dictating, or taping—the narrative voice of Nilsson is consistent throughout and her well-chosen words read as if captured while relaxing in her armchair. Why did she decide to commit her life story to paper? Among the four reasons she enumerates in the Preface, the most convincing is her third: “I want to forestall the coming of the day when some nasty little writer will cook up a brew of lies about la Nilsson.”

Birgit Nilsson Centenary 2018: A Year Of Memories And Tributes, Janel E. Lundgren, Editor

Journal of the Jussi Björling Societies of the USA & UK

“Birgit Nilsson as Isolde Flashes Like New Star in ‘Met’ Heavens.” proclaimed The New York Times on Dec 19, 1959, placing an exultant review of her first performance at the Metropolitan Opera on its front page.

Birgit Nilsson Centenary 2018: Meeting With Isolde, Stefan Johansson, Director

Journal of the Jussi Björling Societies of the USA & UK

The first time I saw and heard Birgit Nilsson on the stage of the Royal Swedish Opera is now more than 60 years ago, the 16th of March 1958. I had started my career as a member of the opera audience in the autumn of 1957 with a holiday afternoon performance of Wagner’s Parsifal, in the first Swedish staging from 1917… Really I had wished to see a fairly recent production of Carmen, much talked about and broadcast in the then single channel of the Swedish Radio. But Parsifal neither made me fall asleep nor scared me off from further …

Does Spotify Really Hurt Artists?, Daniel Witt

Marriott Student Review

For years, members of the music industry have debated whether music streaming services like Spotify help or hurt artists. This article explores the pros and cons of music streaming and argues that overall, Spotify and services like it are helping artists to achieve their career goals.

The Effects Of Music On Student Step Counts And Time In Activity In College Basketball Activity Classes, David C. Barney, Keven A. Prusak, Lindsey Brewer

Faculty Publications

Music is a powerful influence in life. We hear music at work, in the car, at the mall, and in our homes. Music has also been found to have an affect during physical activity. The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of music on physical activity rates, via pedometers, of college-aged students in basketball class. For this study 106 college-aged students participated in this study. Two classes played basketball with no music playing during game play. Two other classes played basketball with music playing during game play. It was found that the two classes that played basketball …

The Relationship Of Music And [Emotion]: An Experiment In Areas Of Brain Activity, Caleb Cuzner, Steve Ricks, Neal Bangerter

Journal of Undergraduate Research

In order to study the relationship between music and color in areas of brain activity, I proposed to have participants’ brains scanned by an MRI machine while seeing different colors and listening to contrasting music samples. After learning that aural and visual response use completely different areas of the brain, the study was modified to instead connect emotions to music, since emotional response to music can be mapped in the brain. Based on the resulting data, I wrote a composition to be played by DuoX, a group in Amsterdam. This composition was written in segments, and the performers chose which …

The Gamelan And The Piano: Instruments For Cultural Exchange, Zach Froelich, Jermey Grimshaw

Journal of Undergraduate Research

This project began with a simple idea; what elements are important in representing other culture’s music and do we overlook certain elements because of our cultural biases? I wanted to see what would happen if I merged the quintessentially Western instrument, the piano, with the Balinese gamelan. This had been explored by previous composers who have made transcriptions of Balinese music for piano and have taken Balinese musical forms and composed new pieces for western instruments but they had ignored aspects of Balinese music that the Balinese consider extremely important. Balinese instruments are very carefully tuned using a scale that …

Wind Among The Reeds: Analysis Of The Vietnamese Oboe Tradition, Christian Tran, Geralyn Giovannetti

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Music has always been an important part of Vietnamese culture. The many traditional music styles dotting the coastal country have remained stamps of cultural authenticity and a source of pride to the natives of each region. As the country was occupied by France, and later Russia, Japan, and the United States, Western classical music became common in Vietnam’s large cities. Each country brought its own traditions of pedagogy, interpretation, and repertoire. With this, Western classical music instruction began. My ORCA project was to analyze the state of Western classical music in Vietnam with regards to oboe instruction, performance, and repertoire. …

