Music Commons^™

Report On Ams, Kenneth M. Cotich, Holly Gardinier

Faculty Papers and Conference Presentations with CGU Graduate Co-authors

This presentation summarizes and evaluates the American Musicological Society's website as a reference tool for music scholars. Evaluation methods used come from Laurie Sampsel (2012) and Holly Gardinier (2015).

Singing The Sermon: Where Musicology Meets Homiletics, Emmett G. Price Iii

Yale Journal of Music & Religion

From the beginning of the Christian Church, singing and preaching have served as major tools of communication. In fact, they remain the most utilized methods of articulating and explicating personal and communal theologies across the diverse and expansive expressions of Christianity.

From the life, ministry, and legacy of Jesus Christ through the teachings of the Apostle Paul, the roles and functions of singing and preaching are well known but not well studied as a unit. From the foundational writings of the early Church Fathers through the various theses of the reformers, the acts of singing and preaching have been studied …

Preaching And The Power Of Music: A Dialogue Between The Pulpit And Choir Loft In 1689, Markus Rathey

Yale Journal of Music & Religion

During the ecclesiastical year 1689-90 the Lutheran superintendent in Leipzig, Johann Benedict Carpzov, and his cantor, the composer Johann Schelle, embarked on a collaboration of unusual scale. In the previous year, Carpzov had preached a cycle of sermons based on well-known hymns from the Lutheran tradition. In 1689-90 Carpzov gave a short summary of the earlier hymn sermons, while Schelle composed for each Sunday a cantata based on the very same hymn. The result is a unique collaboration between preacher and musician, pulpit and choir loft. Only a few of Schelle’s compositions have survived; however, the extant cantatas together with …

Preaching About Pipes And Praise: Lutheran Organ Sermons Of The Seventeenth Century, Joyce L. Irwin

Yale Journal of Music & Religion

The seventeenth century was a grand era for organ building, and as new organs were installed in Lutheran churches in Germany, there were services of dedication at which a sermon was preached to explain the theological basis for using organ music in worship and to extol the value of instrumental worship for the praise of God. In some respects these sermons were all alike: scriptural passages, predominantly from the Old Testament, were cited to remind the congregation of ancient musical practices; opponents of church organs from Zwingli through Calvin to Voetius and Grossgebauer were chastised as misguided or worse; the …

The Reformation Of Preaching: Transformations Of Worship Soundscapes In Early Modern Germany And Switzerland, Barbara Pitkin

Yale Journal of Music & Religion

The evangelical sermon was the Protestant Reformation’s central ritual event and the catalyst for a host of other changes, ranging from the abolition of the Mass to acts of violent iconoclasm. In promoting the sermon, reformers in Germany and Switzerland were in continuity with trends in medieval preaching, but at the same time the new centrality given to the preached word fundamentally altered the worship experience, particularly the aural experience. The present investigation traces the contours of the preaching landscape in the late Middle Ages and the Renaissance, outlines the innovations in sermonizing in Reformation Switzerland and Germany, and, by …

A Jamaican Voice: The Choral Music Of Noel Dexter, Desmond A. Moulton

Dissertations

As we approach the twenty-first century, the world generally is moving away from the dominance of the European aesthetic towards a world music that owes much to the musical resources of the African-American tradition. Jamaica’s social and philosophical music belong mainly to that tradition, which includes the use of rhythms, and timbral and melodic resources that exist independently of harmony. Already in this century, Jamaicans have created two totally new music - Nyabinghi, which performs a philosophical function and Reggae, which performs a social function. The choral music of Noel Dexter is important because it is uniquely Jamaican/Caribbean in its …

Preserving Wmu’S Musical Heritage: Digitizing Aging Magnetic Tape Audio Recordings, Marianne Swierenga, Christina Doane

University Libraries Faculty & Staff Presentations

Western Michigan University has decades worth of unique recorded content on aging magnetic media. WMU’s School of Music has a particularly rich collection of recordings featuring student and faculty ensembles, visiting artist performances, and graduate recitals. Facing the possibility of losing these invaluable recorded sound artifacts through obsolescence or decay, the University Libraries realized we could wait no longer and needed to develop a preservation and digitization strategy to ensure long term access.

The Music Of Herbert Howells, Edited By Phillip A. Cooke And David Maw (Review), Julian Onderdonk

Music Theory, History & Composition Faculty Publications & Performances

No abstract provided.

