Other Music Commons^™

Here Comes The Sun: A Diachronic Study Of The Role Of Music In The Amarna Period, Waleed Hawatky

Theses and Dissertations

Music has and continues to play a prominent role in the lives of individuals and in society, hardwired into the human experience and integral to our understanding of the world in both its tangible and intangible manifestations. This was no different in dynastic Egypt, where abundant iconographic and physical evidence from the Old Kingdom onward shows music performed in many diverse contexts at every social level.

Music appears not only to gain prominence during the reign of Amenhotep IV/Akhenaten (c. 1353–1335), also known as the Amarna Period, but also to develop innovations, including new kinds of instruments and musical ensembles, …

Timbral Effects Of 3d Printing Brass Wind Musical Instruments: A Comparison Between Traditional And 3d Printed Construction, Cole K. Zelman

Theses and Dissertations

This study explores the timbral effects that manufacturing wind instruments from thermoplastics (via 3D printing) has in comparison to traditionally made instruments. The project mainly focuses on the individual properties of different thermoplastics in comparison to traditional materials like brass. The instrument tested is a C bugle for a simple example of a brass wind instrument and is compared directly against the traditional brass construction. Results employ spectral centroid, spectrograms, and professional subjective analysis to compare the different thermoplastic test samples to the control brass bugle.

Digital Docent: An Analysis Of Accessibility In The Digital Music Space, Erin L. Fowler

Theses and Dissertations

The world is constantly changing and growing, most often seen through advances in technology. When it comes to the world of music, the same can be said, and digitization of musical material is moving at a faster rate than ever before. With the influence that music has on society and considering new ways of making music more accessible to the general public through the public-facing museum format, I wanted to examine how digital music museum exhibits and experiences can be made accessible and if it is possible to fully represent what an in-person exhibit can offer. In 2010, Smithsonian created …

Spell Of Forty Small Failings, Erin B. Ehren

Theses and Dissertations

Spell of Forty Small Failings is a collection of images and writings that draws from an unruly range of literary forms, academic disciplines, and religious cannons in order to address the Divine—all that which exists on account of the phenomena of what it is to see and be seen: to hear and be heard: to touch and be touched: to know and be known, and through that knowing proceed beyond mediation. I wrote this thesis for me in the hopes that all along I was writing for you.

Electromagnetic Field Analysis, Materials Characterization, And Advanced Modeling Of Modern Guitar Pickups, Luis Alonso Villarreal

Theses and Dissertations

This Thesis establishes the foundations of modern guitar pickup theory, enhancing current pickup design by an increase in voltage output, reduction of DC resistance, and a reduction of production costs. This research investigates factors that have received insufficient attention, such as the performance of different magnetic materials, magnet geometry, bobbin geometry, metal effects, etc. An equation to calculate the output of guitar pickups is developed. Additionally, this work constructs a modern pickup using the techniques developed in this thesis incorporating theory and advanced modeling techniques to simulate changes in performance and interactions with different magnetic materials and geometries. The new …

Made In Italy: Gli Effetti Della Musica Italiana (T)Rap Sulla Società E Sulla Lingua, Paraskevi Z. Gkana-Alberico

Theses and Dissertations

This paper explores the history of Italian (t)rap music, and uses the lyrics of famous songs in an attempt to examine the effects the sometimes vulgar and explicit themes, which are usually accompanied by the use of foreign languages, could have on society and the Italian language.

Freestyle's Forsaken, Sage D. Rivera

Theses and Dissertations

Freestyle is a genre of music born in the mid-1980s from Latino and Black communities in the urban epicenters of the United States. This project spotlights a freestyle music artist “Corina," and how she suffered a patriarchal construct but finally got the moment of significance she deserved.

The Mathematical Foundation Of The Musical Scales And Overtones, Michaela Dubose-Schmitt

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis addresses the question of mathematical involvement in music, a topic long discussed going all the way back to Plato. It details the mathematical construction of the three main tuning systems (Pythagorean, just intonation, and equal temperament), the methods by which they were built and the mathematics that drives them through the lens of a historical perspective. It also briefly touches on the philosophical aspects of the tuning systems and whether their differences affect listeners. It further details the invention of the Fourier Series and their relation to the sound wave to explain the concept of overtones within the …

Signal To Noise: Harmonic Temperaments And Patterns Of Interference, Dylan A. Marcheschi

Theses and Dissertations

An audio/visual exploration of historical tuning systems. Most contemporary Western audiences will seldom if ever encounter harmony outside of post-Renaissance tuning conventions. This presentation highlights some of those pre-orthodox harmonic relationships which existed throughout most of history. The corresponding paper documents correlates in recent advances of acoustic ecology.

