Music Commons^™

A Historical And Theoretical Look At The Percussion Ensemble Work 'October Mountain' By Alan Hovhaness, Joe Willie Moore Iii

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

October Mountain (1942) is one of the standard early works written for the percussion ensemble. There has, however been little examination of the work theoretically. The primary focus of this document is to study the composer, Alan Hovhaness, the compositional structure of the piece, and to provide a guide for performance as well as a historical and theoretical reference for performers, conductors, and pedagogues in the field of percussion. My research included Hovhaness’s life, his compositional styles, and the influence of cultural identity on his compositions. This required the study of compositional techniques used by Hovhaness, particularly in his percussion …

The Good Friday Cantatas Of Christoph Graupner (1683-1760), Marius Bahnean

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Christoph Graupner (1683-1760) was a High Baroque composer who worked primarily in Darmstadt, Germany. He was a student of both Johann Schelle (1648-1701) and Johann Kuhnau (1660-1722) while studying at the University of Leipzig from 1696 to 1707. For the duration of these formative years, Graupner developed a compositional style influenced by the Italian and French masters of the time. As a personal assistant to Kuhnau, and copyist of his music, Graupner had access to the most recent compositional techniques, and thus continued the development of his own compositional style. At the time of his 1712 Kapellmeister appointment at the …

A Perfomance Guide To Anthony Brandt's Creeley Songs, Penny Reid Shumate

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The purpose of this document is to provide a performance guide to composer Anthony Brandt’s Creeley Songs, a song cycle consisting of six poems by Robert Creeley set for soprano and piano. In addition to biographical information about the composer and poet, this document contains details regarding the creation of the cycle as well as analysis and performance suggestions with supporting musical examples for each song. Appendices include the composer’s works list, the composer’s program notes for Creeley Songs, transcripts of interviews with Anthony Brandt, and letters of permission.

Roque Cordero Soliloquio No. 6 And Sonata For Cello And Piano: Structure And Analysis, Isaac Miguel Casal R.

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Abstract Roque Cordero (1917-2008) is the most recognized and accomplished composer of Panama. Even though his music is not yet well known on the concert classical stage, he has contributed to Latin American repertoire with his vast catalog of music. Richness is created by the mixture of twelve-tone technique combined with Panamanian musical folk elements and other Latin-American rhythms. The objective of this monograph is to better understand the Sonata for Cello and Piano and the Soliloquio No. 6 for cello solo, particularly to describe and analyze its structure, and to look for traces of Panamanian folk music. The intent …

Joseph Joachim Raff: A Biographical Sketch And A Conductor's Analysis Of His Sinfonietta, Op. 188, James Fuller Lyon Iv

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Despite its obscurity, Sinfonietta, Op. 188 by Joachim Raff (1822-1882) is an important chamber work for winds and should find its place more frequently on the concert programs of university wind ensembles. In order to test this hypothesis, I investigate Raff’s biography for evidence that might explain its obscurity while leaving the door open to question that status. Furthermore, I investigate the Sinfonietta from a conductor’s perspective and apply a critique of its artistic merit. Several factors explain Raff’s fall from acclaim; none of them relegate his music to permanent obscurity. Based on the composer’s historical significance, analytical results, and …

Symphony No. 1: On The Creation And Chromaticism And Harmony In Henry Purcell's Sacred Music, Joshua Adam Carver

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The first part of this dissertation is a musical composition for orchestra entitled Symphony No. 1: On the Creation. Each movement depicts one of the first four days of Creation as it is recorded in Genesis 1 of the Bible. The music is programmatic throughout; melodies, textures, colorations, and even forms serve this purpose. The entities and creations involved in the story each appear with a specific motive, mode, and tonal area, similar to Wagner’s leitmotifs. The movements have various forms, which often derive from the literary form of the particular day’s creation account in Genesis. The second part of …

A Great Korean Music Pioneer Min-Chong Park: A Performance Guide Of His Selected Violin Works, Sin Myung Min

