Music Commons^™

Kajian Konseptual Silabel Ritme Gandang Minangkabau, Aryuda Fakhleri Fallen, Yudi Sukmayadi, Tati Narawati

Paradigma: Jurnal Kajian Budaya

This article tryes to initiate the concept of Minangkabau rhythm syllables, which is a method in music learning related to audiation in rhythm learning, the urgency in this study explores the basic elements of the audiation system that can be applied to music learning related to rhythm syllables based on local approaches, taking into account previous concepts that have been popular in recent schools. In West Sumatra, the concepts of syllable rhythm such as Zoltan Kodaly, Kannokol, American Style Syllables, and Edwin Gordon are not so popular, but environments such as schools and art studios have their own ways of …

Mus101.2 Write A Song Example 1, Sae University College

Exemplars

This project was a collaborative songwriting project.

Becoming Musical: Towards A Typology Of Non-Musical Sounds In Recorded Popular Music, Jacob David Mccooey

Theses and Dissertations

There are many instances in popular music in which traditionally non-musical sounds are used musically. There is currently no research on the types and functions of non-musical sounds used musically (NMSUMs). I have collected and organized a collection of example tracks that contain these NMSUMs and analyzed their functions to determine a typology of these sounds. The analysis of the NMSUMs focused on intertextuality, intratextuality, form, texture, and how the sounds relate to traditional, musical sampling. Throughout the course of the analysis, several trends were distinguished amongst the many tracks gathered, and these trends form the basis of the typology.

A Transcription For Piccolo Trumpet With Historical Context And Methodology: Oboe Quartet Kv 370/368b By Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Christopher Massa

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

This document explores the challenges of transcribing Mozart's Oboe Quartet for piccolo trumpet, emphasizing performance practices. Both oboe and trumpet navigate mid-high to high ranges with fluidity, underscoring the importance of mastering flexibility through study and practice. This document examines the process of transcription by comparing other successful transcriptions.Achieving balance among instruments is crucial due to the piccolo trumpet's volume compared to the oboe or violin. Careful dynamics adjustment ensures harmonious blending within the ensemble, allowing each instrument to shine without overpowering the others. Breath management poses another significant challenge, and while similarities between oboe and piccolo trumpet breath control …

Martin Bresnick's “Bitter Suite” Duo For Violin And Piano, Xun Xu

Dissertations and Doctoral Documents, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, 2023–

This document is intended to be a practical tool for those interested in performing, researching, and cultivating an acute understanding of Martin Bresnick’s Bitter Suite Duo for Violin and Piano. A composer working within varying neoclassical and modern idioms, Bresnick has merited many accolades, from the Rome Prize to a Guggenheim to the American Academy of Arts and Letters' first-ever Charles Ives Living Award.

The first movement of Bitter Suite was commissioned by the YIVO Institute for Jewish Research during the COVID-19 pandemic. Bresnick enjoyed composing this movement and was inspired to write three additional movements, transforming the commission …

Quiet No More: An Analysis Of Women's Protest Music, Jillian Vogel

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

This dissertation explores the multifaceted role of music in women’s protests, emphasizing how it serves as a unifying and rallying tool in the fight against inequality. By delving into the interdisciplinary realms of music theory, sound studies, and women’s and gender studies, this work highlights how women’s protest composers utilize musical texts and content to turn their music into a tool to inspire change. This dissertation investigates the musical structures and harmonic innovations in suffrage movement music, examining how suffragettes with varying musical knowledge engaged with music to further their cause. The suffragette music analyses combine text analysis, harmonic analysis, …

Frontera De Valldemosa’S Equinotación And The Nineteenth-Century Textbook Controversies It Sparked, Antoni Pizà

Publications and Research

Abstract:

Francisco Frontera de Valldemosa (1807-1891) published the first edition of his treatise, generally known as Equinotación, in 1837. The book purported to simplify musical notation by reducing the complex system of clefs to only three. From the moment it became public his clef method became controversial. First, it sparked a long controversy in the Revue et gazette musicale de Paris regarding the system’s originality, usefulness, and possible plagiarism. Subsequent editions decades later also sparked debates and even a couple of lawsuits, as reflected in several articles in the Gaceta musical barcelonesa. At the bottom of these polemics …

Metric Schemas And Projections In Three Colombian Folk Genres, Lina S. Tabak

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

This dissertation explores how stylistic expertise can affect metric perception, through the analysis of three Colombian folk genres—cantos de boga and currulaos from the Pacific region and joropos from the Eastern plains bordering Venezuela. Specifically, it considers the tension between metric perceptions which arise from bottom-up mechanisms for entrainment (such as projections), and those which are based on top-down mechanisms (such as schemata). This tension is at play when more and less musically enculturated listeners perceive entirely different metric structures when listening to identical music.

