Arts and Humanities Commons^™

A Unified Theory Of Musical Meaning, Luis Verdin

CMC Senior Theses

In this thesis, I present a novel theory of musical meaning. This theory posits a complementary relationship between the theories described in Lerdahl and Jackendoff’s Generative Theory of Tonal Music and Arnie Cox’s Music and Embodied Cognition. Each of these theories explain particular aspects of musical meaning (semantic and grammatical, respectively), though I argue that by unifying these theories into a broader framework, they can explain more about musical meaning than they could individually. This unification is performed via the novel theory I present: the Analogical Argument. This argument suggests that Lerdahl and Jackendoff’s Generative Theory of Tonal Music is …

Longitudinal Changes In Auditory And Reward Systems Following Receptive Music-Based Intervention In Older Adults, Milena Aiello Quinci, Alexander Belden, Valerie Goutama, Dayang Gong, Suzanne Hanser, Nancy J. Donovan, Maiya Geddes, Psyche Loui

Faculty Works

Listening to pleasurable music is known to engage the brain’s reward system. This has motivated many cognitive-behavioral interventions for healthy aging, but little is known about the effects of music-based intervention (MBI) on activity and connectivity of the brain’s auditory and reward systems. Here we show preliminary evidence that brain network connectivity can change after receptive MBI in cognitively unimpaired older adults. Using a combination of whole-brain regression, seed-based connectivity analysis, and representational similarity analysis (RSA), we examined fMRI responses during music listening in older adults before and after an 8-week personalized MBI. Participants rated self-selected and researcher-selected musical excerpts …

Shakespeare As Opera In English: Britten's Dream And Adès' The Tempest, Joanne E. Gates

Presentations, Proceedings & Performances

I assert that we learn Shakespeare better when we study him against the adaptation. Some of the adaptation choices made by opera composers and librettists-- and especially by stage designers in recent productions-- provoke us to critique a production concept for its innovative staging, forcing us to learn more about Shakespeare's original. The recent Metropolitan's The Tempest conveys the 2004 Thomas Adès Tempest as if an 18th century impresario Prospero had conjured or appropriated the contents of the Milan opera house to his island. Meredith Oakes's libretto simplifies much of Shakespearean language to efficient rhyming couplets, yet this opera eloquently …

Fashioning The Flapper: Clothing As A Catalyst For Social Change In 1920s America, Julia Wolffe

Honors Program Theses

Fashion has been a catalyst for social change throughout human history. Fashion in 1920s America in particular reflects society's rapidly evolving attitudes towards gender and race. Beginning with how corsetry heavily restricted women for nearly four hundred years up until the twentieth century, this thesis explores how clothing has acted as a tool for societal progression following World War I and Women's Suffrage and during the Jazz Age and The Harlem Renaissance. Specifically, this thesis examines how the influence of jazz music and dance that originated from Black American communities led to the creation of the flapper evening dress. The …

Using Neural Networks To Model Guitar Distortion, Caleb Koch, Scott Hawley, Andrew Fyfe

Science University Research Symposium (SURS)

Guitar players have been modifying their guitar tone with audio effects ever since the mid-20th century. Traditionally, these effects have been achieved by passing a guitar signal through a series of electronic circuits which modify the signal to produce the desired audio effect. With advances in computer technology, audio “plugins” have been created to produce audio effects digitally through programming algorithms. More recently, machine learning researchers have been exploring the use of neural networks to produce audio effects that yield strikingly similar results to their analog counterparts. Recurrent Neural Networks and Temporal Convolutional Networks have proven to be exceptional at …

Guide To The Cheryl A. Wall Collection Of Margaret Bonds And Florence Price Manuscript Scores, Margaret Bonds, Florence Price

CBMR Collection Guides / Finding Aids

Cheryl A. Wall was a literary critic and English professor at Rutgers University who donated three manuscript scores to the CBMR – Troubled Water by Margaret Bonds with a handwritten autobiographical sketch by the composer on the back and two works by Florence Price, Negro Fantasy and Concerto in One Movement for three pianos. The Bonds score was given to Cheryl Wall by the composer and the two Price scores belonged to her aunt, Nannie Strayhorn Reid, a classical pianist and teacher in Chicago, Illinois.

