Music Commons^™

The African Christian History Of American Songs Of Slavery, Elizabeth Adekale

CGU Theses & Dissertations

Christianity is an African traditional religion that played a vital role in the formation of American songs of slavery, also known as spirituals. These songs were created by the enslaved Africans in America to express their longing for freedom and preserve African Christian tradition. Within the lyrics of spirituals are coded messages that provided secret information to the enslaved African population. The text of many spirituals came directly from the Bible and speaks of the Spirit working in and through God’s people to set things right. Saint Augustine (354-430 AD) was an African Christian theologian and philosopher whose spiritual authority …

Tradition, Pedagogy, And Internet Open-Access Music Libraries, Erin Tallman

Pomona Senior Theses

In this paper I take up the topic of open-access digital music libraries, specifically the ways performance and pedagogical traditions interact with and are impacted by open-access or public domain sheet music libraries on the internet. I first consider how traditions of performance and pedagogy have become misaligned in the case of viola repertoire and its historical context. I then turn to questions of copyright on the internet and copyleft practices as they relate to internet open-access libraries such as IMSLP, finding that they often are simply a new medium through which to uphold existing patterns, despite their apparent potential …

Mieczysław Weinberg: Music Transcending Tragedy, Ilana Shapiro

Pomona Senior Theses

This thesis examines the music of Mieczysław Weinberg, a prolific Jewish Holocaust-era composer whose compositions remain in relative obscurity through the present day. I begin by investigating the musical expression of Weinberg’s Polish and Jewish identity under Soviet state persecution via close analysis of selected works: the Cello Fantasia, Op. 52 and Cello Concertino, Op. 43bis. Through context of composition and allusions to Jewish music and Polish folksong, these works reveal Weinberg’s identity as a Jew and a Pole, his connection to his homeland and youth, and his musical expression beyond the demands of the state. Subsequently, I explore qualities …

The Decline Of Contemporary Protest Music: A Textual Analysis Of Political Protest Music During The Bush, Obama, And Trump Presidencies, Anthony Madubuonwu

CMC Senior Theses

Throughout the late 20th century, protest music was a pivotal tool for musicians in the United States to galvanize public support for different socio-political causes. Protest music has existed for years: when people are dissatisfied with the status quo, they compose songs about it. These songs are generally written to be part of a social or ideological change movement, and to rile up that movement by bringing people together, empowering them to act or reflect. This thesis argues that we have seen a decline in contemporary protest music that is political in nature. When reviewing the last three presidencies of …

Fourth Voices Conference On Teaching Stem With Song, Lawrence M. Lesser

Journal of Humanistic Mathematics

The fourth VOICES (Virtual Ongoing Interdisciplinary Collaborations on Educating with Song) conference will be held September 26, 2021, with its Sunday date especially targeting those whose teaching schedule precludes attendance on a weekday. This online-only conference explores the use of song to teach STEM content at the college or secondary school level and will include reviewed interactive sessions, video-posters, and discussions of interest to both practitioners and researchers.

Markov Chains For Computer Music Generation, Ilana Shapiro, Mark Huber

Journal of Humanistic Mathematics

Random generation of music goes back at least to the 1700s with the introduction of Musical Dice Games. More recently, Markov chain models have been used as a way of extracting information from a piece of music and generating new music. We explain this approach and give Python code for using it to first draw out a model of the music and then create new music with that model.

Protest Music In Response To The United States’ Oppressive Political Culture: An Analysis Of Beyoncé'S "Freedom" And Janelle Monáe's "Americans", Jessica Torrey

HMC Senior Theses

This paper aims to study a popular musical artist’s responsibility towards the empowerment of marginalized communities in the United States through an analysis of the songs “Freedom” by Beyoncé and “Americans” by Janelle Monáe. These songs will be analyzed in conjunction with the political climate during the time of their fabrication and release as well as the political climates discussed in the songs themselves. This paper presents a thorough analysis of the lyrical and musical components of both songs as well as an analysis of a specific performance of both songs. These analyses will be presented in conversation with many …

Historical Performance Practices In Organ Works Before 1750 In Liège, Tyler Andre Zimmerman

CGU Theses & Dissertations

The organ solo works from Liège before 1750 are neglected today, but such works are fascinating from a historical performances perspective, especially given their fusion of Dutch, French, and Italian styles. This thesis uncovers historical evidence that supports performance practice decisions in these works. Four collections of Liégeois organ solo pieces are analyzed, including the Liber Fratrum Cruciferorum Leodiensium by Gerardus Scronx (1617), the Pièces d’orgue by Lambert Chaumont (1695), the Livre d’orgue by Thomas Babou (1710), and the Pièces de clavesin (harpsichord and organ pieces) by Hubert Renotte (1749).

