Music Commons^™

Pianote: A Sight-Reading Program That Algorithmically Generates Music Based On Human Performance, Drew Schulz

Master's Theses

Sight-reading is the act of performing a piece of music at first sight. This can be a difficult task to master, because it requires extensive knowledge of music theory, practice, quick thinking, and most importantly, a wide variety of musical material. A musician can only effectively sight-read with a new piece of music. This not only requires many resources, but also musical pieces that are challenging while also within a player's abilities.

This thesis presents PiaNote, a sight-reading web application for pianists that algorithmically generates music based on human performance. PiaNote's goal is to alleviate some of the hassles pianists …

The Ideology Of Commodification In The Music Industry, As Exemplified By Taylor Swift, Sydney Taylor Jordan

Communication Studies

No abstract provided.

Law Library Blog (June 2016): Legal Beagle's Blog Archive, Roger Williams University School Of Law

Law Library Newsletters/Blog

No abstract provided.

"A Medium For Meeting God": C.S. Lewis And Music (Especially Wagner), John Macinnis

Faculty Work Comprehensive List

This essay will survey Lewis’s writings and outline the development of his aesthetic ideas in relation to music, emphasizing his enjoyment of Wagner and explaining nuanced references to Wagner throughout Lewis’s works. Moreover, this essay will describe how Lewis’s ideas about God advanced in counterpoint to his ideas about music and how Lewis came to eventually conclude that music is a medium for meeting God. To conclude, I share ways in which Lewis’s ideas have influenced and strengthened my own teaching of Wagner in Music History and Literature classes.

The W. Ormiston Roy Memorial Lecture: Who Wrote The Scots Musical Museum? Challenging Editorial Practice In The Presence Of Authorial Absence, Murray Pittock

Studies in Scottish Literature

James Johnson’s Scots Musical Museum, published in six parts in Edinburgh over the period 1787-1803, is now inextricably linked to its greatest contributor, the poet, song-writer and song-collector Robert Burns. This lecture builds from Murray Pittock’s recent editorial work on Johnson’s collection, forthcoming in the new multivolume Oxford Edition of Robert Burns, based at the University of Glasgow. The lecture shows that the apparently-innocent question “Who wrote the Scots Musical Museum?” is a complex one, raising very fundamental questions about the nature of authorship and editorship in the necessarily collaborative and social enterprise of song publication, and it …

Classical Vibe -The Viking Bassoon Ensemble, May 29, 2016, Lawrence University

Conservatory of Music Concert Programs

Harper Hall

Lawrence Horn Ensemble & Friends, Earth, Fire, And Water, May 29, 2016, Lawrence University

Conservatory of Music Concert Programs

Memorial Chapel

Lupé (Lawrence University Percussion Ensemble), May 29, 2016, Lawrence University

Conservatory of Music Concert Programs

Memorial Chapel

String Chamber Music Recital, May 29, 2016, Lawrence University

Conservatory of Music Concert Programs

Harper Hall

Franck Symphony In D Minor, Lawrence University Symphony Orchestra, May 28, 2016, Lawrence University

Conservatory of Music Concert Programs

Memorial Chapel

Spring Shall Bloom! Lawrence University Choirs, May 27, 2016, Lawrence University

Conservatory of Music Concert Programs

Memorial Chapel

Lawrence University Jazz Ensemble, The Music Of Fred Strum, May 25, 2016, Lawrence University

Conservatory of Music Concert Programs

Memorial Chapel

Guest Recital, Drew Whiting, Saxophones, John Mayrose, Electric Guitar, May 24, 2016, Lawrence University

Conservatory of Music Concert Programs

Harper Hall

Nonlinear Harmonic Modes Of Steel Strings On An Electric Guitar, Joel Wenrich

Senior Theses

Steel strings used on electric and acoustic guitars are non-ideal oscillators that can produce imperfect intonation. According to theory, this intonation should be a function of the bending stiffness of the string, which is related to the dimensions of length and thickness of the string. To test this theory, solid steel strings of three different linear densities were analyzed using an oscilloscope and a Fast Fourier Transform function. We found that strings exhibited more drastic nonlinear harmonic behavior as their effective length was shortened and as linear density increased.

What Makes Music Christian?, John Macinnis

Faculty Work Comprehensive List

"Music, cultivated as it should be, awakens our senses and our understanding of what is possible in this good world."

