Music Commons^™

Preparing A World Premiere: A Conductor's Analysis Of Ronaldo Cadeu's "Crime And Punishment: One Act Ballet", Raul Gomez Rojas

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

This paper is a conductor’s analysis of Ronaldo Cadeu’s recently completed orchestral score for his ballet Crime and Punishment, with a focus on its preparation for a first public performance. The research explores preparing a piece of music for its world premiere from several angles: the musical process in the form of score study, the extra-musical process involved in the production of the event and the culmination of both in rehearsals and performance with the orchestra. Detailed score analysis reveals that Crime and Punishment is a masterfully crafted piece of music that successfully conveys the essence of Dostoyevsky’s text. Cadeu’s …

The Unaccompanied Choral Works Of Vytautas Miškinis With Texts By Rabindranoth Tagore: A Resource Guide, Nicholaus B. Cummins

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

This document serves as a resource guide for the unaccompanied choral works of Vytautas Miškinis, with texts by Rabindranoth Tagore, including pertinent background information, structural information, and accessibility considerations for the conductor. Additionally, there is a study of Miškinis’s compositional style according to the works in this guide that includes biographical information. Vytautas Miškinis (born 1954) is a Lithuanian conductor and composer currently published by several international music publishing houses. He is also a member of several juries for international choral competitions in addition to his duties as a professor of conducting at the Lithuanian Academy of Arts in Vilnius. …

Dialogues, Dysfunctional Transitions, And Embodied Plot Schemas: (Re) Considering Form In Chopin's Sonatas And Ballades, Jonathan Edward Mitchell

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Chopin’s four Ballades — perennial favorites of audiences and performers— have proven to be problematic for analysts. At the forefront of the numerous discussions regarding their organization is an ongoing debate about their relationship to the eighteenth-century sonata, particularly if they can be understood as variants of that form or as something altogether new. It is my view that these works have tended toward the enigmatic because no one has discovered an appropriate theoretical apparatus through which to process them. In this dissertation, I view Chopin’s Ballades through a multi-tiered analytical system that draws upon three sources: the Sonata Theory …

William Blayney - Clarinetist And Teacher, Contributions And Influences On Clarinet Playing In The Twenty-First Century, Branko Pavlovski

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

This study was undertaken to document the life and teaching of the American clarinetist William Blayney who was noted for the beauty of his tone and expressive playing. He is representative of the French clarinet school, and through his teaching he carries on this tradition of fine clarinet playing to another generation in the United States. Blayney’s wide range of experience extends from playing with the Atlanta and Seattle symphonies, to opera and ballet companies in New York, Atlanta, Baltimore and Seattle, to playing on Broadway and on movie soundtracks such as Die Hard III and Disney Studio re-scorings of …

Two Sides Of The Ancient Vase: Eastern And Western Principles In The Works Of Keiko Abe, Christopher K. Hoefer

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Keiko Abe is recognized as one of the leading marimba virtuosos of the Twentieth century. As a composer, she has been writing for solo marimba since the early 1960s and continues composing for the medium today. Her music became popular with Western percussionists after the publishing of Works for Marimba in 1987. This was her first compilation of works for the five-octave marimba. These pieces have become a constant source of repertoire for collegiate and professional performers. Despite Abe’s popularity and influence, little research has examined her compositions. This document features analysis and background of Abe and her music and …

Hidden Music: Vowel Formant Theory And The Languages Of Verdi's Don Carolos, Justin Andrew Owen

LSU Master's Theses

Don Carlos, Giuseppe Verdi’s third French opera, was first performed at the Paris Opéra in 1867; today, it is commonly performed in its Italian translation. This translation is problematic, however, because it departs from the original French in more than language: as a translation to be sung, it often conveys a different meaning, places key words on different sections of the melody, and consists of a different sound. This latter aspect and its relationship to notated melody is the focus of this study. For the purpose of this study, the sound of a language is defined by the overtones of …

