Composition Commons^™

Jonathan Green, Charlie Schlenker

Interviews for WGLT

"How Do You Get To Carnegie Hall? Write - As Well As Practice"

An Illinois Wesleyan University composer recently had a work of his debut at Carnegie Hall. WGLT's Charlie Schlenker has more.

Folk/Traditional Music Of West Virginia Arranged For Classical Guitar Ensemble, Júlio Ribeiro Alves

Music Faculty Research

My motivation for writing this book grew from my desire to better understand the people and the music heritage of West Virginia and to share the findings of my experience, with the guitar community, in the form of guitar ensemble arrangements.

Music And Art: Exploring Cross-Pollination., Chelseigh Robinson

Undergraduate Honors Theses

As a music student who was always more attracted to the “academic” side of music rather than the performance side, I have come to hold a great respect for music history. This interest only grew when I got the opportunity to study music for a semester in Edinburgh, Scotland. Being surrounded by so much history, both musical and artistic, only fed my passion. I began to notice many similarities between the development of music and art both during lectures at the university and in my leisure time in galleries. I noticed that composers and visual artists in the same time …

Follow The Dotted Line: Composition Portfolio With Commentary., David Bremner

Doctoral

This research consists of a portfolio of original musical compositions, accompanied by a commentary which examines the aesthetic and technical aspects of each piece and of the body of work as a whole. It traces the development of a mature and original compositional style. The works presented share a focus on the concept of line. This concept is explored in a range of diverse instrumentations (orchestra, choral, solo instrument/voice, chamber ensemble, electronics) and diverse compositional methods (fully-notated scores, graphic scores, devised improvised schemes). The emphasis is on lines that are constrained within a particular pitch register, while being explored fully …

Solo Composition Recital (October 26, 2013), Dominic Dousa

Selected Works Temporary Series

Faculty Compositon Recital, presented by Nayeli Dousa (Universidad Autonoma de Ciudad Juarez) and Dominic Dousa (piano). Performances of the following original compositions: "Lands of Enchantment"

Harmon, Arlis Odell, 1905-1992 (Mss 153), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

Manuscript Collection Finding Aids

Finding aid only for Manuscripts Collection 153. Poems, 1934-1991, obituaries, 1964-1990, written by Arlis Odell Harmon, a gospel song writer and enthusiast, of Allen County, Kentucky. Includes correspondence about gospel music, genealogical data, photos, etc.

Beethoven's Opus 96: The Sonata For Piano And Violin Perfected, Paul S. Roberts

Honors Theses

This thesis attempts to shed light on Beethoven's final sonata for Piano and Violin, the Sonata for Piano and Violin op. 96 in G major. Presented first is a survey of music for violin and piano throughout previous centuries (in itself a valuable resource for those who want to approach this ambiguous and disorganized subject) followed by a discussion of Beethoven's sonatas leading up to the composition of Opus 96. Then follows a more detailed discussion of the piece itself as seen through the eyes (more accurately, heard through the ears) of one who has prepared a performance of it …

A New Kind Of National: Modified String Quartet Practices In Post-Soviet Eurasia, Adam Taylor Lenz

Masters Theses

This thesis examines the practices of string quartet modification implemented by three post-Soviet Eurasian composers: Franghiz Ali-Zadeh (Azerbaijan), Vache Sharafyan (Armenia), and Dmitri Yanov-Yanovsky (Uzbekistan). After an introduction to the geography of the region and the biographies of the composers, their works containing modified string quartet configurations are examined within three distinct modification practices. These practices consist of the addition of outside instruments, the addition of electronic components, and the alteration of performance practice. The evaluation of these techniques is carried out through musical analysis and examination of cultural context. After each work has been examined, the body of works …

Misheard Me Oronyminator: Using Oronyms To Validate The Correctness Of Frequency Dictionaries, Jennifer G. Hughes

Master's Theses

In the field of speech recognition, an algorithm must learn to tell the difference between "a nice rock" and "a gneiss rock". These identical-sounding phrases are called oronyms. Word frequency dictionaries are often used by speech recognition systems to help resolve phonetic sequences with more than one possible orthographic phrase interpretation, by looking up which oronym of the root phonetic sequence contains the most-common words.

