Music Performance Commons^™

Olympia: A Musical Composition For Wind Ensemble, Kyle Macdonald

Mahurin Honors College Capstone Experience/Thesis Projects

Olympia is a one movement musical composition to be performed by a wind ensemble. Written for the composer’s honors capstone project, Olympia is an exploration into the world of composing for large musical ensembles. The main theme, heard in the trombone solo at measure 40, is the proverbial “voice in the wilderness” that heroically comes out of chaos and is heard throughout the piece in different forms. Starting in short score with piano and percussion, the piece was then orchestrated into the final version. Written in the fall of 2011 and the spring of 2012, Olympia was rehearsed and performed …

A Performer’S Guide To Six Song Cycles Composed Between 1959 And 2010 By Mississippi Composers, Sarah Hogrefe Mabary

Dissertations

This dissertation offers a performer’s guide to six song cycles by Mississippi composers, including the structure and form of the songs, possible poetic interpretations, and performance practice techniques. The song cycles addressed are Samuel Jones’s Four Haiku, Howard Keever's Dreams, Raymond Liebau's Song Set I and Song Set II, and James Sclater's Three Songs on Texts of Emily Dickinson and Songs from “Telephone Poles.” For the purposes of this study, a Mississippi composer is defined as one who has a significant connection to Mississippi, either by birth or by having worked as a musician in the state for many years. …

A Conductor’S Guide To The Poetic And Musical Style Of The Cante Jondo Based On The Work Of Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco’S Romancero Gitano, Op.152, For Choir And Guitar With Selected Poems Of Federico Garcia Lorca’S Poema Del Cante Jondo, Elsa Patricia Ramierz-Hacker

Dissertations

Composers around the world have found the poetry of Federico García Lorca a source of inspiration for solo and choral works. Mario Castelnuovo- Tedesco used seven texts from Lorca’s Poema del Cante Jondo (Deep Song Poems) in his work Romancero Gitano, op. 152, for choir and guitar.

The purpose of this study is to provide a conductor’s guide to the poetic, historical, and musical structure of the cante jondo. Cante jondo or “deep song” is considered the most serious and profound collection of songs in Flamenco music. These songs express the history and landscape of the Andalucían region. Donn Phoren …

Joseph Kreines: A Biographical Sketch, An Analysis Of American Song Set For Band And A Descriptive Catalogue Of His Original Compositions And Transcriptions For Wind Band, Paul Eugene Weikle Jr.

Dissertations

Joseph Kreines is a well-respected composer, conductor and educator who has maintained an illustrious musical career in Florida and elsewhere. Originally from Chicago, Illinois, Kreines came to Florida in the 1960s as the Associate Conductor of the Florida Symphony Orchestra. Other professional conducting appointments with the Brevard Symphony Orchestra, The Gulf Coast Symphony Orchestra and appointments as the conductor of the Florida Symphony Orchestra Youth Symphony, Pinellas Youth Symphony Orchestra and Brevard Youth Symphony Orchestra proved to be the launching of a successful free-lance career as guest conductor for hundreds of Secondary programs in Florida and elsewhere including band, orchestra …

Sonnet 29, Matthew Carlson

Student Publications

"Sonnet 29" is an a capella choral piece written for the Gettysburg College Choir in the Spring of 2012. Dr. Robert Natter, director of the College choir, asked me if I would like to write a piece with text of Shakespeare, as he was planning to program a concert that consisted entirely of Shakespearean text. I chose this particular sonnet because it has a great metaphor of transformation which lends itself well to being set to music. In the first half of the piece, the speaker is in utter despair, and I bring this out with clustered harmonies, quiet dynamics, …

2012 Festival Of New Music, Mark Zanter

All Performances

No abstract provided.

Chapter 11, Songs In Intimacy And Community In A Changing World: Sikaiana Life 1980-1993, William Donner

Sikaiana Ethnography

A chapter on song composition and performance in the Sikaiana ethnography. Songs were an important part of Sikaiana life in 1980-1993. There were two major song types: songs composed in a traditional Polynesian style, and songs composed for the more recently introduced guitar.

A related website is www.sikaianaarchives.com

A Survey Of The Sacred Choral–Orchestral Works Of Sir Henry Walford Davies (1869–1941), Martin C. Cook

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

In the closing years of the 19th Century, when Charles Villiers Stanford, Hubert Parry and Edward Elgar were at the height of their fame and influence in British musical society Henry Walford Davies emerged as one of the most promising talents of the day, receiving commissions from the provincial music festivals of Great Britain, which were a rite of passage for emerging composers.

