Music Commons^™

Two Sides To A Drum: Duality In Trinidad Orisha Music And Culture, Ryan J. Bazinet

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

This dissertation presents an ethnographic and historical study of music and culture in the Yoruba-derived Trinidad Orisha religion in Trinidad and New York City. Its objectives are: (1) to provide description and documentation of Trinidad Orisha music, an understudied music genre in the African diaspora; (2) to shed light on the historical, cultural, and demographic factors contributing to the development of Trinidad Orisha music by its practitioners; and (3) to provide substance for meaningful comparisons between Trinidad Orisha music and other Yoruba-derived musics.

Based on four years of fieldwork (2008-2012) in Trinidad and in Brooklyn, NY, the study explores Trinidad …

Misa Mo Unama Coñoca, Gustavo Leone

Department of Fine & Performing Arts: Faculty Publications and Other Works

Music of the Jesuit Missions of the Chiquitos

The Jesuits were expelled from the Spanish colonies in South America in 1767, leaving behind a remarkable musical legacy that was buried for over two hundred years. But the music did not disappear completely. Thanks to the Chiquitos people of Bolivia, the music was played and preserved throughout the 18th and 19th centuries.

In 1985, Swiss architect Hans Roth discovered 9,000 of these musical manuscripts and in 1990 UNESCO declared the churches of the Chiquitos a “patrimony of humanity”. Dr. Gustavo Leone of Loyola University Chicago's Department of Fine and Performing Arts …

Just Sing What You Want To Say: The Importance Of Linguistic Tone In Bai Songs, Lisa Andrews

Masters Theses

The Bai people, a minority group in the People's Republic of China numbering at least 1.6 million, live mostly in the Dali Autonomous Prefecture in northwest Yunnan. Historically, Bai from the central region would gather annually at the base of Shibaoshan Mountain to sing partner style love songs in search for a suitable marriage partner; today, this time is marked by a three-day festival officially titled "Shibaoshan." The annual song competition invites skilled singers to spontaneously compose melodies in response to their counterpart, crafting lyrics to flatter or tease their singing partner. The study quantifies the close relationship between Bai …

An Undergraduate Seminar On Irish Musical Culture In Ireland And The Irish Diaspora In America, Including The Influence Of Irish Music On Appalachian Folk Music Culture, Frieda Eakins

Masters Theses

The following project establishes a concise, yet multifaceted design for a seminar on Irish musical culture. While it was initially developed as a course for its author to teach in the undergraduate, on-ground classroom, this project provides a framework adaptable enough for use by other instructors and/or for additional music seminars. This project is unique in its two-fold purpose in that the design and resources are directed to assist the instructor with streamlining course curriculum preparation, while the course content specific to the project when utilized offers students in the undergraduate college classroom a better understanding of Irish musical culture …

Werner Jaegerhuber's “Messe Folklorique Haitïenne”: A Conductor's Guide, Lauren Michelle Brandon Lindsey

Dissertations

Werner Jaegerhuber (1900-1953), a composer and leading ethnographer from Haiti, lived a life and career committed to bringing the folk music of Haiti to international recognition. His most significant work, Messe Folklorique Haïtienne, the background leading to its composition, performance of the work and a conductor’s analysis is the focus of this study. The folk music of Haiti consists primarily of Vodou melodies which are performed in Vodou ceremonies. Haiti’s long history of colonization, slavery, chronic economic struggle, African roots, and Catholic influence all play unique, but significant roles in the life of Werner Jaegerhuber and his passionate study. …

Tibetan Guozhuang In Diqing Autonomous Prefecture: A Comparative Musical Analysis, Christina Du Breuil

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

The song and dance traditions of the Tibetan peoples of Diqing Prefecture are numerous and varied. Of these traditions, Guozhuang is cited as one of the oldest and most centrally traditional pieces of folk heritage. However, Guozhuang varies even within Diqing Prefecture. This paper addresses the basic form and structure of Guozhuang as well as variations between Benzilan and Shangri-la Guozhuang, two places separated not only by geographical distance but also the encroachment of development on traditional culture.

