Music Commons^™

John Philip Sousa And The Wagner Overture: A New Transcription Of The Overture To Der Fliegende Holländer For Wind Orchestra, Stephen H. Goldeck

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

This research examines John Philip Sousa’s 1893 wind band transcription of Richard Wagner’s overture to Der fliegende Holländer, and focuses specifically on how Sousa reconceived orchestral sonorities and solved particular problems posed by Wagner’s complex orchestrational textures. Findings include that, while appropriate for the era and instrumentation of Sousa’s band, his transcription contains certain limitations for the twenty-first-century wind orchestra. Due to the fact that Sousa’s compositions, arrangements, and transcriptions were written to accommodate frequent outdoor performances, Sousa’s transcription uses more doubled voicings than would be necessary in an indoor concert hall setting. Further, while Sousa’s instrumentation approximates that of …

Grand Solo Op.14 & Rondo Op2. N3: The Sonority Of The Classical Era, Hugo Maia Nogueira

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

During the early nineteenth-century, the writing for classical-guitar elevated the instrument to

the solo concert stage. The appearance of the six-string guitar changed guitar writing.1 With this new

instrument, guitarists had an array of new possibilities to explore in terms of sound and technique.

Fernando Sor (1778-1839) and Dionisio Aguado (1784-1849) were the main artists promoting and

advocating the six-string guitar as a serious concert instrument in Spain.2

This document will focus on two guitar masterworks: Fernando Sor's Grand Solo Op.14 and

Dionisio Aguado's Rondo Op2. N3. It will explain why Grand Solo Op.14 and Rondo Op2. N3 can

synthesize …

Songs Of The Cajuns: A History And Analysis Of Joie De Vivre: Five Impressions Of Acadian-America, Wendy Kay Moss

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

My exploration of Cajun song, from its origins as a French ballade into popular American song, will reveal the musical characteristics of Cajun music. My study’s purpose is to increase ones understanding of the history of Cajun song and its music, and then determine why it is missing from the canon of American song repertoire. My study will include an analysis, performance and recording of Cajun song settings composed and arranged by Arles Estes. My investigation will research five traditional Cajun songs as they pertain to Estes’ settings in order to broaden the roots of American song literature and enhance …

Etudes For The Bassoon: An Annotated Bibliography And Pedagogical Guide, Eric Joaquin Fassbender

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

There are well over one hundred published methods and etude collections written for the bassoon. However, many bassoon teachers and students are only familiar with a few of them, primarily those composed by Julius Weissenborn and Ludwig Milde. This is evidenced by the frequent mentions of these etudes in writings about bassoon literature, repertoire surveys, university syllabi, articles in the journal of the International Double Reed Society, and more. While these specific studies remain an invaluable part of the bassoonist’s repertoire, there are several aspects of bassoon playing they do not address, particularly where post-Romantic musical styles are concerned. When …

An Analysis And Band Transcription Of Eric Whitacre's The River Cam, Charles Amon Maguire

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Orchestral transcriptions for wind band have been historically vital to the expansion and success of the medium. As original compositions have increased in number, string solos accompanied by wind band continue to represent an under-utilized area of the literature. The “Wind Repertory Project” has documented twenty-three compositions that fall within this area of wind band music. A transcription of Eric Whitacre’s The River Cam for solo cello and string orchestra expands the contemporary area of the repertoire by contributing to the list of works written for solo string instruments and band. Comparative and harmonic analyses provide correlative evidence as to …

Of Sharks And Spaceships: The Role Of The Tuba In John Williams's Film Scores For Jaws And Close Encounters Of The Third Kind, Stephen Davis Turner

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

This document examines John Williams’s use of the tuba in his film scores. This unique timbral element has significant narrative implications in these movies. Film music scholarship is more often concerned with the questions of psychoanalysis, gendered readings, and other theoretical apparatuses than with how film composers score for individual instruments. My research aims to shift this focus by demonstrating that Williams used the tuba in his scores for more than typical “underscoring” or standard sectional playing, but as an integral part of the film narrative to be noticed and “read” by audiences. In both Jaws (1975) and Close Encounters …

A Performance Analysis Of Dorothy Rudd Moore's Sonnets On Love, Rosebuds, And Death, Cordelia Elizabeth Anderson

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The purpose of this document is to evaluate Dorothy Rudd Moore’s Sonnets on Love, Rosebuds, and Death through a performance analysis, and to discuss the significance of the Harlem Renaissance in relation to the song cycle. Moore used seven reputable poets from the Harlem Renaissance to compile this song cycle. The poets are Alice Dunbar Nelson, Clarissa Scott Delany, Gwendolyn Bennett, Langston Hughes, Arna Bontemps, Countee Cullen, and Helene Johnson. A few of them were a part of the core group that spurred this powerful movement. The Harlem Renaissance was a flourishing time in American history when African Americans felt …