Between 1904 and 1929 Davies produced eleven sacred choral-orchestral works for these festivals and one further work, which were received favorably in their day but are now almost forgotten. There are five large multi movement works: The …

Rebekah & Aliya, Mark Hirsch

Lawrence University Honors Projects

Rebekah & Aliya is a multimedia ballet for two dancers, ten musicians, and film based on a story of love, timelessness, and transcendence. Drawing inspiration from literary themes of Jorge Luis Borges as well as composers of the Renaissance and Avant-garde alike, this collaboration with choreographer Madeline Bunke is a four-scene work, alternating between film and live dance, with live music throughout.

Christopher Rouse: An Exploration Of Three Percussion Standards, Brian T. Nozny

Theses and Dissertations--Music

The percussion ensemble is still a relatively young ensemble, with the first works by Edgard Varèse and Amadeo Roldan composed in the first third of the 20th century. Because of this youth, it is important to examine significant works for the percussion ensemble which establish themselves as staples to the repertoire. Christopher Rouse, a Pulitzer-Prize winning composer has written three such works, Ogoun Badagris (1976), Ku-Ka-Ilimoku (1978), and Bonham (1989). This study will closely examine each of these works, providing background, detailed analysis, and performance practice for each of these works.

Exploring The Multi-Generational Influence Of American Ragtime Music Through The Works Of Charles Ives, William Walton And William Bolcom, Rebecca E. Smith

Theses : Honours

Ragtime music is a style of popular music established in America that came to prominence between the years of 1896 and 1918. It is believed to have its roots in Blackface minstrel shows, it's defining feature, the heavily syncopated rhythm, quickly becoming a stereotype of African-American music. This thesis will explore the multi-generational influence of American Ragtime music on the art-music world through the works of Charles Ives (1874-1954), William Walton (1902-1983), and William Bolcom (1938-). It will timeline the undulating influence of Ragtime music on these subsequent generations of composers, noting in particular the revivals of the 1940's and …

Clarinet Performance Practices For Alberto Ginastera's "Variaciones Concertantes": Solutions For Orchestral Auditions And Performances, Thomas James Kmiecik

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The principal clarinet part of Alberto Ginastera's Variaciones concertantes (1953) requires the performer to execute a number of exposed passages that are considered impractical by many clarinetists as published. The Boosey & Hawkes edition of Variaciones concertantes was published for the B-flat clarinet. On account of this clarinet choice, the part exceeds the traditional upper range of the instrument in the third variation (Variazione in modo di Scherzo per Clarinetto ). Moreover, it requires very awkward fingering patterns in passages because they are written in the Phrygian mode of C-sharp. To avoid some of these technical obstacles, many professional …

2011-2012 New Music Festival, Thomas Mckinley, Lisa Leonard

New Music Festival

Sixth Annual New Music Festival

• Thomas McKinley, Composer-in-Residence
• Lisa Leonard, Director

Monday, November 7, 2011 at 7:30 pm

• Spotlight: Young Composers

Wednesday, November 9, 2011 at 7:30 pm

• Contemporary Forum

Thursday, November 10, 2011 at 7:30 pm

• Spotlight 2: Thomas McKinley

Commissioned Work

Double Visions for Clarinet, Violin, Cello & Piano by Thomas Lawrence McKinley. The full score is displayed in the Creative Works collection.

Marshall University Department Of Music Presents A Senior Composition Recital - Chris Miller, Live Electronics, Chris Miller

All Performances

No abstract provided.

The Life And Selected Piano Works Of David Burge, Mary Chung

Dissertations

Although David Burge is recognized as one of the most important American pianists dedicated to contemporary music in the twentieth century, little is known about his contributions as a pedagogue, lecturer, writer, novelist, and, especially, as a composer. This biographical study focuses on three of his piano compositions: Second Sonata, Eclipse II, and Go-Hyang. Each work represents one of three distinct compositional periods: the first reflects the influence of Prokofiev and features characteristics of the neoclassicism; the second marks a turn to experimentalism, atonality, and serialism; and the final indicates the return to a more traditional style that makes use …

The Tardy Recognition Of J.S. Bach's Sonatas And Partitas For Violin Solo, Di Su

Publications and Research

J. S. Bach’s Sonatas and Partitas for Violin Solo (BWV 1001-1006) are among the most important masterpieces in the literature of violin music. They are included in standard repertoire for serious violin students; they are frequently performed in solo recitals; they are recorded by numerous virtuosi; and they are required in major violin competitions. The vast amount of editions also indicates the importance of the works. In Edlund’s catalogue, one finds as many as seventy-seven editions ranging from Simrock (1802) to Henle (1987)

However, the Solos did not enjoy such a prominent status in Bach’s own time and even in …

Symposium Of Contemporary Music, 2011, School Of Music

Programs

Presented by the Illinois Wesleyan University School of Music February 3-4, 2011. Featured guests from the Sichuan Conservatory of Music: Yang Xiaozhong, Song Mingzhu, and Zhou Tianli.