Horses For Discourses?: The Transition From Oral To Broadside Narrative In “Skewball”, Seán Ó Cadhla

Articles

The well-known horse-racing ballad ‘Skewball’ (hereafter, SB) has a well-established oral tradition in Ireland, with versions documented throughout the eighteenth-,nineteenth- and twentieth-centuries. The latest is a 1979 field-recording of Derry folksinger and storyteller, Eddie Butcher (Shields 2011:58-9). The ballad was also assimilated into African-American oral tradition, in which it was reconstructed and renamed ‘Stewball’ (Scarborough 1925:61-4; Lomax 1994:68-71), and was still being documented in American folk tradition as late as the 1930s (Flanders 1939:172-4). In common with countless other folk songs, SB was appropriated by broadside printers and subsequently enjoyed widespread public appeal throughout England in the early- to …

"O My Luve's Like A Red, Red Rose": Does Burns's Melody Really Matter, Kirsteen Mccue

Studies in Scottish Literature

Examines the musical sources and later published settings for Robert Burns's song "O, my luve is like a red, red rose," with particular focus on Niel Gow's setting "Major Graham's Strathspey."

Back To Burns, Fred Freeman

Studies in Scottish Literature

Argues that the published settings of the songs written and collected by the Scottish poet Robert Burns (1759-1796), especially the settings in George Thomson's series A Select Collection of Original Scottish Airs, conceal Burns's original intentions, and traces this to anti-Scottish critical prejudice that had driven the genuine folk tradition underground.

On Editing The Merry Muses, Valentina Bold

Studies in Scottish Literature

Discusses the sources and issues in reediting the late 18th century Scottish song collection, The Merry Muses of Caledonia (1799), in connection the 50th anniversary of the first modern scholarly edition, edited by Sydney Goodsir Smith, James Barke, and J. Delancey Ferguson in 1959.

On Translating Burns: A Heavenly Paradise And Two Versions Of "A Red, Red, Rose", Marco Fazzini

Studies in Scottish Literature

Discusses, and prints, two different verse-translations from Scots into Italian of Robert Burns's well-known song "O, My Luve is Like a Red, Red, Rose," with brief comment on earlier Italian Burns translations. .

When Black Meets White In The Heart Of Worship: A Case-Study Of Musical Changes In A Multiracial Church, Serge Volpe

Masters Theses

The Worldwide Church of God began as a denomination relying on certain Jewish practices and other Euro-centric distinctions to define its' identity. In the New York City area, African-American churchgoers exceeded that of whites; yet church liturgy retained its European-American flavor. When the denomination underwent transformation in the 1990s, many congregants were unable to accept changes, including new musical styles, and reacted in a manner inconsistent with what church leaders had hoped for. This thesis examines what some African-Americans experienced during this period when liturgy changed to include music representative of their culture. Interviews were conducted with African-American churchgoers from …

Héroes Y Corridos, Mark K. Warford

Spanish Model Lesson Plans

No abstract provided.

An Analysis And An Historical Contextualization Of Frank Ticheli’S “Cajun Folk Songs”, Jody Anthony Besse

Dissertations

This document was constructed using a qualitative research approach to discuss and illuminate the various compositional techniques used by Frank Ticheli in his composition Cajun Folk Songs. The content will include a biographical background of Mr. Ticheli, documentation related to the Cajun Culture and Cajun Music, an analysis of Ticheli’s composition Cajun Folk Songs, and valuable information related to the rehearsal and performance of this work. The intent of the study is to shed light on the relevant aspects pertinent to the musical interpretation of the selected work for the conductor, the performer, and the listener.

Theories Of Culture, Identity, And Ethnomusicology: A Synthesis Of Popular Music, Cultural, And Communication Studies, Alyssa Santos

Communication Studies

No abstract provided.

An American In Paris: Musical Exoticism In The Solo Piano Works Of Louis Moreau Gottschalk, Jonathan Edward Verbeten

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Louis Moreau Gottschalk was a nineteenth-century American piano virtuoso and composer. In 1841, at the age of twelve, Gottschalk left his native New Orleans to pursue a formal musical education in Paris. During his sojourn, Gottschalk gained fame for his piano music, in which he claimed to portray creole culture, more specifically the songs, dances, and rituals of Louisiana slaves. Nineteenth-century music critics were all too eager to crown Gottschalk as the first great American composer. In the present era, his music is still a source of national pride. I propose that Gottschalk's music is not necessarily an accurate representation …

A Conductor’S Guide To The Poetic And Musical Style Of The Cante Jondo Based On The Work Of Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco’S Romancero Gitano, Op.152, For Choir And Guitar With Selected Poems Of Federico Garcia Lorca’S Poema Del Cante Jondo, Elsa Patricia Ramierz-Hacker

Dissertations

Composers around the world have found the poetry of Federico García Lorca a source of inspiration for solo and choral works. Mario Castelnuovo- Tedesco used seven texts from Lorca’s Poema del Cante Jondo (Deep Song Poems) in his work Romancero Gitano, op. 152, for choir and guitar.