Novel applications of historical evidences include understanding how to register …

Llegó La Futura: La Cuirificación Del Género Urbano, Isabel Streiffer, Isabel S. Streiffer

Scripps Senior Theses

Hoy en día, artistas cuir de reggaeton y trap están desestabilizando el género urbano, tal como las estructuras y suposiciones sociales que se manifiestan dentro del género. Prestando atención al proceso de desidentificación, a través de mi tesis analizo (1) cómo artistas cuir trabajan dentro del reggaeton para romper el binario entre la respetabilidad y la autonomía erótica; (2) cómo desafían el binario del género, la heteronormatividad, y la manifestación de ambos en el género urbano; y (3) cómo abordan los problemas políticos y sociales mediante su música. Además, al comparar lo que están haciendo les artistas cuir y los …

Jay Chou’S Kuso Music: Cultural Fusion In The Age Of The Internet, Stz-Tsung (Stone) Han

Scripps Senior Theses

Jay Chou is one of the most significant singers in Chinese popular music history. One of Chou’s greatest achievements is his implementation of the Chinese “Egao” culture in his music, which originated from Japanese Kuso culture. Such an approach not only created his unique style but also allowed him to adopt various musical techniques together seamlessly. By doing so, Chou created a style that references multiple traditional musical conventions without being bound by any of them. This study aims to examine the evolution of the Kuso culture as well as Chou’s implementation of it. The development of Kuso is fostered …

On The Total Communicative Efficacy Of Music And Its Synthesis To Written Word Through Bob Dylan And Kendrick Lamar, Skyler Addison

CMC Senior Theses

In a social conversation, words spoken carry less than 35% of the interaction’s social meeting, with 65% conveyed by the non-verbal. While poetry relies on the word and it's subtext, songwriting may also weld the other 65%. By dissecting the dynamic communicative aspects of song, modern poets may find useful ways in which they can make their lines have more staying power with the listener, encompassing both the rhythmic catchiness of their lines to an all-encompassing emotive transfer. We may isolate the interwoven components of a song that dictate how a story is told in order to better understand how …

And The Stars Look Very Different Today, Amy Rogin

The Transdisciplinary STEAM+ Journal

A personal reflection about synesthesia

The Future In Their Imaginations: Music And Robotics School Holidays Program For School-Aged Children, Adam Manning, Amelia Bessenyei, Helen English

The Transdisciplinary STEAM+ Journal

This report reflects on an exploratory STEAM workshop at the University of Newcastle, School of Creative Industries, Conservatorium of Music, Australia. Twenty-six middle school-aged students attended the two-day workshop. On the final day, students presented an immersive concert for parents and friends, showcasing creativity, innovation and teamwork. Interestingly, Lego robots were employed as a physical tool through which music-making students interacted with each other and built attributes of creative engagement. These attributes were measured via the Six C’s established by Bers comprising: (1) Collaboration; (2) Community Building; (3) Communication; (4) Content Creation; (5) Creativity; and (6) Choices of Conduct. This …

Music, Science And Expert Listening: Interdisciplinarity And Solo Percussion Performance, Georgina Hughes

The Transdisciplinary STEAM+ Journal

Contemporary culture is embracing the creative and pedagogical potential of interdisciplinary collaboration as a means of promoting the relevance of the arts in society. Dame Evelyn Glennie, the world’s first solo percussionist, is finding new ways to connect with the listener. Her motto, “to teach the world to listen” is intended to resonate both within and beyond her professional domain. Sounds of Science (2016), a collaborative project exploring mankind’s timeline of scientific innovation through music, visuals, narrative and live performance, offers an indicative example of how interdisciplinarity can serve to create art works which function as vibrant forums for learning …

Music In Steam: Beyond Notes, Hao Huang

The Transdisciplinary STEAM+ Journal

Given current debates about STEAM, it would be well to remember that more than five centuries before STEM was conceived, the original Renaissance man, Leonardo da Vinci, wrote in one of his notebooks that "To develop a complete mind, study the science of art, study the art of science. Learn how to see. Realize that everything connects to everything else." (Spong 2006) A discussion of the effectiveness of teaching music and its accompanying technology in conjunction with math and the science education follows. .Given the recent shift from in-classroom teaching to online instruction compelled by the Covid 19 pandemic, an …

The International Conference On Creative Mathematical Sciences Communication: Online Event (Cmsc'20) And Cmsc'21, Frances Rosamond

Journal of Humanistic Mathematics

You are warmly invited to register now for the 5th International Conference on Creative Mathematical Sciences Communication (CMSC’21) which will be held at Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań, Poland, 2–6 July, 2021.