Andre Jolivet's Fusion: Magical Music, Conventional Lyricism, And Japanese Influences Network To Create Concerto Pour Flute Et Piano And Sonate Pour Flute Et Piano, Kelly A. Collier

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

André Jolivet’s Fusion, represents his formative style period, post-World War II. Fusion is a combination of Jolivet’s two earlier style-writing periods for flute, “magical music” and conventional lyricism. This study presents detailed analyses of two compositions reflecting this style period, Concerto pour flûte et piano and Sonate pour flûte et piano, by André Jolivet. In order to acquaint the reader with Jolivet’s interest in ancient musical cultures, a brief biography offers information on Jolivet’s interests in ancient rituals and mysticism. As appointed Director of the Comédie-Française in 1945, Jolivet extensively travelled and experienced new musical phenomena. These musical phenomena, Japanese …

Efficient Strategies For Playing The Horn, Jon Allan Holloway

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

In their pursuit of becoming accomplished performers, horn players spend a great deal of time studying proper brass playing techniques from the great pedagogues. The modern horn is a fairly young instrument (less than two hundred years old) and the most efficient pedagogical approach is still evolving. Because of this, horn players spend a great deal of time studying proper brass playing techniques from the great pedagogues. Books by Philip Farkas, Arnold Jacobs, Raphael Mendez, and more have many theories and exercises on how to breathe, the best way to perfect embouchure development, performance techniques, and more.

Modern pedagogues have …

The Big Band And The Piano: Nikolai Kapustin’S Variations Op. 41, Ryan Kelly

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Much has been written and said on how piano works should almost imitate the sounds of an orchestra to be played well. There is a style and musical language that serious pianists must master in order to play with correct voicing, specific tones, and other techniques that make a piano sound like a full orchestra and thus bring it to life.

While there much written about how the piano should imitate the traditional orchestra in the classical and romantic style, what of the big band? In the last century many works have been written for the piano using jazz rhythms, …

Four Sonnets By Pablo Neruda, Sets 1 And 2, By Judith Cloud, For High Voice And Piano: A Performer’S Perspective, Sheronda Levonne Mckee

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Twentieth and twenty-first century compositions are growing in popularity amongst scholars of music. Along with this budding interest comes a plethora of composers, many of whom are women. While not a discussion on feminism in the modern age, this document will concentrate on one female composer. Drawing from the historical significance of the poet and the compositional history of Four Sonnets by Pablo Neruda set 1 and Four Sonnets by Pablo Neruda set 2 by Dr. Judith Cloud, my goal is to make these two song cycles more accessible to sopranos, as well as to those wanting to expand their …

Image, Narrative, & Concept Of Time In Valerie Capers's Song Cycle Song Of The Seasons, Lillian Channelle Roberts

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Once I was a classical pianist, then I was a jazz pianist, but now I’m a pianist – No label. And in my writing, I’m not concerned with any particular style. I’ve found that if you have musical groundwork and some idea of the emotional impact the music should have, the musical style will hang together.

—Valerie Capers

Primarily known as a renowned jazz pianist, Valerie Capers is a blind, African-American woman composer who defied all odds by becoming the first blind graduate of The Juilliard School. Dr. Capers also became valedictorian of the New York Institute for the Education …

George Crumb’S Personal Response To The Golden Age Of Social Activism: Night Of The Four Moons, Black Angels, And Vox Balaenae, Yi Ling Tsai

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

American composer George Crumb (b. 1929) started to garner public attention in the 1960s with a new kind of message and sound. Crumb’s approach to composition has been to exploit music as a form of communication to convey the metaphysical and the psychological through various mediums. With the social movements in the 1960s, many Americans were inspired to fight for change; as for Crumb, composing became his platform for social commentary. His approach to social activism was to express his ideas through musical dialogues and symbolism. The subtle quotations that he often borrowed from other composers are typically short in …

Pansori, Bomi Kang

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The Korean Cultural Preservation Law of 1962 designated Pansori an important intangible cultural artifact and a symbol of the national culture of the Korean people. The fundamental objective of Korea government’s policy was to promote and to preserve Pansori. However, the pervasiveness of western-style performing arts in Korea undermined the achievement of this objective, especially for the younger generation. The purpose of this study is to explore Pansori, to understand its history, its importance, the reasons underlying its declining popularity, and the reasons behind the need for preserving and promoting its use in modern Korean society. The methodology of this …

