Music Commons^™

A Church Musician's Resource Guide To The Available Resources From The Choral Public Domain Library For The Liturgical Year A, Michael John Trotta

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The Choral Public Domain Library (CPDL) represents a free resource to the church musician, and yet, as a user-edited database, has its limitations. This monograph provides a measure of quality control of the broad database presenting a usable resource guide for the church musician faced with the selection and presentation of liturgically suitable choral works every Sunday. Previous guides have been either so general that they make it difficult to locate music or so specific that they highlight individual publishers or composers. This document provides a methodology for selection and classification of freely reproducible choral literature appropriate for the various …

Applicability Of Periodization To Orchestral Audition Preparation On Trombone: A Case Study, Christopher Evan Green

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The process of auditioning can seem daunting because of the high standards of performance required to win. Brass players have a finite amount of time they can practice each day because of the small muscles of the embouchure. Despite the vast amount of information available on preparing for a brass orchestral audition, little has been written on how to organize a practice schedule leading up to the audition. An analysis of literature in the major brass journals confirm which strategies have been considered to be most important when preparing for an audition, but an important component from the world for …

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

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

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

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

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

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

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

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

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

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

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

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

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

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

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

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

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

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

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.

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 …

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

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

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

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 …

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 …

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

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

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

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

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

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

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 …

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

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

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

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, …

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

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

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

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

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

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

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 …

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

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

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

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

The 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

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 …

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 …

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

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

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

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 …

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

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

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

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

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

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