Music Commons^™

Thematic Synthesis: Rethinking Generative Music With Compositional Understanding In Game And Software Development, Jasper Moore Tucker

Dartmouth College Master’s Theses

Generative music, first introduced by composers like Brian Eno and David Cope in the mid-to-late 20th century, has evolved through many stages, with diverse applications across music and technology companies as well as the game industry. However, despite this widespread interest, there remains a notable lack of the foundational understanding of composition and individual expressiveness in current generative systems that was apparent in the work of early composers. This paper advocates for a shift towards prioritizing compositional thought in system design to foster greater diversity and innovation within generative music. To demonstrate this approach, a novel system synthesizing two distinct …

Jazz And Innovation: The Art Of Covers, Cyon Sailor

Honors College Theses

This paper explores the relationship cover music and Jazz standards have with innovation. Icelandic Jazz singer, Laufey, is used as a case study after the author covers one of her original songs and applies fundamental truths of musical reinterpretations to her versions of Jazz standards.

“Elegy For A Flower” - Remote Orchestral Session/Score-Focused Film, Logyn Okuda

Student Scholar Symposium Abstracts and Posters

Within the many aspects of a film exists the epicenter that is visual storytelling. Music production within film always becomes a point of discussion after the fact, as composers will use their musical expertise to aid the established vision of the filmmaker. Despite music technology having evolved to recreate the sound of an orchestra, the role of music remains the same. However, what if the roles were reversed? Through this endeavor, I sought out to find the impact of a multimedia work when music becomes the primary focus of storytelling. Explored in the past by Disney's "Fantasia" and Phillip Glass' …

Eliciting A Syncopated Response From An Ensemble, Thomas Trautman

Dissertations

This dissertation began the process of aggregating available knowledge on the subject of eliciting a syncopated response from a musical ensemble from professors of conducting and conducting textbooks, searching for commonalities, and distilling them into several independent variables which can then be quantitatively tested in an experimental or quasi-experimental setting in future research.

Participants (n = 11) were Directors of Choral Activities, or any other job title with similar responsibilities, at universities which confer doctoral degrees in Choral Conducting. Each participant was required to have a different educational background than every other participant. Participants were given 15 examples of …

Camp À La Campagne: Francis Poulenc’S Les Animaux Modèles, C.J. Everett

Dissertations

Francis Poulenc’s ballet Les Animaux modèles [The model animals] premiered in 1942 at the Paris Opéra during the German occupation of Paris to favorable reviews from prominent voices in the Parisian musical scene. Set in the French countryside (la campagne) in the seventeenth century, the ballet is a seemingly honest depiction of quaint rural life. To create the short vignettes that comprise the work, Poulenc (1899–1963) adapted well-known fables of the poet Jean de La Fontaine (1621–95). Existing discussions of Les Animaux modèles primarily focus on the ballet’s conception during World War II and the political implications of …

Einstein's Dream By Cindy Mctee: An Analysis And Transcription For Wind Ensemble, Kyle Aufderhar

Dissertations

Cindy McTee’s 2005 composition for strings, percussion, and computer music is an exploration in pluralism, combining newly composed music and computer-synthesized sounds with the music of Johann Sebastian Bach and Charles Ives. McTee’s initial use of Bach’s music comprises the complete harmonization of the chorale “Wir glauben all’ an einen Gott.” In later sections of the work, McTee creates entire textures from the chorale’s soprano line, subjecting it to a variety of treatments including augmentation, diminution, inversion, retrograde, and retrograde inversion. In addition to the inclusion of his music, McTee reiterates the importance of Bach through composition that relies on …

2023-2024 The Class Of 2024 In Concert, Kenton Campbell, Sheng Yuan Kuan, Aneliya Novikova, Clair Ives, Clarece Lamarr, Amelia Dixon, Fabiola Parra, Yance Zheng, Angela Fiedler, Yu-Hsuan Feng, Jafet Diaz, Niloufar Mirzanabi Khani, Jon Cruz, Kari Jenks, Noah Suarez, Kyle Mechmet, Nataniel Farrar, Graydon Howard

Other Student Recitals

No abstract provided.

