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Full-Text Articles in Music

The Effect Of In-School Opera Performance And Related Curriculum On Music Cognition And Attitude, Sara Harris Baker Jan 2011

The Effect Of In-School Opera Performance And Related Curriculum On Music Cognition And Attitude, Sara Harris Baker

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

This study was designed to compare knowledge about and attitude toward opera in three groups of fifth-graders with various levels of involvement with an in-school opera. One group watched the live performance, a second group watched the performance preceded by three pre-performance lessons that encompassed common opera vocabulary and voice types, and a third group experienced the lessons, the performance, and a five-lesson creative project in which they constructed their own opera. All students completed cognitive and attitude pretests and post-tests. ANCOVA analyses accounted for differences in scores on the pretests. Significant differences (p < .05) on the multiple-choice portion of the cognitive exam were found between the performance-only group and the performance plus instruction groups. Significant differences were found between the groups on the concept map portion of the cognitive measure, with the differences coming between the performance only group and the performance plus lessons group. Significant differences were found between each of the groups for a Likert-scale attitude measure, with the performance and lessons group posting the largest increases. In addition, a significant correlation was found between cognitive scores and attitude scores. Responses to semi-structured interviews suggested that students’ opinions of Opera were influenced by factors related to music, factors related to production, and factors related to personal perceptions.


Exploring The French Flute School In North America: An Examination Of The Pedagogical Materials Of Georges Barrère, Marcel Moyse, And René Le Roy, Sarah Kate Gearheart Jan 2011

Exploring The French Flute School In North America: An Examination Of The Pedagogical Materials Of Georges Barrère, Marcel Moyse, And René Le Roy, Sarah Kate Gearheart

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The discussions that surround the topic of the French flute school and its approach to flute playing have yielded many conflicting assessments. Specifically, different opinions regarding who carried on the French school’s tradition of flute playing have produced different ideas about its lasting influence. At the center of this topic is a lack of clarity as to what constitutes the pedagogical approach that Paul Taffanel initiated and passed on to his flute students at the Paris Conservatory. In order to determine what this approach consists of as well as who passed it on, this study presents an examination of the …


A Performer's Guide To Gene Scheer's Voices From World War Ii, Brandon Paul Hendrickson Jan 2011

A Performer's Guide To Gene Scheer's Voices From World War Ii, Brandon Paul Hendrickson

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Though primarily known as a lyricist and librettist, Gene Scheer is beginning to emerge as an important composer of American art and popular song. This document presents Scheer’s song cycle for baritone, entitled Voices from World War II (Holding Each Other, The German U-Boat, At Howard Hawks’ House, Omaha Beach, and Morrison Shelter). The document includes biographical information about the composer and arranger, an overview of the song cycle, and a performer’s guide to each song. A conclusion of Voices from World War II follows the analysis of the songs. Appendices include the texts from Voices from World War II, …


A Performer's Guide To Gwyneth Walker's Settings Of Poetry By Lucille Clifton- No Ordinary Woman! And Three Songs For Lucille, Ebony Darshay Preston Jan 2011

A Performer's Guide To Gwyneth Walker's Settings Of Poetry By Lucille Clifton- No Ordinary Woman! And Three Songs For Lucille, Ebony Darshay Preston

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

No Ordinary Woman! is atypical of Walker’s style in that the composer employs jazz elements as the building blocks for this composition. From ballads to scat singing, each song is representative of a different style of jazz. The cycle, consisting of five songs, explores the poet’s journey of contemplation regarding various aspects of her life, predominantly her physical appearance. In No Ordinary Woman! and Three Songs for Lucille, the poet reflects on and ultimately celebrates her physical appearance. This document contains information about the lives and works of composer Gwyneth Walker and poet Lucille Clifton, the commissions, premieres, compositional processes, …


