Music Commons^™

Gestalt Principles In Ligeti’S Piano Etude “Desordre”, David William Batchelor

Theses and Dissertations

This document is a study of how Gestalt principles of organization are at work in “Désordre” (1985), the first etude in the first book of piano etudes by György Ligeti (1923–2006). After explaining how Gestalt principles can be applied to the analysis of music, the study presents an analysis of the etude in four main parts. The first part identifies elements of the composition that help the listener define boundaries between phrases, phrase groups, and sections. The second part discusses how foreground and background layers are articulated. The third part discusses the polytempo illusion. The fourth and final part identifies …

A Soul Composed Of Harmonies: George Herbert's Life, Writings, And Choral Settings Of His English Poetry, Benjamin Todd Ebner

Theses and Dissertations

George Herbert’s poetry is among the greatest religious poetry written in the English language. His introspective and nuanced understanding of the human soul and his beautiful style of writing have earned him his place among the great poets. His catalogue is filled with poems ready to be set to music, and dozens of them have been. However, there is no document that seeks to gather an annotated list of these compositions in one place. Further, while a few of these compositions are performed often, there are dozens of other worthy compositions that should be heard on a more wide and …

Effects Of Sight Singing Using Moveable-Do Solmization On The Transposition Performance Of Undergraduate Group Piano Students, Michelle Irene Wachter

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of sight singing, using moveable-do solmization, on the keyboard transposition performance of undergraduate group piano students. Thirty-nine (N = 39) undergraduate non-keyboard music majors enrolled in three intact sections of first-semester group piano courses participated in this quantitative study. Students completed an individual pretest and posttest consisting of a videotaped sight-reading and transposition performance and a pretest and posttest questionnaire. Throughout the six-week treatment period, all students received sight-reading and transposition instruction using identical musical examples. A control group sight read and transposed examples without singing, while students in two …

Aharon Harlap's David And Goliath A Conductor's Guide And Musical Analysis, Tommer N. Hesseg

Theses and Dissertations

Aharon Harlap (b. 1941) is one of Israel’s most prominent and well-known composers and conductors. He was born in Canada and immigrated to Israel in 1964 where his compositions have won numerous awards. His musical output is in a variety of genres: cantatas, oratorios, a capella, chamber and orchestral. Harlap's compositions have been performed in Israel, Canada, the United States, and South Africa, and he has appeared as guest conductor with the major orchestras in Israel, including the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra, the Haifa Symphony Orchestra, the Israel Sinfonietta Beer Sheva, the Kibbutzim Chamber Orchestra, the Israel Chamber Orchestra and the …

Shape-Note Hymnody As Source Material For Modern And Post-Modern Choral Art Music, David C. Guthrie

Theses and Dissertations

The musical repertoire known as shape-note hymns constitutes some of the oldest indigenous music still in use in America. This body of works has been studied for its origins and history, its continuing use in social and pedagogical functions, and its use in settings of worship. However, its use as the basis for performance-oriented, concert music has been far less explored. This present study seeks to examine the ways in which composers have arranged and adapted these hymns into choral art forms throughout the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. In particular, the study will examine the use of this music in …

The Story Of Don Rabbit And Sexy Carrot, Lisa Eleazarian

Theses and Dissertations

THE STORY OF DON RABBIT AND SEXY CARROT

FOR VARIETY ORCHESTRA

Lisa M. Eleazarian

58 Pages May 2014

This thesis project follows the form and model of a tone poem using a compositional style of cartoon music.

The piece acts as a musical representation of a cartoon, in which a rabbit falls in love with a carrot, chases the carrot, and finally catches the carrot only to eat it and die at the end of his meal. The plot line fits well into sonata form, a common western classical music form. The piece is divided into three movements based on …

Gettin' Weird Together: The Performance Of Identity And Community Through Cultural Artifacts Of Electronic Dance Music Culture, Andrew Matthew Wagner

Theses and Dissertations

The growing popularity of Electronic Dance Music (EDM) on nearly every continent has given rise to the transition of EDM music from underground raves to large scale, multiple-day music festivals. Attendance at EDM events, whether at concerts or festivals, is primarily dominated by today's youth generation. The number of youth attending these events continues to grow as elements of EDM are being mixed into other mainstream music genres. This increase in the popularity of EDM has been an area of research interest in the past decades for a variety of disciplines, such as psychology, sociology, marketing, and tourism. The present …

Philosopher In A Jar, Christopher Castillo

Theses and Dissertations

Philosopher in a Jar is composed for vibraphone, piano, electric guitar, and amplified contrabass. The music was inspired by the unpublished short story, "The Galleon," by T.V. Swantek. Drawing from the ideas of the seventeenth century French philosopher René Descartes, the story is a fictional realization of Descartes "evil demon" scenario and references his philosophical idea: "Cogito Ergo Sum." In "The Galleon," the artificial intelligence entity is the "evil demon" and is represented in the music by the use of perfect fourth intervals and steady rhythmic phrases. The protagonist of the story is a consciousness (the philosopher), presumably a former …