Charting The Stars: Hypatia Of Alexandria For Solo Violin And Chamber Wind Ensemble, Amanda S. Ellery

Music Graduate Theses

This is a score and analysis of Charting the Stars: Hypatia of Alexandria which is for Solo Violin and Chamber Winds. This piece is a single movement tone poem representing Hypatia of Alexandria’s life. The piece has six sections, and each represents a different part of Hypatia’s life, leading to her violent murder. The first section represents Hypatia’s childhood learning. The second section represents Hypatia growing into a respected philosopher. Next represented is Hypatia’s connection to Neoplatonism, followed by a section that represents Hypatia’s life as a public philosopher and political advisor. The fifth section shows political and religious conflict …

Music In The Sky Like Bombers: Representations Of Airplanes In Interwar Futurist Music, W. E. Cooke

Music Graduate Theses

Since its founding in 1909 by F. T. Marinetti, the artistic movement of futurism gathered momentum as a politically charged avant-garde that challenged tradition and day-to-day life while promoting nationalism, war, and complete artistic expression. Marinetti and his artistic movement followed fascisms’ slow march to power through multiple aesthetic phases, beginning with the study of movement through plastic dynamism (1909-1919), engaging with speed and controlled power through machine aesthetics (1920-1929), cumulating with the more mystical aeroaesthetics (1929-1944), which Marinetti described as “the daughter of fascist aviation and Italian Futurism.”

This posturing was not done merely in support of fascism. In …

A Zipfian Distribution Of Sets In Honor Of The James Webb Space Telescope, Timothy D. Blaisdell

Music Graduate Theses

A Zipfian Distribution of Sets in Honor of the James Webb Space Telescope is a trio for Clarinet, Viola, and Piano. The piece aims to celebrate the accomplishments of several international teams responsible for the completion of the JWST, as well as honor the spirit of human space exploration as it works to reveal the universe to us. Each movement is titled after one of the images that NASA released in July 2022. The first is The First Deepfield which captures the broad expanse of space full of speckled galaxies twisting under the effects of gravitational lensing. The second is …

Implementing Music To Increase Elementary Student Focus, Kathryn Garceau

Master's Theses

This action research project used a mixed methods design to address the effect of different types of music on student focus while performing an independent task. Despite its success with memorization, does music work equally as well on student focus? Data was collected over a period of three weeks for 30 minutes each morning for 5 days each week. The music played while students completed the task changed each week. This included lyrical songs during week one, classical music during week two, and instrumental versions of songs students knew the lyrics to during week three. Four behavior markers were observed …

Becoming The Music Teacher: Stories Of Generalist Teaching And Teacher Education In Music, Danielle Sirek, Terry G. Sefton

Education Publications

Teacher preparation for generalist (non-specialist) elementary teachers in Ontario typically comprises one compulsory music class. In entry surveys, many generalists describe themselves as highly apprehensive about and unconfident in their ability to teach music, confirming previous research. Using narrative inquiry, we explore the stories of both preservice and in-service generalist teachers. Data from focus groups with preservice teachers revealed that most participants felt markedly more comfortable with the prospect of teaching music in primary grades after taking our music courses; while fewer expressed confidence in teaching music to junior/intermediate grades. However, preservice teachers are rarely given the chance to observe …

Un-Yung La’S Sanjo For Violin And Piano; A New Era Of Korean Music After The Colonial Period, Dongwook Cheon

Doctoral Projects

Un-Young La (1922-1993), a prominent modern Korean composer, was born amidst the Japanese occupation of Korea. Despite receiving Western-style musical training in Japan, La dedicated himself to uncovering the forgotten essence of Korean traditional music. His objective was to illuminate its greatness while striving to instill national pride in those who endured the devastation following the Japanese colonial period and in the aftermath of the Korean War. Throughout his lifetime, Un-Young La composed over a thousand pieces across diverse genres, including symphonies, chamber music, operas, vocal works, and sacred music. Additionally, for nearly four decades, he imparted his knowledge and …

Sounds Of Progress: Western Art Music In The Age Of Enlightenment And Romanticism, Phoebe Robertson

ATU Faculty OER Books and Materials

No abstract provided.

An Analytical Study Of The Sound Design And Production Techniques Of Idm Artists, Robert C. Stevens

Composition/Recording Projects

This paper analyzes the sound design and production techniques of IDM artists, and how these techniques can be incorporated into the process of writing commercial music.