Essential Brass Repair, Pearce Nitta, David Brown

Journal of Undergraduate Research

In the world of performing arts, instruments often malfunction, preventing the performer from playing the instrument. This malfunction can be a simple fix that the performer may know how to fix, but more often than not, these damages to the instrument can only be fixed by a technician with sufficient training. Over the past year, I have studied the art of instrument repair, focusing most of my time on brass instruments. The techniques and skills I have learned have grown tremendously over this time and I have been able to employ these abilities to many of my pursuits outside of …

Watch Out, Dave! – A New Look At Retro, Dallas Crane, Ray Smith

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Johnny Williams (well known in the film world as John Williams) created a masterful record, Rhythm in Motion, in 1961. Though not well received commercially, it is a powerful testament of the creativity that flowed through Hollywood and jazz. I studied two scores from this album, both arrangements of famous tunes: Whatever Lola Wants (Lola Gets) and Surrey with the Fringe on Top. Both of these provided a deep look into the techniques and thought processes of Hollywood orchestrators, something that prepared me to compose my own original songs for Watch Out, Dave!, a cartoon I’m directing through BYU.

String Instrument Maintenance And Repair: Fundamental Skills For The Classroom Teacher, Madison K. Moline, Dr. Samuel Tsugawa

Journal of Undergraduate Research

My ORCA project was to study, practice, and teach string instrument maintenance and repair. The repairs that I learned were: closing and opening seams;; closing cracks in various parts of the instrument;; bridge and sound post alignment and placement;; neck and fingerboard adjustment;; nut and saddle raising and replacing;; peg alteration and replacement;; cleaning and polishing instruments. Because there is such a need for inexpensive timely repair in an orchestra classroom, it was crucial that I not only learn these basic repairs myself, but assist local orchestra teachers with their repair needs, and teach fellow future teachers.

Engraving The J.D. Morsch Collection At Byu, Nicolas Maruicio Ayala Ceron, Dr. Donald Peterson

Journal of Undergraduate Research

The Brigham Young University Music Performance Library houses a very special collection of hand-written music unique in the world. This collection, known as the J.D. Marsch Collection, includes the music of renowned wind band composer, arranger, and transcriber J. Durward Marsch who dedicated his life to music education as well as to producing a large body of works, most of which are transcriptions for wind bands. The instrumentation for these ensembles is notable for the exclusion of string instruments found in more well-known orchestral ensembles, with the exception of a single String Bass instrument, a later addition to the wind …

Woodwind Instrument Repair, Emily Brown, Ray Smith

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Over the past year I was given the opportunity to heavily research the repair of woodwind instruments and it was funded by an Orca grant. For 6 weeks I learned from woodwind repair experts at Summerhay’s music store in Murray, Utah. We would work together for about four hours per week and I would observe and receive instruction from them. I then used what I learned during my internship with Summerhay’s at my job in the Instrument Office at BYU by helping repair BYU instruments.

How It Sounds And What It Means: Understanding Indian Music And Culture Through Study Of The Hindustani Violin, Megumi Terry, Dr. Jeremy Grimshaw

Journal of Undergraduate Research

As a classically trained violinist, having studied since the age of four, I have had an unlikely fascination with other world music cultures. In the summer of 2015 I had the opportunity to live in India and explore the culture and come to love the music of the Hindustani tradition. As a violinist, I wanted to expand my training beyond the boundaries of traditional Western classical music and examine one of the richest non- European violin traditions by taking lessons with Anabil Chaudhuri, a Hindustani classical violinist. The goal of the project was to be able to better understand music …

The Accompaniment Techniques Of British Organists, Dallin Baldwin, Don Cook

Journal of Undergraduate Research

The purpose of my research was to better understand the choral accompaniment techniques of English organists. Most of the choral music that is performed in the United States today is accompanied by the piano. Yet there are great choral masterpieces that are neglected because there are no organists that have sufficient training and experience to perform them. In Great Britain, however, choirs are often accompanied by organists. Several of the top choirs in the world are located in Great Britain and have resident organists to accompany them. In my research, I studied the techniques of English organists in accompanying choirs.

