From Osbcurity To The Stage: A Stylistic And Pedagogical Exploration Of The Four Concert Etudes By Mikhail Bukinik, Luis Bernardo Castro

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

This research examines Mikhail Bukinik’s 4 Konzertetüden (concert etudes) for solo cello through both a stylistic performance and pedagogical approach. Despite Bukinik’s historical presence as a cellist and composer, these specific works have fallen into obscurity and remain largely absent from the standard pedagogical and performance canon. The research has two primary objectives. The first is to reintroduce these works to the modern repertoire, focusing on dissemination and performance practice. This involves a stylistic analysis of the four etudes, culminating in a recorded live performance during the lecture recital and the creation of a professional studio recording to serve as …

The Student Performer's Guide To Creating A Consortium, Jaycee Swan

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Among advanced musicians who advocate for increasing diversity in classically oriented repertoire, music commissioning is a common practice. Funding a composer to write original music, however, seems out of reach for student musicians or those without the financial means and know-how. A more affordable and therefore accessible alternative to the stand-alone commission is the consortium-based commission for new music. In this lecture portion of a “lecture-recital with written document,” I (a) document my experience in spearheading a new music consortium and, from that experience, (b) present a guide for facilitating a new music consortium.

The project was the impetus for …

Teaching Through Sound: Approaches To The Use Of Fixed Media In Pedagogical Viola Etudes, Roberto C. Mochetti Jr.

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

This dissertation examines the pedagogical possibilities of fixed media in newly composed viola etudes. While fixed media is commonly treated as accompaniment or as a performance medium, this project argues that it can also serve as an active component of technical and musical training. By providing stable and repeatable sonic environments, fixed media can support forms of listening, intonation, sound production, and performer awareness that are difficult to cultivate through traditional etudes alone. This argument responds to a broader pedagogical gap in string training, where long-established etudes and models of technical development remain central even as contemporary viola performance increasingly …

Perpetual Purgatory: Lamennais's Religious Influence On The Persona And Music Of Franz Liszt, Matthew Peter Wood

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

For generations, musicological consensus has treated Liszt’s signature technique of “thematic transformation” as musical form born out of structural and sonic experimentation. This study argues that the impetus for Liszt to create his signature compositional device of thematic transformation proceeds from the influence of the post-Revolutionary liberal Catholicism of the French Abbé Félicité de Lamennais. By exploring the historical, cultural, and artistic intersections between Lamennais’s texts and Liszt’s manuscripts, this dissertation builds on existing scholarship to replace a conventional analysis of thematic transformation with new religio-philosophical analytical lens through which to view Liszt’s most significant contribution to the historical trajectory …

Counted In: Including Female Composers In Orchestral Horn Audition Repertoire, Hope K. Ayers

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The Institute of Composer Diversity and the Boulanger Initiative focus on music written by composers who have been historically excluded from the profession. The focal point of the Institute of Composer Diversity is discovery, study, and programming of such composers through its database and reports, while The Boulanger Initiative advocates for women and all gender-marginalized composers. Because of limited exposure, incomplete records, difficulty of procuring music, and identified bias, female composers’ orchestral works are underrepresented in orchestral programming. Professional orchestral horn audition repertoire is no different, with professional orchestras, such as the New York Philharmonic, only very recently including a …

An Analytical And Performance Guide To Jake Heggie's Of Gods And Cats And Thought Unspoken For Baritone And Piano, Wenxin Sha

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

This dissertation provides a comprehensive performance guide to two song cycles by Jake Heggie: Of Gods and Cats and Thoughts Unspoken for baritone and piano. This study aims to assist singers in preparing these cycles to achieve an expressive performance that is word driven and, just as Mr. Heggie says “Words first, then music.”