Viktor Kosenko's Piano Cycle Eleven Etudes In The Form Of Old Dances, Ekaterina Bessmeltseva

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The purpose of this document is to draw attention to Viktor Kosenko’s music by focusing on his piano cycle Eleven Etudes in the form of Old Dances, op.19. Viktor Kosenko was a remarkable Ukrainian pianist, composer, and teacher. His compositional output includes works for piano, violin, cello, voice, ensembles, and music for film and theatre. Compositions such as Eleven Etudes in the Form of Old Dances, Twenty-four Pieces for Children, Classical Trio for Piano, Violin and Cello, Cello Sonatas, Heroic Overture, and Moldavian Poem became treasures of the Ukrainian repertoire. Viktor Kosenko worked towards the expansion of Ukrainian national repertoire. …

An Annotated Bibliography Of Beginning And Intermediate Solo Bassoon Literature, Kim Kehau Chai

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

A wind instrumentalist typically begins music study in a school band or orchestra. The instructors for these classes normally use method books, scales, and large ensemble pieces to teach and refine technique and musicianship. Unless the student has a private teacher, it is unlikely that they will study or perform solo music except on rare occasions. The serious study of solo literature typically begins on the college level, when all students have access to a professional teacher and private lessons.

Solo literature is critical for the evaluation of a student’s performance level and ability, and it helps the instructor specifically …

How Queer!: Camp Expression In Francis Poulenc's Trio For Oboe, Bassoon, And Piano, Kevin Ryland Eberle

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The music of Francis Poulenc (1899–1963) contains a great deal of humor, irony, and drama. These elements have mostly been attributed to Poulenc’s personal frivolity and associations with over-the-top figures such as Jean Cocteau. Poulenc’s homosexuality, until recently, was marginalized by a discourse shaped by Claude Rostand’s 1950 binary of “monk” (moine) and “bad boy” (voyou). In the early 21st century, Richard Burton notes that this cliché focused the discourse of a sacred/profane binary instead of a heterosexual/homosexual binary. The sacred/profane binary is used by scholars such as H. Wendell Howard to explain the distinction between Les Mamelles de Tirésias …

Applied Anatomy In Music: Body Mapping For Trumpeters, Micah Holt

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Musicians must move in order to produce sound. The body is the vehicle for movement, therefore, understanding the body structure can provide more effortless and efficient music making. The conceptual creators of Body Mapping, Barbara and William Conable, define a body map as, “One’s self-representation in one’s own brain.” Body Mapping provides a relatively new somatic approach to musical pedagogy. A number of existing dissertations and articles discuss the specific application of Body Mapping to keyboard, voice and woodwind instruments. Currently, however, very few resources have integrated Body Mapping into brass pedagogy. With this document I intend to provide a …

Shostakovich's Ninth Symphony: An Analytical Exploration And Keys To Interpretation, Phillip Lenberg

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

In the early1940s, Shostakovich was exposed to much more Jewish culture than the average Soviet citizen. As news of the increasing European genocide and persecution of Jewish people reached Shostakovich, he was compelled to speak for the Jewish people whose voice was repressed by the ever-growing tyranny of Stalinist Russia.

After the Soviet Union’s still fresh victory over the Third Reich, Shostakovich was expected to produce a grandiose symphony to celebrate and exalt the Soviet people. With his Ninth Symphony, Shostakovich challenged the notion of praising the Soviet Union for its military victory, instead mocking the anti-Semitic martial state of …

Yiddish Diction In Singing, Carrie Suzanne Schuster-Wachsberger

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The standard for classical singers in the United States to be trained in the singing diction of the German, Italian, and English languages. This sung diction varies from the spoken diction for those languages and is therefore important for singers to study in classes dedicated to singing language pronunciation. Literature is also available for the instruction in the singing diction of numerous other languages including Latin, Spanish, Czech, Russian, and Hebrew. While there is a vast scope of languages represented by vocal diction guides, there is no available singing diction guide for Yiddish songs, despite the spectrum of classical vocal …

Kimmo Hakola's Diamond Street And Loco: A Performance Guide, Erin Elizabeth Vander Wyst

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Kimmo Hakola (b.1958) has emerged in the past two decades as one of Finland’s leading contemporary composers. His numerous clarinet and bass clarinet works include a clarinet concerto, five chamber works with various instrumentations, a work for solo clarinet, a work for solo bass clarinet, and a work for solo clarinet and pedal bass drum (the clarinetist performs both the clarinet and bass drum parts). While this relatively large output featuring the clarinet family may be a result of Hakola’s personal interests, it may also be the result of a friendship with virtuoso clarinetist Kari Kriikku (b. 1960). This document …