A Study Of Children's Musical Play At The Little Gym, Alison Elaine Alexander

LSU Master's Theses

The purpose of this study was to examine the ways music is used in classes at the Little Gym. It also attempted to uncover the benefits of the use of music in the classes as identified by the participants. This investigation of music at the Little Gym required the use of standard qualitative data collection strategies performed over the course of four months of fieldwork. Approximately sixty hours of observations were completed, both as an observer and a participant observer, and twelve semi-structured interviews were conducted with parents and teachers. Data analysis entailed transcribing and coding interviews, examining observations field …

Chinese Piano Music: An Approach To Performance, Xi Chen

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Since the piano was introduced in China, in the nineteenth century, many Chinese composers have composed specifically for it. As a result of greater communication and cultural exchange between East and West, Western pianists have begun including Chinese piano pieces in their repertoire. This paper will suggest approaches for the pianist to gain a greater understanding of Chinese piano music. These approaches will include a detailed analysis of each piece, addressing cultural aspects pertinent to an understanding of the music, as well as compositional background, harmony, texture, and piano technique. In addition, each piece will be provided with suggestions intended …

The Solo String Works Of J. S. Bach: The Relationship Between Dance And Musical Elements, Chung-Hui Hsu

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

In 1685, the Doge of Genoa made a visit to the French court and asked Louis XIV to host a ball. Louis XIV responded affirmatively and arranged a magnificent dance in his private apartment. The type of dance that took place was a kind of social dancing which later became the standard included Allemande, Courante, Sarabande, Gigue, Minuet, Gavotte, Bourée, Loure and Chaconne. These dances were called theatrical dances when they were used in theatrical production by professional dancers. During this period, the relationship between composer and choreographer was sometimes inseparable. Maestro Jean-Baptiste Lully (1632-1687) and his well-known choreographer Pierre …

A Performance Guide To Leonard Lehrman's A Light In The Darkness, Timothy Adam Holcomb

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Holcomb, Timothy Adam, B.M.E. Music Education, Wright State University, 2002 M.M. Music, Louisiana State University, 2006 Doctor of Musical Arts, Winter Commencement, 2012 Major: Vocal Performance; Minor: Vocal Pedagogy A Performance Guide to Leonard Lehrman’s A Light in the Darkness Dissertation directed by Professor Robert Grayson Pages in dissertation, 146. Words in abstract, 106. ABSTRACT Leonard Lehrman is primarily known as the leading expert on the works of Marc Blitzstein. He is a composer and conductor, and serves to provide a voice for Jewish poets and composers. This document presents Leonard Lehrman’s song cycle, A Light in the Darkness (White-Sailed …

A Permutational Triadic Approach To Jazz Harmony And The Chord/Scale Relationship, John Bishop

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

This study provides an original triadic theory that combines existing jazz theory, in particular the chord/scale relationship, and mathematical permutation group theory to analyze repertoire, act as a pedagogical tool, and provide a system to create new music. Permutations are defined as group actions on sets, and the sets used here are the constituent consonant triads derived from certain scales. Group structures provide a model by which to understand the relationships held between the triadic set elements as defined by the generating functions. The findings are both descriptive and prescriptive, as triadic permutations offer new insights into existing repertoire. Further, …

The Role Of Music-Making In The Identity Construction Of Members Of An Adult Community Concert Band, Pamela G. Taylor

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The purpose of this qualitative case study was to ascertain how music-making and band membership contributed to the identities of members of the New Orleans Concert Band and how their identities influenced their behaviors. The musician role identity of members of the New Orleans Concert Band, an adult community band, was examined through the lens of identity theory using ethnographic methods. Findings were based upon interviews with 37 band members, observations of rehearsals and concerts, and an examination of the organization’s documents. Results indicated that members valued individual and group music-making, literature played by the band, and social aspects of …

