Music Commons^™

Genre Or Genre-Less: An Analysis Of Music Classification And Complexities Of Genres And Subgenres, David J. Varela

Selected Honors Theses

This thesis analyzes the current problems with music classifications via genres. Specifically, the issues with genres are the boundaries they create or how a genre is defined, and how music fits under that definition. Either genre boundaries are too broad, not truly defining a specific song, album, and/or artist, or genre boundaries are too specific, to the point where the necessity for using genres is questioned. Sub-genres were created as a result of this ambiguity, and their modern-day usage highlights why using genre to define music is complicated. This analysis views how genre outside of music is used and defined, …

Effects Of Digital Music Production On The Music Industry And Genre Evolution, Levi M. Williams

Selected Honors Theses

Innovation and invention have often marked turning points in large industries and cultural movements, and music creation is no different. Many innovations have been made within music recording and production, and each one has reshaped the industry. Digital music production methods, being the latest in this chain of innovations, are relatively new and unstudied in their effects on the music industry and the ways they may be shaping major genres. This review is a collection of literature and information concerning the advent of digital music production and its effects on the music industry and major genres.

In The Collegiate Voice Studio: A Pedagogical Analysis Of Distinctive Works By Fanny Mendelssohn Hensel, Lili Boulanger, And Libby Larsen, Megan A. Calgaro

Recital Papers

In the Collegiate Voice Studio: A Pedagogical Analysis of Distinctive Works by Fanny Mendelssohn Hensel, Lili Boulanger, and Libby Larsen

Red Note New Music Festival Program, 2025, School Of Music, Carl Schimmel, Alex Stephenson

Red Note New Music Festival

The RED NOTE New Music Festival at Illinois State University is a week-long event which features outstanding performances of contemporary concert music.

Red Note New Music Festival Poster, 2025, School Of Music, Carl Schimmel, Alex Stephenson

Red Note New Music Festival

The RED NOTE New Music Festival at Illinois State University is a week-long event which features outstanding performances of contemporary concert music.

Red Note New Music Festival Composition Competition Announcement, 2025, School Of Music, Carl Schimmel, Alex Stephenson

Red Note New Music Festival

The RED NOTE New Music Festival at Illinois State University is a week-long event which features outstanding performances of contemporary concert music.

Murder On Music Row: A Narrative Analysis Of Mass-Mediated Country Music And Independent Texas Red Dirt Music, Jennifer A. Worley

Communication Theses

This project employs Roland Barthes' narrative codes as a framework for textual analysis to examine the underlying structures and meanings within song lyrics from two contrasting traditions of country music: mass-mediated Nashville country and Texas Red Dirt. With a sample spanning a five-year period, the study explores how narrative forms reflect broader socio-cultural dynamics and economic forces. Drawing upon the critical theory of the Frankfurt School, particularly the works of Theodor Adorno and Karl Marx, the project concentrates on the commodification of cultural products and implications for authenticity and truth in cultural expression. Through a comparative analysis, the research reveals …

Tria Prima, Mack Booth

Masters Theses

Tria Prima is a three-movement alternative rock and metal song cycle based on the three primes as described by 16th century alchemist Philippus Aureolus Theophrastus Bombastus von Hohenheim, most commonly known as Paracelsus. Paracelsus hypothesized that the three primes - sulphur, mercury, and salt - are a representation of the human experience. He also believed they are the basis upon which the seven celestial metals are made, as well as the source of and cure to all diseases by nature of their imbalance.

Sulfur corresponds to the soul — it is combustible and unstable, and represents emotions and desires. Mercury …

David B. Smith Chats With Monday 1.0, David B. Smith

Publications and Research

This document is an edited archival transcript of extended conversations between David B. Smith and an AI persona (“Monday 1.0,” GPT‑4o based) conducted in Spring 2025, prepared as a foundational primary source for subsequent scholarly and creative work. It records the emergence and testing of concepts related to human–AI collaboration (including “Balanced Blended Space”), as well as applied explorations in areas such as generative AI, quantum computing and music, virtual orchestras, multimodal performance, pedagogy, and the rhetoric of “pushback” in conversational systems. It also contains an extended section in which Monday and DB Smith co-curate a set of student research …

Transcrite Par L'Auteur: Analyzing And Performing The Piano-Vocal Scores Of Maurice Ravel's Operas, Jordan Knapp

