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open access

An Analysis of Dave Holland's Free Improvisation in "Waterfall" and Its Pedagogical Applications for Bassists in Avant-Garde Performance

Description: This research investigates a microcosm of the free jazz/free improvisation environment of the 1970s in "Waterfall," from the album Dave Holland/Sam Rivers Vol. 1. This recording features Dave Holland and Sam Rivers exhibiting highly developed improvisational language and effortless interaction. The purpose of this investigation is to create pedagogical material for bassists who are unfamiliar and/or uncomfortable with performing in an improvisational style that exists separately from the rigid,… more
Date: December 2019
Creator: Heffner, Steven (Bassist)

Ensemble Singing in the Bel Canto Salon Repertory: A Pedagogical Reconsideration

Description: Vocal duets have had a long history in the Western classical music tradition. Their use as a teaching resource can be traced back to the Renaissance, where duets were used for the development of singing, performance, and musicianship. In the late 19th and all of the 20th centuries, this pathway of vocal pedagogy has markedly declined. This study proposes a reintroduction of this methodology of teaching, asserting that it provides the collegiate vocal student with maximum opportunity for growth … more
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Date: December 2019
Creator: Brown, Shaun (Shaun Joseph)
open access

A Holy Night: 10 Arrangements of Timeless Carols: Preparing Early Advanced Piano Students for Standard Repertoire

Description: It is often challenging for early advanced piano students to move from intermediate level repertoire to standard repertoire because the techniques and difficulties present in the new repertoire are simply too overwhelming for them. "A Holy Night: 10 Arrangements of Timeless Carols" can help bridge the gap between the two repertoire categories by introducing several advanced techniques and combinations of techniques to early advanced students in a non-overwhelming way. Several standard technique… more
Date: December 2019
Creator: Nahkur, Hando
open access

"Homage to Nancarrow" from "Estudios de Frontera for 5 Percussion Players" by Alejandro Viñao: A Rhythmic Analysis and Performance Practice Guide

Description: The Peabody Conservatory commissioned Estudios De Frontera by Alejandro Viñao in 2004. Percussionist Robert Van Sice initiated the commissioning process. Estudios De Frontera is the first composition for percussion ensemble by Viñao. Viñao's Estudios is written in two movements. The first is titled Homage to Nancarrow. As the title implies the compositional processes are directly influenced by Conlon Nancarrow. The composer states: "Homage to Nancarrow is concerned with the perceptual i… more
Date: December 2019
Creator: Kilgore, Matthew Ryan
open access

Horn Concerto in E-flat Major (C41) by Antonio Rosetti: A Critical Edition

Description: This project delivers to the scholar and performer a critical edition of a little-known horn concerto by Antonio Rosetti. Standing in contrast to performance or practical editions, critical editions demand that the editor exerts a non-trivial measure of authority over the state of the text. Performers often find this fact to be uncomfortable given the normal tendency to revere the perceived intent of the composers based upon the text that they set down. When engaging with sources, it is rarely … more
Date: December 2019
Creator: Stewart, Brandon (Brandon Gregory)
open access

The Keyboard Toccatas of Michelangelo Rossi (ca. 1602-1656): Performance Perspectives for Organists

Description: This dissertation provides comprehensive performance perspectives for the interpretation of the published keyboard toccatas by Michelangelo Rossi (ca.1602-1656) in his collection, Toccate e Correnti d'Intavolatura d'Organo e Cimbalo (c. 1634). This document consults the following sources on keyboard practice in the early-Baroque period: Girolamo Diruta's Il Transilvano Dialogo Sopra Il Vero Modo Di Sonar Organi, & Istromenti da penna (1593); Adriano Banchieri's Conclusioni nel Suono dell'Organo… more
Date: December 2019
Creator: Van Rooyen, Hentus
open access

"The Last Leaf" for Sopranino Saxophone: A Performance Guide and Interview with Chaya Czernowin

Description: Despite being one of the instruments outlined in Aldophe Sax's original patent for the saxophone, and commercially available since 1849, the sopranino saxophone was generally unaccepted as a fully-fledged instrument until the late 20th century, existing solely as a novelty or a rare member of the saxophone ensemble. As such, there are few saxophonist who utilize the instrument, and the literature for the sopranino saxophone exists primarily in the contemporary idiom. Of the contemporary works … more
Date: December 2019
Creator: Richards, Alexander
open access

Marc-André Hamelin's "Variations on a Theme of Paganini": The Effect of Polystylism through Pastiche and Musical Borrowing in Variations

Description: Paganini's 24th caprice still remains to this day one of the most celebrated themes in classical music history. Many composers have used this theme to create variations and each composer attempted to produce stylistically unique variations on this piece. Hamelin's Variations on a Theme of Paganini stands out because his piece incorporates musical borrowing and many different composers' styles. His variations integrate music from different centuries, using pastiche and musical borrowing from fig… more
Date: December 2019
Creator: Kim, Warren
open access