Three Case Studies In Twentieth-Century Performance Practice, Tina Huettenrauch

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Since the middle of the twentieth century, the study of performance practice has increasingly drawn the interest of musicologists; however, despite the extensive documentation pertaining to matters of performance, the twentieth century has largely been neglected. Twentieth-century composers often annotated their scores extensively with indications of tempi, dynamics, and phrasing or included explanatory notes with detailed instructions. Supplemental records, such as diaries, transcripts of coaching sessions, and composers’ commentaries on interpretative issues further shed light on their intentions. Yet a piece is not shaped just by the score and the comments of the composer; rather, it exists diachronically, evolving over …

Moonlight Shadows And Night Thoughts (Symphony No. 1) And An Analysis Of Qigang Chen's Extase Ii, Wennan Wang

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The dissertation is divided into two parts. Part One is an original composition: Moonlight Shadows and Night Thoughts (Symphony No.1). The symphony is composed of two movements. This work employs elements of two diverse cultures: (a) Chinese folk music and (b) contemporary Impressionist music by Claude Debussy, Maurice Ravel, and Toru Takemitsu most prominently. The musical imageries of the piece come from two Chinese poems, one written by Zhang Ji and the other written by Li Po. The beautiful sceneries in both Poems are associated with the word “moonlight.” The processing of time and the timbres is the focus of …

Direction Of Mistuning, Magnitude Of Cent Deviation, And Timbre As Factors In Musicians' Pitch Discrimination In Simultaneous And Sequential Listening Conditions, Norman Alan Clark

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The main purpose of this study was to investigate high school and college wind instrumentalists’ pitch discrimination when judging pitch pairs separated by 0, 5, 7.5, and 10 cents. Participants listened via headphones to a pre-recorded two section perception test; each section (one sequential and one simultaneous) containing 56 tone pairs. Each pair consisted of an in-tune reference tone followed by a test tone of the same pitch (B-flat4 or E4), which was either identical in tuning or altered to one of six mistunings. Tones also varied in timbre (square or sawtooth wave) with the reference and test tones being …

The Devil In The Belfry A Rhapsody For Viola And Orchestra & Edgar Allan Poe, Claude Debussy, And "The Fall Of The House Of Usher", Maíra Cimbleris

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

This dissertation is in two parts. The first is an original composition, The Devil in the Belfry, while the second is a discussion of Claude Debussy’s unfinished opera, La Chute de la Maison Usher. The Devil in the Belfry is a rhapsody for viola and orchestra based on Edgar Allan Poe’s tale of the same title. It contains quotations from the few sketches that Debussy left for his unfinished work, Le diable dans le beffroi. Quoting Debussy’s sketches was the sensible course of action, since they have the same literary basis as my work, and because I wish to pay …

A Performer's Interpretation Of David Del Tredici's Chana's Story: A Cycle Of Six Songs On Texts Of Chana Bloch, Shelly Lenn Buchanan-Garlotte

LSU Major Papers

The purpose of this document is to reveal a performer’s perspective on David Del Tredici’s Chana’s Story. This six-song cycle for mezzo-soprano chronicles the marriage of poet and translator, Chana Bloch, and is based on her translations and poetry. The first chapter of this document provides biographical data about David Del Tredici, which presents a view of his compositional development, and includes events and individuals of influence in the composer’s life, such as teachers and poets. The second chapter includes biographical data about the poet, Chana Bloch, which is provided to enhance the interpretation of the poetry and to facilitate …

Lee Hoiby's I Have A Dream, Terrance Deace Brown

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The primary focus of this document is to provide performers and musical scholars with an analysis of Lee Hoiby’s musical composition I Have A Dream. The opening of this document will be biographical, including facts regarding family lineage, education, positions held, general aspects of his personality and significant influence regarding equal rights. Biographical information will span from Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s birth (January 15, 1929) to the March on Washington (August 28, 1963). Next, I will outline the methodology and techniques Dr. King used in leading the movement. Literary texts written by King, Jr. and other influential writers will …

Lillian Fuchs: Violist, Teacher And Composer; Musical And Pedagogical Aspects Of The 16 Fantasy Études For Viola, Teodora Dimova Peeva