The Evolution Of Flute Articulation From The Baroque To The Present: Changes In Flute Construction And Design And Design And Articulation Techniques For The Playing Of The Instrument, Syrina Elace Robinson

CGU Theses & Dissertations

The technique of articulation is not static and it is essential to the art of flute playing. It is currently and always evolving. This entire nature of performance practice has widened and become more sophisticated. The ambiguity of articulation has now been replaced by a highly managed approach by composers. In the Baroque the choice of how to articulate a certain passage in flute music was left up to the performer’s discretion. Modern professional flute players are expected by flute teachers and called upon by major orchestras and music conservatories around the world to be able to play all extended …

Music Artists’ Online Streaming Business Strategies, Angela S. Arnold

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Music artists’ incomes are directly affected by online music streaming technology advancements. A lack of business strategy, when faced with online music streaming, can lead to an inability to maintain a steady revenue stream among music artists. Rooted in the conceptual framework of disruptive innovation, the purpose of this qualitative multiple case study was to explore online streaming business strategies music artists use to maintain a steady revenue stream. Data were collected from semistructured interviews with six music artists in the New York City area who maintained a steady revenue stream in the past 5 years and focus group responses …

Guide To The Doug Lofstrom Music Collection, College Archives & Special Collections

Collection Guides / Finding Aids

A composer and bassist whose scores reflect his involvement in theater, dance, film and symphonic music, Doug Lofstrom also formed The New Quartet, a chamber ensemble which performs original music and arrangements, Trillium, and, most recently, joined the group The Last Word. He was composer-in-residence for the Metropolis Symphony Orchestra and musical director of Chicago's Free Street Theatre before joining the faculty of Columbia College Chicago’s Music Department.

Reading By Ear: Music Teachers' Roles In And Attitudes About Identifying Students With Dyslexia In Kentucky's Public School System, Alison Ward Brown

Murray State Theses and Dissertations

Identifying students with literacy disabilities, such as dyslexia, efficiently in public schools is crucial for early intervention. Literacy and musical skills share common neurological pathways, so music educators possess a skill set that could be advantageous in screening students. This study utilized a descriptive research design to identify music educators’ roles in the identification of students with dyslexia/reading disabilities in Kentucky’s public schools, and their attitudes about those roles. Data was collected through a survey completed by Kentucky public school music teachers. Results indicated that 92% of respondents had not participated in the screening process for children with literacy disorders/dyslexia …

The Benefits Of Offering Classroom Piano Lessons As Part Of The Curriculum In Public Elementary School, Denise Cheeks Mundy

Masters Theses

The purpose of this study is to determine the potential benefits of offering classroom piano lessons as part of the curriculum in public elementary schools. The research reviews the educational, neurological, and cultural potential benefits a child may receive if they study the piano. Further study examines the availability for teachers to receive training in teaching group piano, the methods of setting up a piano classroom, and materials needed for such a program in the school system. Records of the history of group lessons showed that this method of teaching has had periods of success and periods of decline in …

Burmese Buddhist Monks, The Seventh Precept, And Cognitive Dissonance, Heather Maclachlan

Department of Music Faculty Publications

Burmese Theravada Buddhist monks have varying degrees of involvement with music; this study of 22 monks from across Burma/Myanmar reveals that most of them often listen to recorded music. At the same time the monks acknowledge that Buddhism’s Seventh Precept is (or ought to be) a guide for their behavior, agreeing that to be “attached” to music is to violate their monastic rule. They therefore experience cognitive dissonance, and they respond to this dissonance in predictable ways - that is, in ways documented by researchers working with Western populations. They differ, however, in their phenomenological experiences of attachment.

