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Johannes Brahms's Ein deutsches Requiem: A Comparison of the Reduced Orchestration Techniques in Joachim Linckelmann's Chamber Ensemble Version to Brahms's Four-Hand Piano Version

Description: Recognizing the challenges small groups have to program a major work, in 2010, Joachim Linckelmann created a chamber ensemble arrangement of Johannes Brahms's "Ein deutsches Requiem." In 1869, J.M. Reiter-Biedermann published Brahms's four-hand piano arrangement of "Ein deutsches Requiem." Brahms's arrangement serves as an excellent comparison to the chamber ensemble version by Linckelmann, since it can be assumed that Brahms chose to highlight and focus on the parts he deemed the most importan… more
Date: December 2016
Creator: Hawley, Aaron (Michael Aaron)
Partner: UNT Libraries
open access

British-Style Brass Bands in U.S. Colleges and Universities

Description: Since the 1980s, British-style brass bands - community ensembles modeled after the all-brass and percussion bands of Great Britain - have enjoyed a modest regeneration in the United States. During this same period, as many as 23 colleges and universities in the U.S. have founded their own curricular or extra-curricular brass band. The purpose of this research study was: to discover which schools sponsor a brass band currently; to discover which schools formerly sponsored a brass band but have s… more
Date: December 2016
Creator: Taylor, Mark A. (Mark Amdahl)
Partner: UNT Libraries
open access

Fence, Flavor, and Phantasm: Balancing Japanese Musical Elements and Western Influence within an Historical and Cultural Context

Description: Given the diversity found in today's Japanese culture and the size of the country's population, it is easy to see why the understanding of Japanese wind band repertoire must be multi-faceted. Alongside Western elements, many Japanese composers have intentionally sought to maintain their cultural identity through the addition of Japanese musical elements or concepts. These added elements provide a historical and cultural context from which to frame a composition or, in some cases, a composer's c… more
Date: May 2018
Creator: Desjardins, Kelly
Partner: UNT Libraries
open access

Orchestral Excerpts for Conductors

Description: "Orchestral Excerpts for Conductors" is a compilation of sixty-five full score excerpts from the orchestral repertory arranged for string quartet and piano. The purpose of this collection is to provide conducting students with a pedagogical resource for learning how to handle technically challenging excerpts in orchestral music. This dissertation serves as a plan for the final publication of the excerpts book; while it includes the full score excerpts, it does not include the arrangements for s… more
Date: May 2018
Creator: Morel, Jessica
Partner: UNT Libraries
open access

Themes of Social Justice in the Choral Music of Jake Runestad

Description: With his thought-provoking and socially relevant music, American composer Jake Runestad has quickly become one of the most performed choral composers of the 21st century. Although music and social justice have been tied together for centuries, there is a new movement bringing social justice to American choral music in a noticeably increased manor, and Jake Runestad is a leading composer in this movement. In this paper, I provide a detailed analysis into the social justice themes employed by Run… more
Date: August 2018
Creator: Hathaway, Christopher M.
Partner: UNT Libraries
open access

The Impact of American Conductors on the Development of Japanese Wind Band Repertoire as Evidenced in the Programming of Tokyo Kosei Wind Orchestra, Musashino Academia Musicae, Showa Academia Musicae, Senzoku Gakuen School of Music, and Tokyo University of the Arts

Description: The wind bands in Japan are considered by many scholars and wind band conductors to be among some of the finest ensembles in today's wind ensemble medium. The literature and repertoire of Japanese ensembles have evolved from orchestral transcriptions, patriotic music, and military marches to original compositions by European, American, and Japanese composers. British conductor Timothy Reynish states that Japanese wind band music has looked traditionally towards the United States and occasionall… more
Date: December 2018
Creator: Lo, Albert
Partner: UNT Libraries
open access

Positioning a Composer's Voice: Embodied Inquiry, Musical Analysis, and Educational Guides on Four Choral Works by Dr. Zanaida Stewart Robles

Description: In this dissertation, I study four choral works by Dr. Zanaida Stewart Robles through musical, thematic, and theoretical analysis to synthesize her compositional style. In addition to analysis, I created supplemental educational guides for each piece. These guides are intended to facilitate an intentional teaching process that leads to meaningful performances that engage the community. I investigate Robles' intersectional approach to composition as it reflects her identity as a Black, female co… more
Date: May 2023
Creator: Stenson, McKenna
Partner: UNT Libraries
open access

William Duckworth's "Southern Harmony": A Comprehensive Exploration into the Synthesis of Two Archetypal American Genres

Description: In his Southern Harmony collection, William Duckworth extracts existing material from shape-note hymns found in William Walker's 1835 publication A Southern Harmony and Musical Companion. He then applies minimalist and postminimalist processes to this material to create innovation choral compositions. This document provides a comprehensive analysis of the methods used to construct all twenty works in Duckworth's collection by tracing the extracted source material through the fabric of the new c… more
Date: May 2023
Creator: Boyd, Jordan D.
Partner: UNT Libraries