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Min-Chong Park (1918-2006) was one of the most prominent musicians in Korea and was influential internationally as a performer and teacher. As a composer, he left a large output including string works, vocal works, and short pieces for piano. The combination of the traditional and the modern is the most distinctive feature of Park’s compositions. Park applied traditional Korean performance techniques to western instrumental music, especially when writing for string instruments. The purpose of this research is to provide knowledge of Korean traditional music in selected violin works by Korean composer Min-Chong Park and to bridge the gap between western …

Concerto For Laptop Ensemble And Orchestra: The Ship Of Theseus And Problems Of Performance For Electronics With Orchestra: Taxonomy And Nomenclature, Jonathan Corey Knoll

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

This dissertation is an examination of the problems faced when staging a work for electronics and orchestra. Part I is an original composition and model for the exploration of those problems. Part II is a monograph reviewing those problems and concentrating on issues of taxonomy and nomenclature. Part I is a concerto for laptop ensemble and orchestra titled The Ship of Theseus. It is named after a philosophical paradox. If every component of an object (i.e. the boards of a ship) is replaced with newer parts, at what point does the original cease to exist? Likewise, if the music performed …

"Music Down In My Soul:" Achieving A Sound Ideal For Moses Hogan Spirituals, Loneka Wilkinson Battiste

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

ABSTRACT In 1995, Moses Hogan ushered in a resurgence of interest in the arranged spiritual at the national conference of the American Choral Directors Association in Washington, D. C. The impact of his arrangements was so profound that today he is widely recognized as being responsible for the mid-1990’s revitalization of interest in the arranged spiritual. In a day when various opinions abound on how Moses Hogan’s spirituals should be performed, the purpose of this study was to describe and define the sound ideal for Moses Hogan spirituals. Qualitative methods were used for the collection and analysis of data relevant …

Conducting Elgar's Wand Of Youth Suites : Programming Possibilities And Perspectives On Performance, Vaughn Aristides Cardona

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The purpose of this monograph is to provide a performer’s guide and conductor’s analysis for both of Sir Edward Elgar’s suites op. 1a and 1b, titled The Wand of Youth: Music to a Child’s Play. Sources for this work draw from the extensive scholarly writings on Elgar’s biography, compositional practice, and recordings, as well as from sources discussing issues of conducting analysis, gesture, and concert programming. As common techniques in formal and harmonic analysis are a standard component of performance guides, this work also includes commentary to that effect. The first section of this work briefly situates the composition of …

Toward A New, Musical Paradigm Of Place: The Port River Symphonic Of Chester Schultz, Robin Ryan

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

In privileging music as a focus for applied ecology, the goal of this essay is to deepen perspectives on the musical representation of land in an age of complex environmental challenge. As the metaphor driving public narration of environmental crises, the notion of Earth as our home—signified by the prefix “eco”—brings with it a critical expectation for the musical academy to retreat from bland talk about a “sense of place.” Based on the premise that damaged ecologies are a matter of concern to many people, Indigenous and Settler; and building on the late Val Plumwood’s theory of “shadow” or “denied” …

Bells In Tower At Evening Toll : A Performer's Guide To The Songs Of David P. Rossow On The Texts Of William Shakespeare And A. E. Housman For Baritone Voice And Piano, Matthew Joseph Daniels

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

David P. Rossow (b. 1975) is a contemporary American composer and arranger of choral works, music for jazz ensemble, and most recently, songs for solo voice and piano. This document serves as a performer’s guide to Rossow’s songs for baritone/low male voice and piano, Three Shakespeare Sonnets and Three A.E. Housman Songs. Chapter 1 is comprised of relevant biographical information about the composer from early childhood to present (2014). Chapters 2 and 3 are performance guides to Three Shakespeare Sonnets and Three A.E. Housman Songs, respectively. Included in these chapters are the following: date of composition; source of poetry; harmonic …