Rhyme, Metrical Tension, And Formal Ambiguity In Kendrick Lamar’S Flow, Benjamin Wadsworth, Simon Needle

Faculty Articles

The flow of Kendrick Lamar veers between old-school, metrically rigid and new-school, prose-like rhymes. Through manipulating rhymes within 4/4 time, Lamar increases and decreases affective tension, suggests formal ambiguity, and highlights changes in point of view and literary topic. Although rhyme manipulations have been discussed by Kyle Adams (2009), Mitch Ohriner (2019a), and others as sources of formal contrasts, their effects on affective tension, relaxation, and formal functionality have been unspecified. In this essay, we propose a more comprehensive model of rhyme-based tension and relaxation, then apply it to questions of formal norms and ambiguities in Lamar’s songs. Analyses of …

Music, Identity, And Expectation: An Exploration Of Authentic Identity In The Midst Of A Pandemic, Olivia R. Barnaclo

Senior Honors Theses and Projects

The purpose of this study was to examine the author's beliefs, attitudes, and emotions related to performing a recital during a pandemic. This study focuses on the phenomenon of emotion around a senior recital which is a pivotal moment in a student's experiences. Data were collected from journal entries. These data were analyzed to answer the research question, "what are my feelings about the process of planning a recital given a pandemic?" This arts-based, heuristic inquiry utilized reflective writing, dance, and collage as iterative cycles. Three key themes emerged: falling short of expectations, the inability to accept acknowledgement, and navigating …

Russell Shenton: “Men Of Steel”, Ryan Kelly , Editor

Applied Music Faculty Publications & Performances

F. Russell Shenton was born in Pottstown, PA in 1894. He worked for a time at Lukens Steel in Coatesville, PA before forging a career in music. He studied music at Millersville State Normal School (now Millersville University, PA) for two years before enlisting in the army during World War I, where he served from 1917-1919 in the 316 Infantry, 79th Division, beginning as a Bugler and completing his service with the rank of Musician 1st Class. He earned a Victory Medal for his service in the Meuse-Argonne Offensive. Following his discharge, he continued studying music at West Chester State …

The Impact Of Collegiate Marching Band On The Intra- And Interpersonal Competencies And Capacities Of Alumni: A Qualitative Case Study, Adam Gumble

West Chester University Doctoral Projects

This qualitative study examines how participation in collegiate marching band impacted alumni’s social and emotional development. Specifically, this study examines (1) how the intra- and interpersonal domains and related competencies of former marching band members (now alumni) developed during their time in a nationally recognized collegiate marching band and (2) how those competencies and capacities are deployed in their post-graduation professional settings. Semi-structured hour-long interviews with marching band alumni (N = 9) who graduated from a medium-sized university in the Mid-Atlantic region (Mid-Atlantic University) were conducted between 2019 and 2021. Participants described the impact of participating in a nationally recognized …

Every Artist Is An Advocate: An Autoethnographic Analysis Of How Higher Education Imposes Artist Advocacy, Noah R B Durnell

Undergraduate Theses, Professional Papers, and Capstone Artifacts

Increasing instability in higher education funding (Thomas, 2021) has directly impacted the University of Montana music program but has also indirectly changed the role of music students to such an extent that I now often say, “every artist is an advocate.” In 2018, the University of Montana School of Music experienced significant threats from budget cuts, and in the years following, attempts to earn legislative funding for capital development failed. Faced with these budget cuts and other lack of funding, music students had to advocate for themselves and employ community and institutional support to maintain the strength of their program. …

Llegir, Escriure, Escoltar: Els Paisatges Sonors De Guillem Frontera, Antoni Pizà

Publications and Research

Resumen:

El ensayo presenta una panorámica de las novelas y ensayos de Guillem Frontera (Ariany, Mallorca, 1945) y examina el papel de la música en su producción literaria. En sus primeras obras de los años sesenta y setenta hay una gran cantidad de referencias al jazz, el rock y el pop. Esos géneros son vistos como un signo de modernidad y cosmopolitismo normalmente traído por el turismo de masas a Mallorca. Los escritos posteriores incluyen muchas referencias a la música clásica, especialmente la música sacra, y presentan la música como un refugio espiritual, una protección contra del ruido de la …

