Music Commons^™

Symphony No. 7 “Leningrad” By Dimitri Shistakovich: A Wind Band Transcription Of The Final Movement With Historical Context And A Description Of The Transcription Process, Scott Patrick Mcglasson

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

This document includes a wind band transcription of the final movement of Dimitri Shostakovich’s “Symphony No. 7” known as the Leningrad Symphony. It contains an overview of the composer's life leading up to the creation of this work as well as a description of the historical context during which this work was composed. This document also contains a detailed description of the transcription and editing process that led to the completed work contained at the end of this document. The transcription process included examining other wind band transcriptions of Shostakovich’s music as well as other wind transcriptions of orchestral works.

The Operatic Innovation And Musical Language Of Rodion Shchedrin's Choral Opera Boyarina Morozova, Valeria Ore

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Rodion Shchedrin is an outstanding composer who uses the deep tradition of Russian musical culture in his compositions. Shchedrin’s style is very individual and consists of the universality of world perception and originality of musical language, which encompasses a sensitive assimilation of a new, careful, and respectful approach to Russian traditions. By reasonably and fragmentarily using the elements of dodecaphony, sonorics, and aleatoric music, he developed his own musical language. Thus, the purpose of this work is to explore Shchedrin’s compositional style and to discover his innovation and individual style in the opera Boyarina Morozova. Shchedrin’s compositions are unusual: …

Adapting Traditional Flamenco Music For The Modern Marimba Artist, Gabriela Ordoñez Villalobos

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

This document is a compilation of information and exercises for the percussionist to learn how to play Traditional Flamenco on marimba. The document contains a brief history of flamenco and the explanation of the elements of four different palos flamencos (subgenres) to introduce the marimbist to the basic musical elements and structure of each palos flamencos. It also includes musical exercises written specifically for marimba. These exercises are traditional components of authentic Flamenco music and can be used in performances as a soloist or as part of a Flamenco ensamble.

Flamenco music has three main elements: El cante, el toque, …

Africanities In Selected Art Songs For Voice And Piano By Babi De Oliveira, Ana Elisa Portes Lima

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

This document explores Africanities on the music and texts of selected art songs by the Brazilian composer Babi de Oliveira (1908-1993), providing the historical context of how the Brazilian Portuguese appropriated the vocabulary and culture of African people brought to the New World during the period of slavery between the 15th and 19th centuries. The purpose of this document is to provide additional background information on the Afro-Brazilian musical heritage, its relevance to the composer, and its aesthetics in the history of Brazilian music, in order to give voice students and performers, especially non-Portuguese speakers, a broader perspective on this …

Hunnenschlacht By Franz Liszt: A Transcription For Wind Orchestra With Accompanying Historical Context And Transcription Techniques, Dean Snavely

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

This document includes a transcription of Liszt’s symphonic poem Hunnenschlacht. An overview of the work's historical context and a detailed explanation of the techniques used in transcribing the work for wind orchestra are included.

Suite De Ballet By Gustav Holst: A Transcription For Wind Orchestra, Charles Greggerson

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

This document includes a wind band transcription of all four movements of Gustav Holst’s orchestral work Suite de Ballet, Op.10, H. 43. An overview of the background of the work and a historical background of the composer is included. The defense of transcriptions, criteria for selection of pieces and problems associated with the transcription process are examined along with the techniques utilized in the solution of problems within the context of this transcription.

A New Canon: Dismantling Racist Exclusion In Opera And Paving The Way For Inclusive Representation, Kourtney J. Holmes

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

This document examines the exclusion of African American opera from the traditional Western operatic canon and standard performance practices within educational institutions and professional organizations. The narrow conception of opera as a European art form has obscured the contributions and cultural significance of works by pioneering African American composers. This study addresses this gap and elevates neglected histories by arguing for African American opera's artistic merit and contemporary relevance within the American operatic tradition.

Through musical and historical analysis of representative works from the late 19th/early 20th centuries onwards, I aim to illuminate the genre's unheard tales of struggle, identity, …

Exploring Intention Mapping And Action In Pursuit Of Emotional Storytelling For Musicians, Douglas Carpenter

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

This document presents a novel approach to music education by integrating acting pedagogies, specifically the concepts of "Intention" and "Action," to enhance the expressive capabilities of musicians. Rooted in the methodologies of Konstantin Stanislavski, Sanford Meisner, and Michael Chekhov, this research seeks to bridge the gap between traditional music education, which often emphasizes technical execution, and the need for emotional expressivity and storytelling in musical performances.