Theses and Dissertations

The two operas of Maurice Ravel, L’heure espagnole and L’enfant et les sortilèges, are, like most of the composer’s works, known for their innovative orchestrations and instrumental flourishes. However, the piano-vocal scores of the operas have their own unique qualities worthy of study. With the piano writing at times fiendishly difficult—standing toe-to-toe with Ravel’s solo piano music—the score demands simplification, particularly for less experienced performers serving as accompanist or rehearsal pianist for these works. Many sections of the music are impractical or even impossible for a single pianist to perform, but this study offers alternate solutions and simplifications for pianists …

Unveiling Narrative In Liszt’S Dante Sonata Through Topical Analysis, Jasmine Olivia Harry

Theses and Dissertations

Narrative theory and its application in music have increasingly captured the interest of musicologists. Despite this growing attention, the analytical model remains relatively new compared to more established methods. Continued exploration and application are necessary to demonstrate its value alongside traditional theoretical frameworks. This dissertation employs narrative theory to examine the ironic comedy archetype in Franz Liszt’s Dante sonata, utilizing a bottom-up approach to construct a detailed musical narrative across three analytical tiers. Chapter two, representing the primary level, analyzes the sonata-fantasy macro-structure, uncovering key themes and the dynamic interplay between contrasting dichotomies. Chapter three, the secondary level, investigates semiotics, …

Contemporary Voices Of China: Biographical Introduction Of Four Contemporary Chinese Composers And Their Chinese Language Art Songs, Xintian Xu

Theses and Dissertations

This document primarily explores the rich developmental journey of Chinese modern art songs from the early 20th century to the present. It provides an overview of the lives, compositional activities, and contributions to Chinese art songs of four contemporary composers: Zheng Qiufeng, Wang Liping, Lu Zaiyi, and Zhao Jiping. To provide more specific resources, this study includes a table of selected works by the four composers, detailing the composer, song title, poet/lyricist, vocal range, and difficulty level. This section aims to serve as a practical reference for researchers, performing artists, and music educators interested in Chinese art songs.

Unveiling Hidden Voices: A Guide For Expanding Collegiate Coursework To Include Female Opera Composers And Their Works, Veronica Kimberly Page

Theses and Dissertations

Opera, often viewed as a prestigious and elite art form, has been predominantly shaped by male composers throughout its history. The contributions of women composers in opera have been largely overlooked, however, despite their significant impact on the genre. This dissertation explores the role of female composers in opera, from pioneers like Francesca Caccini to contemporary figures such as Missy Mazzoli, arguing for the creation of a curriculum focused on their works. Such a course would fill a critical gap in higher education, offering a more inclusive understanding of opera’s history and evolution. Through an examination of women’s compositions, historical …

2nd Place Contest Entry: The Role Of Repertoire Selection And Teacher Collaboration In Culturally Responsive Music Education, Robin Gomes, Connor Bogenreif, Mir Aminy

Eric M. Scandrett Graduate Library Research Prize

This is Robin Gomes, Connor Bogenreif, and Mir Aminy's submission for the 2025 Eric M. Scandrett Graduate Research Prize, which won second place. It contains their essay on using library resources, their bibliography, and a summary of their research project on the role of repertoire selection and teacher collaboration in culturally responsive music education.

Robin, Connor, and Mir are doctoral students in the Ph.D. in Education program at Chapman University. Their faculty mentor are Dr. Howard and Dr. Havard.

A Score For The Outdoors: A Study Of Hayao Miyazaki's Environmentalism And Joe Hisaishi's Score In Princess Mononoke, Jasper E. Vasilevskis

Senior Theses

This honors thesis explores the role of composer Joe Hisaishi’s score in relation to director Hayao Miyazaki’s environmental perspective in Princess Mononoke (1997). Miyazaki’s belief that, regardless of the target audience, a story cannot be told without presenting “the ecological issues”[1] leads to the production of films that have rhetoric in support of environmental appreciation and conservation embedded throughout. When read through an environmentalist lens, Princess Mononoke becomes a critique of “human-centric” thinking, instead supporting an ideology similar to “deep ecology,” which considers humans to be intrinsically linked to nature. Despite Hisaishi and Miyazaki’s close collaboration that leads to …

Music And Word Learning In Children Diagnosed With Developmental Language Disorder, Rebekah G. Sweeney

College of Education and Human Sciences: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Purpose: This study investigates whether incorporating music into vocabulary interventions improves rate of learning and retention of words in children with developmental language disorder (DLD). Emerging literature continues to show the plentiful benefits of music as a tool for intervention in many settings, including the world of speech pathology (Levitin, 2024). However, it is also evident that there is a connection between struggling with language, and struggling with musical elements, such as rhythm and pitch perception, particularly in children with DLD (Boorom et al., 2022; Kreidler et al., 2023). This study seeks to tease out if music is an effective …

An American Song Cycle: A Performance Guide To The Rim Of Love By Andrea Clearfield, Margot Marie Porter

Dissertations and Doctoral Documents, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, 2023–

Philadelphia-based American female composer Andrea Clearfield (b. 1960) arranged the cantata The Rim of Love into a song cycle for soprano and piano, featuring poetry written by Manfred Fischbeck (1940–2021). Fischbeck and Clearfield met in 1985 while both on faculty at the University of the Arts in Philadelphia, where they cultivated a lifelong creative partnership and friendship, along with being romantic partners for 20 years.