Music And Islamic Reform, Amanda Pierce

Senior Theses

Music in the Islamic world is being used as a tool for change. Islam is going though a period of major reform, and music is a way to get people all over the world to listen. Though music is prohibited among conservative groups, the Sufis and Islamic youth are spreading ideas of nonviolence and love both to audiences within the religion and to outsiders. The introduction of music has been met with heavy resistance by orthodox members of the religious community, but it has also brought change and success.

'More Divine Than Human': Early Tudor Plainchant And Polyphony Of The Lenten Compline Office In The Use Of Salisbury, 1485-1558, Mark Wayland Ardrey-Graves

Dissertations, 2014-2019

Codified at Salisbury Cathedral in southern England during the twelfth and thirteenth centuries, the Use of Salisbury, or Sarum Use, was an influential model of church structure and liturgy across England until the middle of the sixteenth century. Within this model, certain distinctive features are observable, including patterns of ritual observance in such liturgies as the Office of Compline, prayed at the end of the day. This study examines the structure of the Sarum Compline Office, and the phenomenon of polyphonic music created for its observance, during the forty-day penitential season of Lent. This thesis specifically explores ways in which …

Use Your Words: A Lyrical Guide To The Opera-Inspired Paraphrases Of Antonino Pasculli (1842-1924), Aaron S. Hill

Dissertations, 2014-2019

There are currently ten available works by Antonino Pasculli (1842-1924) for solo oboe or English horn and accompaniment inspired by themes from nineteenth-century operas by Bellini, Donizetti, Meyerbeer, and Verdi. These pieces are so virtuosic that Pasculli has been dubbed the “Paganini of the Oboe.” The technical demands can be so high that performers can neglect to approach artistic and scholarly interpretation of his lyrical passages. Some editions of his music list the referenced act and scene number from the original source. No existing editions include complete text from the original vocal excerpts or the context from the plots of …

The Hungarian Rhapsodies And The 15 Hungarian Peasant Songs: Historical And Ideological Parallels Between Liszt And Bartók, David B. Hill

Dissertations, 2014-2019

While Liszt has been recognized as central to Hungary’s place in Western music, Bartók has been credited with composing Hungary’s authentic nationalistic music. Liszt’s role in Hungarian nationalistic music and his influence on Bartók have only recently been given serious attention. Musicologists are beginning to concede that Liszt’s ‘nationalistic’ source—though a hybrid of styles—constituted a legitimate nationalistic style worthy of research. The author examines two transitional piano pieces composed by the respective composers: Liszt’s Hungarian Rhapsodies and Bartók’s Fifteen Hungarian Peasant Songs. He draws attention to similarities in the genesis of the works, in the role each work played in …

Searching For Modeling Of Stravinsky's Petroushka In Poulenc's Rapsodie Nègre: Poulenc's Use Of Popular Forms And Techniques In His Earliest Work, Jeremy Rover

Senior Theses

Why does the view that French composer Francis Poulenc was a musical hack and a fraud continue to be discussed today? To get to the bottom of this, we need to look at the evidence available and find proof to back up these claims. In the predominant research on Poulenc, many scholars mention musical themes and quotations linked to other composers, but most of these claims aren’t backed up with specific examples or score studies. Therefore, in this paper I attempt to trace the “crime” to its source by showing Poulenc’s possible borrowing of harmonies, thematic material, styles, and rhythms …

Development Of The Sonata, Christine Annie Hsu

Music Undergraduate Honors Theses

Program: Domenico Scarlatti (1685-1757) Sonata in d minor K. 9 Sonata in E Major K. 20 Sonata in A minor K. 54 Sonata in A Major K. 24 Johannes Brahms (1833-1897) Sonata in C Major I. Allegro II. Andante III. Scherzo: Allegro molto e con fuoco IV. Finale: Allegro con fuoco Intermission--------------------------------- Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827) Sonata in D Major Op. 28 I. Allegro II. Andante III. Scherzo-Trio: Allegro vivace IV. Rondo: Allegro ma non Troppo Sergei Prokofiev (1891-1953) Sonata in f minor Op. 1

Effective Effects, Lyn Kristi Smylie

Music Undergraduate Honors Theses

For my thesis project, I decided to give a recital containing music that featured a variety of extended techniques. In order to give a performance appreciated by audiences, I needed to examine how to best introduce music with extended techniques to audiences.