The role of the musician as a 'human instrument,' capable of conveying complex human emotions and narratives through music is explored in this document. Drawing from acting techniques, the document proposes methods to help …

A Poetics Of Handel’S Operas, By Nathan Link, Jonathan Rhodes Lee

Music Faculty Research

Textbooks and program notes summarize the relationship between story and music in opera seria with tidy bullet points: recitatives = action; arias = reflection; ensembles sometimes contribute to a story’s progression, while instrumental pieces typically do not. Nathan Link’s A Poetics of Handel’s Operas dismisses such generalizations as caricatures, going so far as to assert that opera seria is “easily among the most complex forms of storytelling yet devised” (p. 7). The author turns to narratological theory, with occasional forays into opera studies and cinema studies (including film music scholarship), to explain the “semantic decoding” (p. 2) that audiences must …

Musical Chills: The Impact Of Age And Musical Ability, Isabella Aceituno

Calvert Undergraduate Research Awards

Listening to music is widely regarded as a pleasant experience, but sometimes music evokes such a strong rush of emotions that it elicits physical sensations. Musical chills, also referred to as frisson or thrills, is a peak emotional response to music often distinguished by goosebumps, tingling sensations, or raised hair on the skin (del Campo & Kehle, 2016). Musical chills are typically described as pleasurable, as evidenced by subjective self-reported pleasure ratings of songs that elicit chills (Grewe et al., 2007; Grewe et al., 2011; Salimpoor et al., 2009; Sumpf et al., 2015, Mori & Iwagana, 2015, 2017; Bannister, 2020) …

Listener’S Judgement Of Tempo Is Influenced By Dance Speed, Carolina A. Herrera, Ryan K. Perez, Jared W. Leslie, Erin E. Hannon

Undergraduate Research Symposium Posters

The tempo of a musical composition is typically denoted by the number of beats per minute (BPM). Nevertheless, perception of tempo is inherently subjective, and it can be shaped by the listener's familiarity with both musical and dance elements [1, 2, 3, 4]. Even when songs have the same BPM, the perceived speed of the songs can differ based on the specific dance form and cultural context [1, 4]

Musical Chills: The Effect Of Age And Musical Ability, Isabella Aceituno, Erin Hannon, Solena Mednicoff

Undergraduate Research Symposium Posters

Musical chills mark a peak emotional response to music, characterized by goosebumps, tingling sensations down the back, and raised hair on the skin. Previous research has connected musical chills to changes in music such as crescendos, the entrance of new voices or instruments, unexpected harmonies, or changes in acoustic features. Knowledge of musical structures, such as key and harmony, develop from infancy to adulthood. If children’s musical expectations change with age, so too might their emotional musical experiences.

Misophonia, Asmr, And Frisson Experience Predicted By Age, But Not Gender, Kaela Omengan, Bryanna Grijalva, Natalya Sayegh, Carlos Tamayo, David Vollweiler, Solena Mednicoff, Erin Hannon

Undergraduate Research Symposium Posters

Misophonia: A disorder that shows low tolerance for specific sounds, often yielding reactions like anger and stress. Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response (ASMR): An affective sensation which elicits positive physiological responses. Musical frisson: Emotional response to music characterized by goosebumps, tingling sensations, or raised hair on the skin. Previous Literature: Potential links between misophonia, ASMR, and frisson; Higher emotional sensitivity in females.

Do Age, Musical Training, And Multilingualism Contribute To Misophonia, Asmr, And Frisson Experiences?, Riley Ramos, Kayla Daugherty, Haley Yanez, Joseph Altamirano, David Vollweiler, Solena Mednicoff, Erin Hannon

Undergraduate Research Symposium Posters

Misophonia: intense negative reactions to sounds such as chewing or pen clicking. Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response (ASMR): positive tingling sensation to triggering auditory and visual stimuli. Frisson: Positive response (chills, teary eyes) to music or other emotionally charged experiences.