Chapter 1 introduces Heggie’s biography and compositional style, emphasizing his text-driven approach, lyrical melodic writing, and close collaboration with poets and performers. Chapter 2 introduces the poets John Hall and Gavin Geoffrey Dillard, and highlights how their texts shape the dramatic and emotional content of the …

Musical Objects, Territories, And Otherness, Andrew Farrar

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

As the materials that composers work with have become increasingly focused on elements outside traditional pitch relations such as timbre or register, so have their approaches to form. One such stream in modern composition, starting from electronic composers such as Pierre Schaeffer, is the use of ”sound” or ”musical” objects. These materials are marked by their wholistic nature, where qualities such as timbre, density, and con- tour are as important to their identity as pitch relationships. Composers such as Schaeffer, James Tenney, and Denis Smalley have all discussed these sound objects in their writings, though they refer to them under …

A Pedagogical Exploration Of Haydn's Early Keyboard Sonatas: No.7 In C Major, No.8 In G Major, And No.11 In G Major, Chun Ka Lam

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

This study examines the pedagogical exploration of Joseph Haydn’s early keyboard sonatas, Sonata No. 7 in C Major (Hob. XVI:7), Sonata No. 8 in G Major (Hob. XVI:8), and Sonata No. 11 in G Major (Hob. XVI:11). These Sonatas target intermediate-level piano students. In this study, I am going to explore Classical-era techniques, including articulation, phrasing, dynamic contrast, and ornamentation, which mainly focus on technical and musical challenges. This study highlights the development of important skills for more advanced repertoire.

Effects Of Peer Tutoring Training Duration And Group Piano Level On Harmonization And Transposition Achievement And Learning Attitudes Of Undergraduate Non-Keyboard Music Students, Jinnan Liu

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationships among peer tutoring training duration, group piano level, and undergraduate non-keyboard music students’ achievement in harmonization and transposition, as well as their learning attitude following peer tutoring. Based on the literature on cooperative learning, peer-assisted learning, and reciprocal peer tutoring, this study examined whether differences in training duration and group piano level were related to student performance and learning experiences in university group piano.

A quasi-experimental 2  2 design was used. The independent variables were peer tutoring training duration (2-day vs. 4-day) and group piano level (Group Piano II vs. …

An Analysis Of The Extended Techniques In The Timpani Works Of Christopher Deane, Chase D. Gillett

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The timpani were first introduced to the orchestra in the 1700s, and composers immediately used the instruments in unique ways. To this day, timpani literature continues to experiment with new techniques to create diverse sounds. One such composer who created unique sounds for the instrument was Christopher Deane. Deane is one of the most influential composers of percussion literature whose works are frequently programmed on concerts and recitals. Throughout his career, he has received many commissions from across the United States, won awards for his compositions, and had numerous world premieres at the Percussive Arts Society International Convention. His use …

Bridging Traditions: A Study And Performance Of Chen Yi's Chamber And Vocal Works, Oufeifei Hu

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Chinese-American composer Chen Yi (b. 1953) is widely recognized for her distinctive integration of Chinese musical traditions and Western classical compositional techniques. Her music frequently incorporates elements of Chinese folk melodies, traditional musical idioms, and cultural aesthetics within a contemporary art-music framework. Despite her growing international reputation, detailed analytical studies of many of her individual works remain limited.

This study examines four selected works by Chen Yi—Chinese Ancient Dance, Meditation, Fisherman’s Song, and From Old Peking Folklore—from both analytical and performance perspectives. Through musical analysis, the study explores how Chen Yi incorporates Chinese musical elements and transforms them within modern …

Exploring Sequential Technical Practices Towards Skill Development And Musical Expression In Violin Performance And String Pedagogy Methods, Erin Kim

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

This dissertation proposes the Erin Kim System, a pedagogical framework designed to support sequential technical development and musical expression in beginning, intermediate, and advanced levels of violin performance. This system examines how structured technical progression, guided repertoire sequencing, and a nurturing learning environment with the teacher and parents can foster skill acquisition and long-term musical engagement among violin students. Musical enjoyment and inspiration serve as primary motivators for learning, particularly when students are encouraged to work toward performing aspirational repertoire such as the Sibelius Violin Concerto. By organizing repertoire and supplemental exercises in a clear step-by-step process, this system enables …

The History, Development, And Continual Evolution Of The Percussion Theatre Genre, Steven L. Wimberley

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

During the twentieth century, artists in every discipline sought to create new, original art that would both challenge societal norms and expand their respective art to new extremes. This expansion in contemporary music saw the emergence of electronics, chance elements, “found sounds,” speaking, acting, and physical gestures. As we continue through the twentieth century, we also see the onset of the percussionist as an independent musical artist and a desire for original music for percussion. The intersection of these new developments created what is known as percussion theatre.