The purpose of this study is to provide a conductor’s guide to the poetic, historical, and musical structure of the cante jondo. Cante jondo or “deep song” is considered the most serious and profound collection of songs in Flamenco music. These songs express the history and landscape of the Andalucían region. Donn Phoren …

Bulgarian Chalga: Forming A Post-Communist Identity Through Music, Megan Drevits

Undergraduate Honors Thesis Collection

During the mid-1990s, against the background of a dizzyingly unstable economy and a corrupt and transitional political climate, a new genre of popular music rose to prominence in Bulgaria and came to be viewed by many as a complex symbol of this new, post-communist society. Although it has been given several names in its short history, this genre is most commonly known today as chalga, a designation that has a variety of connotations, both purely musical and purely derogatory. At its core, chalga is a fusion music genre that combines elements of Bulgarian folk music, Roma and Turkish music, …

Marshall University Department Of Music Presents The Marshall University African Drumming & Dance Ensemble, Steven Hall, Betsy Jordan

All Performances

No abstract provided.

The ‘Narod’ In Narodnjaci: Perceptions Of Turbo Folk In Contemporary Sarajevo, Uchechi Esonu

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Turbo Folk is often associated with the ultranationalism and violence of the Wars of Yugoslav Succession in the nineties. Working from the perspective of people who enjoy this music and/or frequent establishments where Turbo Folk is played in contemporary Sarajevo, I investigate the narratives employed by both listeners and detractors of Turbo Folk. What attributes or values are projected on the genre, in present day Sarajevo? Have these values changed from how the genre was perceived during the war in the 1990s? Is Turbo Folk political or politicized? Based on ethnographic field research conducted over the course of one month …

Flutes, Festivities, And Fragmented Tradition: A Study Of The Meaning Of Music In Otavalo, Brenna C. Halpin

Masters Theses

This thesis consists of an intimate study of the value and meaning of flute music of indigenous musicians in the contemporary world. This is accomplished by interviewing and observing indigenous panpipe and flute musicians in and near the Plaza de Ponchos Market in Otavalo, Ecuador. Collected personal stories, historical accounts, and recordings and analysis of the music all provide insight into the purpose and traditions the music holds. While the musicians attempt to maintain a sense of cultural authenticity, modernization has altered the importance of customs and music as Otavalo moves toward a more commoditized and urbanized community, reflecting ethnic …

Chapter 11, Songs In Intimacy And Community In A Changing World: Sikaiana Life 1980-1993, William Donner

Sikaiana Ethnography

A chapter on song composition and performance in the Sikaiana ethnography. Songs were an important part of Sikaiana life in 1980-1993. There were two major song types: songs composed in a traditional Polynesian style, and songs composed for the more recently introduced guitar.

A related website is www.sikaianaarchives.com

The Trajectories Of Transplants: Singing Alha, Birha, And The Ramayan In The Indic Caribbean, Peter L. Manuel

Publications and Research

Indo-Caribbean music culture includes a stratum of traditional genres derived from North India’s Bhojpuri region. This article discusses three such genres: Alhâ-singing, an archaic form of birhâ, and an antiphonal style of singing the Tulsidas Râmâyan. Despite the lack of supportive contact with the Bhojpuri region after 1917, these genres flourished until the 1960s, after which the decline of Bhojpuri as a spoken language in Trinidad and Guyana, together with the impact of modernity in general, undermined their vitality. A comparative perspective with North Indian counterparts reveals illuminating parallels and contrasts.