Taking bottom-up and top-down metric perception as a thread, this dissertation isolates three additional metric …

Reconciling Macro- And Micro-Levels In The First Movement Of Brahms’S Piano Concerto In D Minor, Op. 15: A Schenkerian Reading, Alexandra Joan

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

This dissertation examines the first movement of Johannes Brahms’s Piano Concerto no. 1, op. 15, through a Schenkerian lens. Concertos are relatively unexplored in Heinrich Schenker’s theoretical work. Surprisingly, although Schenker put Brahms on a pedestal throughout his life, he left only a few published analyses of the composer’s music.

Chapter 1 explores the kinship between Schenker and Brahms. Both conceived of the musical work as an organic entity. They also shared an approach to the tonal language based on an eighteenth-century tradition of figured bass and counterpoint. Op. 15 also exhibits an approach to musical form grounded in the …

The Reciprocal Interaction Of Musical Performance And Analysis, Gregory Hartmann

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Musicians can generally be divided into one of two kinds: practitioners who compose or perform music, and thinkers who analyze or write about music (theorists, musicologists, and critics). These roles might seem to be of approximately equal importance, so the perspectives of each should be given proportionate consideration. Yet the existing music-theoretical literature consistently relegates the performer to an inferior position. When performance is discussed, it is usually done in objective terms; an analysis is presented as a rationale to judge a performance as right or wrong. My dissertation challenges this perspective and provides an alternative. By marrying rigorous, theory-based …

An Analysis Of William Bolcom's "Three Classical Rags", Thomas A. Owens

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

This document aims to provide insight into William Bolcom’s Three Classical Rags through harmonic and formal analysis of each rag, investigating the ways in which they fulfill or subvert the expectations of ragtime. The study begins with a description of the harmonic language, form, and metric structure typical of ragtime composers like Scott Joplin and Joseph Lamb. Examples of rags that maintain these characteristics are The Entertainer by Joplin, Heliotrope Bouquet by Louis Chauvin and Joplin, and Top Liner Rag by Lamb. Analysis of Bolcom’s Three Classical Rags ensues, exploring the ways they both honor and subvert the expectations …

An Analysis Of The Musical Gestures In Osvaldo Golijov’S The Dreams And Prayers Of Isaac The Blind And Their Relationship To The Kabbalah Sefirot, Jeremy Gdaniec

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Osvlado Golijov’s The Dreams and Prayers of Isaac the Blind, scored for klezmer clarinet and string quartet, remains one of his most influential works since its premier in 1994. Inspiration for the work came from the writings of Rabbi Isaac the Blind, a prominent 13^th century figurehead in the branch of Jewish mysticism known as Kabbalah. In Kabbalah, symbols known as the sefirot are emanations of creation and the key to unlocking the divine secrets of the God-head. The analysis presented in this document combines musical gesture theory with Kabbalistic concepts for new perspectives on Golijov’s …

Teaching Double Bass Through Lost Traditions Of The 18th Century, Tina Battaglia

Senior Honors Projects, 2020-current

Through learning how to improvise entire compositions from unfigured bass using stock classical schemata, this paper seeks to bring awareness to the technical and musical benefits of translating 18th century compositional keyboard etudes called partimenti into double bass etudes.

Pedal Points: Harmony And The Double-Action Pedal System In Modern Harp Music, Mckenna Jennings

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Pedals are an invisible guide in chromatic harp repertoire. While the evolution of tonality and rise in chromaticism incentivized the invention of the double-action pedal harp, the unique restraints and extensions of this technological system influence harmony and pitch collections in chromatic harp music. This thesis explores the pedal harp and the influence the affordance and idiomacy of the pedal layout exerts onto chromatic harp repertoire. It draws on embodiment and schema theory to describe patterns of pedal motion in harp music, thus presenting and demonstrating an original theory of pedal schemas. Pedal schemas are patterns of motion defined by …

Modes In Heavy Metal Music, Richard W. Young Jr.