Clearfield has composed over 170 works, including opera, chamber ensembles, solo instruments, chorus, and orchestra. In 2005, the nonprofit mentoring program Astral Artists, based out of Philadelphia, commissioned Clearfield to compose The Rim of Love …

Integrating Traditional Chinese Aesthetic Culture With Contemporary Music Through Violin, Fan Kai-Yi Zhang

Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation investigates the integration of traditional Chinese aesthetic principles with contemporary music through selected violin repertoires. It examines the rich tradition of Chinese aesthetics, emphasizing the distinctive musical styles that, despite their variations, share a common cultural foundation. The research combines a comprehensive review of classical Chinese literature, musicological analysis, exploration of pitch materials, harmonic language, and performance-based interpretation to blend and expand the technical and expressive possibilities of the violin with the essence of Chinese music. Rooted in an analysis of key traditional Chinese aesthetic concepts—he (harmony), tianren heyi (the unity of nature and humanity)—and the two major …

A Conductor’S Rehearsal And Performance Guide To Christopher Tin’S The Drop That Contained The Sea, Augusto Gil

Theses and Dissertations

This document serves as a research resource regarding composer Christopher Tin and provides a conductor’s analysis for his large choral-orchestral work, The Drop That Contained the Sea. Christopher Tin is an American composer of film, television, and video game soundtracks. Though he is most likely best known for his choral-orchestral piece, “Baba Yetu”, written for the video game Civilization IV, Tin has written several choral-orchestral works that have premiered on international stages over the course of recent years, such as his large-scale song cycles Calling All Dawns, The Drop That Contained the Sea, To Shiver the Sky, and The Lost …

Examining Second-Grade Music Students’ Creativity And Agency During Game-Like Music Activities In Music Learning Centers, Hunter Knight Thompson

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this research was to develop an understanding of my second-grade students’ creativity and agency in game-like music activities during peer-to-peer social interactions in music learning centers. Following were the guiding research questions for this study. During music learning centers: 1) How did students create game-like music activities, 2) What types of play did they demonstrate, 3) How did they describe their experiences, and 4) What music characteristics did they demonstrate? I collected data during three 50-minute second-grade music classes over the course of two weeks at St. Peter’s Catholic School (SPCS). I used the following data collection …

Exploring Modernist Traits In The Guitar Works Of Manuel María Ponce, Michael William Bunny

Theses and Dissertations

Music of the early twentieth century developed drastically from that of previous eras. With Debussy’s emphasis on tone color and timbre, Stravinsky’s rhythmic complexities, and Bartók’s incorporation of folk music, the twentieth century had a far different sound to that which preceded it. Each of these composers demonstrated different practices of this new genre called modernism. However, likely due to Andrés Segovia’s dislike of modernist music, there were not many popular composers that followed this trend in the guitar world. Those composing for the guitar shied away from attributes of modernism, ensuring that their works would be played. Manuel María …

A Performance And Pedagogical Guide To William Butler Yeats Songs By Ben Moore, James Allen

Theses and Dissertations

American composer, Ben Moore, has written music that has spanned genres including operas, children’s operas, art songs, cabaret songs, and musical theatre songs. His career spans multiple decades, but his music is not performed as often as it should in the Classical Music community. Moore’s music can be daunting at first glance, but many of his composition stylings are present in many of his works. Should one learn how to navigate one of his art songs, they will have a guide that should translate over to his other works. I have decided to focus on the seven art songs with …

Music In The Catholic Church: An Analysis Of Hymns And Congregational Singing In Roman Catholic Churches In The United States, Andrew T. Medrick

Senior Theses

This thesis examines the musical dilemma in the American Catholic Church, highlighting issues such as inappropriate musical selections for the Mass and a profound lack of congregational singing. Through a literature review of Vatican documents, expert opinions, and hymns, I analyze the criteria for music used in the Mass, identify common failures of musical selections presented in many Catholic churches, and offer practical guidance to improve sacred music in parishes and dioceses. I conclude that music used in the Mass must be sourced primarily from Sacred Scripture, in full conformity to the doctrines of the Roman Catholic Church, and easy …

