Composition Commons^™

From The Four Winds: A Suite For Orchestra And Jazz Musicians, Thomas James Johnson

Graduate Thesis Collection

From the Four Winds is a four-movement suite for orchestra and jazz musicians. Work on the first movement started in early 2021, and work on the other three movements began in fall 2023. All of music is based on four pitches, B, C, Db, and Eb, which are usually used as chord roots. The concept of four winds was inspired by Chinese culture, but the relationship between the music and the four compass directions was from the perspective of the Midwestern United States. Two movements have sections for jazz style improvisation, and two were influenced by musical minimalism. The final …

Human Evolution: A Musical Portrait, Chloe S. Roper

Senior Honors Projects

The story of human evolution has been an elaborate progression entrenched in metamorphic processes and associated trial and error to create the species we are today. While these milestones are primarily explored through an academic lens, intellectual ideas are less often conveyed through a creative or abstract approach, such as through music or other art forms. Similarly, while music is often employed to evoke emotion, inspire reflection, or symbolize experiences, it is underutilized in conveying intellectual ideas. This project explores the juxtaposition of benchmark concepts of what makes our species distinctly human with instrumental musical expression in order to design …

"River", John Renshaw

LSU New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Creed And Variations: Tracing The Divergence Of Christian Traditions In Select Piano Works Of Arvo Pärt, Olivier Messiaen, And J. S. Bach, Rebekah E. Stiles

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

Within the classical music universe, the works of J. S. Bach, Olivier Messiaen, and Arvo Pärt stand apart as particularly evocative of the divine. Much has been written on these three men’s integration of faith with musical practice, exploring how their music is not only spiritual in nature but distinctly Christian. But in comparing the three, one encounters deeply rooted distinctions between their religious worldviews, a distinction not only found in their personal testimonies but actually heard in their music. Their compositional languages reflect three traditions: Protestantism (specifically Lutheranism), represented by Bach; Roman Catholicism, represented by Messiaen; and Eastern Orthodoxy, …

A Study Of Rachel Galinne’S Dybbuk For Solo Clarinet: A Classical Work With Klezmer Influences, Rachel S. Levison

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

Composer Rachel Galinne self-identifies first and foremost as an Israeli with Swedish roots. She was born and raised in Sweden to Holocaust survivors and always felt a deep connection to Jewish traditions and culture, leading her to immigrate to Israel. Her compositions are derived from her formal education in musicology and composition in contemporary music, as well as from her Jewish community. Her Jewish heritage is represented in her compositions through text, motivic ideas, and specific topics. Dybbuk for solo clarinet is an excellent example.

This solo follows the perspective of Leah, one of the main characters in Solomon Ansky’s …

Mass Of Perpetual Indulgence, Michael Joseph Willette

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

Mass of Perpetual Indulgence for chamber orchestra, electronics, soprano solo, and drag performer was written to bridge the gap between queerness and spirituality, to sanctify queer people and celebrate queer lives and communities. Amalgamating musical styles ranging from disco to opera, art song to EDM, this appropriation of the traditional Mass blurs the lines between the sacred and the profane. This work features original text by librettist Caroliena Cabada that responds to the narrative of the Mass Ordinary from a distinctly queer perspective. Ultimately, this work celebrates the queer body as a holy body, queer community as a sacred communion, …

Befitting Bach: Prelude And Fugue Transcribed For Horn Quartet, Caitlin Murphy

Honors Program: Senior Projects (Public)

This thesis, titled “Befitting Bach: Prelude and Fugue Transcribed for Horn Quartet,” consists of horn quartet transcriptions of Prelude 1 and Fugue 1 from Johann Sebastian Bach’s The Well-Tempered Clavier, Book I. The prelude and fugue pair were originally written for harpsichord during the Baroque period, and the pieces remain commonly performed on keyboard instruments. The transcription translates the pieces into four-part horn music while preserving the original musical ideas and accounting for the different technical capabilities between the instruments. The accompanying written component provides a brief history of the original compositions. Further, the report delves into the transcription …

Looking Back While Moving Forward: Four Musical Works That Signify Complex Emotions Regarding The Passage Of Time Through Ambiguous Endings, Bailey Griggs

