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open access

Solo lyra viol music of Tobias Hume (c. 1579-1645): Historical context and transcription for modern guitar.

Description: The seventeenth century in England produced a large and historically significant body of music for the viola da gamba played "lyra-way." Broadly defined, playing "lyra-way" on the viol meant playing from tablature notation in a polyphonic style. Most players of plucked strings such as lute and guitar are familiar with tablature and, as a result, have a decisive advantage when attempting to explore this music. Other factors that make lyra viol repertory potentially attractive to the modern gui… more
Date: August 2008
Creator: Amelkina-Vera, Olga
open access

Georgy L'vovich Catoire: His Life and Music for Piano, with Special Emphasis on Poem: Second Sonata for Violin and Piano, Op. 20

Description: A Russian composer of French descent, Georgy L'vovich Catoire (also often spelled "Katuar") (1861-1926) is one of the most neglected composers of the turn of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Catoire composed a number of piano pieces, most of which are chamber and solo works. These pieces are rarely studied or performed in the West. This study makes an attempt to fill this void. It thoroughly investigates Catoire's life, as well as looks into his genealogy, since his family was influen… more
Date: May 2008
Creator: Bolshakova, Natalia
open access

An Interpretive Analysis of George Antheil's Sonata for Trumpet and Piano

Description: American composer George Antheil's Sonata for Trumpet and Piano was written in 1951. This dissertation provides historical and theoretical information that gives insight into the interpretation of this sonata. Reasons why the piece deserves greater attention with respect to the standard twentieth century trumpet literature are also given. Antheil's music was influential in the development of classical music in the first half of the 20th century and, more specifically, contributed to the esta… more
Date: August 2008
Creator: Fenderson, Mark
open access

The skazki (fairy tales) of Nikolai Medtner: The evolution and characteristics of the genre with compositional and performance aspects of selected fairy tales.

Description: The compositional language of Russian composer-pianist Nikolai Medtner (1880-1951) demonstrates an evolution of the traditional forms and harmony. Following the classical and romantic traditions, Medtner's compositional technique reveals his individual and original approaches to form and harmony. The unique architectonic in his works is achieved through particular tonal-harmonic juxtapositions of the sections, the frequent prevalence of the monothematic principle, the increased role of the deve… more
Date: August 2008
Creator: Chernaya-Oh, Ekaterina
open access

Carl Sandburg's Timeless Prairie: Philip Wharton's Song Cycle, The Prairie Sings

Description: The connection of music and verse evident in the work of American poet, Carl Sandburg, is a topic that has received inadequate attention. Much preexisting research has focused on Sandburg's work with The American Songbag anthology; however little has been written about music composers' settings of his verse. The relevance of Sandburg's work as a poet has faded in today's society; the rural prairie subject matter and his poetic style are deemed archaic in an ever-evolving mechanistic society. … more
Date: August 2008
Creator: Wunderlich, Kristen A.
open access

Extended performance techniques and compositional style in the solo concert vibraphone music of Christopher Deane.

Description: Vibraphone performance continues to be an expanding field of music. Earliest accounts of the presence of the vibraphone and vibraphone players can be found in American Vaudeville from the early 1900s; then found shortly thereafter in jazz bands as early as the 1930s, and on the classical concert stage beginning in 1949. Three Pieces for Vibraphone, Opus 27, composed by James Beale in 1959, is the first solo concert piece written exclusively for the instrument. Since 1959, there have been over 6… more
Date: August 2008
Creator: Smith, Joshua D.
open access

Carl Orff's Carmina Burana: A Comparative Study of the Original for Orchestra and Choruses with the Juan Vicente Mas Quiles Wind Band and Chorus Arrangement.

Description: The 1994 publication of a new version of Carl Orff's Carmina Burana, arranged for winds, percussion and choruses by Juan Vicente Mas Quiles, created new possibilities for the performance of Orff's monumental work. This dissertation serves as a guide to the study and performance of the Mas Quiles arrangement of Carmina Burana. Chapter One presents a brief discussion of Carl Orff and his Carmina Burana, followed in Chapter two by a short discussion of Mas Quiles' and the other significant transc… more
Date: August 2008
Creator: Simon, Philip G.
open access

An examination of the influence of selected works of Franz Schmidt on the Concerto for Trumpet and Orchestra and the Sonata for Trumpet and Piano by Karl Pilss.