Our paper demonstrates a technique used to validate word frequency dictionary values. We chose to use frequency values from the UNISYN dictionary, which tallies each word on a per-occurance basis, using a proprietary text corpus, …

Developing Depth And Dimension: Instructional Tools And Practices To Facilitate And Encourage The Growth Of Young Jazz Musicians, Shauna E. Mcfaul

Lawrence University Honors Projects

Developing Depth and Dimension: A step-by-step, comprehensive introduction to the world of jazz for young musicians. This work begins with a philosophical discussion of the educational methods that are incorporated into the following games, lesson plans and writings. The project is directed toward students who have little to no experience playing jazz or improvising. It is meant to provide a foundation for continued success and development throughout their musical lives.

Don Januario, Gustavo Leone

Department of Fine & Performing Arts: Faculty Publications and Other Works

Don Januario is a traditional song from Bolivia. It was collected by musicians from the ensemble Florilegium, and published on their CD, Música de las Misiones y de la Plata (Sucre). This is an original version of the song and a series of variations in the style of the local baroque.

Mary In Three Movements, John E. Accola, Jr

Master of Liberal Studies Theses

Mary in Three Movements is an imagined account of how Mary might have felt and observed her experiences through the three most important events of both Christian and human existence, the conception, the birth, and finally the death of her son. I have attempted to remain true to the biblical Marian references which primarily speak to Mary as a young woman in a first century patriarchal Roman Jewish society. Therefore, I have taken these three events and put them to verse for mezzo-soprano with piano accompaniment. The accompanying paper outlines both the historical and musical context in which this project …

Uncommon Action: An Interdisciplinary Arts Performance On Ally Involvement, Rachel Dentinger

Renée Crown University Honors Thesis Projects - All

This instrumental and dance performance, titled “Uncommon Action: An Interdisciplinary Arts Performance on Ally Involvement”, was designed to raise awareness about bullying and becoming an active ally in the event of bullying. Sixteen student musicians and a team of production assistants were enlisted to produce this interdisciplinary program that was over a year and a half in the making. This production is a unique artistic effort where the classical musicians will also perform as dancers while playing, similar to what is seen in performances by marching bands, drum corps, Stomp, Barrage, Blue Man Group, etc.

The musical piece, commissioned from …

The Final Cut: Music For Film And Electronic Media, Johnathon Edward Paape

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This thesis contains both music scores and audio files that pertain to the scoring of music for film and video games. My thesis contains five pieces that were written for either film or video games. The scores were made using Finale 2011 and the audio tracks were created using the sequencer Reaper in combination with East West Hollywood Brass, East West Stormdrums 2 and Vienna Symphonic Orchestra virtual instruments. With these, I will demonstrate my ability to effectively compose and orchestrate music for various genres.

A History Of Musique Concrete And Ulysses, Thomas Elijah-William Rastall

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This thesis paper examines the compositional techniques used in the construction of my capstone project for a Masters in Music Composition from the University of Arkansas. A history of musique concrete is included to place perspective on my work and to discuss techniques and philosophical approaches to concrete music. This history examines the work by the Futurists, Pierre Schaeffer, Karlheintz Stockhausen, and Edgard Varése among others. The technological history includes significant developments in audio recording but does not discuss the development of electronic instruments. A philosophical perspective of music and noise is included to validate the techniques and materials used …

In Autumn Rhythm, Daniel Joseph Thompson

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

In Autumn Rhythm is a twelve-minute work for orchestra inspired by the improvisational processes and artistic outlook of American painter Jackson Pollock (1912 - 1956). Pollock's work Autumn Rhythm manifests itself in this piece as a web of dense, improvisatory counterpoint that emphasizes aggregate texture over clear linear designs. The form is delineated by a metric palindrome extrapolated from the symmetrical rhythmic design of the opening section.

