Music Performance Commons^™

Viola Fragments: Contextualizing And Interpreting Selections From György Kurtág's Signs, Games And Messages, Mounir Nessim

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The viola came to prominence as a solo instrument relatively late compared to the violin and cello. As a result, the standard repertoire is more recent, consisting largely of twentieth century works. The standard repertoire continues to expand as new works are written and embraced by performers. One such work is the Hungarian composer György Kurtág's open ended collection of pieces for solo viola Signs, Games and Messages (1987-). Kurtág, born in 1926, is one of the most important composers of the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. His music is characterized by its brevity, fragmentation, ambiguity, and intertextuality. The painstaking scrutiny …

Quincy: A Documentary Review, Analy Cruz

Backstage Pass

This is a film review of the 2018 documentary film on the life and music of legendary producer, Quincy Jones.

Amy: A Film Review, Lucas Dehner

Backstage Pass

A review of the 2015 documentary film, Amy.

Tearing Down The Wall: An Analysis Of Pink Floyd’S 1979 Rock Opera, Darla Testino

Backstage Pass

No abstract provided.

Bohemian Rhapsody: A Film Review, Ailey Butler

Backstage Pass

This is a review of the 2018 Queen bio-pic, Bohemian Rhapsody.

Metallica: Some Kind Of Monster Film Review, Ceara J. Costa

Backstage Pass

This is a film review of the 2004 documentary, Some Kind of Monster, which provides an in-depth portrait of the heavy metal band, Metallica, during the making of their St. Anger album. It addresses issues of mental health, depression, group dynamics and the pressures that successful artists face in maintaining their internal and external relationships while still trying to create new music.

A 70'S Dream Queen: Carole King's Tapestry, Kortney Burton

Backstage Pass

The essay critiques the 1971 best-selling album, Tapestry, written and performed by Carole King.

Rock Of Ages Film Review, Sarah Werth

Backstage Pass

This is a critique of the 2012 musical film, Rock of Ages.

Re-Born On The Bayou: Creedence Clearwater Revival's Sophomore Album, Mike Camfield

Backstage Pass

This is a critique of the 1969 sophomore album, Bayou Country, by Creedence Clearwater Revival.

Emmylou Harris’S Bold And Broken Pieces Of Sky, Jennifer Morrow

Backstage Pass

This article critically examines the 1975 album, "Pieces of Sky," from country artist Emmylou Harris, whose unique blend of strength and vulnerability shine through in an imperfect yet promising work of art. The piece explores how Pieces of Sky succeeded in reaching a mainstream audience through innovative musical stylings and emotionally authentic lyricism.

Me Too: The Effects Of Sexual Harassment And Assault In The Entertainment Industry, Cassandra M. Gaal

Backstage Pass

This paper gives insight to the growing issue of sexual harassment and assault in the entertainment industry. The paper provides information on the impact technology and social media have on sexual harassment and how women in particular are viewed in the entertainment industry. The paper also discusses how different genres of music and other forms of entertainment had oversexualized women, and how movies and TV shows have created this idea that someone being romantic is someone who is aggressive and forceful towards their partner.

The Big Payback Book Analysis, Isaiah Smith

Backstage Pass

This paper is an analysis of the book, The Big Payback: The History of the Business of Hip-Hop.

The Next Frontier: Blockchain In The Music Industry, Manuel J. Manriquez Jr

Backstage Pass

This Research Paper takes a look at how Blockchain technology can potentially change the music industry as we know it!

“The Personal Is Political”: The Power Of Female Voices In 1970s Pop Music And Beyond, Jennifer Morrow

Backstage Pass

This essay examines how, in the male-dominated structures of the popular music industry, narratives about women have been marginalized, ignored, and undervalued. The female singer-songwriter, my research suggests, is, by definition, a contradiction and subversion of traditional gender roles, and this position has been claimed by female musicians as a form of rebellion and resistance. In the scope of my research, I focus on how female pop artists have embraced songwriting as a medium for authentic self-expression, and how these narratives have been embraced as autoethnographies that represent the collective experiences and frustrations of women in a patriarchal social landscape. …

Streaming Services Insist On Buying Out Composers’ Music Rights, Kendra Sananikone

Backstage Pass

No abstract provided.

From Penny Lane To Stranger Things: Technology’S Influence On Music Production, Sami Fong

Backstage Pass

No abstract provided.

Spotify Vs. Apple Music, Lexi Gerbino

Backstage Pass

A quick look at the differences of the two biggest music streaming services, Spotify and Apple Music.

Female Representation In U.S. Music Festivals, Kortney Burton

Backstage Pass

No abstract provided.

Interview With Sarah Jones, Music Industry Media Specialist, Jennifer Morrow

Backstage Pass

No abstract provided.

Letter From The Editor, Keith Hatschek

Backstage Pass

No abstract provided.

“Transports Of Delight”? Reviews Of Clarinet Performance In Paris And London, C. 1770 – C. 1810, Catherine J. Crisp

Performance Practice Review

Reviews of clarinet performance in Paris and London, c. 1770 – c. 1810 make specific reference to 18^th-century performance ideals, as identified by the contemporary writer Charles Burney who described the “principal excellencies of perfect execution”. The performance qualities described by Burney and their inclusion in contemporary reports is particularly valuable in assessing performances featuring the newest woodwind instrument, the clarinet. References to many of these performance qualities combine to form detailed accounts of the sonorities, technical execution and expressive qualities evident in performances given by clarinet players in Paris and London.

