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American Choral Music in Late 19th Century New Haven: The Gounod and New Haven Oratorio Societies

This study examines two of the smaller American choral societies that together existed for just over 30 years, 1888 to 1919: The Gounod and New Haven Oratorio Societies of New Haven, Connecticut. These societies are important because, especially in the case of the New Haven Society, they were closely related to Yale University and the work of Horatio Parker. One must assume from the onset that the two choral groups examined in the following pages did not have the prominence of the many larger… more

Date: May 2001

Creator: Clark, R. Andrew

Item Type: Thesis or Dissertation

Partner: UNT Libraries

open access

The Essercizii musici: A Study of the Late Baroque Sonata

Telemann's Essercizii musici is a seminal publication of the 1730's representative of the state of the sonata in Germany at that time. Telemann's music has been largely viewed in negative terms, presumably because of its lack of originality, with the result that the collection's content has been treated in a perfunctory manner. This thesis presents a reappraisal of the Essercizii musici based on criteria presented in Quantz's Versuch. A major source of the period, the Versuch provides an ana… more

Date: May 2001

Creator: Volcansek, Frederick Wallace

Item Type: Thesis or Dissertation

Partner: UNT Libraries

open access

Carl Gottlieb Reissiger (1798-1859) Forgotten Composer for the Clarinet

Carl Gottlieb Reissiger was a successful German composer, conductor, and teacher in the first half of the nineteenth century. At the height of his career, he was Hofkapellmeister of theater and opera in Dresden, a position he held until his death. He was a composer of more than 200 works in a multitude of different genres. Today he is mainly known as a composer of opera, a small portion of his total output as a composer. He wrote approximately eighty piano solos, eighty collections of songs or … more

Date: May 2002

Creator: Coltman, Charles Arthur

Item Type: Thesis or Dissertation

Partner: UNT Libraries

open access

Scoring for the Specter: Dualities in the Music of the Ghost Scene in Four Film Adaptations of Hamlet

This document's purpose is to analyze dualities found in different films of Shakespeare's Hamlet. Each version brings different ideas to it. By analyzing each version and focusing on the Ghost Scene, comparisons of the scene's symbolism are made between the musical scores. The beginning chapters provide a history of film, film music, the play, and events up to the ghost scene. After these chapters come analyses of the scene itself. Each version uses different parts of the play for its own purpo… more

Date: August 2002

Creator: Dunn, John T.

Item Type: Thesis or Dissertation

Partner: UNT Libraries

open access

Miles Davis: The Road to Modal Jazz

The fact that Davis changed his mind radically several times throughout his life appeals to the curiosity. This thesis considers what could be one of the most important and definitive changes: the change from hard bop to modal jazz. This shift, although gradual, is best represented by and culminates in Kind of Blue, the first Davis album based on modal style, marking a clear break from hard bop. This thesis explores the motivations and reasons behind the change, and attempt to explain why it ca… more

Date: May 2007

Creator: Camacho Bernal, Leonardo

Item Type: Thesis or Dissertation

Partner: UNT Libraries

open access

Mus. Ms. 1511b: A Historical Review of a Lute Manuscript in the Herwarth Collection at the Bavarian Library, Munich

The purpose of this paper is to create a modern transcription/edition and an historical study of Munich Mus. Ms. 1511b thereby helping to define the social and pedagogical ramifications of lute repertoire from the mid-sixteenth-century. Because of the amateurish nature of the compositions, the conclusion of this study is that a member of the Herwarth family probably used the manuscript for learning purposes. Dance, grounds and other related forms found in the manuscript are discussed. Also incl… more

Date: August 2007

Creator: Beasley, Douglas William

Item Type: Thesis or Dissertation

Partner: UNT Libraries

open access

The Whole as a Result of Its Parts: Assembly in Aaron Copland's Score for The Red Pony

Aaron Copland's music for The Red Pony (1948-49), based on John Steinbeck's story collection, is probably the best known of his film scores. The effectiveness of The Red Pony score stems from Copland's belief that film music should be subordinate to the film it accompanies. Copland composed The Red Pony score using his self-described method of "assembly," augmenting this process with devices to synchronize the music with the picture. Examination of archival sources shows how the score reflec… more

Date: May 2003

Creator: McGinney, William Lawrence

Item Type: Thesis or Dissertation

Partner: UNT Libraries

open access

Social Discourse in the Savoy Theatre's Productions of The Nautch Girl (1891) and Utopia Limited (1893): Exoticism and Victorian Self-Reflection

As a consequence to Gilbert and Sullivan's famed Carpet Quarrel, two operettas with decidedly "exotic" themes, The Nautch Girl; or, The Rajah of Chutneypore, and Utopia Limited; or, The Flowers of Progress were presented to London audiences. Neither has been accepted as part of the larger Savoy canon. This thesis considers the conspicuous business atmosphere of their originally performed contexts to understand why this situation arose. Critical social theory makes it possible to read the two … more

Date: August 2003

Creator: Hicks, William L.