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Modality is quite commonplace in heavy metal music, including some of the less common modes such as Phrygian and Locrian. This thesis provides musical examples and analyses of heavy metal music based on theories of scholars such as Brett Clement and Nicole Biamonte and demonstrates how modes are used in conjunction with other musical elements such as meter, tempo, instrumentation, and timbre to paint the text and color the sound. The primary focus of repertoire is selected works from the 1970s and early ’80s by early metal pioneers Black Sabbath, Ozzy Osbourne, and Scorpions. Other brief examples from Metallica, Yngwie …

Impressionism In The Hands Of Griffes, Bauer, And Howe, And The Musical Climate In Early 20th-Century America, Elaine Sara Lim

Dissertations, 2020-current

American composers Charles Griffes (1884-1920), Marion Bauer (1882-1955), and Mary Howe (1882-1964) are considered “Impressionist” composers by some scholars. This document will explore selected piano works of each composer to determine the extent to which impressionistic traits are present. Topics such as tonality, harmony, texture, and individual style will be examined, as well as the significant relationship between music and poetry. American Impressionism was short-lived but served as a link to Modernism, as all three composers eventually experimented with other styles. Early 20th-century American audiences, accustomed to the influx of European artists and music, were slow to embrace the new …

Hearing Voice In Henryk Górecki's "Symphony Of Sorrowful Songs", Jason Jedlicka

Faculty Scholarship Symposium

Classical composer Henryk Górecki’s Symphony No. 3, subtitled ‘Symphony of Sorrowful Songs,’ interweaves his devout Catholicism and interest in Polish folk music with three texts that deal with motherhood and loss of a child. Written for solo soprano voice and orchestra, the piece’s expressive clarity provides optimal space for the voice—in the many literal and figurative senses of the word—to illuminate the text.

Though much has been written about this symphony’s emotional impact on listeners, little has been written about the piece from an analytical, interpretive point of view. In this talk, I perform a close analysis of the …

Oblique, Edward Kijowski

Theses and Dissertations

Oblique is a multi-sensory art installation that provides a story of fragmentation in sound and light rendered by an obtuse hexagon arrangement of speakers and associated lighting prompts. The oblique direction of the soundwaves creates sonic sculpturing that propels listeners into an active state.

Thematic Synthesis: Rethinking Generative Music With Compositional Understanding In Game And Software Development, Jasper Moore Tucker

Dartmouth College Master’s Theses

Generative music, first introduced by composers like Brian Eno and David Cope in the mid-to-late 20th century, has evolved through many stages, with diverse applications across music and technology companies as well as the game industry. However, despite this widespread interest, there remains a notable lack of the foundational understanding of composition and individual expressiveness in current generative systems that was apparent in the work of early composers. This paper advocates for a shift towards prioritizing compositional thought in system design to foster greater diversity and innovation within generative music. To demonstrate this approach, a novel system synthesizing two distinct …

“Elegy For A Flower” - Remote Orchestral Session/Score-Focused Film, Logyn Okuda

Student Scholar Symposium Abstracts and Posters

Within the many aspects of a film exists the epicenter that is visual storytelling. Music production within film always becomes a point of discussion after the fact, as composers will use their musical expertise to aid the established vision of the filmmaker. Despite music technology having evolved to recreate the sound of an orchestra, the role of music remains the same. However, what if the roles were reversed? Through this endeavor, I sought out to find the impact of a multimedia work when music becomes the primary focus of storytelling. Explored in the past by Disney's "Fantasia" and Phillip Glass' …

Einstein's Dream By Cindy Mctee: An Analysis And Transcription For Wind Ensemble, Kyle Aufderhar

Dissertations

Cindy McTee’s 2005 composition for strings, percussion, and computer music is an exploration in pluralism, combining newly composed music and computer-synthesized sounds with the music of Johann Sebastian Bach and Charles Ives. McTee’s initial use of Bach’s music comprises the complete harmonization of the chorale “Wir glauben all’ an einen Gott.” In later sections of the work, McTee creates entire textures from the chorale’s soprano line, subjecting it to a variety of treatments including augmentation, diminution, inversion, retrograde, and retrograde inversion. In addition to the inclusion of his music, McTee reiterates the importance of Bach through composition that relies on …

Defining Recomposition Through The Works Of Gregson, Richter, And Peck: Creating A Dialogue With Vivaldi And Bach To Compose New Music., Amanda Peck

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Recomposition has been a commonly utilized compositional method for hundreds of years, yet there is no universally accepted definition in the musical community. The existing literature on the subject is limited, so this project will examine various sources to define this term more accurately. This research analyzes successful recompositions for string ensemble, Peter Gregson’s Bach - The Cello Suites Recomposed (2018) and Recomposed by Max Richter: Vivaldi - The Four Seasons Recomposed (2012), and my two new compositions, Air on the G String Recomposed and Vivaldi Cello Sonata No. 3 in A Minor Recomposed. My compositions incorporate the …