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

This monograph concerns the life and compositions of Lillian Fuchs, one of the foremost American violists. Chapter I separates her career into three areas: performer, teacher, and composer. As a violist, her famous interpretation of Mozart’s Sinfonia Concertante, performed frequently with her brother, violinist Joseph Fuchs, has done much to increase the popularity of music written for violin and viola. As a member of the Musicians’ Guild in New York, she has premiered a substantial number of chamber music works, many of them composed specifically for her. She is one of the first violists to perform the Cello Suites …

A Survey Of Rudy Davenport's Byna: Life Songs Of A Southern Appalachian Woman Of Cherokee Indian Descent (A Chamber Work For Soprano, Piano, Oboe And Cello), Tiffany I. Bostic-Brown

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Composer Rudy Davenport aims to create music that is more relatable than the atonal compositions often associated with 20th century composers. Inspired by his own Appalachian and Cherokee heritages, Davenport, in collaboration with librettist Delilah Elsen, developed his own musical genre called “Appalachian Romanticism”. This genre is evident in his work BYNA: Life Songs of a Southern Appalachian Woman of Cherokee Descent for Soprano, Piano, Oboe & Cello. The purpose of this study is to understand and describe Rudy Davenport’s view on 20th century composition. To obtain this information I interviewed Davenport posing questions about his biography and musical preferences, …

Subtle Shifts: Using The Brightest To Darkest Modal Concept To Express Jazz Harmony, John Anthony Madere

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

In this paper, I will outline a method of composition that I believe has been highly under-used in jazz composition. I have studied the work of composers Ron Miller and Maria Schneider, and have used their concept of brighter to darker modes to further my modal exploration. With explanation and musical examples, I will explain two possible ways to achieve 12 modes that progress from bright to dark, and then from dark back to bright. Another purpose of this paper is to provide a compositional aid to other composers interested in this concept and the subtle shades of major and …

Historical Études For Oboe: 17th-20th Centuries, Linwood William Zoller Iv

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The most popular étude books for oboe in use today are Ferling’s 48 Studies (1840) and Barret’s Complete Method for Oboe (1850). Many earlier and later collections exist, but most oboists only study from these two. This monograph uses four main criteria to choose sample études from various other collections and compile them into a single étude book. These criteria include: representation of major style periods; quotations from famous excerpts for oboe or difficult passages therefrom; illustration of mechanical improvements of the time and location; and alternatives to the standard canon in established pedagogy. Thirteen études, arranged chronologically, were selected …

An Exploration Of Secondary Level Instrumental Music Educators' Receptiveness To Select Philosophical Writings, Robert Neil Nelson

LSU Master's Theses

Prior research suggests the existence of a general divide between educators in the field and scholarly research writings; however, the extent to which this divide extends into writings associated with areas of philosophy and curricular construction has not been thoroughly investigated in the field of music education. The purpose of this qualitative study was to investigate secondary level music educators’ (N=3) perceptions of and receptiveness to two journal articles derived from contrasting philosophical stances in music education. Data collection included a combination of on-site observations to ascertain current teaching practices of participants, completion of a survey designed to measure self-reported …

Ives's Seasonal Songs, Warren Kimball

LSU Master's Theses

Throughout his career, Charles Ives composed eight songs on texts that in some manner concern the yearly seasons. Unexamined by scholars to any depth, and never heretofore considered as a group, these pieces have typically been treated in tandem with Ives’s other songs about nature. Studied as a set, however, they reveal the theme of seasonal change to be an artistic topic of significant, enduring appeal to the composer. Although these pieces are stylistically diverse, examining them as a group helps us to better understand Ives’s maturation as a composer, the seasonal topic serving usefully as a constant around which …

Brazilian Music For Youth Choir By Funarte: Exploring Issues Of Pedagogy And Authenticity In Brazilian Choral Music, Diego Daflon Tavares Pinto