A Performance Edition of the Vespers Settings in Sacri E Festivi Concenti, Opera Nona by Giovanni Legrenzi

Description: Giovanni Legrenzi was a prolific composer of vocal music and maestro di cappella at the Basilica di San Marco but his vocal works are not often studied as a part of the Venetian lineage with composers such as Willaert, de Rore, Zarlino, Monteverdi, Cavalli, and Vivaldi. Despite his being a prolific composer who had significant influence on the work of other musicians in the traditional canon, references to Legrenzi in standard music publications (Grout, Taruskin, Grove Music Online, etc.) are a… more
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Date: May 2019
Creator: Sullivan, Ryan W.
Partner: UNT Libraries
open access

Liszt's Portrayal of Goethe's Faust Using Flat 6th Scale Degree as Harmonic Organizing Principle in the Faust Movement from His Faust Symphony

Description: Franz Liszt's Faust Symphony has suffered neglect since its premiere in 1857. The analysis in this study aims to clarify some of the misunderstandings which have led to this neglect, particularly concerning Liszt's formal structure and character portrayal. In the Faust movement, the flat 6th scale degree (♭6) plays a prominent role in harmonic organization. Nineteenth-century composers sometimes used the distinct sonic color of chromatic-third progressions, as Liszt does here between C and E ra… more
Date: May 2019
Creator: Li, Chao (Conductor)
Partner: UNT Libraries
open access

Eak Tai Ahn's Korea Fantasy: His Life, Historical Context, and Compositional Style

Description: Eak Tai Ahn is not only the first generation of Korean musicians, composers and conductors to have studied Western music and given successful musical performances in Western countries, but also is among the first to introduce the music of Korea to the West utilizing the Western music system. Korea Fantasy is an important work that helped Ahn win international acclaim. Korea Fantasy is an orchestral piece that evolved along with Ahn's unique life experiences shaped by the state of his native cou… more
Date: May 2019
Creator: Baek, Da Mi
Partner: UNT Libraries
open access

A Descriptive Study of the Musical Backgrounds of Orchestral Concert Attendees, with an Emphasis on Past Participation in School Music Programs

Description: This was a descriptive study that was completed to gather information about musical backgrounds of orchestral concert attendees, and to determine if those attendees perceived relationships between past participation in school music programs and current patronage of classical music concerts. Participants completed a survey about their musical experiences from childhood through adulthood, as well as memories from school music programs. Results and analysis of the responses identified common theme… more
Date: May 2019
Creator: Pearce, Kevin (Conductor)
Partner: UNT Libraries
open access

Four Evening Service Settings of Joel Martinson: An American's Contribution to Anglican Evensong Repertoire

Description: The Evening Service settings of great British composers like Charles Stanford, A. Herbert Brewer, Charles Wood and Herbert Howells are well known and performed often throughout the world. However, little is known about the body of settings created by American composers. There are currently approximately 75 American composers dating from 1890 to the present, with Evening Service settings in print. Joel Martinson, based in Dallas, Texas, is an American composer, church musician, concert organist,… more
Date: May 2019
Creator: Gordon, Gary (Gary Adrian)
Partner: UNT Libraries
open access

Beyond the Binary: The Intersection of Gender and Cross-Cultural Identity in Reena Esmail's Life and Choral Works

Description: Beyond the Binary explores the intersection of gender with cross-cultural identity in composer Reena Esmail's professional life and choral music. This intersection manifests in her musical style, which accesses the resonant spaces between Western and Indian classical music. I argue that it is through the convergence of Esmail's gender identity with her cross-cultural identity that her compositions challenge gender norms and break down perceived barriers between East and West, inviting her liste… more
Date: May 2019
Creator: Pope, Lindsay (Choral conductor)
Partner: UNT Libraries
open access

A Conductor's Guide to Lionel Daunais's Figures de danse

Description: Lionel Daunais was an eminent and beloved 20th-century Québécois musician who contributed greatly to the performing arts in Canada. Through his work with the Trio Lyrique, Les Variétés Lyriques, and his numerous compositions, he wielded a potent sphere of influence on the Canadian musical landscape. Lionel Daunais's compositions constitute a significant oeuvre, comprising solo vocal works, song cycles, folksong arrangements, individual choral works, and multi-movement choral works. Marked by ir… more
Date: May 2020
Creator: Murray, Brian C. (Brian Clark)
Partner: UNT Libraries
open access

Sacred Sound at the Symphony: A Conductor's Guide to Faith Traditions in Choral-Orchestral Repertoire

Description: Since most historical composers of Western art music were European Christians (or resided in areas that were primarily populated by Christians), a vast majority of the sacred choral-orchestral repertoire is based on major figures and themes from the most prominent denominations, including Catholicism, Lutheranism, and Anglicanism. As a corollary this is also the case for analytical, pedagogical, and exegetical literature related to the topic. However, in the late nineteenth century some compo… more
Date: May 2020
Creator: Bott, Robert (Conductor)
Partner: UNT Libraries
open access

