Music Commons^™

Concert Recording 2014-04-05, Matt Land, Nick Rhodes, Emily Willis, Christie Onzol

Concert Recordings & Programs

Fantasie op 2 / Franz Strauss -- Songs of sorrow. Chanson ; Valse ; Elegy / James Naigus -- Fanfare for horn and timpani op 33 / Susan Salminen -- Just desserts (frippery style). 1 allegro swing ; 2 allegro swing ; 4 andante bluesy ; 7 allegro swing / Lowell Shaw

Concert Recording 2014-10-15, Dorian Scott, Jacob Hilton, Robert Wiser, Yudai Hironaka, University Of Arkansas, Fayetteville. Tuba/Euphonium Quartet

Concert Recordings & Programs

Take this hammer / Steven Snowden

Exploring The Mediality Of Live And Studio Composition: The Case Of Computer Music, And Its Implications In “Ambivalence Of Density”, Michael Terren

Theses : Honours

This dissertation attempts to apply the communications theory concept of “mediality,” as described by Jonathan Sterne, to the context of music composition for different mediums, namely the media of the live performance and the studio work (the recording, the concrete work). Mediality denotes the complex “web of practice and reference” between different media—how we interact with and perceive media, and how this affects the content of the medium. The mediality of live and studio composition is posited as cross-referential, non-hierarchical and non-dichotomous—a relationship of “dependence and imbrication” rather than antagonistic binaries.

I investigate the mediality of live and studio composition …

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 …

Alberto Ginastera's Twelve American Preludes : Descriptive Analysis And Performer's Guide, Alejandra Saez

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

This monograph presents a detailed descriptive analysis and performer’s guide for Alberto Ginastera’s Twelve American Preludes Op.12. The author emphasizes the study of specific compositional and pianistic techniques for the performer who wishes to develop a deeper understanding of this remarkable twentieth century work. Equally important is the attempt to develop a greater appreciation of the importance and contributions of one Argentina’s greatest composers.

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 …

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 …

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 Introduction To The Piano Music Of Manuel M. Ponce, Luis Francisco Gaytan

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Manuel María Ponce Cuéllar (1882-1948) was a Mexican pianist, composer and educator. A prolific composer, Manuel Ponce wrote orchestral suites and symphonic poems; three concertos, one each for piano, guitar and violin; chamber works; over 400 works for piano, both solo and in ensemble; a large collection of works for the guitar long considered the foundation of the modern guitar repertoire; over 200 songs; choral works and music for the stage. His constant search for and assimilation of new musical materials and compositional techniques lead him to write a large and eclectic catalogue of works. A brilliant pianist on his …

A Master's Recital In Piano, Min Jeong Kim

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

On March 14, 2014, Min Jeong Kim presented a recital in completion of her Master’s degree in Piano Performance. The recital was held at 6 p.m. in Davis Hall at the University of Northern Iowa School of Music. Pieces on the program included: Prelude and Fugue in C minor, BWV 871 by Johann Sebastian Bach, Klavierstücke, Op. 118 by Johannes Brahms, Rain Tree Sketch II by Toru Takemitsu, and Sonata in E-flat Major, Op. 81a by Ludwig van Beethoven.

French Opera And The French Revolution, Etienne Nicolas Mehul, Savannah J. Dotson

Departmental Honors Projects

Although Etienne Nicolas Méhul is relatively unknown today, he was greatly respected by his contemporaries, including Beethoven, Cherubini and Berlioz. He rose to popularity and notoriety during the most turbulent years of the French Revolution, when most intellectuals fled for their lives, and yet he managed to maintain his status as a favorite of the people. From an examination of some of his operas - Euphrosine (1790), Ariodant (1799), Adrien (1792, 1799), and Horatius Coclès (1794) - it is apparent that Mehul used thinly veiled allegories to express his views. His heroes in these operas were Romans, Scottish nobles, and …

Something Wicked This Way Comes: Scoring Hamline University's Production Of "Macbeth", Andrew Brady

Departmental Honors Projects

This project represents a practical investigation into using original underscore in the modern theatrical experience. Over 40 minutes of cinematic, orchestral underscore were composed by the author specifically for Hamline University Theatre Department’s 2014 production of Macbeth. Using electronic scoring methods and digital playback strategies, the music was “performed” with variable timing that was able to directly match the performance of the actor’s for each show. The accompanying written musicological analysis explores the score’s uses of themes, spotting strategies, and integration of the show’s artistic concept. The analysis, in conjunction with the recorded score, demonstrates a cohesive effort to …

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 …

The World Of Tan Dun: The Central Importance Of Eight Memories In Watercolor, Op. 1, Lin Tian

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Tan Dun is a mysterious figure in both eastern and western classical music. His rich music interests, innovative approach, and culturally eclectic writing style have gained him an international reputation. His piano suite, Eight Memories in Watercolor, Op. 1, while conceived as a simple diary of longing for his hometown, is an essential composition in his oeuvre. Although this piece is often overlooked because of its simplicity, I contend that this Op. 1 is a pivotal piano work containing many of the compositional devices used throughout his career. This piece compellingly combines traditional Chinese music and philosophy with western compositional …

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 …

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.

A Performance Guide To Jake Heggie's From 'The Book Of Nightmares', Kristen Bauer Marchiafava

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The document will examine the four songs of the cycle, From ‘The Book of Nightmares,’ in detail and give suggestions for stylistic interpretation and performance. The written document contains four chapters: Chapter One provides biographical information and a stylistic overview of the composer Jake Heggie. Chapter Two contains biographical information and a stylistic overview for the poet Galway Kinnell. Chapter Three will provide information about the premiere and recording of From ‘The Book of Nightmares,’ as well as biographical information about soprano Lisa Delan, for whom the song cycle was written, and reviews of her recording “The Hours Begin to …

Human Perception Of Piano Timbre Variations Relative To The Piano's Dynamic Range, Pitagoras Goncalves

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to investigate the perception of brightness as it relates to loudness variations in piano tone. A single note was recorded with multiple intensities and used as the stimuli. I normalized all recorded notes to be perceived with the same volume and with the same duration. Consequently, the tone quality could be evaluated without the influence of loudness. Professional musicians and music students were invited to participate. I designed a mechanical apparatus, which produced a measured amount of force applied to the piano key. This device was used to record an intensity range of approximately …

A Performance Guide To "Five Musings On The Past" By Elisenda Fábregas For Soprano And Piano, Megan Elizabeth Barrera

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

This document is a performance guide to Elisenda Fábregas’ "Five Musings on the Past" for soprano and piano. Fábregas is a celebrated Catalan-American composer and concert pianist. Highly influenced by the Spanish tonalities and rhythms of flamenco, she has written compositions for piano, woodwinds, strings, guitar, choral, orchestra, symphonic band, and solo voice. Chapter one discusses the life and compositional style of Fábregas. Chapter two lists the premieres and influential poets behind Fábregas’ solo vocal works. Chapter three discusses Fábregas’ musical settings of her original Spanish poetry in Five Musings on the Past. Musical examples for each song are presented …

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 …

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 …

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 …

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 …

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 …

"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 …

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 …