Analysis And Expressive Performance : Four Selected Works By Chopin, Timothy David Saeed

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

In this dissertation, I examine four works by Chopin and address issues of expressive performance derived from principles of the nineteenth-century Swiss theorist, Mathis Lussy (1828-1910). Lussy’s systematic approach into the understanding and organization of the individual phrase in relation with performance practice resembles many recent theories of rhythm and performance methodologies. As have several recent theorists, Lussy sought the causes of expressive performance in the structure of the musical phrase, rather than a performer’s artistic intuition, and identified a tripartite classification of accent. The purpose of this study is to adapt and expand the application of Lussy’s theory of …

An Analysis Of "Printemps D'Amour" (Op.40) And "L'Union" (Op,48): Two Programmatic Piano Solos By Louis Moreau Gottschalk, Sam Vaden

LSU Master's Theses

Close analyses of two works by Gottschalk demonstrate, not just his consummate skill in evoking and sustaining extra-musical imagery, but also his firm control of harmony, motivic development, and form. In Printemps d'amour (1855), a mazurka inspired by Gottschalk's love for Ada McElhenney, a romance develops between two distinct theme-actors, both of whom grow ever more entwined. Comparison with Chopin's mazurka op. 50, no. 2, points out general similarities and profound differences. Analysis of L'Union (1862) follows, presenting a pasticcio rife with narrative and irony. The former manifests as a battaglia; the latter, as denial of listeners' expectations. Comparison with …

You Are Set Free, Jennifer Leigh Mitchell

LSU Master's Theses

You Are Set Free is a four-movement orchestra work depicting the story of the disabled woman in Luke 13. The first movement is a picture of her inner conflict of hope and hopelessness she had as a disabled person during the time of Jesus. Her hope is represented in tonal melodies, while her hopelessness is represented in harsh harmonies. In the next movement, the woman’s inner conflict continues. Hopelessness is represented by a twelve-tone row and hope is represented by a tonal melody drawn from movement one. The third movement encompasses the meeting of Jesus and the woman. Jesus is …

Tonal And Topical Coherence In Brahms's Op.10 Ballades, Jacob Joel Gran

LSU Master's Theses

Johannes Brahms composed the op. 10 ballades in the summer of 1854 while living at the Schumann household in Düsseldorf. These pieces are unique within the instrumental ballade repertoire in that they form a collection of ballades published as a single opus. How did Brahms intend the four ballades to cohere as a group, as opposed to a collection of independent pieces? The problem in identifying coherence lies as much within the genre of the instrumental ballade as it does within the musical features of op. 10. These pieces demonstrate a wide range of musical topics, some of which appear …

Poised Between Two Worlds : Nikolai Kapustin's Piano Sonata No. 1 And The Classical And Jazz Tradition, Kit Loong Yee

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The music of Nikolai Kapustin is a roller coaster ride of syncopation, hemiolas, glissandos and perpetual motion. Born in Russia at a time when the communist government forbade such creative foreign elements as improvisation and jazz, Kapustin brought to life an innovative style of music that melded classical and jazz elements into a unique, emotive sound that leaves the listener breathless. The focus of this study is Kapustin’s Piano Sonata No. 1, Op. 39. This study goes through a detailed analysis of the sonata as a whole as well as each individual movement. It also includes a brief biography of …

The Life And Work Of Mark Jacobi: Clarinet Repair In Philadelphia And The Influence Of Hans Moennig, John Anthony Coppa

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Since the invention of the clarinet there have been instrument repairmen and technicians who have properly maintained and serviced those instruments. This project presents the life and work of Mark Jacobi, one of the most influential clarinet repair technicians of the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. It connects the lineage of clarinet repair in Philadelphia and the life and traditions of Hans Moennig with the work currently being done in Mark Jacobi’s repair workshop. This document outlines the evolution of the clarinet barrel from its early incarnation as an attached extension of the mouthpiece section to its modern state as a …