The Kansas Band’S Musical Depictions Of Spiritual Quests, Elizabeth Romero

Master's Theses

The progressive rock genre has been an intriguing subject of study for the scholarly community, especially within the last 30 years. An understudied part of the progressive rock scene, however, is its manifestation in the United States through the band Kansas. The band from 1970’s Topeka is acknowledged by Mitchell Morris as troublesome for critics due to the hybrid use of European art music and blues influences. It is no wonder a large study of Kansas music has not taken place due to the maligning of the band by its critics as well as the controversial views regarding pretentiousness of …

Bedeviled Beauty: My Journey Through White American Theater Institutions, J'Aila C. Price

LSU New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

Game console: Oculus Quest

World: American Theater Institutions

Player: Minority

Place: United States

Level: “Ain’t no way.”

This thesis explores the contrast between the Westernized philosophies ingrained in my education and my identity as a Black female artist. It sheds light on the difficulties of pursuing higher education in the arts and the gaps that arise from limited exposure to culturally diverse Black resources, revealing the systemic issues in Western performance education. The paper also discusses the insights gained from my journey as a Black female artist, focusing on my thesis performance of Blood at the Root, which is …

Will The Future Of Video Game Music Require Real Composers?, Nathan Barrett

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

In order to gain a better understanding of video game composition and whether or not real composers will be required, I will explore a variety of categories within the field of game composition and sound design. General categories of focus will cover, 1) Basics, Standards, and Tropes for Game Composition 2) How Games Compositions Have Evolved 3) Creative Uses of Music inside of Games 4) Innovative Techniques for Game Compositions, and 5) The Ethics of Procedural Music and it's use in games.

Aspects Of Style In Selected Works By Takashi Yoshimatsu., K. Alex Hatton

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The music of Takashi Yoshimatsu is united by a strong continuity of style that acts as a kind of musical signature. This thesis offers an introduction to understanding this musical style by exploring the relationship between Japan and Western classical music, presenting analyses of four contrasting compositions, and offering potential areas for further research. Some of the recurring characteristics of Yoshimatsu’s style include the use of extended harmony, modes, large melodic intervals, and the reuse of musical material. These characteristics are explored at length in the analyses of Pleiades Dances IX, And Birds are Still…, Memo Flora, …

Exploring Improvisation Approaches Through Jazz, Blues, Funk, And Fusion, Luke J. Sunderland

Recital Papers

This paper explores the different approaches notable musicians utilize in improvisation. An example of this would be 1235 Coltrane patterns, whole tone and diminished concepts by Mike Stern, and chromatic lines by Pat Metheny. Through this study, one should be inspired to incorporate these ideas into their own playing.

Compositional Practices In The Accompaniment Of Celtic Trad Music, Mason Taylor

Composition/Recording Projects

n this research paper, I look at how traditional Irish folk musicians—“Trad” as it is commonly referred to by musicians in the style––approach, think of, and perform accompaniment, specifically the contrapuntal style that is common amongst mandolin and bouzouki players. Trad has evolved greatly over the years. Originally, Trad was performed without any form of accompaniment—no guitar, no piano, no cello. Many solo instruments, such as the flute and the fiddle, would play the same melody with the only harmony occurring at moments where performers would momentarily diverge from the melody with an improvised ornament. Somewhere along its varied history, …

Aardvark: A Solo Guitar Album, Jeffrey W. Buchanan

Composition/Recording Projects

In this production paper, I discuss the entire process of creating my debut solo guitar album, Aardvark. There are ten songs on the albums, eight of which are originals and two of which are arrangements of existing music for solo guitar. Each chapter focuses on a specific song and dissects all elements that went into its creation, including the composition process, the type of guitar used, theoretical analyses, and any technical roadblocks I had to overcome. Several of my influences for the music on this album include Ted Greene, Bill Evans, Francisco Tárrega, Dream Theater, and music from the video …

Chaconnes, Sonatas, And Fugues, Oh My: A Study Of The Influence Of Baroque, Classical, And Romantic Musical Forms On Today's Media, Cadence A. Graves

ATU Scholars Symposium

As a future music educator, it is my duty to have not only understanding and knowledge of composers, music history, and compositional techniques, but to also have an appreciation, passion, and interest in what music is, where it has been, how it has changed, and where it is going now. With this research, I deepened my appreciation for the evolution of music over the course of history, expanded my understanding of how and when they came into existence, and broadened my understanding and appreciation of music that draws on those techniques today.

In the comparisons I made between compositions of …