Posting about defining Christian music from In All Things - an online hub committed to the claim that the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ has implications for the entire world.

http://inallthings.org/what-makes-music-christian/

Soleriana, Lawrence University Wind Ensemble, May 21, 2016, Lawrence University

Conservatory of Music Concert Programs

Memorial Chapel

Brame, Lawrence R. (Fa 861), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

Folklife Archives Finding Aids

Finding aid only for Folklife Archives Project 861. Collection consists of Negro spirituals collected from individuals in Kentucky. Song lyrics are provided along with the names of sources who provided each song. This project was conducted by Lawrence R. Brame for a folk studies class at Western Kentucky University.

Spring Term Keyboard Department Area Recital, May 25, 2016, Lawrence University

Conservatory of Music Concert Programs

Harper Hall

Composition Studio Recital, May 22, 2016, Lawrence University

Conservatory of Music Concert Programs

Harper Hall and Memorial Chapel

Guest Recital Ketil Haugsand, Harpsichord, May 20, 2016, Lawrence University

Conservatory of Music Concert Programs

Memorial Chapel

Flute Studio – Freshman Recital, May 20, 2016, Lawrence University

Conservatory of Music Concert Programs

Harper Hall

Faculty Recital, Luba Poliak, Piano, May 22, 2016, Lawrence University

Conservatory of Music Concert Programs

Memorial Chapel

Soft Sound: A Guide To The Tools And Techniques Of Software Synthesis, Quinn Powell

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

“Soft Sound” is an examination of software synthesis, the act of using computer software to create audio signals from scratch. It begins with the basics of sound, a prerequisite for understanding any form of synthesis. Then, it delves into a quick history of analog and digital synthesizers before jumping into the heart of the paper: a look at the forms of synthesis that are commonly done in software rather than analog hardware. These forms include wavetable modulation, frequency modulation, and granular synthesis. Different environments for implementing such techniques will be discussed, ranging from user-friendly virtual synthesizers to low-level programming environments. …

A Comparative History And The Importance Of Chamber Music, Aaron M. Sacks

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

This capstone presentation focuses on the role of chamber music in both social and academic contexts. Using examples from the past five centuries and including local examples, parallels and divergences are drawn to points of most import. The spotlight is upon three areas: a) what the role of chamber music was in the past, compared to today; b) why it is an important genre, to both musicians, as well as non-musicians, and c) in what ways more exposure to the form can be built. Much of the focus is on composers and their influence, but the impact of and upon …

Spring Opera Scenes, May 19, 2016, Lawrence University

Conservatory of Music Concert Programs

Stansbury Theatre

2015-2016 Bak Piano Showcase And Performance Workshop With Dr. Roberta Rust, Roberta Rust, Kathleen Nguyen, Deven Seedial, Marcus Amoranto, Alan Bencosme, Sara Abdo, Maria Arat, Jason Ibalarrosa, Martin Lu, Gabriel Sun

Other Seasonal Concerts

No abstract provided.

Lawrence University Jazz Band, Women Jazz Composers, May 18, 2016, Lawrence University

Conservatory of Music Concert Programs

Memorial Chapel

Lee, James C. (Fa 857), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

Folklife Archives Finding Aids

Finding aid only for Folklife Archives Project 857. Paper: “The Negro Church” which covers various aspects of the African American church experience, including songs, leadership, and self-expression. Titles and song lyrics are provided from the Eleventh Street Baptist Church in Bowling Green, Kentucky. This project was conducted by James C. Lee for a folk studies class at Western Kentucky University.

Instruments Of War: A Canadian Musician In A Rhode Island Regiment, Ryan M. Nadeau

The Gettysburg Compiler: On the Front Lines of History

Canada! America’s hat! Our friendly little brother to the north. The home of hockey and Tim Horton’s and your home, too, when that other political party elects their crazy candidate. All jokes aside, the United States has long had a close relationship with our northern neighbor, and the Civil War proved no exception. An estimated 30,000 to 50,000 Canadians fought during the war, typically on the side of the Union due to their geographic proximity and cultural sympathies. Of that number, approximately 5,000 were killed. [excerpt]

Classical Guitar Studio Recital, May 15, 2016, Lawrence University

Conservatory of Music Concert Programs

Harper Hall