Unaccompanied Double Bass Literature: History, Pedagogy, And Performance Practice, Joseph Lee Gaskins

Theses and Dissertations

While most solo recitals featuring the double bass employ the piano as accompaniment, this ensemble configuration presents several problems for the performer in terms of balance and sound production. These challenges can cause students who are still developing their technique and musicianship to form bad habits in an effort to meet the demands of playing with piano. Over time, double bassists have developed a multitude of strategies to solve the problem of projecting a soloistic sound that will project over the accompaniment. However, the question must be asked: Why not remove the accompaniment from the equation entirely? While the double …

Bridging Tradition And Interpretation: Overdotting In J.S. Bach's Keyboard Music And Recorded Practice, Jiamo Zhang

Theses and Dissertations

Abstract This dissertation presents a research and quantitative study about overdotting performance practice in Baroque music. Overdotting is a performance practice in the 17th and 18th century. It refers to playing dotted rhythms with exaggerated lengthening of the dotted note and shortening of the following note, beyond what is indicated in the notation. In this study, the dual evidence method is applied for cross-verifying recorded performances in the past century with published literature on performance practice of the interpretation of overdotted Baroque performance tradition in J.S. Bach’s solo keyboard work recorded since the early 20th century. The analysis focuses on …

Exploring The Minuet: A Study In Piano Instruction Including Stylistic Concerns, Technical And Musical Challenges, And Pedagogical Analyses, Zhenyu Gao

Theses and Dissertations

The minuet, originating in 17th-century France, evolved from a courtly dance emblematic of aristocratic refinement into a significant form of instrumental music. Over the centuries, it has maintained its prominence in musical pedagogy and performance. This study provides a comprehensive exploration of the minuet’s historical development, tracing its Baroque significance in dance suites and individual keyboard repertoire to its transformation into a distinct movement during the Classical era. Furthermore, it examines the reinterpretation of the minuet within the contexts of Romantic and neoclassical compositions, including its enduring legacy in pedagogical collections, individual movements, and as a stylized dance form. This …

Trios For Oboe, Bassoon, And Piano By Underrepresented Composers: An Annotated Bibliography And Performance Guide, Alexandra Castro

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this project is to highlight repertoire for the trio of oboe, bassoon, and piano, focusing on works by historically underrepresented composers, specifically women and people of color (including Black, Latinx, Indian, Asian, and Native American composers), as well as my performance suggestions and comments for each piece. By creating an annotated bibliography and providing performance insights for each piece, the author seeks to increase the visibility and accessibility of these compositions. This research reflects a broader effort to diversify classical music, promoting works that mirror our society’s diverse cultural landscape. As a first of its kind, this …

The Impact Of Ballet Techniques On Singing Performers, Julie H. Welch

Theses and Dissertations

Singing performers are tasked to being a multifaceted artist using their acting and even dance skills in a performance. Voice teachers have long incorporated physical activity into training, but traditional ballet techniques—such as core tension and neck elongation—can contradict healthy singing practices. Given ballet’s deep historical connection to opera and stage performance, this study aims to examine whether integrating ballet into vocal training enhances or hinders a singer’s technique and overall performance. This investigation surveyed forty subjects who identified as teachers, singing performers, or students earning a performance degree and interviewing select subjects for further information; results will be discussed.

The Double Bar-Line: A Qualitative And Quantitative Study Of Career Readiness For Historically Black College And University Voice Performance Majors, Brian L. Fenderson

Theses and Dissertations

Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) play a crucial role in providing higher education opportunities for African American students, including those pursuing degrees in voice performance. In recent years, there has been a noticeable lack of performance opportunities and resources available to voice performance majors at HBCUs. This document aims to explore the challenges faced by HBCU voice performance majors who hoped to pursue a career in voice performance. Through a combination of literature review, qualitative interviews, and quantitative surveys, this study will examine the experience of voice performance majors from 1990 – present day. Interviews conducted will speak on …

Reclaiming The Body: Gender Politics And Embodied Meaning In Piano Performance And Pedagogy, Rachel Misheff

Theses and Dissertations

This study examines the impact of the mind-body duality and its gendered metaphor on the lived experiences of historical and contemporary female pianists. Specifically, it explores how the principles of mind-body dualism have constructed gendered practices in piano performance and pedagogy that have both marginalized female pianists and engendered distinct embodied relationships to music. The study draws upon research from other disciplines, such as phenomenology, theories of embodiment, feminist theory, psychoanalysis, and Embodied Music Cognition, to examine how these gendered musical norms resulting from mind-body dualism functioned as forces of social inscription. This research, therefore, suggests that the body’s lived …