Fantini And Frescobaldi In Rome, Circa 1634: A Study Of Context And Practice, Shelby Allen Lewis

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

ABSTRACT This study clarifies historical evidence as applied to Italian baroque performance practices and repertoire for trumpet and pipe organ, circa 1630. It focuses upon a specific concert; the first historical record of a trumpet and pipe organ duo performing whereby the trumpeter takes a soloistic role. The details surrounding the performance, one involving trumpeter Girolamo Fantini and organist Girolamo Frescobaldi, make wonderful fodder for a more detailed musical look into 17th century Italy. Perhaps most importantly, the process outlined here can be modified and used in the study of music from virtually any genre from any musical period. Ultimately, …

A Tale Of Lovers : Chopin's Nocturne Op. 27, No. 2 As A Contribution To The Violist's Repertory, Rafal Zyskowski

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The purpose of this project is to present a violist with complete transcription and performer’s guide of Fryderyk Chopin’s Nocturne Op. 27, No. 2 originally written for solo piano in 1835. Chopin wrote predominately for the piano, and the nocturnes are some of his most sublime works that have a personal quality that likely reflect a diary of his personal feelings. At the beginning of this document a brief overview of the composer’s lifetime and analysis of the events that took place around the time of composition are provided. Later on, the characteristic genre features, the formal structure, the influences …

A Forgotten Composer And His Music: Two Viola Compositions By Arends, Monica Pamela Rodriguez De La Hoz

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The purpose of this document is to explore the viola music of the unknown Russian multi-talented musician Andrei Fedorovich Arends, in his two compositions written for that instrument: the Ballade for viola and piano, Op. 4 (1885) and the Concertino for viola and orchestra, Op. 7 (1886). The first section of the document provides an essential biography of the composer and information about his artistic highlights. The second section is devoted to a formal and stylistic analysis of the Ballade and the Concertino and their musical influences. The final section provides a performance guide to the Concertino, including the author’s …

Wolf's Spanisches Liederbuch: The Story Of Redemption, Michael Stanley Durham, Jr.

LSU Master's Theses

The study of musical hermeneutics, i.e. the search for finding congeneric and exogeneric meaning in music, has seen a resurgence in recent years, drawing on earlier work by McLaughlin, Coker, Kivy, and Cone. The songs of Hugo Wolf, inspired and molded by the text, lend themselves to hermeneutical study. Neumeyer and Komar have expanded Schenker’s ideas of organic structure to apply them across multi-movement works and song cycles to show the organic unity found within. Wolf’s Spanisches Liederbuch is often casually referred to as a “cycle,” but it does not fit the schema we traditionally hold for cycles in that …

Audio-Based Visualization Of Expressive Body Movements In Music Performance: An Evaluation Of Methodology In Three Electroacoustic Compositions, Yeamin Oh

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

An increase in collaboration amongst visual artists, performance artists, musicians, and programmers has given rise to the exploration of multimedia performance arts. A methodology for audio-based visualization has been created that integrates the information of sound with the visualization of physical expressions, with the goal of magnifying the expressiveness of the performance. The emphasis is placed on exalting the music by using the audio to affect and enhance the video processing, while the video does not affect the audio at all. In this sense the music is considered to be autonomous of the video. The audio-based visualization can provide the …

Supporting Your Instrument In A Body-Friendly Manner : A Comparative Approach, Emanuela Maria Lacraru

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

ABSTRACT The purpose of this monograph was two-fold: (1) to bring together a scattered array of literature about performance injury prevention (related to violin/viola support) into one source, organize and synthesize this literature with the intention of identifying principal issues, compare coverage and recommendations, and identify consistencies and inconsistencies; and (2) to assess the perceptions of upper string musicians and teachers about injury prevention in the context of the literature. For the first purpose, a comprehensive bibliography of relevant literature was developed. For the second purpose, a survey based on information revealed through the literature was developed and distributed. Total …