Music Undergraduate Honors Theses

Defying expectations is a useful and overlooked tool in music composition. Despite all their differences, the final movement of Tchaikovsky’s 6th Symphony, Joe Hisaishi’s score to the 2001 film Spirited Away, Joni Mitchell’s popular song “Both Sides Now,” and electronic artist The Caretaker’s album set Everywhere at the End of Time all share similar programmatic content. Each presents a protagonist who is coming to terms with the passage of time and is conflicted about how they should cope with change. Upon examination of these four works, they all use unexpected and ambiguous endings to signify complex ideas about time through …

Songs Through Statues: The Mask Of Sorrow For Baritone, Accordion, Guitar, Piano & Wind Duo, Alexander T. Schmidt

Graduate Thesis Collection

The Mask of Sorrow is a twelve-minute song written by me, Alexander Schmidt, that utilizes a variety of techniques that I have learned over the course of my study in graduate school. The piece utilizes leitmotives in a unique and interesting way via the usage of set theory to represent the text in musical form, produce a constant development of material, and encourage a musical narrative to supplement the text. This analysis moves through the whole of the form and documents its usage of timbre, motive, harmonic set, and much more, to showcase the means of which all the techniques …

The Ballad Of The Wheel, John Kosch

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

The Ballad of the Wheel is a piece for voice, percussion, and electronics that examines the cyclical nature of humanity. It draws texts from existential literature that spans almost all of recorded history, from antiquity to present day. In this work, a single narrator poses the same concerns about the nature of existence in different texts, revealing that questions about the meaning of life transcend boundaries of time and space. The prevalence of the theme of reincarnation also suggests that each movement of the piece presents a different manifestation of a single being. The Ballad of the Wheel implies a …

A Survey Of And Performance Guide To Representative Flute Music By Two Twentieth-Century Serbian Composers: Ljubica Marić And Enriko Josif, Sanda Mašić

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

Flute pieces by twentieth-century Serbian composers Ljubica Marić and Enriko Josif are little-known gems of modern repertoire that are almost completely unknown outside Serbia. Unique in their styles, these works illustrate the composers’ close relationship to the Serbian culture in which they lived and the religions they practiced. In addition, these works reflect the time they were created in, and are, therefore, modern with a distinctive sound. This document presents a study of seven selected flute works by these two important Serbian composers, places them in historical context, and reveals influences from both Serbian religious music (Orthodox and Jewish) and …

Harmonic Innovators And Cultural Catalysts In American Jazz: The Social Impact And Musical Innovations Of Louis Armstrong In The Real Ambassadors, Duke Ellington's Sacred Concerts And John Coltrane's A Love Supreme, Marcia C. Vandervinne

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

Abstract This capstone project explores how three landmark jazz works—Louis Armstrong’s The Real Ambassadors (1961), John Coltrane’s A Love Supreme (1965), and Duke Ellington’s Sacred Concerts (1965–1973)—responded to the social challenges of the Civil Rights era while advancing the artistic stature of jazz. Each composition challenged systemic racism through its unique blend of innovation and cultural expression: Armstrong’s performance in The Real Ambassadors used satire to critique American racial hypocrisy; Coltrane’s A Love Supreme presented a spiritual and musical journey grounded in modal development and personal transformation; and Ellington’s Sacred Concerts fused jazz with sacred and classical traditions to elevate …

At The Outset: An Exploration Of Jazz And The Music Video, Riley Kramer

Honors Projects

This project centers around the creation of an original jazz composition and music video for the purpose of filling the gap in visual media used to promote jazz music. The history of music in film is briefly explored, as well as the history of jazz in film and music videos. Jazz is found to have been intertwined with film from the first widely available sound films, but the connection has since dwindled, with only a few modern jazz compositions having widely available music videos.

An original jazz tune, “At the Outset,” was created for this project. The details of the …

Dissolving Sand Into Fog - Portraying Long Term Temporal Illusions Through Music, Kyle Bergler

Honors Projects

Long-term temporal illusions permeate our day-to-day lives, but due to their highly subjective nature, few are familiar with them. To help introduce these topics in a way that lets a wider audience connect individually with them, I composed three works for percussion ensembles, each in a different style, and each portraying one or multiple long-term temporal illusions. All of these pieces were composed and rehearsed throughout the spring 2025 semester and premiered at my senior recital on April 19, 2025.