La Musique Dans Les Cultures Tech. La Synthèse Modulaire En Temps De Covid-19, Eliot Bates

Publications and Research

Depuis 1996, la synthèse modulaire matérielle est passée d’une pratique artisanale de fabrication d’instruments de niche soutenue par un petit nombre de musiciens, à un phénomène transnational, une véritable culture tech. Malgré cet engouement, elle n’a pas donné naissance à de nouveaux genres musicaux populaires, et il n’est pas certain que la « musique », quelle que soit sa définition, soit ce qui rassemble les amateurs de synthèse modulaire. Ce texte a deux objectifs : tout d’abord, il présente les résultats d’une recherche en cours menée en ligne et dans plusieurs pays concernant le rôle des objets technologiques dans la …

Empowering Silenced Voices: Implementing Critical Pedagogy To Move Toward Decolonizing Music Education, Alexis Adams

West Chester University Master’s Theses

Throughout this thesis, I will delineate the historical and current issue of Eurocentrism and racism being perpetuated in K-12 music education and music teacher education programs. I will argue that music teacher education programs need to be decolonized and radically transformed so that music classrooms and curricula are anti-racist and counterhegemonic. Through utilizing theoretical frameworks, a historical review, and a literature review, I will further contextualize this problem. Lastly, I will propose a two-pronged intervention to address this over-arching issue: an undergraduate course entitled Critical Pedagogy in Music Education and a radically transformative professional development series for current music educators.

The Status Of Women: Female Gender Associations In West Chester University’S School Of Music Archive, Katharine Godfrey

West Chester University Master’s Theses

Research in the West Chester University (WCU) School of Music (SOM) archive displayed a history of women’s involvement in music dating back to its opening in 1871. The archive provided the resources for an examination of the representation of female instrumentalists at WCU in a few key areas over more than a century. As trends of gender stereotyping in music shifted, their effects can be seen on women at WCU.

The research conducted in the archive provided three sets of primary documents that informed this project. Those primary documents include the Quarto-Centennial History of the West Chester State Normal School …

Psalm Cycle, Andrew Lenko

West Chester University Master’s Theses

“Psalm Cycle” is a collection of Psalms set to music and inspired by a season of studying the life of David, the primary Psalmist. Each Psalm was picked for its vantage point in David’s life and specific themes, striving for parity. Formally, the work is like a song cycle in that the various movements are connected through their authorship and place in David’s story, while resembling a cantata in that it can be performed in a worship service. As the project took shape, I diverged musically from either form’s constraints and allowed myself to interpret the text with my own …

The Goat: Rescoring A Buster Keaton Classic, Shannon Bradley

West Chester University Master’s Theses

This thesis examines Buster Keaton’s The Goat (1921) and provides insight into the methods used to rescore the music of this classic silent film. After a brief review of Keaton’s life and career, I will discuss each step in the process of understanding this film and determining the best methods of implementing music to enhance the film. This process includes creating detailed spotting notes for each scene, sketching most of the central musical themes using my preferred traditional composition software, Sibelius, and finally transferring this musical information into my preferred digital audio workstation, Logic, in order to sync all aspects …

การแสดงเดี่ยวเปียโนโดย ณัฐรุจา ชุติวรรณโสภณ : บทเพลงของนักประพันธ์เพลงชาวฝรั่งเศส, ณัฐรุจา ชุติวรรณโสภณ

Chulalongkorn University Theses and Dissertations (Chula ETD)