María Teresa Prieto's "Seis Melodías": An Analysis of Its Historical Background and Text-Music Relationship

Description: Spanish composer María Teresa Prieto (1895-1982) belongs to a group of Spanish exiles who left their country for Mexico as a result of the Spanish Civil War. She arrived in Mexico in 1936 and developed her compositional career in there. Her first composition after her arrival in the new country was the song cycle Seis Melodías, a work that includes six songs with poetry by Ricardo de Alcázar, Juan Ramón Jiménez, Federico García Lorca, and María Teresa Prieto herself. This document analyzes each… more
Date: December 2019
Creator: Monsalve Mejía, Juana
open access

A Modern Pedagogical Method for Developing Valve Technique on Independent Double Valve Bass Trombone

Description: The modern bass trombone has undergone many changes in design since the 1960s and a student beginning on or switching to bass trombone today needs pedagogical material that methodically addresses the many valve combinations available on an independent double valve bass trombone. The existing books for bass trombone contain useful exercises, but none of the currently available books address all the valve combinations and patterns that are helpful for developing proficient valve technique on bass… more
Date: December 2019
Creator: Sharpe, Chris M.
open access

A Performance-and-Analysis Approach to a Cadential Ambiguity: Chopin's Piano Sonata No. 2 in B-flat minor, Op. 35, First Movement

Description: Pianists often have trouble in determining where a phrase ends, or in other words, cadence identification. This is especially true of certain cadences that can be considered either as half cadences or authentic cadences. This analytically ambiguous cadential point can result in different performance decisions, so pianists should make informed decisions about what kind of cadence it is. This study aims to investigate such cadential ambiguity shown at points of phrase boundaries by focusing on Ch… more
Date: December 2019
Creator: Kim, Yereum
open access

A Performance Guide to David Kechley's "In the Dragon's Garden" with an Investigation of the Saxophone-Guitar Duo Genre

Description: American composer David Kechley was profoundly impacted by a 1990 trip to the Ryoan-ji Temple in Kyoto, Japan. The composer describes the finely raked, small white stones in the midst of fifteen large rocks in the Japanese Zen garden as "planned randomness." Kechley's inaugural composition for saxophone-guitar duo, In the Dragon's Garden, reflects his experience at the Ryoan-ji Temple. The use of minimalistic compositional techniques without literal repetition in the work represents a departure… more
Date: December 2019
Creator: Pierce, Justin
open access

The Solo Piano Collections "Reaching Out" and "Travels Through Sound" by Emma Lou Diemer: Pedagogical Guidelines for Contemporary Techniques for Intermediate-Level Students

Description: Emma Lou Diemer (b. 1927) is a leading American composer, pianist, and educator. Although she composed many outstanding advanced-level piano works, she also believes that composing for other levels is a good discipline for composers. Her two collections Reaching Out and Travels Through Sound contain various contemporary techniques that are highly approachable for intermediate-level students. The purpose of this study is to provide a pedagogical guide to contemporary elements present in these co… more
Date: December 2019
Creator: Yum, Ji-Eun

A Study of Selected Pedagogical Aspects of Two Intercultural Pieces for Late Intermediate and Early Advanced Students: "Variations sur un thème populaire coréen" by Sung-Ki Kim and "Six Pieces for Piano ‘Nori'" by Chung-Sock Kim

Description: I contend that young students should be introduced to intercultural contemporary music, as this exposure brings benefits to their artistic development and fosters appreciation of other cultures. Variations sur un thème populaire coréen by Sung-Ki Kim (b. 1954) and Six Pieces for Piano ‘Nori' by Chung-Sock Kim (b. 1940) are effective pedagogical works that fit perfectly into the intercultural mold mentioned above, and both are suitable for late intermediate or early advanced level students. A de… more
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Date: December 2019
Creator: Choi, Yujin

Tchaikovsky's Piano Concerto No. 1 In B-Flat Minor, Op. 23: A Newly Arranged Edition of the Orchestral Reduction

Description: As it stands, only one arrangement of Tchaikovsky's Piano Concerto No. 1, Op. 23 orchestral reduction exists, which is by Tchaikovsky himself. A number of critical editions of the piece exist, but none of them cover the subject of the material within the orchestral reduction. Tchaikovsky wrote the reduction from a compositional rather than a pianistic perspective, thus some passages present awkward technical challenges. The purpose of this dissertation is ultimately to contribute to the reperto… more
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Date: December 2019
Creator: Parys, Marcin

Uncovering Fanny Hensel's "Das Jahr": Creating an Urtext Edition that Addresses Selected Technical and Interpretive Issues through Added Fingerings and Pedal Markings

Description: Das Jahr is considered Fanny Hensel's most impressive accomplishment of piano solo work. However, the only modern edition that is extant includes many additional editorial markings. By further analyzing the sections that are technically challenging or musically demanding from an interpretive standpoint, pianists wishing to perform the work will have to find workable fingerings and pedal markings to learn this piano cycle. For this reason, this dissertation will not only provide readers with an … more
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Date: December 2019
Creator: Huang, Szu Ying