This article draws upon a wide …

Nadia Boulanger’S Fantaisie Variée Pour Piano Et Orchestre A Study Of A Significant Unpublished Piece, Sarah Elias

Dissertations

The research consists of a brief historical and biographical overview of Nadia Boulanger (1887-1979), a main focus of a thematic and motivic analysis of her work Fantaisie variée pour piano et orchestre, along with touching upon the influences of Fauré, Debussy, Widor, Reger, and Franck on its composition, and a mention of the process of obtaining the Fantaisie from the Centre international Nadia et Lili Boulanger. Boulanger produced works in a variety of genres, including: a fugue; more than thirty songs for voice and piano; two completed works for solo piano; three works for organ; several chamber works; three works …

About This Issue, Michael E. Ruhling

HAYDN: Online Journal of the Haydn Society of North America

No abstract provided.

Caryl Clark And Sarah Day O'Connell, Eds. The Cambridge Haydn Encyclopedia, Denis Mccaldin

HAYDN: Online Journal of the Haydn Society of North America

A review of "Caryl Clark and Sarah Day O’Connell, eds. The Cambridge Haydn Encyclopedia"

A Survey Of French Cello Music Dating From The Baroque Era To The 20th Century, Chien-Hui Yang

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

This research aims to examine how French music progressed from the Baroque era to the 20^th-century through the cello repertoire. This document will be a useful tool for people who are interested specifically in French cello compositions. The researcher will discuss fifteen composers and seventeen cello works. Through reading composers’ biographies and examining the selected cello compositions from these French composers, the researcher will better comprehend and attempt to describe the composers’ musical styles and their musical legacies within the canon of music for the cello.

From the Baroque era, François Couperin, Jean-Baptiste Barrière, and Martin Berteau are …

Zhao Xiaosheng And His Original Piano Solo Works, Ke Xue

Student Works (2020-2029)

As an influential composer in contemporary Chinese piano development, Zhao Xiaosheng has made outstanding contributions through his piano compositions, including original piano solos, transcriptions, etudes, concertos, and impromptus. His six original piano solos illustrate the development of his compositional career, which coincided with the development of Chinese new music from the period of the Cultural Revolution to the Reform and Opening-up. Therefore, in the context of Chinese new music, this research attempts to study Zhao Xiaosheng’s contributions by looking into his six original piano solo works, namely Textile Worker (纺织工人) (1974), Fisherman’s Song (渔歌) (1975), Ballade in D♭ Major (D♭大调叙事曲) …

"No Human Ever Made A Cathedral Such As This": Scoping The Ecology Of The Carols By Candlelight Effect In Australia's Open-Air Environments, Robin Ryan

Yale Journal of Music & Religion

During Australia’s dry December, traditional and popular forms of caroling shape the sight and sound of the key Christian festival of Christmas. Creative connections between belief, place, and music are characteristically manifest in focused open-air environments of beach, bushland or park. Reasoning from gospel belief that the very first “Christmas carol” emanated from a heavenly host of angels singing to an audience of shepherds in a field, caroling alfresco is an appropriate activity. How, then, do Australian caroling venues become conducive to environmental spheres of sound and influence? While the annual mass Carols by Candlelight concerts televised from Melbourne and …

International Influence On The Development And Reception Of Cello Playing In England, 1870–1930: Robert Hausmann, Auguste Van Biene, And Guilhermina Suggia, Hannah E. Collins

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

The development of cello playing in England in the late nineteenth century was driven largely by the efforts of expatriate and visiting performers trained elsewhere. Performers from abroad, with the support and admiration of British institutions and audiences, elevated the technical level of cello playing and helped to increase the quality and quantity of solo repertoire being written and performed. They also expanded the degree of acceptance that British audiences held for the cello, both as a solo instrument and as an instrument that could be played in public by women. This study explores the impact that three such cellists, …

Two Cello Works Of Pēteris Vasks: Structure, Symbolism, And Identity, Caroline Bean Stute

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

This dissertation presents analyses of two compositions for cello by Latvian composer Pēteris Vasks: Grāmata Čellam (1978), for solo cello, and Concerto No. 2, “Klātbūtne” (“Presence,” 2011–2012), for cello and string orchestra. It acquaints readers with defining elements of Vasks’s musical language and relates his music to the concurrent stylistic classifications of Baltic Minimalism and Neoromanticism. The paper also discusses the significance of Vasks’s national identity in his creative process and provides historical context on Latvia.

Passacaglia And Its Related Forms: Before, During, And After 18th Century Baroque And Program Notes, Austin Han

Theses and Dissertations--Music

The purpose of this project is to inform readers of the importance musicology has in informing one’s own learning experience as a performer and listener. As an expression of this exercise, I’ve focused on the history of the passacaglia in Europe from its origins in Spain to its culmination in the music of Paul Hindemith (1895-1963). Through the process of learning about different renditions of passacaglia through musical analysis and comparisons with contemporary art movements and their legacies, I hope the results of what are shown displays an urgent appreciation for applying a more nuanced and openminded approach to the …