การวิจัยนี้มีจุดประสงค์เพื่อศึกษาและพัฒนาทักษะการบรรเลงเปียโนในระดับบัณฑิตศึกษา ผู้วิจัยได้คัดเลือกบทเพลงที่ประพันธ์โดยนักประพันธ์เพลงชาวฝรั่งเศสในยุคบาโรกและกระแสอิมเปรชันในศตวรรษที่ 20 จำนวนทั้งหมด 10 บท ได้แก่ Le Rossignol-en-amour และ Les Papillon ของฟร็องซัว คูเปอแรง Le Rappel des oiseaux และ La Poule ของชอง-ฟิลีป ราโม Le Coucou ของหลุยส์-โคลด ดาแก็ง Images, Book I ของ โคลด เดอบุสซี Le Tombeau de Couperin ของโมริส ราเวล และ Trois Pièces ของฟร็องซีส ปูแลง ผลการวิจัยแสดงการตีความบทเพลง การนำเสนอเทคนิคการบรรเลง การถ่ายทอดบทเพลงที่มีเทคนิคการบรรเลงและการสื่อสารด้านอารมณ์ที่แตกต่างกัน รวมทั้งวิธีการและขั้นตอนการเตรียมความพร้อมสำหรับการแสดงเดี่ยวเปียโนที่จัดขึ้นเมื่อวันที่ 17 เมษายน พ.ศ.2566 เวลา 14.00 น ณ ห้องแสดงดนตรีธงสรวง (Tongsuang’s Recital Hall) โดยใช้เวลาแสดงประมาณ 1 ชั่วโมง 15 นาที

การแสดงเดี่ยวเปียโนโดย อานุภาพ อาชวกุลพงศ์ : บทเพลงประเภทโซนาตาจากยุคคลาสสิก, อานุภาพ อาชวกุลพงศ์

Chulalongkorn University Theses and Dissertations (Chula ETD)

การวิจัยนี้มีวัตถุประสงค์เพื่อศึกษาวิเคราะห์และพัฒนาความรู้ทักษะการบรรเลงเปียโน และการวิเคราะห์บทเพลง ผู้วิจัยได้คัดเลือกบทเพลงประเภทเปียโนโซนาตาซึ่งถือว่าเป็นบทเพลงมาตรฐานจากดนตรียุคคลาสสิกอันเป็นรากฐานสำคัญยิ่งในดนตรีตะวันตก โซนาตาทุกบทมีความน่าสนใจ มีเอกลักษณ์โดดเด่น และมีเทคนิคการบรรเลงขั้นสูง และที่สำคัญคือถึงแม้ว่าจะมาจากยุคเดียวกัน แต่ก็มีความแตกต่างกันออกไปตามอัตลักษณ์ของผู้ประพันธ์เพลงแต่ละคน บทเพลงทั้งหมด ได้แก่ 1) Fantasia in C minor, K.475 ประพันธ์โดยโวล์ฟกัง อะมาเดอุส โมสาร์ท 2) Sonata in C minor, K.457 ประพันธ์โดยโวล์ฟกัง อะมาเดอุส โมสาร์ท 3) Sonata in E-flat major, Op.27 No.1 ประพันธ์โดยลุดวิก ฟาน เบโทเฟน และ 4) Sonata in A minor, Op. posth.143 ประพันธ์โดยฟรานซ์ ชูเบิร์ต ผลการวิจัยแสดงผลการวิเคราะห์ตีความบทเพลง การวิเคราะห์เทคนิคการบรรเลง การนำเสนอวิธีการฝึกซ้อมให้มีความถูกต้องและแม่นยำเพื่อการบรรเลงบทเพลงตามแนวปฏิบัติที่ถูกต้อง รวมทั้งขั้นตอนการเตรียมความพร้อมสำหรับการแสดงเดี่ยวเปียโนที่สมบูรณ์แบบ

การแสดงเดี่ยวเปียโนโดย อิษฎ์นันทน์ โชติรสนิรมิต : บทเพลงเดี่ยวและคอนแชร์โตจากสามยุคดนตรี, อิษฎ์นันทน์ โชติรสนิรมิต

Chulalongkorn University Theses and Dissertations (Chula ETD)