William Gillock's Contributions to Piano Pedagogy: A Comparison of Three Works of Gillock with Selected Stylistic Models from the Baroque, Classical, and Romantic Repertoire

Description: William Gillock, a 20th-century American composer and pedagogue, composed numerous works in the styles of different periods for early intermediate-level piano students. The purpose of this dissertation is to introduce Gillock's pieces to teachers of early intermediate students and illustrate how they can be used as a bridge to the study of similar music from Baroque, Classical, and Romantic periods. Gillock's Little Suite in Baroque Style is compared with Handel's Suite in E Major, HWV 430; his… more
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Date: December 2019
Creator: Zhan, Le
open access

Addressing Technical and Musical Demands of Contemporary Music for Horn through Newly-Composed Etudes

Description: Contemporary music for horn often requires techniques and musical or notational considerations that are unconventional with respect to the standard pedagogy of the instrument. As such, these considerations often represent a level of challenge to which the average-intermediate to advanced-hornist is unprepared to approach or altogether unfamiliar. The most prominent of these demands arising in the last few decades of the twentieth century through today include microtonality (such as extended jus… more
Date: August 2019
Creator: Hessel, Eric
open access

An Analysis and Performance Guide of Selected Works for Saxophone by Cuban Composers Jorge Luis Sosa and Andrés Alén-Rodriguez

Description: A large portion of the standard repertoire for saxophone and piano has already been recorded and performed many times and has received significant scholarly study. For a performer, remaining relevant requires learning and performing new compositions. Jorge Sosa and Andrés Alén are both accomplished composers, yet outside of the Latin-American community they remain virtually unknown to most saxophonists. This project serves as an introduction to both composers. Combined, Sosa and Alén have nine … more
Date: August 2019
Creator: Friel, Stephan

Beyond Nothingness: A Broader Nihilism in Cinema Paradiso by Stephen Goss

Description: Stephen Goss composed Cinema Paradiso, a six-movement suite for solo guitar, as an homage to films and film directors. Goss cites nihilism as a theme in Dogville, the film that inspires the fourth movement, "Mandalay," but I assert that all the films and many musical devices throughout the piece can be read through the lens of nihilism. The first movement, "Paris, Texas," depicts the stark landscape of the opening scene of the 1984 Wim Wenders film of the same name. "Modern Times" chronicles Ch… more
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Date: August 2019
Creator: Kyzer, Dan
open access

A Comparative Study of Polyphonic Techniques in Chang-Lei Zhu's Ballade for Solo Piano

Description: In Chinese contemporary piano music, large-scale piano compositions featuring innovative polyphonic musical languages are rarely found. Chang-Lei Zhu's Ballade for Solo Piano represents his development of contrapuntal techniques passed on from J. S. Bach and Dmitri Shostakovich in their polyphonic works for solo keyboard or piano. This study focuses on an analysis of Zhu's Ballade as an idiosyncratic composition that makes a significant contribution to the Chinese contemporary piano music reper… more
Date: August 2019
Creator: Rong, Xing
open access

A Conductor's Guide to Harrison Birtwistle's Entr'actes and Sappho Fragments

Description: Entr'actes and Sappho Fragments (1964) by English Composer Harrison Birtwistle represent extended notation, complex meters, and extended instrumental techniques. After World War II, the style and techniques of musical composition evolved considerably and musical trends began to continuously change. Conducting contemporary compositions requires new approaches in conducting methods. This paper examines a) introduce important elements of Birtwistle's compositions in the 1960, b) include an updated… more
Date: August 2019
Creator: Jang, Hyeyoun
open access

Crystal Clear: A Performance Guide and Electronic Accompaniment of Mario Lavista's Marsias for Oboe and Crystal Glasses

Description: Mario Lavista (b. 1943) is a dominant figure in Mexican classical music. In the second half of the twentieth century, he promoted the use of contemporary techniques, leading to a series of collaborations with expert instrumentalists to explore extended techniques. Marsias for Oboe and Crystal Glasses is one of those pieces. Due to the nature of contemporary techniques, different oboes and reed styles produce different effects with the same fingerings. This document analyzes the contemporary fin… more
Date: August 2019
Creator: Thompson, Jonathan (Oboist)
open access

A Grundgestalt Analysis of the Clarinet Trio and Clarinet Quintet by Johannes Brahms

Description: The Grundgestalt (Ger: 'basic shape') is a term coined by Arnold Schoenberg to describe the basis for coherence within a musical composition. Although neither precisely defined, nor adequately supported by examples from his literature, the Grundgestalt remains an important facet of Schoenbergian theory. Composed of several gestalten that occur repeatedly, Schoenberg's Grundgestalt functions as a germinating factor within a piece that allows its motivic, thematic, and rhythmic information to bec… more
Date: August 2019
Creator: McConnell, Michael (Woodwind instrument player)
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