Percussion theatre can be broadly defined as a genre of musical composition …

Transcribing Shakuhachi Honkyoku For Bassoon: Notation, Orality, And Perfomance Practice, Adrian Fonseca Tellez

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

This project consists of transcriptions of two pieces from the shakuhachi honkyoku (“original pieces”) repertoire, Kumoi Jishi (Cloud Lion) and Sanya Sugagaki (Three Valleys), with the aim of extending the bassoon’s repertoire outside of the Western canon while exploring the capabilities of the bassoon to emulate the performance practices of the shakuhachi, which include both extended techniques found in current bassoon literature as well as techniques unique to shakuhachi performance. Included in the written document is a brief overview of the shakuhachi and its applications in traditional Japanese music, a description of honkyoku and its characteristics, and the Japanese concept …

Teaching And Performing Ginastera: A Stylistic And Pedagogical Exploration Of Ginastera’S Pampeana No. 1, Paula Toral Navarro

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

This project examines Alberto Ginastera’s Pampeana No. 1 for violin and piano through both stylistic performance and pedagogy approach. The research has two primary objectives: (1) to propose a performance perspective that draws on traditional Argentine musical idioms alongside Western classical practice, and (2) to create a pedagogical guide that supports the development of the technical and stylistic skills required for the work, including a sequence of preparatory pieces. The written document provides an overview of Ginastera’s life, including cultural and political context and an examination of his compositional style within his nationalist period. It also examines selected elements of …

In The Realm Of Dreams: The Feminine Imagination In Music, Katie Scarlett Ellender

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

This project examines selected works by Clara Schumann, Rebecca Clarke, and Lili Boulanger that contain representations of night, dream, and mythology. These composers were influenced by the prevailing artistic movements during their lives, including German Romanticism, Impressionism, and Symbolism, which emphasized nocturnal landscapes, supernatural beings, and liminal states. Descriptive analysis and performance recommendations are provided for selected Lieder by Clara Schumann, Rebecca Clarke’s Morpheus, and Lili Boulanger’s Nocturne. Particular emphasis is given to how each composer uses night, dream, and myth imagery as expressive frameworks that inform decisions on harmonic language, level of cadential resolution, motivic repetition and transformation, texture, …

An Analysis And Performer's Guide Of Boulder Canyon, Hoover Dam By Clark Hubbard, Tyler Hawk

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Clark Hubbard is currently the Assistant Director of the Vanderbilt Marching and Athletic Bands. He is active as an American percussionist, composer, artist, and educator. His compositions have been performed throughout the United States and overseas, including solo, chamber, percussion, and electronic compositions. This document aims to analyze Boulder Canyon, Hoover Dam, discussing how the fixed media influences musical decisions. This document is also a performer’s guide for the piece.

Percussion with fixed media has been composed for since the early to middle 1900s. Inspiration from the techniques and early pieces of fixed media composition can be found in …

Expanding Access To Latin American Art Song: A Study Of Theodoro Valcárcel's Andean-Influenced Art Songs, Douglas E. Perez

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

EXPANDING ACCESS TO LATIN AMERICAN ART SONG: A STUDY OF THEODORO VALCÁRCEL’S ANDEAN-INFLUENCED ART SONGS advocates for the exploration and performance of underrepresented Latin American composers. Multiple methods of increasing access are discussed, including the creation of a central source for IPA, literal, and poetic translations of Latin American art songs; the study of seldom-performed composers, their output, and influences; and the application of these elements through informed performance. This document centers on the Peruvian composer Theodoro Valcárcel and analyzes the intersection of his indigenous heritage with his Latin American and European musical training as reflected in his compositional style …

Let It Ring! And A Red, Red, Rose: Transcriptions Of Brian Nabors’ Orchestral And Chamber Works For Wind Band, Lawrence Williams