Polyfocal Structures In Franz Schubert's Lieder, Matthew Steinbron Jan 2011

Polyfocal Structures In Franz Schubert's Lieder, Matthew Steinbron

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Before the later nineteenth century, the principle governing nearly all earlier tonal composition was monotonality. Monotonality explains the structure of most tonal compositions, but there are numerous examples for which monotonal analysis is inadequate, especially in music of the later nineteenth century. Deformations of monotonality often arise from off-tonic openings, but some compositions may be understood in terms of two or more co-equal tonics, making monotonal models insufficient. Such compositions exhibit polyfocal tonality, also known as directional tonality. In order to adequately address polyfocal structures, I propose a new method of analysis that combines Schenkerian analysis with interpretive approaches derived …


Rotational Strategy In Selected Works By Béla Bartók, Robert C. Keller Jan 2011

Rotational Strategy In Selected Works By Béla Bartók, Robert C. Keller

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

While James Hepokoski and Warren Darcy regard rotational form as “an overriding structural principle, an Urprinzip that in the instrumental genres may control the progress of movements organized according to more familiar Formenlehre categories such as sonata form or rondo”, in the dissertation that follows I propose a framework for rotational analysis that is sufficient as a self-standing analytical structure. This step back from the more familiar Formenlehre is necessary in Bartók’s post-tonal repertoire to avoid confusion with the generic expectations that often accompany labels such as principal theme, subordinate theme, exposition, development, recapitulation, etc. Also, as rotational form is …


Learning And Teaching Conducting Through Musical And Non-Musical Skills: An Evaluation Of Orchestral Conducting Teaching Methods, Jose Mauricio Valle Brandao Jan 2011

Learning And Teaching Conducting Through Musical And Non-Musical Skills: An Evaluation Of Orchestral Conducting Teaching Methods, Jose Mauricio Valle Brandao

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The current state of conducting as an academic and professional pursuit shows a plethora of conventional traditions and techniques that are accepted without question, but a dearth of ideas and approaches that will develop the skills essential to producing an effective conductor. This profile is especially apparent in the field‘s literature. This monograph will compile a list of these titles and annotate each one, in order to determine the common threads that run between them. This information will be distilled into categories, identifying levels of approach and target audience. Evaluation of these data may lead to a discovery that many …


A Performance Guide To Libby Larsen's Sifting Through The Ruins For Mezzo-Soprano, Viola And Piano, Kori Lea Jennings Jan 2011

A Performance Guide To Libby Larsen's Sifting Through The Ruins For Mezzo-Soprano, Viola And Piano, Kori Lea Jennings

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The goal of this document is to offer a performance guide of Libby Larsen’s song cycle, "Sifting Through the Ruins," for mezzo-soprano, viola, and piano. The letters and photos, which inspired the texts for this song cycle, were discovered in New York City by mezzo-soprano Susanne Mentzer while she was struggling to comprehend the events of the World Trade Center attack which took place on September 11, 2001. Chapter 1 discusses the life and vocal works of Libby Larsen. Biographical information is presented, followed by a discussion of Dr. Larsen’s compositional process, her musical style, and the importance she places …


Musical Allusion To The Rite Of Spring In Four Contemporary Works For Solo Bassoon, Scott Miller Jan 2011

Musical Allusion To The Rite Of Spring In Four Contemporary Works For Solo Bassoon, Scott Miller

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The bassoon solo that begins The Rite of Spring has had a profound and lasting influence on the treatment of the bassoon as a melodic instrument, both in the context of the orchestra and as a solo instrument. It has been alluded to and directly quoted in many works over the past century, and has become associated with the modern concept of the bassoon as a solo instrument. Four works for solo bassoon by contemporary composers—Canto XII by Samuel Adler, Metamorphoses by Leslie Bassett, Paisagem sonora no. 5 by Rodrigo Lima, and From Rite to Rite by Claudia and Maíra …


Interpretation And Expressive Imagery In The Butterfly Lovers Violin Concerto On Double Bass: Transcribed By Yung-Chiao Wei, Min-Tzu Chao Jan 2011

Interpretation And Expressive Imagery In The Butterfly Lovers Violin Concerto On Double Bass: Transcribed By Yung-Chiao Wei, Min-Tzu Chao