An Analysis Of The Compositional Technique And Structures Of Howard Hanson's Symphony No. 1 In E Minor, Op. 22 “Nordic”, Eunseok Seo

Theses and Dissertations

Howard Hanson was the first American composer who attained international prominence in the early 20th century. During his time as conductor and director of the Eastman School of Music, he was perhaps one of the greatest promoters of modern musical expression and avant-garde performance techniques. However, Hanson was a composer who preferred composing in a traditional style, and his compositional style was faithful to nuanced Romantic expression and a Classical structure. Hanson’s music career ebbed and flowed with contrasting periods of struggle and success. His music was enormously popular during the 1930s and 40s but quickly entered a period of …

Vladimir Pleshakov: A Historiography And Analysis Of His Liturgy Of St. John Chrysostom, Andrew Cameron Pittman

Theses and Dissertations

Vladimir Pleshakov, an accomplished concert pianist, began composing at the age of seventy-five after a struggle with cancer. While awaking from anesthesia after surgery, Pleshakov began hearing spontaneously-composed and completed original Slavonic sacred choral music (in his mind). Over the last decade Dr. Pleshakov has produced nearly sixty compositions. Many of his compositions have found critical acclaim and are published by Musica Russica. This document provides a biography, list of compositions, background information, and a conductor’s analysis of his Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom.

Communicative Language In The Compositional Output Of Kirke Mechem, Kirstina Rasmussen Collins

Theses and Dissertations

Kirke Mechem (born 1925) has had a long career, spanning several decades. In looking at his large body of work, it is argued that the role of communicative language is central to his compositional style. This priority, originating from his own background, has influenced his choices of musical and textual language, his preferred genres of composition, and his beliefs about the role of music. The importance of communicative language in Mechem’s music sets him apart in the musical landscape of the late 20th and early 21st century.

From early on both music and the written word held a high importance …

Electronics And The Music Of Miles Davis, Darren E. Shekailo

Theses and Dissertations

Miles Davis produced a wealth of music relying on the use of electronic instruments and new technology. With their adoption, the famous trumpeter began his “electric” period. Examining the electric period of Davis’s career helps us trace the profound impact of electronic instruments and technological advances on his music.

Translucent Voices: Creating Sound Pedagogy And Safe Spaces For Transgender Singers In The Choral Rehearsal, Gerald Dorsey Gurss

Theses and Dissertations

While transgender rights and issues are gaining an increasing amount of attention in both pop culture and, to some extent, in the education sector, little information is available for the choral conductor that provides pedagogical tools for transitioning voices. This document provides conductor-educators with both a brief look at the transgender experience and also tools to create safe learning environments, from gender-inclusive language to vocal exercises to encourage healthy vocal transitions in transgender singers

Twenty-first century choruses are not the first institutions in the realm of Western art music that have faced visual, aural, and enigmatic conceptualizations of gender and …

Diction For Mandarin/Chinese Singers: A Methodology To Achieve Resonant Tone And Vowel Unification In Western Choral Music, Chien-Yi Li

Theses and Dissertations

Understanding vowel production is vital in order to develop a rich choral tone based on unified vowels, appropriate resonance, and freely produced singing. Likewise, correct articulation of consonants produces understandable text. Enunciating the texts of Western choral repertoire is often challenging for Mandarin singers, and learning English pronunciation requires a significant amount of rehearsal time. Further, amateur and developing singers in Mandarin-speaking countries often employ a bright sound and lowered soft palate when singing, in common with their native speaking position. Therefore, voice placement, resonance, and vowel modification must be carefully addressed and improved upon when they are singing Western …

Tertian Relationships In Three Choral Selections By Dan Forrest: A Conductor’S Analysis, Lindsey Cope

Theses and Dissertations

Dan Forrest is a composer who has gained attention in the choral world. His compositions like Venite Adoremus, Abide, and arrangements like A Mighty Fortress is Our God exhibit representative characteristics of his compositional voice. This document will serve choral conductors as a resource for understanding the compositional aspects of Forrest’s music and application for rehearsing his music. By examining three of his compositions of contrasting styles, this study will illuminate a variety of his compositional traits and examine their use in the three selections. Tertian relationships are pervasive in Forrest’s music in the formal designs, harmonic structure, and key …

Laminated Paint, Travis R. Austin

Theses and Dissertations

Though we may not perceive it, we are surrounded by material-in-flux. Inert materials degrade and the events that comprise our natural and social environments causally thread into a duration that unifies us in our incomprehension. Sounds reveal ever-present vibrations of the landscape: expressions of the flexuous ground on which we stand.

The Rise Of The Chinese Concerto: A Look Into The Developments Of Chinese Traditional Instrument Concerti With Western Orchestra, Alex Alex Wise

Theses and Dissertations

The mixing of musical traditions between cultures, philosophies, and religions has been a crucial element of music for centuries. However, a marked rise over the last century has seen rapid development of specific East/West fusions that have become known as “fusion concertos.” These fusions combine Eastern and Western compositional techniques as well as Eastern and Western instruments to create new and interesting works for a multitude of ensembles.