Clarinet Thumb-Rest Function: The Pedagogy Of Positioning And Electromyography Evidence, Kathryn Elise Young

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Clarinetists bear the weight of their instrument on their right thumb using a small metal attachment called a thumb-rest. The soprano clarinet weighs only two pounds, but many hours of playing can cause general discomfort to severe overuse injury throughout the upper right limb. There is a debate within the clarinet community about the best position of the thumb-rest, yet no quantitative research has been conducted on this issue. This document establishes a historical and modern context for the use of the clarinet thumb-rest. It reviews traditional and non-traditional medical approaches that individuals use to help clarinetists with supporting the …

The Magic Nesting Doll, Michael Paul Mitchell

LSU Master's Theses

The Magic Nesting Doll is the introduction and first scene to a ballet that borrows the story from a children’s book of the same name by Jacqueline K. Ogburn. The Introduction sets the scene for the story by introducing the themes to the three main characters, Katya, introduced by the oboe, the evil Grand Vizier, an octatonic march, and his nephew the Prince introduced by the English horn with a somber yet regal theme. These themes are introduced in that order within the body of the work. Scene I begins the story with Katya working with her Grandmother, who falls …

Exploring A Visual/Sonic Representational Continuum, Lindsay Vickery

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

This paper explores the relationships between sound and its visualisation, focussing upon the issues surrounding representation and interpretation of music through both performative and machine processes. The discussion proceeds in the context of five recent works by the author exploring the representation of sound and musical notation and their relationship to and with performance: unhörbares wird hörbar (the inaudible becomes audible) [2013], EVP [2012], Lyrebird: environment player [2014], Nature Forms I [2014] and sacrificial zones [2014]. Issues examined include: re-sonification of spectrograms, visualisation of spectral analysis data, control of spatialisation and audio processing using spectral analysis data, and reading issues …

De Concentv Amisso Qvaerendo: An Investigation Into The Relative Benefits Of Three Different Types Of Ambient Music On The Observed Agitated Behaviour And Quality Of Life Of Dementia Sufferers In Residential Aged Care Facilities, Peter Wilkinson

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

There is an increasing body of research evidence to support the use of music as a therapeutic modality in reducing the agitated behaviour frequently associated with late-stage dementia. Although much of this evidence suggests that music interventions are most effective when they are “individualized”, this type of intervention is often difficult to implement in large, busy, aged care facilities where residents may be located together in communal areas during the day. The challenge therefore is to try and identify a particular musical genre which, when played as “ambient” or “background” music, demonstrates a consistent capacity to reduce agitated behaviour in …

Elliott Carter And His Use Of Metric And Temporal Modulaton In His Eight Pieces For Four Timpani : An Examination Into The Application Of Click Tracks During The Preparation And Performance Of These Works, Tegan Lebrun

Theses : Honours

Elliott Carter’s Eight Pieces for Four Timpani have become integral works in the solo timpani repertoire. They continue to offer technical and musical challenges to both developing and professional players and have influenced the development of the solo timpani genre to date. These pieces contain metric and temporal modulation – musical processes which alter certain performance parameters concerning pulse and subdivision tempi.

This dissertation investigates Carter’s use of metric and temporal modulation in his Eight Pieces for Four Timpani and examines the effects click track application has on the performance of these works. A brief biography of Carter and his …

Explorations In Double-Stops: Three New Pieces For Expanding The Role Of The Double Bass In The Jazz Ensemble, Ashley De Neef

Theses : Honours

This dissertation investigates the potential for using double-stops - the sounding of two or more simultaneous notes - as a means for extending the traditional role of the double bass, within compositions for a small jazz ensemble. It is the contention of this dissertation that it is possible to use double-stops to perform a more advanced function within the jazz ensemble, without compromising the double bass’ primary harmonic and rhythmic duties.

A historical overview of the history of the double bass within western classical and jazz music will be provided, as to outline and define what the double bass’ role …