Introduction To Chinese Ethnic Percussion Through The Concept Of Free Rebound, Yupeng Wei

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

World percussion is becoming increasingly important as a major teaching course in American colleges and universities. The percussion chosen may come from Africa, Latin America, East Asia, and more. However, according to the study, no American colleges and universities have conducted Chinese ethnic percussion programs. There may be several reasons for this: first, it is geographically far away. Second, the existing papers on Chinese ethnic percussion, especially in English, are too broad in their choice of arguments. For example, these papers do not consider the possibility of implementation when choosing Chinese ethnic percussion instruments. On the contrary, the choice of …

Get A Grip: An Anatomical Survey Of Four-Mallet Grips For Solo Marimba, Kyle Steven Bissantz

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

This document examines the three primary grips used in playing four-mallet concert marimba. It focuses on each grip’s relationship to the anatomy of the fingers, wrist, and forearm, with particular attention to the grips’ movement characteristics. The discussion aims to support professionals, students, and teachers interested in developing a greater understanding of each grip’s similarities, differences, and basic physicalities. The first section is a detailed examination of Traditional, Stevens, and Burton Grips. The primary focus is the hand’s composition around the mallets and the movement characteristics of standard stroke types. The second section provides a comparative analysis of each grip’s …

Culturally Responsive Music Education: History And Applications In Instrumental Music Education, Brandilyn L. Davidson

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The foundations for music education in America were built upon Eurocentric values, utilizing both folk and classical music from western Europe to cultivate an American music curriculum that greatly marginalizes non-white students. This long-standing tradition of positioning European music as superior to all others by allowing it to dominate the school curriculum is viewed by some as structural racism. Over the last 50 years there has been significant theory, practice and research into decolonizing the music curriculum and providing social justice for students in the classroom. One method to achieve these goals is culturally responsive music education–a student centered theory …

A Comparison Of The Traditional Chinese Vocal Style And Western Bel Canto Singing, Jie Pan

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

This document presents a comparative study of the traditional Chinese vocal style which was primarily developed in the 20th century and Western bel canto singing practiced from the 19th century onward. It provides background information on their historical contexts and thorough analysis of various aspects in their pedagogical approaches. Through the examination of important literature, and the assessment of their acoustic properties, this project demonstrates the similarities and differences between these two vocal styles: 1) both singing styles require their singers to master the art of breathing to maintain a steady flow of air while keeping the support low; 2) …

The Issue Of Communicability In Guerra-Peixe’S 1947 Solo Violin Works, Lucas Henrique Teixeira Martins

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Throughout an important period of his career as a composer, César Guerra-Peixe demonstrated a preoccupation with both the issue of communicability between listeners and the musical composition, as well as avenues for expressing national identity in music. The works composed between 1944 and 1948 present several possible paths for answering these questions with the musical language of the twelve-tone style. Música no. 1 and Música no. 2 for solo violin demonstrate a search for familiarity through the use of chords created by grouping sets of pitches from the originating tone row. The simple linear motif of the movements within these …

Robert Starer And His Music, With A Focus On Solo Works For Trumpet, Allison Mcswain

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Composer Robert Starer was well-regarded in his lifetime but has fallen largely into obscurity. He had a unique and varied background that influenced his compositional style and musical philosophy, but except for his piano music, Starer’s works are largely unstudied. His musical style is complex and substantive, having been informed and influenced by his varied background, but the music is accessible to audiences and players of different levels. Additionally, his pieces allow much choice for the performer through the independence of the writing, free sections, musical accessory options, and performance alternatives, such as reordering movements or varied instrumentation options. This …

Kazimierz Serocki’S Trombone Concerto: Prominent Work In Post-War Poland, Dawid Mzyk

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The political factors of communism induced a deep delay in the progress of post-war Polish music, effectively inhibiting all trends geared toward its modernization. My research investigates the influence of the communist period on shaping the piece by giving insight into the socialist realism in post-war Poland. It also contributes to the understanding of performance techniques, the genesis of a prominent work, and the aesthetic impact political unrest had on the color and characteristics of Serocki’s Concerto for Trombone and Orchestra. Even though this piece has been performed by world renowned trombonists such as Christian Lindberg, Joseph Alessi (New York …

Polish Nationalism And The Flute Sonatina: The Influence Of Folklore On Inter-War Composers Tadeusz Kassern, Wojciech Kilar And Aleksander Tansman, Marta Plominska

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The music composed during World War II has been the subject of many concert programs in the classical music world. The music offers a poignant look into the human condition during a worldwide crisis and serves to capture the sentiments of the various cultures of the region during this time. One compelling musical perspective is from Polish nationals during WWII, who maintained a particularly fervent grasp on their national culture even while many were displaced and suppressed by the Nazi regime. This document will look at the flute compositions of three Polish nationals who wrote during this era, focusing on …

An Examination Of The Use Of Effects To Convey Narrative In Nikita Koshkin’S The Prince’S Toys Suite And Francis Kleynjans’ A L’Aube Du Dernier Jour, Michael Root