The West Point Band's Wind Commissioning Project in Celebration of the Bicentennial of the United States Military Academy

Description: The United States Military Academy Band, also known as the West Point Band is the oldest active band in the United States Army and the oldest unit at the United States Military Academy, and is considered to be one of the finest military musical organizations in the world. The band has also been instrumental in facilitating the creation of new works for wind band.As the commissioning of new music has been essential to the expansion of the wind band's repertoire, several major commissioning proje… more
Date: May 2017
Creator: Morse, Matthew C., 1967-
Partner: UNT Libraries
open access

A Conductor's Guide to Un-Yung La's Choral Music as Reflected in Easter Cantata

Description: Un-Yung La was one of the first Korean composers of Western style choral music who used Korean folk elements in his composers. According to Un-Yung La's musical theory, which he demonstrated in Easter Cantata. Korean-style melody and rhythm were created based on Korean traditional scales and he also used Western-style harmonization. He attempted a new Korean style of expression through Sikimsae technique in Korean traditional vocal music genres: Pansori and Sijo. The purpose of this paepr is to… more
Date: August 2016
Creator: Ryu, Hanpil
Partner: UNT Libraries
open access

The Re-Unification of Dr. Edwin Fissinger's Prairie Scenes: A Choral Cycle

Description: Edwin Fissinger (1920-1990) was a conductor and prolific choral composer. His compositional techniques, settings of text, jazz-influenced harmonies, and melodic propulsion fulfill an important role in each of his compositions. In the eight choral cycles he composed, Fissinger unified each cycle through thematic and textual elements. Although this resulted in a logical progression of poetry and music, Fissinger's final choral cycle, Prairie Scenes, was not published as he intended. Rather, indiv… more
Date: August 2016
Creator: Jilek, Dean
Partner: UNT Libraries
open access

Rediscovering James Robert Gillette's Vistas

Description: James Robert Gillette (1886-1963) was an early advocate for original wind band music at a time when marches and band transcriptions of orchestral music contributed heavily to the wind band repertoire. Primarily known as an influential, in-demand organist and composer, Gillette became the director of the Carleton College band program in Northfield, Minnesota in 1924. Taking an innovative approach to building, organizing, and programming, Gillette transformed that group into the Carleton Symphony… more
Date: December 2017
Creator: Kitelinger, Jennifer
Partner: UNT Libraries
open access

The Renaissance of the American Symphony for Wind Band as Exemplified by the Recent Symphonies of Donald Grantham, David Dzubay, James Stephenson, and Kevin Walczyk

Description: Since the 18th century, composers have utilized the symphony to communicate thoughts and ideas through the vehicle of a large ensemble composed of a variety of instrumental colors. Though the structure of the symphony has understandably been subject to the varied interpretations of composers over the past 300 years, several characteristics of the traditional symphony do seem to have stood the test of time. In this document, the recent developments of the American symphony for wind band is discu… more
Date: May 2018
Creator: Townsend, Jacqueline
Partner: UNT Libraries
open access

Sven-David Sandström's Matthäuspassion: Examining J.S. Bach's Influence and Sandström's Compositional Language, Use of Symbolism, and Religious and Spiritual Motivations

Description: Beginning with his High Mass written in 1994, popular Swedish composer Sven-David Sandström modeled multiple compositions after famous canonical works using the same texts and/or instrumentation. Sandström wants to be compared to the greatest, specifically in how a twenty-first century composer responds to a text set , in the case of J.S. Bach's , over 250 years ago. His setting of Matthäuspassion (MP), which uses the same libretto as J.S. Bach, is his most extensive non-operatic work, one he c… more
Date: August 2016
Creator: Jilek, Dwight
Partner: UNT Libraries
open access

A Multidimensional Polymetric Analysis of Excerpts from the Wind Band Music of Dan Welcher and Yo Gotō

Description: Polymetric writing is an integral technique in contemporary compositional practice. Dan Welcher and Yo Goto are principal employers of this practice in the wind band medium. Their methods endure even the results of modern scholarship showing limited human perception of polyrhythmic events. This dissertation provides a comprehensive metric analysis of excerpts from the music of Welcher and Goto. Five examples are explored from major band works of each of the two composers. The analytical process… more
Date: December 2016
Creator: Robinson, David D. (David DeWitt)
Partner: UNT Libraries
open access

Paul Robert Fauchet's Symphony in B-flat: A Performance Edition for Modern Wind Band Instrumentation

Description: Paul Robert Fauchet's Symphonie pour Musique d'Harmonie, known in the United States as Symphony in B-flat, is a four-movement composition spanning nearly thirty minutes in length and written in the style of the late romantic composers. Despite its place as one of the first symphonies for wind band, a performance of the piece that represents the composer's 1926 orchestration is difficult due to the inclusion of instruments that are no longer in common practice, including bugles, alto horns, and … more
Date: May 2016
Creator: Kitelinger, Shannon
Partner: UNT Libraries
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