How Classical Saxophone Music Influenced By Jazz, Alfredo Alexander Maruri

Music Undergraduate Honors Theses

An Honors Recital of Classical Saxophone Music influenced by Jazz

I Want To Be In That Number: A Song Profile Of "When The Saints Go Marching In", Gregory H. Jacks

Renée Crown University Honors Thesis Projects - All

“When the Saints Go Marching In” has never been subject to a sustained study of its origins, disseminations, and current manifestations. A study like this, focused on a song’s perceptions via various viewpoints through time, is typically referred to as a song profile; a form of reception history specifically concentrated on a single musical composition. “When the Saints Go Marching In,” also known as “Saints” or “The Saints,” is an African-American spiritual typically listed as a traditional in most songbooks without a composer.[1] I have laid out this paper into four sections, one for each period of the song’s …

Sehnsucht In The Heine Lieder Of Schubert’S Schwanengesang, Kathleen P. Brandau

Honors Theses

This thesis considers the theme of Sehnsucht in the context of German Romantic music, in particular, the Heine Lieder from Franz Schubert’s Schwanengesang. Of particular interest is the ordering of the Heine Lieder and the narrative that emerges when the songs are reordered to conform to the arrangement in Heinrich Heine’s poetic collection, Buch der Lieder. The final chapter identifies instances of Sehnsucht in the text and suggests a hidden poetic cycle that sheds light on some unusual musical connections between the poetry and Schubert’s settings of individual songs.

Virtuoso Violinist Maud Powell: Enduring Champion For American Women In Professional Music, Sarah Joy Pizzichemi

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

Maud Powell, the first great American virtuoso violinist, sparked a change in the spirit of the advancement of classical music throughout North America in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. This document addresses gender inequality present in the classical music profession during Powell’s lifetime. It also explores the roles women occupied in the public and private spheres in Western art music of the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. More specifically, it investigates the life of virtuoso violinist Maud Powell through her activism and interest in American women in professional music.

The document is divided into three parts. After a …

Les Chansons De Bilitis: A Symbiotic Collaboration Between Two Artists Claude Debussy And Pierre Louys With An Annotated Performance Guide And Original Translations, Carmella Tian Ming Cao

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

This document examines Claude Debussy’s Les Chansons de Bilitis to understand how Debussy, in his musical settings reflects the literary texts of Bilitis written by Pierre Louÿs. The purpose is to gain insight into the interdisciplinary collaborations among artists in fin-de-siècle France. Many of Debussy’s most famous pieces, such as Prélude à l’après-midi d’un faune, were inspired by poetry. In this document I contend that Les Chansons de Bilitis could play a more meaningful role within the repertoire of the flute canon. This piece was composed in 1901 with a unique instrumentation of two flutes, two harps, celesta, and female …

Experience-Specific And Domain-General Effects On Simple And Complex Meter Processing, Sangeeta Gupta

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Our ability to process rhythmic patterns is constrained by the complexity of its interval structure. The goal of the present study was to explore the cognitive demands and neural mechanisms for processing simple and complex meters, and the extent to which they are modulated by culture-specific experience. The first experiment explored the argument that perception of rhythm is guided by a domain-general ability to process quantity, and that processing simple and complex meter rhythms requires different cognitive strategies. Rhythm perception was assessed by testing listeners’ ability to detect disruptions in simple and complex meter melodies. Proficiency with numerosity judgments was …

The Evolution Of The Cello Endpin And Its Effect On Technique And Repertoire, William Braun

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

This document investigates how the concept of a lifting device has evolved into the modern endpin that is a now a standard part of the cello. The endpin has a unique history that, prior to this writing, has not yet been fully documented. The evolution of the endpin has caused significant changes to cello technique, as its use, or lack of, alters the basic posture and setup of the instrument on the cellist’s body. Written and iconographic evidence show that endpins and other lifting devices have been used throughout all eras of the cello’s history. There are many instances when …

The Intersections Of Music, Love, And Worship, Jacob C. Wessel

Senior Honors Theses

When a right understanding of the doctrine of love infiltrates the art of music in the event of corporate worship, an opportunity arises for a unique synergism of knowledge, emotion and relationships. These qualities are paramount in the doctrine of love and practice of corporate worship, and they are especially encouraged by the powers of music. An exploration of these three aspects of love—knowledge, emotion and relationships—is here provided with special attention to the opportunity music and worship provide for intersections between them.