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Programmatic music conveys an extramusical narrative or idea. In pieces of this nature, it is common for a compositional device known as “tone-painting” to be used, in which elements of the narrative or idea the work is based on are reflected in the music. Sometimes this can be quite vivid, giving the impression of events occurring within a story. Examples of this imitative tone-painting can be referred to as “effects.”The guitar is capable of producing a great variety of sounds, and therefore many effects. After an introduction discussing the concept of effects and programmatic music, the author will give an …

Asian Culture In Western Music: Piano Music By Tan Dun And Bright Sheng, Guqi Zhang

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Chinese-American composers Tan Dun and Bright Sheng present culturally eclectic writing styles in their contemporary compositions by leveraging Chinese folk elements, which have gained them an international reputation. This paper examines folk music elements in Tan Dun’s and Bright Sheng’s piano works and their methods of incorporating them. Two main sources provide my methodological models. Locating East Asia in Western Art Music, a collection of essays that compares Asian-influenced Western composers and Western-influenced Asian composers, combines music theory, musicology, and ethnomusicology to explore how composers construct and utilize Eastern and Western musical concepts. Le Kang’s 2009 “The Development of Chinese …

Music Enhances Focus And Concentration, Daniyal Kheradmand

Undergraduate Research Symposium Posters

This study aimed to investigate the relationship between the genre of music listened to and its impact on enhancing focus and concentration during puzzle-solving, as measured by completion time, across a diverse sample of individuals. The researcher, Daniyal Kheradmand, conducted the study at the University of Nevada Las Vegas (UNLV) on a sample of 50 students and employees. Participants were required to solve two simple puzzles (9 pieces) while listening to their favorite music and without music. The time taken to complete each puzzle was recorded and compared. Results showed that 68% of participants completed the puzzle faster while listening …

Do Children Experience The Speech To Song (Sts) Illusion?, Brooke Booth, Rodica Constantine

Undergraduate Research Symposium Lightning Talks

How development may alter perception. How musical and linguistic abilities develop. Top-down knowledge and its effects on perception. Potential diagnostic properties.

Perceived Tempo Is Influenced By Embodied Dance Speed And Latin Dance Expertise, Ryan K. Perez, Carolina A. Herrera, Melanie Garcia [email protected], Miguel A. Castaño, Jared W. Leslie

Undergraduate Research Symposium Posters

Tempo is the speed of a piece of music and is measured in beats per minute (BPM). Tempo perception is subjective and may be influenced by the listener’s musical culture. Even for the same tempo, some dances are faster than others depending on the dance and culture. In the present study, we ask whether the speed of dance movements for a given song influences subjective perception of that song’s tempo among listeners with and without prior experience dancing to Latin music.

Sensitivity To Musical Groove Is Predicted By Sensitivity To Musical Chills, But Not General Musicality, Nicole Datastanyan, Kaela Omengan, Isabella Aceituno [email protected], Solena Mednicoff, Sivan Barashy

Undergraduate Research Symposium Posters

Previous research suggests that individual differences in musicality may predict groove sensitivity. Groovy music is highly stimulating music that makes listeners want to move while eliciting feelings of pleasure and arousal. Musicality refers to listeners’ affinity to music including musical talent, sophistication, and expertise. Frisson (musical chills) is an intense emotional response to music characterized by goosebumps or a tingling sensation.

Does Children’S Openness To Experience And Musicality Influence Perception Of Major And Minor Musical Modes?, Bryanna Grijalva, Natalya Sayegh, Carlos Tamayo, Ryan K. Perez, Sivan Barashy, Solena Mednicoff

Undergraduate Research Symposium Posters

Previous studies have found a relationship between openness to experience, musical training, and auditory abilities in adults. Openness to experience: one of the major personality traits that encapsulates how open-minded, creative, insightful, and imaginative a person can be. Tonality: the orientation of melodies and harmonies toward a referential pitch class. Musicality: one’s enthusiasm for music and desire to make music.

Dance Experience Affects Tempo Perception, Jasmine Xu, Jordan E. Hayes, Cole Smithers, Jared Leslie

Undergraduate Research Symposium Posters

In music, the word “tempo” refers to the speed or pace of the music (the number of beats per minute, for example). Tempo is surprisingly subjective, given that beat perception depends on age and cultural experience. Other factors besides beat (like the density of events per unit time) might influence how fast or slow people dance to music. Certain styles of music afford different speeds of dance, even when their tempos are the same.