The International Conference on Creative Mathematical Sciences Communication (CMSC) is a unique gathering of computer scientists and mathematicians, teachers, musicians, dancers, dramatists, game designers, educators and communicators of all sorts.

Due to the pandemic, the in-person event scheduled for 2020 has been post- poned and a short CMSC Online Event was organized as a “teaser” or trailer in order to feel the spirit of the full 5th CMSC …

The Emergence Of Creativity: Insights From Carnatic Raaga Improvisation And Mathematical Proof Generation, Srividhya Balaji, Sean Chorney

Journal of Humanistic Mathematics

Creativity is a broad phenomenon that scholars have interpreted in a multitude of ways. We notice that a majority of the views describe creativity as something innate. This paper aims to verge from this perspective and explore creativity in terms of the constant mutual interaction of a person and their environment. Using the theoretical framework, enactivism, and the notion of emergence, we investigate the creative processes involved in musical improvisations of south Indian classical or Carnatic music and mathematical proof generation. Interview excerpts from professional Carnatic musicians and research mathematicians on their respective creative processes during musical improvisation and proof …

“Transports Of Delight”? Reviews Of Clarinet Performance In Paris And London, C. 1770 – C. 1810, Catherine J. Crisp

Performance Practice Review

Reviews of clarinet performance in Paris and London, c. 1770 – c. 1810 make specific reference to 18^th-century performance ideals, as identified by the contemporary writer Charles Burney who described the “principal excellencies of perfect execution”. The performance qualities described by Burney and their inclusion in contemporary reports is particularly valuable in assessing performances featuring the newest woodwind instrument, the clarinet. References to many of these performance qualities combine to form detailed accounts of the sonorities, technical execution and expressive qualities evident in performances given by clarinet players in Paris and London.

This article draws upon a wide …

Nature And The Spirit: Tri Hita Karana, Sacred Artistic Practices, And Musical Ecology In Bali, Hao Huang, Joti Rockwell

EnviroLab Asia

Bali is notable for the degree to which music, dance, and visual art permeate everyday life--a result of historically rooted and continuously evolving religious philosophies and rituals. With this context in mind, we wondered what role the arts play, and can play, in addressing environmental concerns.

The Marches Of Alberico De Caprio (1865-1943): Director Of The Los Angeles Gas And Electric Company Band And Portland Rose Festival Band, Ali A. Memarian

CGU Theses & Dissertations

The marches of Alberico De Caprio are themselves a history of the early 20th century American West, and the archetypal immigrant story long missing among famed American bandleaders. Significant pieces include the official anthem of the Los Angeles County Fair, Portland Rose Festival, score for a Paramount Pictures pre-code era feature film and a march written for President Theodore Roosevelt. This dissertation will expand scholarship on band music by giving a detailed biography of De Caprio and the ensembles under his direction, a list of his marches, and editions of six of his most historically significant marches.

Adapting The Ipa Systems Of Korean Diction To Classical Vocal Method: A Critical Study, Clara N. Lee

CGU Theses & Dissertations

While the IPA is helpful in learning Korean diction, it is not sufficient when applied to classical singing techniques, especially for non-native Korean speakers. To be able to clearly distinguish the ambiguity of sounds of the language, using proper and accurate phonetic symbols are necessary. The author compares speaking and singing in the Korean language by analyzing the contrast of its phonetics and articulating positions and then phonologically describes the IPA symbols. Both singing and speaking are forms of phonation and communication, and the same IPA symbols are often used for both singing and speaking. However, the phonation circumstances and …

Dvd Review: Rossi, Luigi. L’Orfeo. Pygmalion, Musical Direction By Raphaël Pichon, Staging By Jetske Mijnssen. Recorded At L’Opéra National De Lorraine (Nancy), February 7 And 9, 2016. Arles: Harmonia Mundi, 2017. Hmd 9859058.59 Dvd And Blu-Ray Disc., Roger Freitas

Performance Practice Review

DVD Review: Rossi, Luigi. L’Orfeo. Pygmalion, musical direction by Raphaël Pichon, staging by Jetske Mijnssen. Recorded at L’Opéra National de Lorraine (Nancy), February 7 and 9, 2016. Arles: Harmonia Mundi, 2017. HMD 9859058.59 DVD and Blu-ray Disc.

Roger Freitas discusses a production of Rossi's L'Orfeo recorded on DVD.