Description: The Concerto for Trumpet and Orchestra and the Sonata for Trumpet and Piano by Karl Pilss were written in 1934 and 1935, respectively. They are examples for solo trumpet of the late German Romantic style of melody, harmony, form and structure. Musicians and audience often overlook composer Karl Pilss outside his native Vienna. His ties to the Trompeterchor der Stadt Wien and the National Socialist Party during the years preceding the Second World War have limited widespread acceptance of this c… more
Date: August 2008
Creator: Wacker, John Mainard
open access

The Modern Trombone in the African American Church: Shout Bands and the African American Preacher in the United House of Prayer

Description: The United House of Prayer was established by Marcelino Manuel da Graça (1881-1960), who is also known as Charles Manuel “Sweet Daddy” Grace, or “Daddy” Grace. He founded and developed the use of the shout bands which are charismatic gospel trombone ensembles within this church. This study explores the importance of shout bands and examines them from multiple perspectives focusing in particular on worship practices. Additionally, it examines rhythmic elements as the most important characteristi… more
Date: May 2015
Creator: Block, Tyrone J.
open access

Modern Forms of an Ancient Art: A Selection of Contemporary Fanfares for Multiple Trumpets Demonstrating Evolutionary Processes in the Fanfare Form

Description: The pieces discussed throughout this dissertation provide evidence of the evolution of the fanfare and the ability of the fanfare, as a form, to accept modern compositional techniques. While Britten’s Fanfare for St. Edmundsbury maintains the harmonic series, it does so by choice rather than by the necessity in earlier music played by the baroque trumpet. Stravinsky’s Fanfare from Agon applies set theory, modal harmonies, and open chords to blend modern techniques with medieval sounds. Satie’s … more
Date: May 2015
Creator: Florek, Paul J.
open access

Critical Study of Two Piano Transcriptions by August Stradal and the Transcriptions’ Sources: Alterations to the Score Based on Historical Evidence and Artistic Judgment

Description: The fact that a number of pianists of the past two centuries adapted, embellished, and rearranged piano works for performance, be these original works or transcriptions, has been well documented throughout history. This thought, in addition to the fact that Stradal’s scores needed revision, encouraged me to make alterations to Stradal’s transcriptions and served as a strong incentive to write the current study. In it, I will comment on the alterations performed to segments of Stradal’s piano tr… more
Date: May 2015
Creator: Vizcarra, Juan Guillermo
open access

Evoking the Mystery: A Pedagogical Method to Enable an Advanced Violinist to Master George Crumb’s Four Nocturnes (Night Music II)

Description: For more than three centuries, violin pedagogical practices have been extensively developed towards music covering the common practice period. However, a problem arises when a violin student performing avant-garde music needs to find realistic solutions to problems that are not addressed in the standard repertoire. This critical essay offers a pedagogical approach to a work that fits well within this paradigm: Four Nocturnes (Night Music II), George Crumb’s only published work for violin and pi… more
Date: May 2015
Creator: Homer, Scott Daniel
open access

An Instructional Guide to Teaching Kurtág’s Játékok Volume I to Beginning and Intermediate Piano Students

Description: Pedagogical methods in piano instruction are constantly evolving. Traditional approaches for beginning students typically focus on teaching music theory and developing the skills necessary to read music. Some contemporary methods, however, are centered on training students to use their whole body while playing the instrument. These more recent methodologies allow students to bond with the piano in a more personal manner, as if they were playing a game with a big toy. One of the most representat… more
Date: May 2015
Creator: Jang, Jeongwook
open access

Mikrokosmos and 32 Piano Games: Introducing Contemporary Musical Language and Developing Piano Technique for the Beginning Student

Description: As new musical styles have emerged in the twentieth century with characteristic sounds, chords, forms, meters, and intervals, teachers need to broaden and re-define the way they introduce musical concepts to beginning piano students. The purpose of this study is to offer different instructional possibilities aside from conventional methods of teaching beginning pianists. This is accomplished through a comparison of the two different approaches of the Hungarian composer Béla Bartók and the Ameri… more
Date: August 2011
Creator: Song, Hyun-Joo
open access

A Pedagogical and Analytical Study of Dušan Bogdanović’s Polyrhythmic and Polymetric Studies for Guitar

Description: Polymeter has been a relatively unexplored compositional technique of music of the Common Practice Period. Dušan Bogdanović’s Polyrhythmic and Polymetric Studies for Guitar is recognized in the guitar world as not only an important theoretical treatise, but also a benchmark for more advanced levels of improvisation. Currently, his treatise remains the best source for learning polymetric improvisation on the guitar. My personal contribution stems from the idea that multiple interpretations of th… more
Date: May 2011
Creator: Morey, Michael J.
open access

Ancient Musical Ideas Through a Twenty-First Century Lens: An Examination of Tarik O’Regan’s Scattered Rhymes and Its Relationship to Guillaume de Machaut’s Messe de Notre Dame

Description: British composer Tarik Hamilton O’Regan (b. 1978, London) is earning a reputation as an important composer of today. The innovative works of O’Regan are entering the spectrum of professional, educational, and community performing organizations across the United States and Europe. Scattered Rhymes’ intricate melodic, harmonic, and rhythmic relationships with Messe de Notre Dame by Guillaume de Machaut (c.1300-1377) make an examination and comparison of the two works significant. Analyzing Scatte… more
Date: August 2011
Creator: LaBarr, Cameron Frederick
open access