Item Type: Thesis or Dissertation

Partner: UNT Libraries

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A Performer's Analysis of Maurice Ravel's Chansons madécasses: A Lecture Recital, Together with Three Recitals of Selected Works of B. Britten, R. Schumann, S. Barber, T. Pasatieri, F. Poulenc, G. Verdi, T. Arne, and Others

In his song cycle, Chansons madécasses (1926), a chamber work for voice, piano, flute, and cello, Maurice Ravel combines twentieth-century musical experimentation and exoticism with the late nineteenth-century style characteristics present in the vocal elements and instrumentation. Because early twentieth-century music appears to be closely connected to modern concerns, performers may tend to dismiss the style and technique of the early twentieth century as simply "old-fashioned" rather than e… more

Date: May 2004

Creator: Ellis, Diana Lea

Item Type: Thesis or Dissertation

Partner: UNT Libraries

open access

Finding the "Indian" in Amy Beach's Theme and Variations for Flute and String Quartet, op. 80.

Music that is categorized as part of the Indianist movement in American music (ca. 1890-1925) typically evokes Native American culture, ritual, story, or song through compositional gestures. It may also incorporate Native American tunes. Amy Beach (1867-1944) is considered to have composed five Indianist works, but her Theme and Variations for Flute and String Quartet, op. 80 has not been included as one of them. This thesis rethinks categorization of the piece, seeking the "Indian" in it throu… more

Date: December 2007

Creator: Burgess, Stephanie J.

Item Type: Thesis or Dissertation

Partner: UNT Libraries

open access

Accessibility and Authenticity in Julia Smith's Cynthia Parker

In 1939, composer Julia Smith's first opera Cynthia Parker dramatized the story of a Texas legend. Smith manipulated music, text, and visual images to make the opera accessible for the audience in accordance with compositional and institutional practices in American opera of the 1930s. Transparent musical themes and common Native Americans stereotypes are used to define characters. Folk music is presented as diegetic, creating a sense of authenticity that places the audience into the opera's We… more

Date: December 2007

Creator: Buehner, Katie R.

Item Type: Thesis or Dissertation

Partner: UNT Libraries

Still life in black and white: An intertextual interpretation of William Grant Still's "symphonic trilogy."

William Grant Still's musical achievements are legion. Because he was the first African American to break the color line in America's concert halls, Still earned the sobriquet "Dean of Negro Composers." Paradoxically, Still's reception suffers from this list of "firsts." The unintended consequence of cataloging his achievements venerates his position as an iconoclast while detracting critical attention from his music. Conversely, if we ignore the social context in which Still produced his m… more

Access: Restricted to the UNT Community Members at a UNT Libraries Location.

Date: August 2005

Creator: Lamb, Earnest

Item Type: Thesis or Dissertation

Partner: UNT Libraries

open access

Michael Nyman: The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat

Composer Michael Nyman wrote the one-act, minimalist opera The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat, based off the neurological case study written by Oliver Sacks under the same title. The opera is about a professional singer and professor whom suffers from visual agnosia. In chapter 1, the plot and history of the opera are discussed. Chapter 2 places The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat alongside a selection of minimalist operas from Philip Glass and John Adams. Chapter 3 contains a history… more

Date: May 2008

Creator: Avant-Rossi, Joan

Item Type: Thesis or Dissertation

Partner: UNT Libraries

open access

The "Gypsy" style as extramusical reference: A historical and stylistic reassessment of Liszt's Book I "Swiss" of Années de pèlerinage.

This study examines Liszt's use of the style hongrois in his Swiss book of Années de pèlerinage to reference certain sentiments he had experienced. The event that brought Liszt to Switzerland is discussed in Chapter 1 in order to establish an understanding of the personal difficulties facing Liszt during the period when the Swiss book took shape. Based on Jonathan Bellman's research of the style hongrois, Chapter 2 examines the Swiss pieces that exhibit musical gestures characteristic of this s… more

Date: May 2008

Creator: Tan, Sok-Hoon

Item Type: Thesis or Dissertation

Partner: UNT Libraries

open access

Singing Songs of Social Significance: Children's Music and Leftist Pedagogy in 1930s America

In their shared goal of communicating left-wing principles to children through music, Marc Blitzstein's Worker's Kids of the World (1935), Aaron Copland's The Second Hurricane (1937), and Alex North's The Hither and Thither of Danny Dither (1941) exhibit a fundamental unity of purpose that binds them both to each other and to the extensive leftist pedagogical efforts of their time. By observing the parallel relationship among these three children's works and contemporary youth organizations, … more

Date: December 2008

Creator: Haas, Benjamin D.

Item Type: Thesis or Dissertation

Partner: UNT Libraries

open access

Caught Between Jazz and Pop: The Contested Origins, Criticism, Performance Practice, and Reception of Smooth Jazz.

In Caught Between Jazz and Pop, I challenge the prevalent marginalization and malignment of smooth jazz in the standard jazz narrative. Furthermore, I question the assumption that smooth jazz is an unfortunate and unwelcomed evolutionary outcome of the jazz-fusion era. Instead, I argue that smooth jazz is a long-lived musical style that merits multi-disciplinary analyses of its origins, critical dialogues, performance practice, and reception. Chapter 1 begins with an examination of current mis… more

Date: December 2008

Creator: West, Aaron J.