Dense Geometry Of Music And Visual Arts: Vanishing Points, Continuous Tonnetz, And Theremin Performance, Maria Mannone, Irene Iaccarino, Rosanna Iembo

The Transdisciplinary STEAM+ Journal

The dualism between continuous and discrete is relevant in music theory as well as in performance practice of musical instruments. Geometry has been used since longtime to represent relationships between notes and chords in tonal system. Moreover, in the field of mathematics itself, it has been shown that the continuity of real numbers can arise from geometrical observations and reasoning. Here, we consider a geometrical approach to generalize representations used in music theory introducing continuous pitch. Such a theoretical framework can be applied to instrument playing where continuous pitch can be naturally performed. Geometry and visual representations of concepts of …

Cartegory Theory: Framing Aesthetics Of Mathematics, Maria Mannone

Journal of Humanistic Mathematics

Mathematics can help investigate hidden patterns and structures in music and visual arts. Also, math in and of itself possesses an intrinsic beauty. We can explore such a specific beauty through the comparison of objects and processes in math with objects and processes in the arts. Recent experimental studies investigate the aesthetics of mathematical proofs compared to those of music. We can contextualize these studies within the framework of category theory applied to the arts (cARTegory theory), thanks to the helpfulness of categories for the analysis of transformations and transformations of transformations. This approach can be effective for the pedagogy …

"Woven Into The Deeps Of Life": Death, Redemption, And Memory In Bob Kaufman's Poetry, Peter Davis

Pomona Senior Theses

The scholars who have taken up the task of writing about Bob Kaufman have most often done so in response to a perceived demand: the lack of Kaufman scholarship, readership, anthology, publicity, canonization. The basis of this need is clear: Kaufman is almost never included as even a third-string Beat, a fringe Surrealist, or an underappreciated Jazz performer. To the committed readers of Kaufman – and almost all of his readers seem to be committed ones – it’s unforgivable. These various canons, major (mid-century American poets, Beat poets) and minor (Jazz poets, American Surrealists), are clearly missing one of their …

Uncovering Alice Bag: An Alternative Punk History, Emily Macune

Scripps Senior Theses

The intention of this thesis is to provide an alternative counter-narrative to the mainstream histories of punk that center white men. By focusing on the contributions of fem queer and POC punks, I aim to legitimize punk music as a form of resistance against systems of oppression that are oppositional to the commodified forms of mainstream punk. Using Alice Bag, as my central case study as a fem queer punk that is often left out of punk historical narratives, I contextualize her work through feminist, queer, and media studies lenses to bridge the gap between academia and forgotten personal experience.

Where Do We Go From Here? A Semi-Autobiographical Performance Exploration Into The Therapeutic Benefits Of Theatre, Emma Elliott

Scripps Senior Theses

My intention in this performance is to create a therapeutic theatrical process for myself and engage the audience with intense emotional vulnerability regarding the combination and validation of the nobody and performative self. I utilized both my vocal and acting training to work through emotional trauma that I have experienced and created a musical performance to demonstrate my journey of therapy and emotional reconciliation within myself and my family. I focused my research on using autobiographical performances to solidify and validate the identity of the performer to an audience. In doing so, this allows the performers to become the …

International Music Preferences: An Analysis Of The Determinants Of Song Popularity On Spotify For The U.S., Norway, Taiwan, Ecuador, And Costa Rica, Brendan Joseph Suh

CMC Senior Theses

This paper examines data from Spotify’s API for 2017-2018 to determine the effects of song attributes on the success of tracks on Spotify’s Top 200 Chart across five different countries: the U.S., Norway, Taiwan, Ecuador, and Costa Rica. Two dependent variables are used to measure the success of a song – a track’s peak position on the charts and the number of days it survives on a country’s Top 200 Chart. Using ten separate regressions, one for each dependent variable in all five countries, it is concluded that the presence of a featured guest on a track increases a song’s …

"The Cambridge Companion To Percussion," Edited By Russell Hartenberger, John Michael Cooper

Performance Practice Review

Book Review: Hartenberger, Russell, ed. The Cambridge Companion to Percussion. Cambridge Companions to Music. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2016. ISBN 978-1-107-09345-4.

John Michael Cooper discusses this 2016 work published by Cambridge University Press and edited by Russell Hartenberger.

Not Set In Stone: Mikhail Pletnev's Rewrite Of Scriabin's Piano Concerto, Anatole Leikin

Performance Practice Review

Not Set in Stone: Mikhail Pletnev’s Rewrite of Scriabin’s Piano Concerto

Scriabin’s Piano Concerto in F-sharp minor, Op. 20 (1897), was initially met with harsh criticisms. Then, in 1899, the critics’ and the public’s reaction suddenly changed from disparaging to admiring. Subsequently, Scriabin’s performances of the Concerto continued to consistently gather highest accolades throughout Russia, Western Europe, and the U.S.

The only credible explanation for such a remarkable metamorphosis is that Scriabin somehow modified (and improved) the piano part in his performances. No written corrections of the piano score exist, which is not at all surprising. Scriabin never revised his …