Fight Or Flight, Asher Griffith

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Fight or Flight is a one-act, science-fiction opera. Outwardly the story of an astronaut who is marooned on the Moon, this dark comedy is an allegorical tale of forced isolation and loss; and of the anxiety and sadness that inevitably result. Musically, this piece began as an experiment in the reverse-engineering of mostly improvisatory methods of musical spoken-word delivery such as rap or slam poetry; this compositional device being a means to the more important end of creating a live musical theatre lacking the flippant sparkle commonly associated with Broadway and the like, but also free of the "intellectual" or …

Symphony No. 1 For Double Wind Orchestra, Amanda Mccullough

Glenn Korff School of Music: Dissertations, Theses, Student Creative Work, and Performances

This piece represents the splitting of the mind as well as the irrational and often violent thoughts that compete against each other in order to blur the line between the real and the imaginary. The piece culminates in the third movement into a sort of psychotic break and ends in the disquieting limbo between life and death represented by the solo piano.

This symphony also explores the sonic possibilities of creating a stereo effect by splitting the wind ensemble into two separate ensembles. This includes the resolution of dissonances on one side by the opposite side, the continuation of melodic …

Paul Moravec: Polystylism In Cool Fire (2001), Jennifer Kuk-Bonora

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The goal of this document is to provide a structural and stylistic analysis of Paul Moravec's chamber piece, Cool Fire (2001) within the context of Alfred Schnittke's polystylism. Fundamental polystylism is the use of two or more music styles within one composition and focuses on a more evolved portrayal of the style when, "there are no longer any direct quotations, but rather a certain element which indicates a `genetic refill' of memories." Techniques from Impressionism, Jazz, Baroque and Classical styles are utilized in Cool Fire.

The method of analysis will follow Jan La Rue's Guidelines for Style Analysis to better …

The Harmonic Implications Of The Non-Harmonic Tones In The Four-Part Chorales Of Johann Sebastian Bach, Timothy Willingham

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This study sought to identify the harmonic implications of the non-harmonic tones in the four-part chorales of Johann Sebastian Bach and to identify if the implications were modern, extended harmonies. The study examined if non-harmonic tones implied traditional or extended harmonies more often, which non-harmonic tones more frequently implied extended harmonies, and which chords typically preceded implied extended harmonies. The study was a corpus analysis of the four-part chorales. The data collected was organized in and analyzed with frequency charts and a chi-square goodness of fit test and chi-square tests of independence from the chordal analysis conducted by the researcher. …

Adapting J.S. Bach's Solo Violin Sonatas And Partitas For The Marimba: Broken Chord And Arpeggio Performance Practices, Jason Eugene Mathena

Dissertations

This purpose of this study is to provide the keyboard percussionist with information and examples for breaking chords and properly executing arpeggio passages in J. S. Bach’s solo violin Sonatas and Partitas. Primary sources included Baroque treatises on performance practice and recent scholarship of the past one hundred years. Various editions of the Sonatas and Partitas were surveyed for this document but, in the end, only Bach’s autograph manuscript and Gunther Hausswald’s critical edition were used for the musical examples as well as the marimba transcriptions included in appendices.

Topics covered are appropriate places to break chords and the various …

Symphony No.1, Roger Lowe

Original Compositions

Unpublished, Premiered April 29, 2013 in Dover Theater, Gardner-Webb University

Symphony in four movements available on YouTube:

Mvt. I

Mvt. II

Mvt. III

Mvt. IV

Instrumentation: 3231, 4331, Euphonium, 5 perc plus timp, glock, xyl, piano, harp, strings

Additional Instruments, 4^th mvt. only: alto flute, drum set, electric guitar, electric bass.