2010-2011 New Music Festival, Gunther Schuller, Lisa Leonard

New Music Festival

Fifth Annual New Music Festival

• Gunther Schuller, Artist-in-Residence
• Lisa Leonard, Director

Tuesday, January 25, 2011 at 7:30 pm

• Defining Modernism: Faculty Favorites

Wednesday, January 26, 2011 at 7:30 pm

• Spotlight: Young Composers

Thursday, January 27, 2011 at 7:30 pm

• Contemporary Forum: Schuller Masterclass

War Songs, Evan Michael Williams

Lawrence University Honors Projects

War Songs is a song cycle of poetry by Walt Whitman, Paul Laurence Dunbar, and Iraq War veterans Andrew Borene, and Brian Turner, written in the summer of 2010. It also includes an arrangement of the popular wartime song “Over There” by George M. Cohan. In writing this cycle, I researched the Iraq War, especially the justifications for invading the country. I also researched previous musical works about war. This research informed the composition of the cycle. While I wanted to illustrate the issues of the current wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, I also wanted the cycle to be universal …

Woodwind Extension Through The Systematic Use Of Microtonality And Electronic Manipulation Of The Instrument, Seán Mac Erlaine

Conference papers

This research questions how the expressive range of the saxophone / bass clarinet can be extended in new ways by employing both a systematic use of microtonality and electronic manipulation of the instrument.

The use of digital signal processing (DSP) is well advanced among certain music practitioners, most notably electric guitarists, extending that instrument’s expressive powers considerably. Woodwind instrumentalists have a huge unexplored potential to engage with new technologies, furthering the range, polyphonic voicings, loops, reverbs and general signal manipulation.

The marraige of these two disciplines with conventional woodwind practice greatly deepens the expressive range of the instrument while offering …

2009-2010 New Music Festival, Kenneth Frazelle, Lisa Leonard

New Music Festival

Fourth Annual New Music Festival

• Kenneth Frazelle, Composer-in-Residence
• Lisa Leonard, Director

Sunday, January 17, 2010 at 4:00 pm

• Defining Modernism: Faculty Favorites

Tuesday, January 19, 2010 at 7:30 pm

• Spotlight: Young Composers

Wednesday, January 20, 2010 at 7:30 pm

• Contemporary Music Forum

Thursday, January 21, 2010 at 7:30 pm

• Spotlight: Kenneth Frazelle

Commissioned Work

Gee's Bend Pieces for Trumpet, Percussion and Piano by Kenneth Frazelle. The full score is displayed in the Creative Works collection.

A Performance Project With An Historical And Analytical Perspective On The Concerto For Alto Saxophone And Orchestra, Op. 31 By Peter Jona Korn, Brian Sanford Ransom

Dissertations

Peter Jona Korn (1922-1998) is not a name immediately recognized in American music circles, yet during the 1940s and '50s he led a successful career as an American composer. His Saxophone Concerto - composed in 1956 for the virtuoso Sigurd Rascher, and revised by Korn in 1982 - is an important contribution to the saxophone repertoire.

Many composers, including Glazounov, Ibert, and Larsson, wrote concertos for Sigurd Rascher. These works, once considered highly virtuosic, are now studied and performed by college level saxophonists. The original version of Korn's Concerto, among the most technically demanding works, has remained in obscurity for …

Comparative Analysis Of Representative Marimba Works By Nebojsa Jo Van Zivkovic, Jefferson Lavelle Grant Iii

Dissertations

Nebojsa Jovan Zivkovic has been an active performer and composer since the late 1970s. He is the closest modern percussionists have to the tradition of the virtuosocomposer from the Romantic period. He holds degrees in composition, music theory, and percussion performance. His music merits study based on the fact that he is an accomplished marimbist who composes at the instrument. This lends to his music a uniquely idiomatic quality. The two works presented in this treatise span almost twenty years of the composer's thirty-year career. The unifying element in both works is that they feature a marimba soloist as the …

William Kempster, Associate Professor Of Music (Cola) Travels To Czech Republic, William Kempster