Music For Ballet West’S Upcoming Children’S Ballet, Emmaline Sanders, Aaron Merril

Journal of Undergraduate Research

While many students apply for an ORCA grant to fund scientific research or, in the case of other Commercial Music majors, technical audio application, I wanted to complete a project that was purely artistic. My emphasis has always been in classical concert composition first and foremost, and when I received the opportunity to write the music for a ballet, I wanted it to showcase my best work. My ORCA grant made that possible by allowing me to hire 6 top quality musicians and a professional recording studio to layer live players in with my software instruments. The finished product is …

Uncovering Hidden Post-War Music Of Stefan Kisielewski, Haley Gammon, Luke Howard

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Stefan Kisielewski – writer, publicist, politician, and composer – not only lost many of his works as a result of the Second World War, but was controlled under Soviet censorship many years after it. Today there is a current surge of excitement and opportunity to uncover missing information regarding Kisielewski and his contemporaries, but still huge gaps and missing links. In an almost endless supply of information waiting to be discovered in Polish archives, libraries, and personal collections lies the key to knowledge that will help complete the picture of Polish music in the Soviet era. My project contributes a …

Attending Study Abroad In Vienna, Austria, Zachary Adamson, Dr. Scott Holden

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Throughout my life, music has been a source for mental development, spiritual growth and enjoyment. It has been at times both exciting and discouraging. As I completed my project, however, and engaged in the struggle to understand music, perform music and connect with others around me, I developed a greater vision of how music unifies the human experience, creating a positive influence on society. Specifically, I learned that valuing the arts is extremely advantageous for a society, and Vienna is a case in point; I learned specific techniques in piano playing, a kind of common legacy and style shared by …

Bass World 3: Music In St. Petersburg, Christian Hales, Eric Hansen

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Russia has always been known for its indelible contributions to the arts. The likes of Tchaikovsky, Rachmaninoff, Rostropovich and Koussevitzky cultivated their great talents there. Eric Hansen, professor of double bass at Brigham Young University, encouraged me to use some of his connections in Russia as an opportunity to experience this rich arts culture. His friend, Artem Chirkov, is principal Bassist of the St. Petersburg Philharmonic and winner of the Bradetitch International Bass Competition. Eric suggested that I make the trip to St. Petersburg to participate in Artem’s World Bass Festival because it would help to prepare me for my …

An Analysis Of State Music Education Certification Practices In The United States, Allyssa Pehrson, Brittany May

Journal of Undergraduate Research

The purpose of this study was to compile relevant information for music educators about certification practices of each of the United States and the District of Columbia from resources available fall 2015, and to examine the commonalities and differences among the state policies. Specifically we identified the following for each state: (1) Content areas included under the certification in music teaching. (2) Age-level designations for certification in music teaching. (3) What tests are required for certification in music teaching? (4) Does the state have reciprocity for various certificates? (6) Is there an alternative certification program available for those without education …

Dr. Gordon Childs And The Viola D’Amore, Caryn Jackson, Dr. Claudine Bigelow

Journal of Undergraduate Research

The viola d’amore, a unique instrument that many are not familiar with, is more important than we give it credit for, not only musically but also for the research opportunities it presents. I was first introduced to the viola d’amore two years ago when I received my mission call to the Scotland/Ireland mission. As a music major and violist at BYU, I became deeply interested in Scottish and Irish music both before and after my mission. Around that time, I learned of Irishborn Garth Knox, a prominent violist/viola d’amore player and composer who has written many Scottish/Irish pieces for the …

An Introduction To Baroque Interpretation For The Modern String Player, Molly Cowley, Alexander Woods

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Historically informed performance, or playing music how we think it would have sounded within the era that it was written, is becoming increasingly popular. Because recordings are not available for anything played in the 17th or 18th century, we rely on books and treatises of that era to determine style (phrasing, tempi, pitch, articulations, etc.) Although many scholars have published on the subject of Baroque Era playing, I have discovered that these, often large, books can be intimidating to the average music student. Watching students avoiding the texts and attempting to learn the style from mere imitation has motivated me …

Heard In The Storm, M. A.Y. Greenhalgh , Text, Myrna J. Layton , Music, John C. Leavitt , Arrangment

Faculty Publications

The rain was falling, the winders were calling, The clouds swept over the sky, When 'mid the alarm of darkness and storm A shower of song swept by; ...