The Effects Of Creative Dramatics On Vocabulary Achievement Of Fourth Grade Students In A Language Arts Classroom: An Empirical Study, Annrené Joseph

Theses and Dissertations

Seattle Pacific University

Abstract

The Effects of Creative Dramatics on Vocabulary Achievement of Fourth Grade Students in a Language Arts Classroom: An Empirical Study

by

AnnRené Joseph

Chairperson of the Dissertation Committee: Dr. Arthur K. Ellis,

School of Education

That the arts enhance academic achievement has been a claim of educators for the past century. An empirical and replicable study to investigate this claim was needed.

This experimental study examined whether and to what extent the use of creative dramatics interventions increased the vocabulary achievement of fourth grade students in a language arts classroom. The 20-day study was conducted across …

Folk Influences Of Aaron Copland And Britten, Tyler Krug

Theses and Dissertations

In the more recent past, nationalism, or a pride in one's country, has been the dominating factor for much of the world's historical events. Wars have been propagandized, countries have been fundamentally built, destroyed and reinvigorated, and for better or worse, this principle influences one's beliefs today as one's knowledge of the world expands in conjunction with technology. Folk music has always been a form of national pride and has been used as an exploit for the reasons listed above; therefore composers have maintained an interest in a national sound. During the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, composers began to use …

Patronage: The Renaissance And Today, Thomas E. Adams

Theses and Dissertations

Patronage, as it will be discussed in this context, is the "money and support...given to an artist, organization, etc." (Merriam-Webster.com). The word itself comes from "patronus" in the Latin language, meaning "defender, protector...advocate" (Harper, Online Etymology). The concept of patronage existed long before the Renaissance (14th - 17th centuries), but did not come into the forefront in terms of artistic support until the 1300s. There is no specific, definite date to the start of patronage. In fact, it could be said that a hired person working to complete a singular product is being patronized, meaning that this occurred much earlier …

A Performer's Guide For Two Solo Song Cycles By Darius Milhaud (1892-1974): Catalogue De Fleurs, Opus 60 & Six Chansons De Théâtre, Opus 151b, Jolene Elizabeth Flory

Theses and Dissertations

This study is a guide for vocalists and teachers to assist in the preparation and performance of two of the solo song cycles by Darius Milhaud (1892-1974): Catalogue de fleurs, opus 60 (1921) and Six Chansons de Théâtre, opus 151b (1936).

Chapter one is a biography focusing on the most impactful moments in Milhaud's career. The chapter takes the reader through his early years, education, travels to Brazil, connection with Les Six, career highlights, and years as a professor. The second chapter serves as an introduction to the compositional elements found in Milhaud's vocal works. After establishing the recurring techniques, …

The Culture And History Surrounding “Szomorú Nόták” Of Béla Bartόk’S Twenty Hungarian Folksongs And Its Influence On Bartók’S Settings, Mary Katherine Rawls

Theses and Dissertations

This document is an exploration of the Hungarian culture and history as it pertains to "Somorú nótak" of Bartók's Twenty Hungarian Folksongs. The information presented will provide insight into the Magyar, Hungarian, outlook as well as relevant themes. As a performer, it is important to make these connections and apply them to the musical setting so that a genuine portrayal of the texts and their emotions is possible. Hungarian history, the folksong as it pertains to the Hungarians, and the process by which these songs were composed are discussed in order to establish their importance and background of the content. …

Toward An Understanding Of Contemporary Korean American Piano Music: A Stylistic Analysis Of In-Transit (1999), Piano Sonata (2006), And Inter-Mez-Zo (2006) By Beata Moon, Ka-Young Lee

Theses and Dissertations

Beata Moon is a second-generation Korean American musician who is actively involved in the American music field. She is a performing pianist but also serves as a promoter of new music and aesthetic education. As a composer, Moon has developed a distinctive style that is eclectic and accessible to the audience.

The focus of the study is a stylistic analysis of Beata Moon's three major solo piano works: In-Transit (1999), Piano Sonata (2006), and Inter-Mez-Zo (2006). The analysis includes examination of form, harmony, melody, rhythm and keyboard usage in each of Beata Moon's three major solo piano works. This study …

Claude Debussy: Harmonic Innovations In Historical And Musical Context, Ford Joseph Forqurean

Theses and Dissertations

Claude Debussy's music developed as a product of his environment and culminated in the creation of a unique harmonic vernacular that permeates the twentieth century's tonal language. Through a historical and musical context, his early life through his formative years as a composer will be examined as a natural progression of his environment. The first section of this work will discuss these developments while the second part will analyze the structure and form of the Premiere Rhapsodie for clarinet and piano to illustrate the culmination of this trajectory.