Item Type: Thesis or Dissertation

Partner: UNT Libraries

open access

The Sounds of the Dystopian Future: Music for Science Fiction Films of the New Hollywood Era, 1966-1976

From 1966 to1976, science fiction films tended to depict civilizations of the future that had become intrinsically antagonistic to their inhabitants as a result of some internal or external cataclysm. This dystopian turn in science fiction films, following a similar move in science fiction literature, reflected concerns about social and ecological changes occurring during the late 1960s and early 1970s and their future implications. In these films, "dystopian" conditions are indicated as such… more

Date: May 2009

Creator: McGinney, William Lawrence

Item Type: Thesis or Dissertation

Partner: UNT Libraries

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Criticism of Beethoven's Pastoral Symphony in London and Boston, 1819-1874: A Forum for Public Discussion of Musical Topics

Critics who discuss Beethoven’s Pastoral Symphony often write about aspects that run counter to their conception of what a symphony should be, such as this symphony’s static nature and its programmatic elements. In nineteenth-century Boston and London, criticism of the Pastoral Symphony reflects the opinions of a wide range of listeners, as critics variably adopted the views of the intellectual elite and general audience members. As a group, these critics acted as intermediaries between various… more

Date: December 2011

Creator: Cooper, Amy Nicole

Item Type: Thesis or Dissertation

Partner: UNT Libraries

open access

“Sounds for Adventurous Listeners”: Willis Conover, the Voice of America, and the International Reception of Avant-garde Jazz in the 1960S

In “Sounds for Adventurous Listeners,” I argue that Conover’s role in the dissemination of jazz through the Music USA Jazz Hour was more influential on an educational level than what literature on Conover currently provides. Chapter 2 begins with an examination of current studies regarding the role of jazz in Cold War diplomacy, the sociopolitical implications of avant-garde jazz and race, the convergence of fandom and propaganda, the promoter as facilitator of musical trends, and the influence… more

Date: August 2012

Creator: Breckenridge, Mark A.

Item Type: Thesis or Dissertation

Partner: UNT Libraries

Ensemble: 2012-02-01 – Morris Martin, Head, Music Library, 40th Anniversary Concert

A Recital to honor the 40th Anniversary of Morris Martin at UNT College of Music Voertman Hall.

Access: Restricted to UNT Community Members. Login required if off-campus.

Date: February 1, 2012

Duration: 1 hour 51 seconds

Creator: Leenhouts, Paul, 1957-; Hammer, Christoph; Klein, Heidi; Klein, Joseph, 1962-; West, Janelle; Fick, Kimary et al.

Item Type: Sound

Location: 33.210701 -97.150088

Partner: UNT Music Library

open access

Don Gillis's Symphony No 5½: Music for the People

Don Gillis wrote Symphony No. 5½ (1947) in order to reconcile the American public with modern art music. By synthesizing jazz (as well as other American folk idioms), singable melodies, and humor, and then couching them into symphonic language, Gillis produced a work that lay listeners could process and enjoy. The piece was an immediate success and was played by orchestras across the globe, but it did not retain this popularity and it eventually faded from relevancy. This study focuses on el… more

Date: May 2013

Creator: Morrison, Sean

Item Type: Thesis or Dissertation

Partner: UNT Libraries

Ensemble: 2012-02-01 – Morris Martin, Head, Music Library, 40th Anniversary Concert

Anniversary concert performed at the UNT College of Music Voertman Hall.

Access: Restricted to UNT Community Members. Login required if off-campus.

Date: February 1, 2012

Duration: 59 minutes 28 seconds

Creator: University of North Texas. Libraries. Music Library.

Item Type: Video

Location: 33.210701 -97.150088

Partner: UNT Music Library

open access

The Use of Jazz in Opera

Methods of incorporating jazz in opera range from using simple blue notes and fox-trot rhythms, to utilizing jazz instruments, to employing elaborate passages of improvisation. Current definitions of "jazz opera" do not consider variations in the genre, which, because of their evolving nature and the varied background of their composers, are diverse. This study attempts to collectively discuss these third-stream works. Jazz rhythms and harmonies first appeared in the 1920s in the works of Gersh… more

Date: December 1995

Creator: Ottervik, Jennifer

Item Type: Thesis or Dissertation

Partner: UNT Libraries

open access

The Use of the Clarinet in Selected Viennese Operas, 1786-1791, With Three Recitals of Selected Works by Brahms, Muczynski, Benjamin, Widor, Hindemith, and Others

In an appendix section, three notable arias have been transcribed for two clarinets, voice, and piano. A further evaluation of Classical period opera orchestration will aid modern performers and musicologists in their understanding of what clarinets and clarinetists were able and expected to do.

Date: December 1997

Creator: Thrasher, Michael, 1972-

Item Type: Thesis or Dissertation

Partner: UNT Libraries