การวิจัยนี้มีจุดประสงค์เพื่อศึกษาหาความรู้ วิเคราะห์ ตีความบทเพลง และเลือกใช้เทคนิคที่เหมาะสมในการบรรเลงบทเพลงสำหรับเปียโนจำนวนทั้งสิ้น 5 บท ได้แก่ Toccata in C minor, BWV 911 ผลงานของโยฮันน์ เซบาสเตียน บาค Two Nocturnes, Op.62 ผลงานของเฟรเดริค โชแปง Andante Spianato et Grande Polonaise Brillante, Op.22 ผลงานของเฟรเดริค โชแปง และ Piano Concerto No.3 in C minor, Op.37 ผลงานของลุดวิก ฟาน เบโทเฟน การแสดงซึ่งประกอบด้วยเพลงเดี่ยวและคอนแชร์โตเป็นการแสดงที่ต้องอาศัยเทคนิคการบรรเลงขั้นสูง การตีความที่ลึกซึ้ง และกระบวนการฝึกซ้อมอย่างเป็นระบบ โดยเฉพาะการแสดงร่วมกับกลุ่มนักดนตรี ผลการวิจัยแสดงผลการตีความบทเพลง การนำเสนอเทคนิคการบรรเลงและวิธีการฝึกซ้อมเพื่อการบรรเลงบทเพลงตามแนวปฏิบัติที่ถูกต้อง รวมทั้งขั้นตอนการเตรียมความพร้อมสำหรับการแสดงเดี่ยวเปียโนที่จัดขึ้นเมื่อวันที่ 15 ธันวาคม พ.ศ.2565 ณ Tongsuang's Concert Salon & Gallery จังหวัดปทุมธานี ใช้เวลาในการแสดงทั้งหมดประมาณ 1 ชั่วโมง 20 นาที

Women In American Pop Music: Christina Aguilera’S Impact On Cultural Narratives, Chin Wai (Rosie) Wong

Undergraduate Honors Theses

Pop music as a mainstream medium is often more enjoyed than critically studied. Former studies and literatures point out a major issue that many American female pop music artists face. These artists are often confined in a box that reduces their full human-being attributes to a narrowed view, where their identity is portrayed in a diminishing and inaccurate way. Despite this narrowed narrative of what a woman should be, this box has become a norm that many female artists must adhere to in order to achieve mainstream success. This paper responds to this phenomenon by analyzing Christina Aguilera’s music, spanning …

Analysis Of Bass Lines Played By Ray Brown And Charlie Haden Over The Blues Form, Kyler W. Rebich

Undergraduate Theses, Professional Papers, and Capstone Artifacts

An analysis of bass lines played by Ray Brown and Charlie Haden over the blues focusing on their respective -isms and recurring motifs and ideas.

Expertise Effects On Visual Change Detection In The Music Reading Domain : Evidence From Eye Movements, Abigail L. Kleinsmith

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

Theoretical perspectives in the chess expertise literature, such as chunking and template theories, assume that experts acquire the ability to process domain-specific visual features as larger patterns. Eye tracking techniques can test predictions derived from these theories, because the eye movement record provides fine-grained information about where and when experts are looking during a domain-specific task. In this dissertation, I assessed the generalizability of chunking and template theories to the domain of music reading expertise with a novel music-related variant of the flicker paradigm. Across twoexperiments, I monitored the eye movements of 60 expert musicians (with at least 10 years …

Jocelyn Hagen’S Choral Settings On Texts By Sara Teasdale: Analysis And Rehearsal And Performance Guidelines, Elizabeth Wilson

Theses and Dissertations--Music

This paper seeks to gain insight into American composer Jocelyn Hagen’s musical style, delving into her compositional process through analyses of three of her choral settings of Sara Teasdale’s poetry: April and the Sun, To See the Sky, and Joy. This work offers a detailed analysis of each piece using Jan Larue’s analytical method, which focuses on the basic musical elements of sound, harmony, melody, rhythm, and growth (known through its abbreviated form as SHMRG).

Because Jocelyn Hagen is a young composer, much of the relevant literature on Hagen comes from journal articles and dissertations. A significant resource …