Digital Orchestration In Media Compositions, Jimmy Bartley

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

As composers gain access to better tools, digital mockups have increasingly grown in popularity. Composers often aim to emulate an idealized orchestral sound in their mockups. By understanding the nature of acoustic orchestration and instrumentation, specific techniques and approaches for virtual instruments and sample libraries, and methods to process and manipulate MIDI audio, composers can achieve this idealized sound. This thesis will focus on the common techniques and methods that composers can use to achieve this in digital mockups. Concluding the thesis is an original work that combines digital and live instruments while exploring different techniques to achieve an ideal …

Engaging Students In Learning Music Theory Fundamentals And Preparing For College Level Music Theory, Marissa Aronson

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The goal of this thesis is to provide teachers resources to prepare students for college-level music theory by using the keyboard. By providing visualization of patterns, the keyboard provides a superior tool to create a smooth transition between pre-college and college-level music theory instruction. In search of easing the passage between these levels, I interviewed numerous piano teachers who provided suggestions on how they include the keyboard to teach theory. After the interviews, I compared piano lesson theory books and college theory textbooks to compare their approaches. To assist with any gaps found in the theory books, I provide some …

Defining Recomposition Through The Works Of Gregson, Richter, And Peck: Creating A Dialogue With Vivaldi And Bach To Compose New Music., Amanda Peck

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Recomposition has been a commonly utilized compositional method for hundreds of years, yet there is no universally accepted definition in the musical community. The existing literature on the subject is limited, so this project will examine various sources to define this term more accurately. This research analyzes successful recompositions for string ensemble, Peter Gregson’s Bach - The Cello Suites Recomposed (2018) and Recomposed by Max Richter: Vivaldi - The Four Seasons Recomposed (2012), and my two new compositions, Air on the G String Recomposed and Vivaldi Cello Sonata No. 3 in A Minor Recomposed. My compositions incorporate the …

A Comparative Analysis Of Sacred Harp And Convention Style Music: Similarities And Differences Of Performance Practice, Chad Hunt

Doctoral Projects

Historically, choral conductors draw from Western European choral traditions when programming music. They tend to avoid selecting early American music, mainly due to lack of knowledge and exposure. Shaped-note music was a foundational component to the early American musical tradition. Upon entering college, many musicians have no concept of shaped-note music, and therefore often overlook this unique and rich heritage. Without the resources and skills, a conductor cannot be expected to feature this important genre in their choral programs. When asked about shaped-note music, most musicians reply that they know this music exists, but that is the extent of the …

Music Education: Right From The Start. Primary Teachers Survey - South Australia, Rachel Felgate, Toby Carslake, Tanya Vaughan

School and system improvement

A broad-ranging survey of teachers and representatives from 115 South Australian government primary schools. The research in South Australia underscores overwhelming support among teachers for the benefits of music learning. However, it also highlights widespread concerns regarding inadequate investment in teacher training, dedicated facilities, and necessary resources.65% of respondents indicated that less than nine hours were allocated to music learning within their initial teaching degrees. Additionally, only about half (53%) said their school has appropriate musical equipment, with just 7% reporting having a purpose-built building to conduct music learning.

Accessible & Inclusive Music-Making, Lincoln Byass

Postgraduate

This research project aimed to assist musicians with intellectual disabilities in the collaborative music-making process. By designing and implementing accessible techniques, the study addressed the question: "What songwriting and music production techniques can support musicians with intellectual disabilities to create original music?" The outcome was a framework of techniques and three original compositions created in collaboration with these musicians.

Using qualitative methods such as autoethnography, action research, observations, and music-specific practices, the project involved multiple collaborative sessions where participants actively engaged in music composition and recording. Techniques included pre-production interviews, influence analysis, instrument experimentation, and lyrical exploration. The findings highlight …

Flamenco, Gender Roles, And Female Empowerment In Granada, Spain, Dana F. Giordano

Senior Honors Projects

During the 2023-2024 academic year, my academic pursuits led me to Granada, Spain. This city is nestled within the culturally rich region of Andalucia, renowned as the birthplace of flamenco. Immersed in the study of Spanish language and culture, but also cognizant of prevalent issues of sexism deeply rooted within its societal fabric, I decided to explore gender expression and dynamics in flamenco. For this project, I researched Laura Mulvey's notion of the “male gaze,” a feminist theory that argues that the depiction of women in art and media supports a patriarchal society. Women are often portrayed as objects for …