Late Romanticism pushed tonality to its breaking point. Composers were forced to …

Deconstructing David Lang's The Anvil Chorus, Brandon M. Smith

Theses and Dissertations

Usually, when a piece of music is taken out of context, that is, when it is learned and performed without studying the piece, the composer, the musical genre, or the historical significance, the understanding of it for the performer is narrow and limited and the performance is less than ideal. This leads to a substandard realization of the music. Contrarily, a musician should integrate research with the learning process as to enhance the comprehensive understanding of the piece, which ultimately results in a high level of performance. This idea is important for the complex and extensive musical repertoire of the …

Expansion And Contraction In Movements I And Vii Of Gyorgy Ligeti's Hamburg Concerto, Andrew Charles Hannon

Theses and Dissertations

György Ligeti's final composition, Hamburg Concerto (1999, rev. 2002), features his compositional technique of expansion and contraction. The concerto is scored for two flutes, oboe, two bassett horns (both doubling on clarinet), bassoon, solo double horn, four natural horns, trumpet, trombone, two percussionists, and single strings. The natural overtones of the horns offer unique harmonic possibilities that relate to Ligeti's use of expansion/contraction. While several analysts have examined expansion/contraction in other works by Ligeti, no one has yet looked at this technique in Hamburg Concerto, particularly as applied to Ligeti's use of natural overtones. This paper examines the two outer …

The Conscious Guitarist: Alexander Technique And Body Mapping For Guitarists, Alma Sehic

Theses and Dissertations

Musicians “move” for a living, yet many guitarists (among other instrumentalists) seem to be unaware of the quality of their movements in playing and teaching the instrument. This may simply be due to the lack of appropriate movement training and body awareness incorporated into current teaching practices, which leaves guitarists vulnerable to playing-related injuries, pain, and frustrating technical limitations. The purpose of this dissertation is to introduce somatic education into guitar pedagogy and performance, as a means of enhancing performing abilities and preventing injury.

After introducing the basis and principles of Alexander Technique and Body Mapping, the author provides practical …

Critical Editions And Comparative Analysis Of Three Representative Wind Band Works From The French Revolution, Adam Gary Kehl

Theses and Dissertations

The French Revolution witnessed the greatest output of music for wind band before the twentieth century. The importance of wind bands and wind repertoire grew for several reasons including, most notably, their participation in government sponsored outdoor national festivals. Festival celebrations were large gatherings in which wind band music was a central component. The French National Guard Band was the dominant musical ensemble in revolutionary France; its leaders, François Gossec, Bernard Sarrette, and Charles-Simon Catel, were among France's most important musical figures between 1789-1799. These men, in combination with music schools established in Paris during the Revolution, helped shaped the …

The Remaking Of An American Opera: A Detailed Look At Carlisle Floyd's Grand Opera 'The Passion Of Jonathan Wade', Joshua R. Wentz

Theses and Dissertations

Carlisle Floyd's single grand opera, The Passion of Jonathan Wade, premiered in 1962 in New York City only to be placed on a shelf for the next twenty-eight years to collect dust. In 1990, David Gockley at Houston Grand Opera commissioned a revival of the work, prompting Floyd to write eighty percent new music and libretto. The two versions are similar in plot but are set very different musically.

This document examines the composer, a historical background of the American landscape at the time of each premiere, and a brief analytical examination of The Passion of Jonathan Wade in both …

Arts Entrepreneurship: An Essential Sub-System Of The Artist's Meta-Praxis, Jonathan Gangi

Theses and Dissertations

As the field of Arts Entrepreneurship education continues to grow, the barriers it confronts prevent maximum vitality. Leading scholars and administrators indicate that program development and formal accreditation standards are important components supporting the field's growth. As such, this document explores next steps and examines how to move the field towards academic maturity.

First, notable Arts Entrepreneurship academic programs are compared and contrasted as a representative sample of existing curricular approaches. Second, issues of accreditation are analyzed as barriers preventing growth, followed by recommendations for removing these obstacles. Third, the Artist's Meta-Praxis conceptual framework is presented as a way to …

Improvisation In A Fourth-Grade Music Class, Lauren Julia King Driscoll

Theses and Dissertations

With the intent of improving the understanding of music learning, I investigated the processes of tonal, rhythm, melodic, and harmonic improvisation among my fourth-grade students and me. The following were the guiding research questions. 1. How did I adapt music improvisation strategies for my intact class of fourth-grade students? 2. How did those students participate in music improvisation experiences? 3. How did those students describe their music improvisation experiences? Seventeen fourth-grade students participated in this study, and I participated in this study as a participant observer. Over the course of five weeks, I taught ten 50-minute music classes, where I …