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The purpose of this research paper is to show the interpretation of the Chinese piece—The Butterfly Lovers Violin Concerto—through expressing imagery. The concerto is composed by Chen Gang (陳鋼) and He Zhan-hao (何占豪) in 1959. In 2004, Yung-Chiao Wei, a double bass professor at Louisiana State University transcribed the piece for double bass. It is a very useful repertoire for double bass players to experience Chinese music through the plot’s expressing imagery. The Chinese musical language is different from Western music language in the concept of pentatonic scale, tone color, and tempo. I believe that double bass players can effectively …


The Vocal Works Of Charles Lloyd, Jr.: A Performer's Guide To Selected Dramatic Works, Art Songs, And Spiritual Art Songs, Charis Kelly Hudson Jan 2011

The Vocal Works Of Charles Lloyd, Jr.: A Performer's Guide To Selected Dramatic Works, Art Songs, And Spiritual Art Songs, Charis Kelly Hudson

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

African-American composer Charles Lloyd, Jr. has written some of the most beautiful and challenging solo vocal works of the present day. His abilities as a composer have awarded him the opportunity to work with names such as Jessye Norman, Kathleen Battle, and Veronica Tyler. He has also written and published a number of works which include the art song Compensation, published in the Anthology of Art Songs by Black Composers and his first collection of spiritual art songs which appear in The Spiritual Art Song Collection by Charles Lloyd, Jr. Even more, his Psalm 30: Cantata for Soprano and Piano …


A Comparative Study Of And Performer's Guide To Selected Songs By The Swiss Composer Othmar Schoeck, Travis Archie Richter Jan 2011

A Comparative Study Of And Performer's Guide To Selected Songs By The Swiss Composer Othmar Schoeck, Travis Archie Richter

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

This written document compares three songs settings of Othmar Schoeck to three other settings, written to the same text, by Hugo Wolf, Alban Berg, and Franz Schubert. The three pairings discussed are as follows: Schoeck’s Er ist’s (1937) as compared to Hugo Wolf’s setting, 1888; Ergebung (1918) as compared to Alban Berg’s setting Es wandelt, was wir schauen, 1908 (both settings were set to the same text); Rastlose Liebe (1909-1914) as compared to Franz Schubert’s setting, D. 138 (1815). Each comparison discusses how the respective composers treated text, dynamics, melody, harmony, and various other musical elements. The comparisons will show …


The Louisiana Sinfonietta, A New Orchestral Model, And An Original Composition, Concerto For Guitar And Symphony Orchestra, Op. 12, Ronaldo Cadeu De Oliveira Jan 2010

The Louisiana Sinfonietta, A New Orchestral Model, And An Original Composition, Concerto For Guitar And Symphony Orchestra, Op. 12, Ronaldo Cadeu De Oliveira

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

This dissertation is divided into two parts. Part one is a historical paper about the chamber orchestra known as The Louisiana Sinfonietta and is divided into seven chapters. In the introduction I explain the methods used to conduct this research. Chapter one is an introduction that discusses the problem of the possible end of the long tradition of the symphony orchestra. Chapter one also investigates how the organizational model used by the Louisiana Sinfonietta may be a sign of a new orchestral model, one that may solve many of the problems that orchestras are facing today. Chapters two, three, and …


Draganski And Schafer: A Perspective On Works For Voice And Woodwind Quintet, Susan Elizabeth Ruggiero Jan 2010

Draganski And Schafer: A Perspective On Works For Voice And Woodwind Quintet, Susan Elizabeth Ruggiero

LSU Major Papers

The purpose of this document is to explore the relationship between voice and woodwind quintet by examining two prominent multi-movement works in the repertoire, Minnelieder: Love Songs from the Medieval German for mezzo soprano and wind quintet by R. Murray Schafer and Six Songs on Mother Goose Rhymes for soprano and woodwind by Donald Draganski. A secondary aim is to impart greater awareness and understanding of works for voice and woodwind quintet. Music for this combination is largely unknown and neglected, yet this subgenre of vocal chamber music has several works by twentieth and twenty-first century composers worthy of attention. …


Sonata No.1 For Violin And Piano, Op. 80,By Sergei Prokofiev: A Guide To Interpretation, Boris Blagoev Jan 2010