The Social Life Of Musical Instruments, Eliot Bates

Publications and Research

Accordion Crimes, a novel by E. Annie Proulx, traces the life of and routes travelled by a green diatonic button accordion: its birth in Sicily in the workshop of “The Accordion Maker,” its numerous changes of ownership in the Americas during encounters between various immigrant communities, and its death when it finally falls into disrepair in the town of Old Glory, Minnesota. There are other accordions in the book, and many temporary human owners, but it is one particular green accordion that is the book’s protagonist. We meet and experience other characters largely through their interactions with the green accordion, …

The Mexican Identity And Music: Audioscapes And The Transnational Death Metal Band Brujeria, Michael D. Mena

Theses and Dissertations - UTB/UTPA

The California-based Mexican-American “activist” metal band Brujeria, uses a powerful, yet conflicting, blend of nihilism, anarchism, and racism with a dose of hyper-patriotism in its attempt to convey the voice of oppressed Mexicans on both sides of the border. While it is uncertain whether or not Brujeria is intentionally political, their live performances and song lyrics are highly critical of both the U.S. and Mexico regarding immigration policy, border-crossing, and other issues which have resonated among an international audience. In this paper I explore the conflicting notions of space, performativity, binationality and U.S. Mexico relations within the context of Brujeria …

“Los Huaynos Me Recuerdan A Mi Tierra”: La Música Radial De Cusco Y La Formación De Identidades Migrantes”, Violet Cavicchi

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

La experiencia migratoria de muchos peruanos de comunidades con identidades andinas marcadas que se mudan a la ciudad de Cusco crea un conflicto identitario que es distinto. Estas personas se enfrentan con nuevas influencias que complican su conceptualización de una identidad propia. Este estudio considera la manera en que un foro especifico de la música radial funciona como un espacio para trabajar estas influencias solapadas y construir un entendimiento de identidad regional en este nuevo contexto. El artículo empieza con un análisis del contexto histórico que establece este fenómeno y que explica la importancia de la radio y su música …

The Barzakh Of Flamenco: Tracing The Spirituality, Locality And Musicality Of Flamenco From South Of The Strait Of Gibraltar, Tania Flores

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Flamenco performance – which scholars often describe in terms of the three dimensions of cante, or singing, baile, or dance, and toque, or instrumentation – is a complex synthesis of cultural influences across several centuries. In discussing the evolution of flamenco, scholars typically begin with the history of the gitanos, the subgroup of the Romani or Gypsy people that settled in Spain. Drawing upon a large body of ethnographic, historic and scientific evidence, scholars agree that the gitanos originated in the northwestern regions of contemporary India and

Pakistan – specifically, Rajasthan and the Punjab region (Iovita 275; …

Life Stories Of Four Conjunto Musicians: Adding To The Culturally Relevant Curriculum Of The Rio Grande Valley Schools, Andres Martinez

Theses and Dissertations - UTB/UTPA

This study examines music and culture and their importance in the learning process. As early as 1838, Horace Mann and later John Dewey (1916), Tim Brophy (1992) and others were expounding the benefits of music as a necessary element of the school curriculum. Julio Cammarota (2008), Geneva Gay (2000), Alan Singer (1994), Banks and Banks (1989) and others have argued for the importance of culture in the curriculum to enhance learning. Both elements have a unique place in the school curriculum. A brief history of the genre is presented beginning with the early years (mid 1800s), the development years (early …

The Status Of Students With Special Needs In The Instrumental Musical Ensemble And The Effect Of Selected Educator And Institutional Variables On Rates Of Inclusion, Edward C. Hoffman Iii

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

The purpose of this study was to describe the current status of students with special needs in the instrumental musical ensemble and to examine the effect of selected educator and institutional variables on rates of inclusion. An online survey was designed by the researcher and distributed electronically to 600 practicing K-12 instrumental music educators in the states of Idaho, Mississippi, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, and Rhode Island. While 13.6% of the total school-aged population nationwide received special education services, demographic data provided by respondents revealed that students with special needs accounted for 6.8% of all students participating in bands, orchestras, …

The Symbolic Creation Of Cultural Performance At The Walnut Valley Festival, Maggie Colleen Cobb

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Through two years of ethnographic fieldwork and 19 interviews, I synthesize symbolic interaction and a sociological framework of culture to examine the ways in which the Walnut Valley Festival is created and experienced as a unique form of cultural performance, one that is always shifting in response to the emergent cultural creation and reception of attendees. No work to date combines the dimensions of both production and reception of music festivals as a unique form of cultural performance. In bringing back the oftentimes ignored affective dimension in cultural studies, I use Griswold's (2004) metaphor of a cultural diamond, examining the …