This research takes two early examples written by Chinese composers, the worldfamous works Butterfly Lovers Violin Concerto and Yellow River Piano Concerto, and analyzes them regarding form, melodic content, harmonic content, and …

The Tie That Binds: The History, Conductors, And Music Of The Mystic Area Ecumenical Choir Festival, Mark Daniel Merritt

Theses and Dissertations

The Mystic Area Ecumenical Choir Festival, which began in 1968, is now in its 50th year. The festival is sponsored each year by the Mystic Area Ecumenical Council. The festival combines multi-generational choirs from numerous churches in and around the coastal villages of Noank and Mystic in Connecticut. Numerous nationally recognized choral directors, composers, and clinicians have been invited to guest conduct the choirs of the festival. For festival milestones, new choral pieces are commissioned.

This research project explores the history of church choirs in New England, beginning with mandated singing of metrical psalms, the singing schools which started in …

Between Rock And Breeze, Lena Schmid

Theses and Dissertations

My thesis project consists of a series of works on paper and songs about the collusion of the body and nature. I use a lens that both distorts and makes clearer the ineffable ways our bodies shake their boundaries, moving without us and within us.

An Exploration Of The Availability And Implementation Of Undergraduate Degrees In Conducting In The United States, Erik Lee Garriott

Theses and Dissertations

The art of conducting musical ensembles has grown since conductors such as Louis Spohr, Carl Maria von Weber, Felix Mendelssohn, Richard Wagner, and Hector Berlioz popularized it in the classical and romantic eras of music history. However, there appear to be discrepancies between the prevalence of conducting throughout music history and the availability of bachelor’s degrees in music performance centered around conducting in the United States. Europe has a strong tradition of training conductors from a young age, and Asia is beginning to develop a strong tradition of its own. The United States is a worldwide leader in many degree …

An Exploration Of Characterizations In Jac Redford’S Oratorio The Martyrdom Of Saint Polycarp, Melanie Cross Buckner

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this document is to highlight the fundamental musical features J.A.C. Redford employs to create characterizations within his oratorio The Martyrdom of Saint Polycarp. Analysis of melody, harmony, texture and rhythm demonstrates Redford’s methods of underscoring the principles of good and evil while demonstrating a Christian worldview.

An examination of each character reveals unique music that highlights specific aspects of their individual personalities. Redford employs a variety of techniques to accomplish the diverse personae. These techniques also illuminate elements of his compositional style. Special features include melodies with natural speech rhythms and inflections, extended tertian harmonies, and rhythmic …

The Choral Music Of Keaton Lee Scott With A Conductor’S Analysis Of Requiem, Damion Womack

Theses and Dissertations

In addition to the analysis of Requiem by K. Lee Scott, this document provides biographical information and compositional style characteristics. The study was informed by frequent correspondences and multiple interviews with the composer. It is the author’s desire that this study will inspire and prepare other conductors to program this excellent composition, and encourage greater study of other accessible choral works by K. Lee Scott.

Most Recommended Choral Music: A Survey Of High School State Choral Festival Repertoire Lists, James B. Watson

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this research study is to determine the most frequently listed choral selections on state choral festival repertoire lists and to survey state repertoire directors regarding their opinions of the most important literature for high school choral students. Five questions guided this research: What are the most frequently listed works on state repertoire lists? Which styles do repertoire directors indicate as most important for a vocal music education? Is there any relationship between the compilation of literature and the state repertoire directors’ opinions regarding the importance of specific styles? What is the process for adding works to state …

The Original Wind Band Music Of Ulysses Kay: A Conductor’S Guide, Tremon B. Kizer

Theses and Dissertations

Ulysses S. Kay (1917–1995) was one of the most prolific African American composers in the twentieth century, with over forty orchestral works, five operas, over forty choral compositions, and seven original works for wind band. Notable conductors such as Leonard Bernstein, Frederick Fennell, Thor Johnson, Zubin Mehta, and Leopold Stokowski performed his works. Kay earned several prestigious awards for his compositions in genres outside of wind band, including two Prix de Rome selections, a Guggenheim fellowship, and six honorary doctorates. Even with his numerous accolades and a compositional output totaling more than 135 works, Kay has become one of the …

A Study Of Rock Music To Determine Its Declared Position Relative To Unchastity, The Use Of Drugs And The Departure From Traditional Concepts Of Family And Religion, E. Lynn Balmforth

Theses and Dissertations

One of the social phenomena of our time (1960s) has been the popularization of a kind of music among the youth known as rock 'n' roll. It was the intent of this study to determine if the medium of rock did, in fact, maintain a posture of promulgating unchastity, the use of drugs and departure from traditional concepts of family and religion.

Supported by statements from leading rock musicians it was found that the big beat had a cultural root in the Negroid race. Coupling the big beat gospel rhythms of the south with the white country and western music, …