Sonata No.1 For Violin And Piano, Op. 80,By Sergei Prokofiev: A Guide To Interpretation, Boris Blagoev

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Sergei Prokofiev was an extremely prolific composer whose career brought him success throughout Europe and the U. S. as well as Russia and the Soviet Union. He wrote for nearly every genre, and his most popular works today include operas, ballets, symphonies, and concertos. As a pianist, most of the concertos and sonatas that Prokofiev wrote were for the piano. However, his contributions to the violin repertoire are significant. Prokofiev wrote two concertos and two sonatas for solo violin. Of these, Sonata No. 1 for Violin and Piano, Op. 80 is unique for many reasons. The piece took Prokofiev eight …


An Approach To Performing Handel Sonatas On The Saxophone, Amy Griffiths Jan 2010

An Approach To Performing Handel Sonatas On The Saxophone, Amy Griffiths

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The saxophone has a long history with transcriptions and arrangements, which augment the saxophone’s repertoire and provide an historical context through which saxophonists may experience music that predates the invention of their instrument. Transcriptions, particularly those from the baroque period, provide excellent pedagogical material for inexperienced students whose educational needs would perhaps not be best served by more contemporary music. The various transcriptions of baroque music contributed by Marcel Mule and Sigurd Raschèr continue to be valuable additions to the repertoire, serving students’ pedagogical needs by providing appealing, accessible, and suitably challenging music. However, these transcriptions provide only a minimum …


Stacy Garrop's Settings Of Sonnets By Edna St. Vincent Millay: A Conductor's Analysis, Justin W. Durham Jan 2010

Stacy Garrop's Settings Of Sonnets By Edna St. Vincent Millay: A Conductor's Analysis, Justin W. Durham

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Stacy Garrop is an emerging composer of choral and orchestral music. The focus of this research is to provide information on her career and compositional style and to provide a conductor’s analysis of six multi-movement a cappella works which set to music sonnets by Edna St. Vincent Millay. Works to be examined: Sonnets of Love and Chaos (2001) Sonnets of Vanity, Loss, and Rapture (2002) Sonnets of War and Mankind (2003) Sonnets of Desire, Longing, and Whimsy (2004) Sonnets of the Fatal Interview (2005) Sonnets of Beauty and Music (2006) The document is divided into nine chapters tracing the musical …


A Survey Of Professional Operatic Entertainment In Little Rock, Arkansas: 1870-1900, Jenna M. Tucker Jan 2010

A Survey Of Professional Operatic Entertainment In Little Rock, Arkansas: 1870-1900, Jenna M. Tucker

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The late nineteenth century was a time of great political, economic, and social change in the state of Arkansas. The population of Little Rock, the state capital, nearly tripled in the last thirty years of the century. As more people settled in Little Rock, the demand for entertainment grew. Poor transportation was an initial obstacle; but as railroads gradually linked Little Rock to larger cities, traveling professional theatrical troupes began to include Little Rock on their itineraries. The purpose of this project is to document the history of professional operatic entertainment in Little Rock, Arkansas, from 1870—when the first professional …


A Performance Guide To Lori Laitman's Living In The Body, Kathryn Mary Drake Jan 2010

A Performance Guide To Lori Laitman's Living In The Body, Kathryn Mary Drake

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The purpose of this document is to provide a complete performer’s guide to American composer Lori Laitman’s Living in the Body, a song cycle consisting of six songs for soprano and saxophone set to the poetry of Joyce Sutphen. Living in the Body is one of very few cycles written for soprano and saxophone, and the combination is both unusual and interesting to investigate. The cycle explores letting go of the past and focusing on what will happen in the second half of life. The text is set expertly for soprano, bringing important words to the listener’s attention while keeping …


The Alfred Cortot Study Edition Of Chopin's Etudes & How The Alexander Technique Can Facilitate Progress Towards Performance Through His Suggested Exercises, Li-Fang Wu Jan 2010

The Alfred Cortot Study Edition Of Chopin's Etudes & How The Alexander Technique Can Facilitate Progress Towards Performance Through His Suggested Exercises, Li-Fang Wu