Interpreting Schubert Lieder Through Transcription: Four Composers’ Techniques In Solo Piano Transcriptions Of Lieder From Die Schöne Müllerin, Spencer Baker

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Franz Schubert wrote Lieder familiar to many singers and collaborative pianists that were subsequently transcribed for solo piano by other composers. This paper will give a brief introduction to the art of transcription and delve into compositions of four composers who wrote Schubert Lied transcriptions: Godowsky, Rachmaninoff, Thalberg and Smetana.

Two Lieder from Die schöne Müllerin, D. 795 have been chosen in order to unify the content and limit the original texts to compare and contrast how each composer handles the material differently.

The primary purpose of the research is to offer an interpretive analysis of the transcriptions, including the …

Original Chamber Percussion Works For Silent Or Silenced Film In Live Performance, James William Doyle Iii

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Percussion and film have shared a parallel and overlapping history since the dawn of the silent film era in the late nineteenth century. However, musical scores written specifically for percussionists with silent or silenced film for the sake of concert performance has a newer, more contemporary and artistic repertoire that will undoubtedly proliferate with the continued development of percussion performance and available technology. This document is in three parts. The first part provides context with an introduction, a brief history of film, and early film accompaniment. The second part pertains to the Australian composer, Nigel Westlake and his work, The …

Tempo Perception Across Cultures: The Beat Is All It Takes, Kendall L. Lyons, Jessica E. Nave-Blodgett, Erin E. Hannon

AANAPISI Poster Presentations

• Dancing to music is a human universal that relies on beat perception.
• Listeners may infer the “tempo” or speed of music from:
• the time interval between beats;
• the density of events;
• higher-level features of musical temporal organization (the meter).
• The “Gabbling Foreigner Illusion” is the observation that listeners perceive unfamiliar languages as being faster than familiar ones.
• Even when music is the same speed, listeners tap faster to unfamiliar music.
• Does culture background impact how we perceive musical tempo?

What Is Hip? David Garibaldi: His Musical Life, His Influences, And His Contributions, Jeremy Tait Meronuck

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

This document presents the chronological development, evolution and activity of David Garibaldi, drummer with the Oakland, California-based band Tower of Power. Garibaldi created his signature drumming voice by continuous study, dedication to the instrument, and incorporating many influences into his performance. His work is known worldwide and is influential to many who play drum set. This document surveys information from past publications; interviews with band members; colleagues, and; David Garibaldi. Each section is divided into periods of time from early development to the present day. Chapters include detailed information on events and influences that led him into music as a …

Models For Beethoven's An Die Ferne Geliebte, Op. 98: A Stylistic Analysis, William George August Mccullough

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

This document argues that the defining stylistic features of Beethoven’s An die ferne Geliebte, Op. 98 can be directly traced through an evolution of style in the following works: Christian Gottlob Neefe’s “Das Todtenopfer” from Bilder und Träume (1798); Beethoven’s “Busslied” from Sechs Lieder von Gellert (1803); and Beethoven’s An die Hoffnung, Op. 94 (1815). This document focuses primarily on the stylistic features of fermati, modulations, changes in tempo and texture, and text setting. These features are examined through comparative musical analysis within the historical context of single affect poetry and Lieder composition of the late eighteenth and early nineteenth …

A Performer's Guide To Dean Gronemeier's Nature Alley, Lonny James Benoit

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

This document is a resource designed to aid performers in preparation of Dean Gronemeier’s Nature Alley, an advanced four-mallet solo for marimba. A biographical sketch of Dean Gronemeier, general overview of the composition, and the seven main themes of Nature Alley are presented within this document. Specific attention will be given to the musical and technical considerations associated with each of the seven themes.

From Paper To Podium: Exploring The Gap Between University Training And Professional Experience In Orchestral Conductors, Rachel L. Waddell

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

In African polyrhythmic drum circles there is a proverb that exemplifies the necessity of common vision and community in group musical performance: “I am because we are.” This simple ideal is ostensibly mirrored in the western institution of the symphonic orchestra, an ensemble of many that nevertheless must arrive at one, shared interpretation of a piece of music. The structure of the orchestra is a complicated hierarchy with section players at its base, followed by principals, the concertmaster, and finally the conductor. Although conductors are the public face of leadership in orchestras, if they alienate the musicians they will have …

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 …