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The goal of this project is to create a wind band transcription of the orchestral work “Let It Ring!” and chamber work “A Red, Red, Rose” by Brian Raphael Nabors. Nabors' music has been described as music that elicits joy and draws deeply from his roots in Birmingham, Alabama, and the rich cultural tapestry of Black musical traditions such as gospel, R&B/neo-soul, funk, and marching band culture. He describes himself as a “fuser of worlds” and “boundary destroyer,” intent on crafting a space where listeners can meet themselves, reflect on deeper questions of humanity, and feel grace.^[1] His compositional …

Engaging Underrepresented 11- To 14-Year-Olds In Music: An Autoethnographic Case Study Of A New Inner-City Afterschool Group Piano Program, Eden A. Brown

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Research in music education has documented the underrepresentation of Black students in formal music study in the United States, shaped by economic and cultural barriers (Elpus & Abril, 2024; Alegrado & Winsler, 2020). Access to piano instruction is often limited by the high cost of lessons and instruments, inequitable school funding, and the absence of culturally responsive curricula that reflect the experiences of minority students and families. Traditional piano pedagogy rarely addresses this absence, leaving the piano both symbolically and practically distant for many potential musicians in the United States. This autoethnographic case study chronicles the development, launch, and first …

Bomba E: Tradition And Eclecticism In Selected Choral Works Of Ángel "Cucco" Peña, Luis F. Gonzalez

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

This monograph presents a musical analysis of three choral works by Puerto Rican composer Ángel “Cucco” Peña: Negra Majestad, Bomba E, and Aleluya Criollo. Although Peña is widely recognized for his contributions to popular music and production, these pieces highlight a lesser-known side of his creative output in the choral realm. Each work draws from traditional Puerto Rican genres—bomba, plena, and aguinaldo—while incorporating modern compositional techniques that reflect Peña’s eclectic style and his engagement with both popular and classical traditions.

The study situates these pieces within their historical and cultural contexts, particularly the African diaspora’s …

A Performance Guide To Christos Hatzis’ Songs On Poems By Sappho, Maria E. Thomas

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Abstract

Christos Hatzis’ Three Songs of Poems by Sappho (1999) represents a compelling yet understudied contribution to contemporary art song repertoire. This study examines Hatzis’ settings of Sappho’s Fragments 1, 16, and 44, offering both scholarly analysis and practical performance guidance to make the cycle more accessible to singers and scholars. Through musical and textual analysis, this project reveals how Hatzis bridges ancient Greek lyric poetry with modern compositional techniques. The study demonstrates his innovative approach to word painting, rhythmic flexibility, and extended tonality, showing how these elements honor Sappho’s intimate first-person voice while creating a distinctive 20th-century art song …

The Oboe Thread: Tracing The Evolution Of Viet Cuong's Compositional Voice, Devin Gilbreath

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Viet Cuong is an emerging and highly regarded American composer currently serving on the faculty at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, where he teaches composition, orchestration, and music theory. Cuong's academic credentials include degrees from prestigious institutions such as the Curtis Institute of Music, Princeton University, and the Peabody Conservatory of Music. Over the years, his compositional portfolio has expanded significantly, encompassing a diverse range of genres and mediums, including vocal, orchestral, wind band, and chamber music. His chamber works, in particular, stand out for their fusion of diverse genres and instrumentation. One area in which Cuong has made …

Kevin Bobo's Boboland: A Performer's Guide, Tyler D. Whitehead

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Kevin Bobo is an active American percussionist, educator, and performer that continues to leave a lasting influence in the percussion community. His works for chamber percussion ensemble and solo marimba continue to push the limitations for percussionists in terms of technical ability, new compositional methods and techniques for expanded timbral effects. Bobo’s compositions such as Boboland, a marimba solo with percussion quartet, present technical and musical challenges that are generally unaligned with traditional performance practices in percussion and especially the marimba. This document aims to provide detailed guidance and instruction for the performance of Boboland and will cover all aspects …

The Application Of Syncopated Rhythms In The Development Of Sight-Reading Skills For Non-Keyboard Music Majors, Ronald David Rodriguez Herrera