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The purpose of this research paper is to study how the Alexander Technique can be applied to the process of pianistic practicing, and specific technique issues. The sets of exercises I choose to focus on are from the Alfred Cortot study edition of Chopin’s Etudes, op. 10 and op. 25. The Alexander Technique is a method of releasing unnecessary muscular tension when performing every action, including motions in piano playing. Therefore, the preparatory exercises suggested by Alfred Cortot in his study editions can be more effectively executed by applying the Alexander Technique principles. This research paper is divided into four …


Joep Franssens' Harmony Of The Spheres: A Conductor's Analysis, David Andrew Hobson Jan 2010

Joep Franssens' Harmony Of The Spheres: A Conductor's Analysis, David Andrew Hobson

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Harmony of the Spheres is Dutch composer Joep Franssens’ most extensive choral work to date, exhibiting a substantial possibility to enter the international repertoire as a complete work; however, several of the movements can stand alone effectively. Presented in five symmetrically conceived movements, Franssens scores the piece for SSAATTBB chorus with only the addition of full string orchestra for Movement III. The composition seeks to explore profound connections between science, music, philosophy, religion, and human relationships, intertwining excerpts from Benedict de Spinoza’s magnum opus, Ethica, allusions to the ancient idea of the music of the spheres, and European minimalism. Franssens …


Homecoming At An Old Country Church, Lindsey M. Jacob Jan 2010

Homecoming At An Old Country Church, Lindsey M. Jacob

LSU Master's Theses

In numerous communities in the United States, church congregations gather once a year for a special homecoming service that includes food, fellowship, worship, and exceptional music. Homecomings at Cana Baptist Church, an old country church in rural Southern Illinois, hold some of my fondest childhood memories. The special musical performances were the highlight of the day’s festivities, and to this day remain an integral part of my musical identity.

This thesis exposes elements of southern gospel music, in particular bluegrass gospel. I explore stylistic tendencies of up-beat accents, prominent five-one bass progressions, and pitch bending. I also include several melodic …


A Case Study Of Music-Making In A Ghanaian Village: Applications For Elementary Music Teaching And Learning, Sara Rachel Mccall Jan 2010

A Case Study Of Music-Making In A Ghanaian Village: Applications For Elementary Music Teaching And Learning, Sara Rachel Mccall

LSU Master's Theses

This thesis explores music teaching and learning in Ghana, West Africa from a music education standpoint. Fieldwork was conducted at the Dagbe Cultural Institute, in Kopeyia, Ghana, West Africa to investigate methods of teaching and learning, the function of music within the culture, and formulate implementation strategies for elementary classrooms in the United States. Main themes on teaching and learning that emerged within the center focused on the use of strategies like drum syllables and analogy with Western students during classes. The use of learning in context through cultural outings also provided teaching opportunities for students. The overall function of …


For Orchestra, David Paul Cortello Jan 2010

For Orchestra, David Paul Cortello

LSU Master's Theses

“For Orchestra” is a four movement symphonic reflection on an unfinished life that ultimately finds redemption and a new beginning. Conflict and questioning are depicted through combinations of tonally ambiguous techniques. Debussian chord planing is combined with elements of twelve-tone technique; symmetrical scales offer hints of the familiar without sounding clear tone centers; rhythmic elements fight each other, resolve, and fight again, leaving questions still unanswered. There are moments of joy and triumph heard through tonal progressions, and a scherzo that is later darkened, first through an augmentation, and then a tritone harmonization. The third movement represents a slow spiral …


Why They Stay And Why The Go: A Study Of Retention And Attrition During The Transition From Middle To High School In The Large-Ensemble Instrumental Music Classroom, Kathryn Elizabeth Strickland Jan 2010

Why They Stay And Why The Go: A Study Of Retention And Attrition During The Transition From Middle To High School In The Large-Ensemble Instrumental Music Classroom, Kathryn Elizabeth Strickland

LSU Master's Theses

In this qualitative study, I investigated factors related to three eighth grade instrumental music students’ long-term commitment to school band. Each student represented a different category of intention: one was committed to being a band member long-term, one was not, and one was unsure. Framing the study were perceptions of character, personality, attitudes, and motivations in the context of pending decisions to continue or discontinue participation. More broadly, locus of control and characteristics from attribution theory were examined. Interviews, observations and questionnaire results revealed that locus and attribution style each bear on students’ inclinations to remain in band. All students, …