LSU Master's Theses

The purpose of this study is to stimulate the dissemination of Brazilian choral repertoire, especially the pieces from the series Brazilian Music for Youth Choir by FUNARTE, and provide accurate interpretative information for authentic performance and effective teaching. Musical and pedagogical analyses of three of the pieces from the series by FUNARTE (2009) were done as means to the purpose of the study. In addition, ethnographic interview were held with the composers of each of those pieces, Paulo Malaguti, Leandro Maia, and Caio Senna, and the technical-pedagogical coordinator of the series, Eduardo Lakschevitz. Through the interviews with the composers it …

The Evolution Of The Tuba Quartet And Its Repertoire, Bradley Bryant Boone

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Unlike established chamber ensembles, which have an elevated public perception because of their rich history and works by well-known composers, tuba quartets are challenged with educating their audiences about the tuba and overcoming negative biases about their instruments and repertoire. Established in the mid-twentieth century, the tuba quartet is an important medium for increasing the instrument’s public exposure and introducing chamber music to university music students. This study analyzes the data of 1,236 tuba quartets listed in the "Music for Multiple Tubas: Four Parts" chapter by Charles McAdams and Kenyon Wilson in the Guide to the Tuba Repertoire: The New …

George Enescu's Concertstück For Viola And Piano: A Theoretical Analysis Within The Composer's Musical Legacy, Simina Alexandra Renea

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The purpose of this monograph was to understand George Enescu’s Concertstück for viola and piano from the broad perspective of Enescu’s multiple facets of musicianship: composer, performer (violin, piano, conducting), and teacher. Moreover, the Romanian background (including musical education and direct knowledge of Romanian folklore) of this monograph’s author facilitated in a higher degree the achievement of the given purpose. The document is divided into three chapters. Chapter 1 describes Enescu as composer, performer, and teacher. The first part of Chapter 1 offers information about the most important influences on his composition style (including his teachers), and his main works …

An Original Composition, "Concerto For Tenor Saxophone And Wind Ensemble," And A Comparative Analysis Of The Concerti For Orchestra Of Béla Bartók And Witold Lutosławski, Joseph Timothy Patrick

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

This dissertation is in two parts. The first part is an original composition, “Concerto for Tenor Saxophone and Wind Ensemble.” The second part is a comparison of two major works of the twentieth century: Concerto for Orchestra by Béla Bartók and Concerto for Orchestra by Witold Lutosławski.

“Concerto for Tenor Saxophone and Wind Ensemble” is a work in four movements. The first movement is in an incomplete sonata form, as the second theme group does not appear in the recapitulation. The second movement has a traditional tertiary form, with the middle section comprised of a brass chorale. The third movement …

The Choral Works Of Augusta Read Thomas: An Examination Of Ring Out, Wild Bells, To The Wild Sky And An Annotated Survey Of Her Complete Works, Melinda Sue Doyle

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

This document presents a brief biographical sketch of Augusta Read Thomas, an examination of Ring Out Wild Bells, To The Wild Sky, an extended work for chorus and orchestra, and an annotated survey of her choral works. By examining the choral works, exploring her life and the context from which the music originated, and interacting with the composer, one can gain an understanding of the practical and musical issues of performing Ring Out Wild Bells, to the Wild Sky. Despite Augusta Read Thomas’s significant standing in American music, there has been surprisingly little written about her choral compositions. Thomas (b. …

The A Cappella Motets Of Reinhard Schwarz-Schilling: A Resource Guide, Brian J. Kittredge

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

This document serves as a resource guide to the sacred a cappella motets of Reinhard Schwarz-Schilling, including background information and a structural analysis of each work. Also included in this document is a guide to the compositional techniques of Reinhard Schwarz-Schilling and background information on the life and works of the composer. Though largely unknown by most choral musicians, Reinhard Schwarz-Schilling’s sacred a cappella motets represent some of the finest and well crafted of all contemporary German composers. The German composer Reinhard Schwarz-Schilling (1904-1985) began to explore his musical interests in composition and performance at the age of fourteen. The …