Opposites Attract: The Melding Of Jazz Harmony And Pop Songwriting Sensibilities In The Music Of Norah Jones And Jamie Cullum, John Paciga

Composition/Recording Projects

Modern commercial songs have become increasingly difficult to categorize within a singular genre. This trend, as well as my own mixed musical background, inspired me to investigate the ways in which the seemingly disparate styles of pop and jazz can be synthesized. My research focuses primarily on how this synthesis is achieved in the musical works of Norah Jones and Jamie Cullum, two of the most successful crossover artists of the early 21st century. Drawing on musical elements from each of Jones's and Cullum's catalogs, I wrote and recorded five original songs. My analysis of these songs will help to …

“En Clave” Tania León And Roberto Sierra: Autochthonous Music Of Cuba And Puerto Rico, Contemporary Music Composition And The ‘Puente’ In Between, Omar A. Ramirez

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

This document is in two parts. The first examines selected works of Latin-American composers Tania León and Roberto Sierra. Both composers cite their cultural background as a force that shapes their artistic expression. Many of their works are titled in Spanish, with compositions referencing their homelands in subject and narrative, and incorporate the autochthonous music(s) of Cuba and Puerto Rico. Elements of these afrodiasporic musical traditions can be found in their works: Alegre, Batá, Stride, (León), Loiza, and Concerto for Viola (Sierra), each examined here.

Autochthonous musical elements are highlighted in score excerpts and described using …

Composing The Music For Iphigenia Among The Taurians, Johnathan Hodges

Seaver College Research And Scholarly Achievement Symposium

This poster session outlines the music composition process for Pepperdine’s production of Iphigenia Among the Taurians, Jan. 28-Feb. 1, Dr. Bradley Griffin, Director. My presentation focuses on the challenges I had to overcome, my goals and objectives, and finding the right sound for the score.

Theme And Variations On An African Chant, Kenneth Schafer

LSU Master's Theses

“When will I find my voice?” It is question that is sure to cross the mind of any young artist. While I personally believe there is no definite moment or piece that can mark the emergence of a personal voice, I do believe in breakthrough moments. We may listen to a new genre, come across a new ideology, hit on something by chance, visit a new country, or face some lifechanging event. Whatever the cause, the result is that a new facet of our identity has been illuminated and from this point onwards, it will affect our creation.

My latest …

Can You See Nature?, Jalia M. Payne

LSU Master's Theses

Can You See Nature? is an 8-part song cycle designed for various voice types and flutes, accompanied by piano. This cycle explores themes of nature and emotion through vivid poetic imagery. It features poems by Victor Hugo, William Blake, Sara Teasdale, and Madison James Cawein, all of which are in the public domain. The cycle weaves together a narrative that reflects on humanity's relationship with the natural world. The cycle includes the following pieces: 1. Morning for Alto and Piano 2. Little Bird for Flute and Piano 3. Tyger for Soprano and Piano 4. Song of the Harbinger for Piccolo …

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, …

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 …

The Recusant's Dream, Isabella Temperville

LSU Master's Theses

The Recusant’s Dream is a collection of works that portray the overarching lore of an original narrative by Isabella Temperville. Inspired by Biblical narratives, The Recusant’s Dream tells the story of Lucifer’s rebellion against an order of power-hungry archangels and the consequences that follow in the form of an all-consuming curse. The curse is both a marker and a death sentence, as those who bear it are called “demons” and are fated to eventually succumb to it. Lucifer was the first to fall victim to the consumption and his death sparked an infernal war amongst the cursed and the order …

Adorning Harmony: Comparing Three Of Rachmaninoff’S Piano Transcriptions With The Original Works, Micah Robert Leary

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

Sergei Rachmaninoff’s piano transcriptions represent an underperformed genre among his works. They offer a unique perspective on Rachmaninoff’s compositional language because they directly compare to other composer’s original works. Much research is dedicated to understanding Rachmaninoff’s harmonic language through analysis of his own original works. However, very little has been written on Rachmaninoff’s piano transcriptions, and no studies focus on Rachmaninoff’s harmonic language displayed in the transcriptions.