Bel Canto Rarities: A Performance Guide To Rarely Performed Tenor Arias From The Works Of Gaetano Donizetti, Zachary Bruton Jan 2010

Bel Canto Rarities: A Performance Guide To Rarely Performed Tenor Arias From The Works Of Gaetano Donizetti, Zachary Bruton

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The subject of this dissertation is rarely performed tenor arias from operas of Gaetano Donizetti. Each of the arias chosen for this document was selected on the basis of its quality within the canon of Donizetti’s works in contrast with its deficient representation in the repertoire of the majority of student tenors. This document’s purpose is not to represent Donizetti’s development stylistically, dramatically, or in any other respect. Rather it presents a sampling of those arias which I feel are representative of some of the best writing for the tenor voice found in Donizetti’s operas, not only as admirable pieces …


Jennifer Higdon's Oboe Concerto: The Composition, Transformation, And A Performer's Analysis, Janice Elizabeth Crews Jan 2010

Jennifer Higdon's Oboe Concerto: The Composition, Transformation, And A Performer's Analysis, Janice Elizabeth Crews

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

This monograph presents a formal examination of Jennifer Higdon’s Oboe Concerto in its various forms. Jennifer Higdon has garnered international success, yet few in-depth studies of her music exist. In this document, personal accounts from commissioners illustrate the unusual commission of Oboe Concerto. Likewise, the composer, a conductor, and soloists for premiere performances highlight unique aspects of the concerto, particularly its unusual form, multiple versions, and the potential challenges in preparing the work. Higdon’s concerto showcases the lyrical capabilities of the oboe, with an emphasis on melody and sustained tone. The transformation of the concerto illustrates Higdon’s skills of self-promotion, …


The Illumination Of E. E. Cummings' Poetry In J. A. C. Redford's "Love Is The Every Only God", Amy Louise Aucoin Jan 2010

The Illumination Of E. E. Cummings' Poetry In J. A. C. Redford's "Love Is The Every Only God", Amy Louise Aucoin

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The choral work love is the every only god, composed by J. A. C. Redford, was published in 2001, placing it among the initial choral concert works published in the twenty-first century. love is the every only god is a song cycle for divisi mixed chorus with piano accompaniment based on six poems by E. E. Cummings. The work is organized into six movements with two interludes and lasts approximately twenty-five minutes. Beyond his regard for the art of poetry and care in choosing a text, Redford sees himself as an illuminator of the text, providing the listener with a …


An Annotated Catalogue Of Selected Cuban Piano Works From The 18th-20th Centuries, Nikie Oechsle Jan 2010

An Annotated Catalogue Of Selected Cuban Piano Works From The 18th-20th Centuries, Nikie Oechsle

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The piano music of Cuba encompasses a large body of valuable music that is yet to be explored fully on the international scene by performers and teachers. The purpose of this volume is to provide a guide that will enable performers and teachers to quickly reference, and more fully investigate the available music of Cuban composers. This is accomplished by providing description and levels of selected Cuban piano works from the eighteenth through twentieth centuries in catalogue format, as well as by providing descriptions of dances and dance forms found in the included literature.


A Conductor's Analysis Of Theodore Morrison's War And Reconciliation, Alissa Ann Mercurio Rowe Jan 2010

A Conductor's Analysis Of Theodore Morrison's War And Reconciliation, Alissa Ann Mercurio Rowe

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Theodore Morrison (b. 1938) was involved with music at a very young age as singer, organist, and choirmaster. As his musical career prospered he grew as a teacher, conductor, and composer. His compositional output includes several large works for chorus, soloists and orchestra, and a substantial body of shorter works. The smaller works encompass an overture for wind ensemble, chamber pieces for woodwinds and strings, a sonata and a set of variations for organ, several works for chorus and organ, an a cappella mass, three song cycles, and numerous choral pieces and songs. This document presents a brief biographical introduction …