Love Vs Duty?: Resisting The Idealized Woman And Subverting The Perennial Choice For Women In Opera, Lindsay Uhrich '24

Honor Scholar Theses

This thesis serves to be an analysis of the stereotypes that women in opera tend to have as well as of common traits or outcomes that these characters experience. While there is discussion on how these traits have been harmful, the idea of opera being a method for these characters to be envoiced in a way that other genres couldn’t be able to do is explored, and is specifically focused on three case studies of women defying the destinies set upon them while still emerging triumphant. The first case mentioned is in the Baroque opera L’incoronazione di Poppea, where the …

Researching & Designing Marketing Materials For Rachel Messer & Connor Dale, Isabelle Bauer

Honors Projects

Isabelle Bauer’s Honors Project, “Researching and Designing Marketing Materials for Rachel Messer and Connor Dale” is split into two components. First, the research paper titled "The American West as a Cultural Phenomenon" explores the fascination with the American West and its integration into various aspects of American culture, particularly in music, film, and art. The essay discusses the historical significance of the West and its transformation into a cultural obsession. Focusing on the resurgence of Western aesthetics in modern country music, the project’s second component involves the creation of marketing materials for country artists Rachel Messer and Connor Dale.

The …

The Kansas Band’S Musical Depictions Of Spiritual Quests, Elizabeth Romero

Master's Theses

The progressive rock genre has been an intriguing subject of study for the scholarly community, especially within the last 30 years. An understudied part of the progressive rock scene, however, is its manifestation in the United States through the band Kansas. The band from 1970’s Topeka is acknowledged by Mitchell Morris as troublesome for critics due to the hybrid use of European art music and blues influences. It is no wonder a large study of Kansas music has not taken place due to the maligning of the band by its critics as well as the controversial views regarding pretentiousness of …

Book Review: Something In The Water: A History Of Music In Macon, Georgia, 1823-1980, Timothy Cole Hale

Georgia Library Quarterly

No abstract provided.

Production Process Of Music Videos And Significance Of Understanding Music, Amanda Grace Dalmacio

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

This paper provides information about music videos, perspectives from film scholars and authors, information about what the process of making a music video looks like, and an interview (appendix pg.11) from a documentary that was filmed to get a personal view on the production process of music videos.

Lived Musical Experiences Of Autistic Adults, Anetta Fortner

Graduate Thesis Collection

This research set out to explore the relationship between autistic individuals and music. Current research on autism and music education focuses primarily on the accounts of teachers, parents, and other stakeholders, and does not center autistic voices. The following research questions guided this study: (1) What can we learn from autistic adults, specifically those still involved in music, about their lifelong experiences in music and music education? (2) What insight can we gain from these experiences to create more inclusive environments for autistic individuals? To answer these questions, autistic adults who self-identified as still involved in music completed a short …

Bedeviled Beauty: My Journey Through White American Theater Institutions, J'Aila C. Price

LSU New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

Game console: Oculus Quest

World: American Theater Institutions

Player: Minority

Place: United States

Level: “Ain’t no way.”

This thesis explores the contrast between the Westernized philosophies ingrained in my education and my identity as a Black female artist. It sheds light on the difficulties of pursuing higher education in the arts and the gaps that arise from limited exposure to culturally diverse Black resources, revealing the systemic issues in Western performance education. The paper also discusses the insights gained from my journey as a Black female artist, focusing on my thesis performance of Blood at the Root, which is …

A Performance-Based Exploration Of Vocal Anatomy And Pedagogy: Maximizing Technical, Stylistic, And Physiological Frameworks For Superlative Vocal Technique In Artistic Function, Michael J. Civitano

LSU New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

This study investigates the influence of specific frameworks in performance and vocal pedagogy on artists' capacity to enact evidence-based learning outcomes, with emphasis on vocal physiology and educator-performer relationships. Employing an experimental design, five philosophies that support capacity-building were tested across two trial settings, varying in intensity. The participant utilized narrative reasoning, diversified methods, and mentorship from specialized educators to apply frameworks. Findings indicate that, in practicing evidence-based learning and maximizing anatomic foundations of the voice, substantial developments in artistic capacity ensued. Educator-performer relationships mediate this process through reciprocal collaborations that foster capacity-building. Performers display optimal artistic capacity by effectively …