Hildegard Of Bingen: Visionary Woman Who Encouraged The Role Of Feminism, Melissa K. Treharn

Undergraduate Distinction Papers

This paper will discuss the life of Hildegard of Bingen and how her musical and lifestyle choices can be defined as that of a feminist. Hildegard was a nun during the mid 1100's who was given the gift of visions. These visions, sent from God, told her about how she should be living her life and the lessons she should be teaching her followers. However, as a woman during this time, Hildegard had no power or any opportunities to share these ideas with others without being shunned as stepping outside of her "gender role." It was not until she gained …

American Women Composers In The Late Nineteenth And Early Twentieth Centuries: A Comparison Of The Social, Cultural And Personal Influences On The Lives, Career, And Music Of Amy Beach And Ruth Crawford Seeger, Lindsey A. Scarberry

Undergraduate Distinction Papers

A comparison of the lives and works of two American women composers, Amy Beach and Ruth Crawford Seeger, provides an interesting look at the role of women in music in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Amy Beach and Ruth Crawford Seeger were pioneers in American music during the time period after the Civil War through World War II. Both women performed professionally, composed, and innovated musical ideas and theories during a time when women’s compositions were not widely performed or published. Their professional and personal lives illustrate many differences that informed their works in different ways. Amy Beach …

P-28 Musical Borrowing In Las Cuatro Estaciones Porteñas: Piazzolla, Desyatnikov, Vivaldi, Wayanne Watson

Honors Scholars & Undergraduate Research Poster Symposium Programs

Leonid Desyatnikov arranged Astor Piazzolla’s Las Cuatro Estaciones Porteñas for violin and string orchestra, interspersing quotations from Vivaldi’s Four Seasons throughout the new work. My score-based analysis of the arrangement investigates Desyatnikov’s borrowing techniques by locating the Vivaldi quotations, examining Desyatnikov’s alterations to their original content and context, and determining whether the quotations’ identities are maintained or transformed. My research shows that, generally, Desyatnikov minimizes drastic alterations to content, but usually makes changes to context. Overall, this leads to transformation of the quotations’ identities. By examining these compositional procedures, my analysis provides a more nuanced exploration of musical dominance and …

The Irish Experience: Identity And Authenticity In Irish Traditional Music, Elizabeth Graber

Lawrence University Honors Projects

Over the last century, Irish traditional music, or “trad,” has become a global phenomenon that has flourished in communities from the United States of America to Japan. A musician need not be Irish in heritage to play and do justice to Irish traditional music or to feel a strong emotional connection to it; yet ethnic ties, real and imagined, constitute a powerful reason to play. The music is inextricably linked with the poetically-titled Emerald Isle even if its musicians are not. In this project, I explore and analyze the many facets of perception of and participation in Irish traditional music, …

Editorial, Michael E. Ruhling

HAYDN: Online Journal of the Haydn Society of North America

No abstract provided.

Bach's Christmas Oratorio, Bwv 248, And The Jews, Daniel R. Melamed

Yale Journal of Music & Religion

It has been recognized since the nineteenth century that most of the poetic arias and choruses in J. S. Bach’s Christmas Oratorio BWV 248 are parodies of music composed to other texts. In the early twentieth century it was claimed that at least one gospel narrative chorus was also derived from extant music, a hypothesis subsequently expanded to include several such movements said to be parodies as well. The claims are flimsily argued and are unlikely on source-critical grounds, but they have stuck, persisting in scholarly writings, reference works, and popular literature.

The origin of this idea is a 1916 …

Buddhism As Performing Art: Visualizing Music In The Tibetan Sacred Ritual Music Liturgies, Jeffrey W. Cupchik

Yale Journal of Music & Religion

The eleventh-century Tibetan female ascetic, Machik Labdrön (1055-1153), developed a Vajrayāna (Tantric) Buddhist meditation method called Chöd (Tib. gCod, Eng. “to cut”) and associated ritual practices as a means of eliminating “self-grasping,” which is defined as the mistaken instinct of regarding one’s “self” and all phenomena as intrinsically, or independently, existent. Her musical-meditation method became renowned across Central Asia during her lifetime, and Chödritual practices and liturgies have been transmitted from teacher to disciple in unbroken lineages until today. The ritual is now well known globally, with Tibetan Lamas, nuns, and empowered exponents teaching widely, across a transnational …