A Chant From The Great Plains: An Analysis And Rationale For A Critical Edition, Raul G. Barcenes

Glenn Korff School of Music: Dissertations, Theses, Student Creative Work, and Performances

This document explores A Chant from the Great Plains by Carl Busch. As the winner of American bandmaster Edwin Franko Goldman’s composition contest in 1919, this work helped launch the tradition of commissioning upon which the repertoire of the modern concert band medium relies. Inexplicably, Busch’s piece fell into obscurity and has become so rare that the primary researcher on Carl Busch, Dr. Donald Lowe, was not able to view any of the music while compiling his research with the exception of citations and articles. This document provides a rationale for the revival of the work in both scholarship and …

Violin Concerto #1, Matthew J. Holman

Glenn Korff School of Music: Dissertations, Theses, Student Creative Work, and Performances

This piece is a violin concerto modeled after, but not explicitly quoting melodic material of, several pieces of music by composers Bear McCreary, and Martin O’Donnell. The first and third movements of my piece were each modeled after two of Bear McCreary’s pieces from the soundtrack to Battlestar Galactica Season 2 – Allegro, and Prelude to War, respectively. The second movement of my piece was modeled after Martin O’Donnell’s piece Ashes, from the soundtrack to Halo: Reach.

Although I model my piece on the formal structures and, occasionally, the chord progressions of McCreary’s and O’Donnell’s pieces, …

An Integrated Approach To Preparing Paul Hindemith’S Sonata For Trombone And Piano: A Guide To Help Achieve A Better Performance, Jemmie Robertson

Faculty Research and Creative Activity

The aim of this article is to enhance understanding of the Hindemith Sonata and assist performers toward performances of the highest musical quality and emotional impact. The goal is to produce a musical and historically informed performance, based on a good theoretical foundation and thorough technical preparation. We will briefly discuss the history and theory behind Hindemith’s Sonata, examine unique performance issues, and introduce ways to prepare for a successful performance with several specific exercises designed to help the trombonist decode Hindemith’s complex compositional language, which involves a unique approach to tonality and rhythm.

An Integrated Approach To Preparing Paul Hindemith’S Sonata For Trombone And Piano: A Guide To Help Achieve A Better Performance, Jemmie Robertson

Faculty Research and Creative Activity

The aim of this article is to enhance understanding of the Hindemith Sonata and assist performers toward performances of the highest musical quality and emotional impact. The goal is to produce a musical and historically informed performance, based on a good theoretical foundation and thorough technical preparation. We will briefly discuss the history and theory behind Hindemith’s Sonata, examine unique performance issues, and introduce ways to prepare for a successful performance with several specific exercises designed to help the trombonist decode Hindemith’s complex compositional language, which involves a unique approach to tonality and rhythm.

Earthless - A Sonic Exploration Of The Space Between Death And Life, Composed In Five Movements For Chamber Ensemble., Samuel P. Tygiel

Music Honors Projects

“Earthless” is a composition in 5 movements for a mixed chamber ensemble. The piece is loosely programatic and draws its “narrative” from the Tibetan Book of the Dead, a Tibetan Buddhist Text that gives instructions on how to traverse the space between death and rebirth. Rather than telling a direct narrative, each movement is designed to give a broad impression of the different aspects of the experience between death and life through the combination of text and music. The text is taken from poems by Gerard Manley Hopkins, Sir Walter Scott and Sara Teasdale and compiled in an original “libretto” …

Listen, Rebecca Green

Colby Magazine

When you think composer, do you think dead, white, male, with scary hair? Well, think again. Colby has fostered a number of composers who are neither dead nor exclusively white or male. They use the medium of music in a variety of ways to express their artistic ideas, and they want you to listen.

Colby alumni and faculty composers use the medium of music to express their artistic ideas.

Composition Portfolio With Accompanying Comments And Analysis, Dermot Mcdermott

Masters

My M.Phil project consists of eight original musical compositions of varying genre and style, together with accompanying analysis and commentary on these works. The compositions include pieces for full symphony orchestra, string quartet, clarinet quartet, and a number of other chamber works with varying instrumental combinations. Together, the works represent approximately fifty minutes of music, together with over nine thousand words of commentary and analysis. Some of my compositions have already been performed by the contemporary music ensemble, Concorde, and I have also completed a commission, with funds supplied by the Arts Council, for a work which was publicly performed …

4th Annual Festival Of New Music February 28, March 1, 2013, Mark Zanter

All Performances

No abstract provided.