Luigi Rossi: Early Baroque Italian Cantatas for the Modern Singer, with Modern Editions of Selected Works

Description: The early baroque songs, or cantatas, of Luigi Rossi (1597-1653) are largely absent from the canon of standard Italian vocal repertory utilized by young singers and voice teachers today. In this document Rossi’s composition style is considered, along with modern edition trends, within the emerging genre of Italian early baroque song. Several of Luigi Rossi’s vocal works — chosen for their simplicity, brevity, dramatic content, and suitability for a young singer — are presented in modern transcr… more
Date: August 2011
Creator: Griffiths, Sarah Abigail
open access

A Performance Guide to Heejo Kim's Choral Arrangements Based on Traditional Korean Folk Tunes and Rhythmic Patterns

Description: Heejo Kim (1920-2001) is one of the most prominent Korean composers of the twentieth century. He is primarily known for his works that incorporate aspects of traditional Korean music. However, at the same time, his efforts in choral arrangements, especially of Korean folk tunes are highly acclaimed by professional choirs and conductors. The purpose of this study is to provide performance guidance on Heejo Kim's choral work, Bat-no-rae, by presenting his biographical background, discussing the u… more
Date: May 2009
Creator: Yi, Chung-han
open access

A Performance Guide and Theorical Study of Keiko Abe's Marimba d'Amore and Prism Rhapsody for Marimba and Orchestra

Description: Keiko Abe's contributions to the contemporary marimba repertoire have been a milestone in the development of the marimba as a solo concert instrument. Besides the creation of a new repertoire through commissions and her own compositions, Abe's contributions to the marimba include the improvement of the sound quality of the marimba and the establishment of the five octave instrument as the standard concert marimba. During the last four decades, Abe's compositions have been performed and studied… more
Date: December 2008
Creator: Àlamo Santos, Juan Manuel
open access

The improvisational language of Niels-Henning Ørsted Pedersen: A performance study.

Description: Thirteen original transcriptions and subsequent analysis of improvised solos performed by Niels-Henning Ørsted Pedersen. The transcriptions are analyzed in three categories: harmonic vocabulary, technical devices, and motivic use. Pervasive harmonic and melodic themes are presented and compared with phrases from improvisers such as Sonny Rollins and Charlie Parker, as well as compositions by J.S. Bach and Johannes Brahms. Observations from the transcriptions regarding performance practice and t… more
Date: December 2008
Creator: Butterfield, Craig
open access

Joseph Holbrooke: A Study of the Published and Unpublished Solo and Chamber Works for Clarinet with an Annotated Bibliography

Description: The name Joseph Holbrooke is, for the most part, unknown today, but that was not the case in the early years of the 20th century. Conductors such as Sir Thomas Beecham and Henry Wood performed his works throughout England, and his opera, The Children of Don, was performed in Vienna and Salzburg. However, his popularity did not last, and the performances of his works began to decline sharply after 1925. By the last quarter of the 20th century, performances of his works were very rare, even i… more
Date: May 2009
Creator: Webb, Joseph Dee
open access

Three Pieces for Musicians and Computer: Rameaux, Nature Morte, Moiré.

Description: Three Pieces for Musicians and Computer implements a modular formal structure that allows the performers to experiment with the order and number of movements to arrive at their ideal combination. The piece is a collection of three solo works: Rameaux, Nature Morte, and Moiré for bass flute with b-foot, metal percussion (vibraphone, glockenspiel, and crotales), and clarinet (A and B-flat instruments) respectively. In addition to the original versions, an alternate version of each piece is inc… more
Date: December 2008
Creator: Welch, Chapman
open access

An Analysis and Performance Guide to William Lovelock's Concerto for Trumpet and Orchestra

Description: This paper investigates the usage of traditional compositional techniques on Concerto for Trumpet and Orchestra by William Lovelock. (1899-1986) Like many other twentieth-century composers for trumpet Lovelock wrote in a romantic style using traditional forms. As a composer, Lovelock is largely under-appreciated. This paper explains Lovelock's compositional techniques and provides performers with a guide to help prepare the piece for performance.
Date: December 2008
Creator: Place, Logan
open access

Uncovering Aspects of Western and Indian Music in Vanraj Bhatia's Night Music for Solo Flute, and Selected Other Works

Description: Born in 1927 in Bombay, Vanraj Bhatia is an Indian composer of music for concerts, film, television, opera, meditation, and commercial jingles. His musical style is unique, stemming from his training in both Western and North Indian classical, or Hindustani, music. Little is known about Vanraj Bhatia in the Western classical world, and in India he is recognized primarily as a composer of film music. This dissertation aims to bring awareness of Vanraj Bhatia's significance as a Western classical… more
Date: August 2018
Creator: Woolf, Rachel, 1988-
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