Fusion Of Classical Virtuosity And Jazz Techniques In The Etudes Of Nikolai Kapustin: Eight Concert Etudes, Op. 40, And Five Etudes In Different Intervals, Op. 68, Ruby Wang

Theses and Dissertations

Delighting audiences and attracting attention from pianists and fusion composers the world over, Kapustin's distinct and imaginative unification of classical construction and jazz idiom is inspiring and a “breath of fresh air” to traditional repertoire. Kapustin's piano etudes, in particular, are a considerable contribution to standard etude repertoire that remains understudied. Kapustin's etudes are innovative and noteworthy in that his fusion of classical form with modern idioms of jazz and rock, combined with the technical demands expected of a standard study, have not been previously characteristic of the genre. The lack of thorough research and related literature on his works, …

Effects Of Physical Movement In Rhythm Instruction In Early Instrumentalist Development, Jessica Horne-Greene

Theses and Dissertations

The focus of this study was to investigate if including physical movement in instruction improves instrumental music student's rhythmic abilities. Within the rhythmic instruction, the research study specifically focused on student's rhythmic ability and note reading improvements. Participants in this study included instrumental music students in grades four, five, and six, in a middle-class school district (N=18). The control group was given four weeks of traditional rhythm instruction, with a traditional counting method. The experimental group was given rhythm instruction incorporating physical movement over a period of four weeks. Prior to the lessons, both the experimental and control groups were …

The Effect Of Choral Music Education On Literacy Achievement, Keith Alan Hearnsberger

Theses and Dissertations

American education was going through dramatic change in the beginning of the 21st century. The way children were educated was constantly evolving. Public schools, private schools, parochial schools, charter schools, and many other types of educational institutions were affected by various federal and state regulations since the 1960's. The students, teachers, and educational leaders in these institutions were consistently affected by regulations, increased academic demands, and an ever-changing educational landscape. The educational administrator and music educators were required to be innovative when seeking change in policy in regards to educational achievement while maintaining a commitment to choral music education. The …

"Take A Sad Song And Make It Better": Exploring Rewards Related To Liking Unfamiliar Sad Music, John Hogue

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis tested some of Levinson's (1997) ideas on why people like music that makes them sad. A path model of this effect was interpreted from Levinson's theory, and 5 of the paths were tested. These paths were that music would directly create a communion with the song, that happiness and sadness would mediate this effect, that absorption would moderate the direct path, that absorption would moderate the songs' ability to evoke the emotions, and that satisfaction would moderate the emotions' influence on liking the songs.

A pilot study was conducted to determine if the songs evoked their intended emotions. …

Performance Guide For Charles T. Griffes' Poem For Flute And Piano, Elizabeth Diana Heikkila

Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

The Symphonious Saxophone: A History Of The Large Saxophone Ensemble With A Quantitative Analysis Of Its Original Literature, Andrew Justin Allen

Theses and Dissertations

The history of the saxophone ensemble is little understood, even by many of those who lead and participate in the modern iterations of such groups. The aim of this study is to remedy this lack of information and to provide saxophonists with the tools to further explore an important part of the instrument's repertoire. This document will offer a comprehensive history of the genre, from its beginnings in the 1840's, to the near present; and numerical data will be presented on the original works for larger ensembles of saxophones, touching on both instrumentation and the concentration of the production of …

Forgotten Russian Piano Music: The Sonatas Of Anatoly Aleksandrov, Irina Pevzner

Theses and Dissertations

This historical and analytical study focuses on the piano sonatas of Anatoly Aleksandrov (1888-1982), the longest-living Russian and Soviet composer-pianist of the twentieth century. The fourteen piano sonatas, written between 1922 and 1971, reflect not only the composer's evolution of style, but also reveal the vast array of influences which characterize the music of the twentieth century. Chromaticism that results from stretched harmonic sequences, strong melodic lyricism that threads these epic compositions, rich writing for piano, and hints of Russian folklore all contribute to the composer's original style, which synthesizes Aleksandrov's four main figures of influence, namely Rachmaninov, Scriabin, Medtner, …

Atmospheric Patterns And Asian Typhoon Landfalls, Ivetta Abramyan

Theses and Dissertations

The Western North Pacific Ocean (WNP) produces more frequent and intense tropical cyclones (TC) than anywhere else in the world, and these storms greatly impact society. This study examines synoptic scale atmospheric patterns and their effects on landfalling typhoons in Japan, Taiwan and Vietnam using composite analysis at upper and mid-levels of the atmosphere, as well as analyzing teleconnection impacts on tropical cyclone frequency, duration and intensity.

Examined Best Track data (1946-2010) shows an increased likelihood of Taiwan landfalls earlier in the season, Japan landfalls mid-season, and Vietnam landfalls towards the end of the typhoon season. The formation locations also …