The following analysis aims to reconsider three of these lesser-known works and provide context for their placement alongside Rachmaninoff’s other compositions. Harmonic analysis provides insights relative to the original works within the larger …

Audience Participation Structures In The Concert Hall And D, Me, You, We, A Non-Opera For Actor, Chatbot, Musicians, And Audience, Treya Michelle Nash

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Audience participation in the concert hall space has developed into a rich participatory practice with specific characteristics and challenges. Though composers—especially since the 1960s—have written many pieces involving audience participation, asking the concert hall audience to participate remains uncommon. Attempting to shift the role of the audience in such a traditionally spectator-oriented space can lead to tensions that undermine the efficacy of the experience. This research categorizes participatory pieces into the structural elements of performance and facilitation forces, audience groupings, audience roles, and communication types. These structures are used to discuss the complicated relationship between control and agency within participatory …

"En Clave" Tania León And Roberto Sierra: Autochthonous Music Of Cuba And Puerto Rico, Contemporary Music Composition And The 'Puente' In Between, Omar A. Ramirez

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

This document is in two parts. The first examines selected works of Latin-American composers Tania León and Roberto Sierra. Both composers cite their cultural background as a force that shapes their artistic expression. Many of their works are titled in Spanish, with compositions referencing their homelands in subject and narrative, and incorporate the autochthonous music(s) of Cuba and Puerto Rico. Elements of these afrodiasporic musical traditions can be found in their works: Alegre, Batá, Stride, (Leon), Loiza, and Concerto for Viola (Sierra), each examined here.

Autochthonous musical elements are highlighted in score excerpts and described using …

An Interdisciplinary Analysis Framework For Found Object Experimental Music, Erin Demastes

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Found object experimental music consists of compositions and performances created with objects not intended for musical performance. Found objects can range from appliances and household items to power tools and consumer products to souvenirs and heirlooms. Although these objects are used with the intent of creating musical compositions, new characteristics that are not found in traditional music emerge. One major characteristic that differentiates found object music from traditional music is that the objects have inherent cultural associations and meaning outside of their use in the composition. While an analysis of the sonic structures and scores of found object experimental music …

Echoes Of Chinese Tradition: A Guide To Mandarin Diction Through Fixed-Ipa And Traditional Phonology, With Insights Into Intertwined Intonation Contours Of Chinese-American Art Songs, Xiaoming Tian

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

This dissertation presents a comprehensive guide to Mandarin Chinese diction and articulation, rooted in traditional Chinese phonology and articulated through Fixed-International Phonetic Alphabet (Fixed-IPA). It unfolds in two primary segments, with the initial section delving into the historical underpinnings and phonetic nuances of traditional Chinese opera singing. This inquiry not only systematically introduces Chinese pronunciation rules but also illuminates the influence of traditional Chinese opera elements on contemporary Chinese art songs and operas. This part also reflects upon the significant strides made in Chinese language Romanization since the Wade-Giles system's introduction in the 19th century, discussing how it facilitated literacy …

Serious Music With Bea Witkin: An Upper West Side Audio Walk, Megan Hattie Stahl

Theses and Dissertations

Serious Music with Bea Witkin is a site-specific audio walk on New York City’s Upper West Side produced by Megan Hattie Stahl. This immersive, musical documentary explores and extends the life and work of composer Beatrice Witkin (1916-1990). Across four stationary chapters and three walking interludes, participants follow a one-mile route from Riverside Park to Straus Park by way of Witkin’s longtime residence on West End Avenue. Through guided narration, archival music, interviews and recordings of contemporary musicians sight-reading a 1985 string quartet piece by Witkin, Serious Music invites listeners to consider where music begins and ends.

Witkin, who graduated …

Discovering My Sonic Identity Through Intent And Self-Belief: A Portfolio Of Compositions, Addison J. Bird

Theses and Dissertations--Music

An analysis and overview of a master’s degree electroacoustic composition portfolio. These works represent significant benchmarks in terms of musical development and composer intent. Each piece is analyzed for its musical methods and inspirations as well as the non-musical ideas surrounding them. The pieces covered are a mixture of fixed media electroacoustic works and live electronic works incorporating popular and folk music influences.