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

This study investigates the impact of integrating syncopated rhythms into the group piano curriculum for undergraduate music students with varied levels of piano proficiency. Participants (N=76) enrolled in Group Piano II and IV were assigned control and experimental groups across multiple class sections. Three research questions guided the study: (1) How does the introduction of syncopated rhythm patterns affect group piano students’ sight-reading performance? (2) How does consistent practice of syncopated rhythms influence students' ability to sustain a steady pulse? (3) Do students consider exposure to syncopated rhythms a valuable component in their future careers as music educators …

The Legacy Of Auguste Franchomme: Pedagogical Analysis And Performance Practice For The “Twelve Caprices Opus 7 For Cello Solo”, Zi-Yun Luo

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

This written document focuses on a personal pedagogical analysis of the Twelve Caprices composed by the French cellist and pedagogue, Auguste Franchomme. His works have served as significant cello studies for young cellists, comparable in importance to the Twelve Caprices by Carlo Alfredo Piatti and the High School of Cello Playing by David Popper. Each of these caprices is written in different key signatures, tempi, include a variety of bowing styles and techniques, express melodies over a wide range of the cello register, and present unique and ubiquitous issues that cellists may encounter in the canon of cello literature.

In …

“En Clave” Tania León And Roberto Sierra: Autochthonous Music Of Cuba And Puerto Rico, Contemporary Music Composition And The ‘Puente’ In Between, Omar A. Ramirez

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

This document is in two parts. The first examines selected works of Latin-American composers Tania León and Roberto Sierra. Both composers cite their cultural background as a force that shapes their artistic expression. Many of their works are titled in Spanish, with compositions referencing their homelands in subject and narrative, and incorporate the autochthonous music(s) of Cuba and Puerto Rico. Elements of these afrodiasporic musical traditions can be found in their works: Alegre, Batá, Stride, (León), Loiza, and Concerto for Viola (Sierra), each examined here.

Autochthonous musical elements are highlighted in score excerpts and described using …

Audience Participation Structures In The Concert Hall And D, Me, You, We, A Non-Opera For Actor, Chatbot, Musicians, And Audience, Treya Michelle Nash

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Audience participation in the concert hall space has developed into a rich participatory practice with specific characteristics and challenges. Though composers—especially since the 1960s—have written many pieces involving audience participation, asking the concert hall audience to participate remains uncommon. Attempting to shift the role of the audience in such a traditionally spectator-oriented space can lead to tensions that undermine the efficacy of the experience. This research categorizes participatory pieces into the structural elements of performance and facilitation forces, audience groupings, audience roles, and communication types. These structures are used to discuss the complicated relationship between control and agency within participatory …

The Passive-Active Interaction (Pai) Model: Redefining Audio Interactions In Video Game Music, Morgan A. Weeks

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Scholarship on music in video games has focused on the player in two main ways: the psychological effect music has on the player and the physical, kinesthetic relationship between the player’s inputs and the game’s music. This dissertation builds on this work by exploring gameplay moments in which the music informs the player’s inputs through rhythms, tempo, harmonic relationships, and changes in the musical texture. Using “analytical play” (Summers 2016), rhythmic analysis, looping analysis, and harmonic observations, alongside a variety of different video games, consoles and genres, I have developed an analytical Passive-Active Interaction (PAI) Model that is applicable to …

"En Clave" Tania León And Roberto Sierra: Autochthonous Music Of Cuba And Puerto Rico, Contemporary Music Composition And The 'Puente' In Between, Omar A. Ramirez

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

This document is in two parts. The first examines selected works of Latin-American composers Tania León and Roberto Sierra. Both composers cite their cultural background as a force that shapes their artistic expression. Many of their works are titled in Spanish, with compositions referencing their homelands in subject and narrative, and incorporate the autochthonous music(s) of Cuba and Puerto Rico. Elements of these afrodiasporic musical traditions can be found in their works: Alegre, Batá, Stride, (Leon), Loiza, and Concerto for Viola (Sierra), each examined here.

Autochthonous musical elements are highlighted in score excerpts and described using …