Faculty Travel Reports

Along with Antonín Dvořák, Bohuslav Martinů is the most revered composer in his native land, now known as the Czech Republic. Little wonder, therefore, that a competition bearing the composer’s name draws the best choirs in the country, as well as from abroad, to the town of Pardubice for the International Bohuslav Martinů Festival and Choir Competition. This year (2009) in June, at the 6th such staging of the competition, choirs from Finland, Serbia, Hungary, the Netherlands, Slovakia, Israel, Estonia, Belgium, Slovenia and the USA joined with numerous Czech choirs not only to compete against each other, but also to …

The Music Of Jerry Sieg: A Descriptive Catalogue Of His Piano Music And An Analysis Of The Five Miniatures For Piano, Nuria Mariela Royas

Dissertations

The purpose of this study is to present the solo piano music of the American composer Jerry Sieg, whose output includes works for orchestra, voice, opera, chorus, and numerous compositions for solo instruments.

It opens with the biography of the composer, including information concerning bis musical training, followed by a brief survey of his solo piano works. A discussion of his compositional style in his Five Miniatures for Piano, written in 1994 for the American pianist Marian Lee, is also included in this work. The analysis of the Five Miniatures for Piano in Chapter IV presents a detailed analysis of …

Leo Brouwer's Estudios Sencillos For Guitar: Afro-Cuban Elements And Pedagogical Devices, Carlos Isaac Castilla Penaranda

Dissertations

This document presents a detailed performance and pedagogical analysis of the Estudios Sencillos by the Cuban composer, Leo Brouwer. Such pertinent musical aspects as biographical data of the composer, Afro-Cuban traditions, Cuban composers, and philosophical and artistic trends that impacted Brouwer's aesthetic world are studied and discussed.

Virtually any of Brouwer's works can serve to convey this information, but it is particularly this group of pieces that better suits the study of Afro-Cuban elements within a pedagogical focus since no other of Brouwer's compositions is set with this particular target in mind: etudes for the development and/or implementation of a …

A Comparative Analysis Of Roman Palester's Concertino Pour Saxophone Alto Et Orchestre A Cordes, Brian Donald Kauth

Dissertations

The music of Roman Palester (1907-1989) is little known outside his native Poland. Before World War II, he experienced a great deal of musical success, with many of his compositions being performed at prestigious music festivals throughout Europe. Palester completed his one solo work for the saxophone, the Concertino pour Saxophone Alto et Orchestre a Cordes, in 1938, but its scheduled premiere in 1939 never took place due to political tensions on the eve of World War II.

In 1978, Palester revised the work for saxophonist David Pituch, who premiered and recorded this version. A comparison of the original and …

2008-2009 New Music Festival, Joseph Turrin, Lisa Leonard

New Music Festival

Third Annual New Music Festival

• Joseph Turrin, Composer-in-Residence
• Lisa Leonard, Director

Thursday, April 23, 2009 at 7:30 pm

• Opening Night Faculty Concert
• Venue: Amarnick-Goldstein Concert Hall

Friday, April 24, 2009 at 7:30 pm

• Forum (Panel: Kenneth Amis, Thomas McKinley, Joseph Turrin ; Mediator: Lisa Leonard)
• Venue: Amarnick-Goldstein Concert Hall

Sunday, April 26, 2009 at 4:00 pm

• Young Composers
• Venue: Amarnick-Goldstein Concert Hall

Monday, April 27, 2009 at 7:30 pm

• Joseph Turrin Spotlight
• Venue: Louis and Anne Green Center for the Expressive Arts

Commissioned Work

Joseph Turrin, the composer-in-residence, composed a musical work called, Chamber Symphony, for this festival. In …

The Flute Through Time: A Senior Recital, Teresa Powell

Undergraduate Research Conference

The flute is a wind instrument of ancient origin formerly made of wood but now of silver and other metals. It is one of the first wind instruments to have published works. Music for the modern flute spans from the early Baroque era through history, and is still being written to this day.

Twentieth Century Saxophone With A Touch Of Baroque, Sesha Wallace

Undergraduate Research Conference

The saxophone has progressed immensely since its invention in 1846 by the Belgian musician instrument designer, Adolphe Sax. This fairly new addition to the musical world has developed over the years into an extremely versatile instrument capable of being used in a wide range of musical settings, anything from classical to jazz to rock and roll. Throughout the Twentieth Century, the saxophone has seen an enormous growth in contemporary repertoire. Advanced techniques have become widely accepted as part of this new output and a variety of musical outlets have opened saxophonists worldwide. The pieces in this study illustrate some of …