The Classical Guitar: A Brief History And Introduction To The 20th Century, Curtis N. Smith

Library Research Grants

No abstract provided.

Objective Test Methods For Waveguide Audio Synthesis, Steven Gregory Wood

Theses and Dissertations

Acoustic Physical Modeling has emerged as a newer musical synthesis technique. The most common form of physical modeling synthesis in both industry and academia is digital waveguide synthesis. Commercially available for the past thirteen years, the top synthesizer manufacturers have chosen to include physical modeling synthesis in their top of the line models. In the area of audio quality testing, the most common tests have traditionally been group listening tests. While these tests are subjective and can be expensive and time-consuming, the results are validated by the groups' proper quality standards. Research has been conducted to evaluate objective testing procedures …

Help!: An Annotated Bibliography Of Resources For The Beginning Choral Conductor, Bonnie Marie Ashby

Theses and Dissertations

This bibliography is intended as a resource for choral conductors at the beginning of their journey of musical and personal development. While this project cannot possibly cover every aspect of or resource on choral music, it is a beginning. I admit I have spent more time researching my personal weaknesses and have not covered as thoroughly areas in which the choral conducting program at Brigham Young University is exceptionally strong. Even so, I hope this compilation will help address common challenges of beginning choral conductors.

The bibliography is divided into sections by topic, with additional sections on Internet sites and …

The Symphony In America: Maurice Abravanel, And The Utah Symphony Orchestra: The Battle For Classical Music, Alex D. Smith

Theses and Dissertations

Between 1947 and 1979 the Utah Symphony Orchestra was transformed from an obscure, part-time, amateur orchestra into one of the major symphony orchestras in America. By 1947 the orchestra, which had begun as a Works Progress Administration organization, was barely hanging on. The symphony struggled to remain financially solvent, performing only a few concerts per year. Thirty-two years later the Utah Symphony Orchestra was one of the most prestigious musical ensembles in the country— receiving rave reviews from critics around the world, touring extensively, and with more than a hundred albums to its credit. The remarkable growth of the Utah …

The Sound Of Utah: The Presence Of Geographical Elements In Music Written About The State Of Utah, Kamia Walton Holt

Theses and Dissertations

Music is a by-product of place and time. Musicians have opportunities to use the idea of place in their music. Thus, music has regionally distinctive characteristics which reflect human perceptions of the physical environment. Artists of the past and present focus on geographical themes, and paint a picture of ‘place’ in their music. This thesis focuses on the music of a geographical location: Utah. Musicians wrote of Utah in hymns of the past, and contemporary musicians continue to write music about Utah. This thesis answers the questions: Is music characterized by geography? How have the local musicians been influenced by …

Giovanni Maria Artusi's L'Artusi Overo Delle Imperfettioni Della Moderna Musica (1600): A Translation And Commentary, Malcolm Litchfield

Faculty Publications

Giovanni Maria Artusi is well known for his conservative role in the debate between advocates of the prima and seconda pratiche. Contemporary authors marvel at Artusi's audacity in criticizing the genius of Monteverdi. Though often viewed as a pedant, Artusi was a significant Italian theorist who understood ancient Greek theory and had innovative ideas for applying this ancient knowledge to modern practice.

L' Artusi, overo Delle imperfettioni deIla moderna musica was written to illuminate and correct errors Artusi found in contemporary scholarship (chiefly in Bottrigari's work) and composition (specifically, certain liberties in Monteverdi's madrigals). Artusi effectively argues for a universal …