ASU Electronic Theses and Dissertations
This collection includes most of the ASU Theses and Dissertations from 2011 to present. ASU Theses and Dissertations are available in downloadable PDF format; however, a small percentage of items are under embargo. Information about the dissertations/theses includes degree information, committee members, an abstract, supporting data or media.
In addition to the electronic theses found in the ASU Digital Repository, ASU Theses and Dissertations can be found in the ASU Library Catalog.
Dissertations and Theses granted by Arizona State University are archived and made available through a joint effort of the ASU Graduate College and the ASU Libraries. For more information or questions about this collection contact or visit the Digital Repository ETD Library Guide or contact the ASU Graduate College at gradformat@asu.edu.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9
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- All Subjects: Music
- Creators: Creviston, Hannah
Description
As one of the composers living in an era filled with innovations, Anatol Konstantinovich Lyadov (1855-1914) has been relatively ignored by scholars and pianists to date. He is an unusual composer with multiple characteristics: solitary but expressive, talented but indolent. His compositional style never lacked critics—especially with respect to his persistent preference of miniatures. Nonetheless, his piano works embody the breathtaking beauty of the composer’s independent musical ideas and colorful musical language. Compared with the flourishing, dazzling, and nationalized music from other composers living in the same era, these light, flowing musical pieces from Lyadov have irreplaceable value.
Through the study of these small-scale piano works, one finds important connections with the music of other renowned composers (e.g. Chopin and Scriabin), and the employment of traditional aspects such as Russian folk tones and fairy tales. Stylistically, Lyadov was a representative of 19th-century Romanticism; however, his compositional style changed during his late period (after 1900), presenting a unique use of dissonance.
The scholarly research on Lyadov’s piano works remains limited. Most of the related resources can be found only in the Russian music literature. No in-depth study or dissertation on the complete piano works of Lyadov could be located, and therefore my research paper is intended to provide useful information to piano performers and teachers, hopefully encouraging more study and performance of Lyadov’s piano works. Despite their lyrical melodies and deep emotion, these works are thus far relatively unpopular and unknown, with only a few played occasionally as encore pieces.
Through the study of these small-scale piano works, one finds important connections with the music of other renowned composers (e.g. Chopin and Scriabin), and the employment of traditional aspects such as Russian folk tones and fairy tales. Stylistically, Lyadov was a representative of 19th-century Romanticism; however, his compositional style changed during his late period (after 1900), presenting a unique use of dissonance.
The scholarly research on Lyadov’s piano works remains limited. Most of the related resources can be found only in the Russian music literature. No in-depth study or dissertation on the complete piano works of Lyadov could be located, and therefore my research paper is intended to provide useful information to piano performers and teachers, hopefully encouraging more study and performance of Lyadov’s piano works. Despite their lyrical melodies and deep emotion, these works are thus far relatively unpopular and unknown, with only a few played occasionally as encore pieces.
ContributorsZhang, Xiaoyu (Author) / Hamilton, Robert (Thesis advisor) / Creviston, Hannah (Committee member) / DeMars, James (Committee member) / Meir, Baruch (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2018
Description
The word “nocturne” was first used to describe a piano work by the Irish composer John Field, who also established its basic framework. The genre was expanded and brought to its maturity by Chopin, who wrote twenty-one nocturnes for solo piano over his entire creative life. Among Chopin’s works, it is the nocturnes with their lyrical melodies and improvisational nature that especially provide flexibility and freedom for performers to express inner feelings and individual interpretations. The marked contrast between Chopin’s early and late nocturnes naturally leads to different interpretive results. Accordingly, this project investigates how the stylistic changes in Chopin’s early and late nocturnes are related to their performances. Taking Op. 9, No. 1 and Op. 62, No. 1 as examples of Chopin’s early and late nocturnes respectively, the project compares the recordings of Artur Rubinstein (1965) and Vladimir Ashkenazy (1981) through the lens of descriptive analyses. The introductory chapter covers the influences on Chopin’s nocturnes, Rubinstein’s and Ashkenazy’s playing styles of Chopin’s works, various editions of Chopin’s nocturnes, and the relation of analysis to performance. The main body of the paper alternates descriptive analysis of each section of Nocturnes Op. 9, No. 1 and Op. 62, No. 1 with comparisons between the two pianists’ recordings. The final chapter outlines how the two nocturnes from Chopin’s early and late creative periods differ from one another and how the changes in style affect the two pianists’ interpretations. The goal of this project is to aid in a better understanding of the interpretive choices made by Rubinstein and Ashkenazy in these two nocturnes.
ContributorsTang, Yun Ms. (Author) / Hamilton, Robert (Thesis advisor) / Rockmaker, Jody (Committee member) / Creviston, Hannah (Committee member) / Ryan, Russell (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2023
Description
This research paper will examine William Bolcom’s compositional style and performance challenges related to Three Popular Rags (1967-1968), Knockout: A Rag (2008), Estela: Rag Latino (2010), and Contentment - A Rag (2015). The aim is to reveal some of his contributions to the revival and expansion of ragtime. The paper includes a brief background on William Bolcom and a history of ragtime music. Differences between the compositional styles of Scott Joplin and Bolcom are discussed through descriptive analysis, focusing on musical forms, rhythms, harmonies, and textures. The performance suggestions include elements of dynamics, articulation, extended piano techniques, and pedal use. The author hopes that this stylistic analysis and performance guide will further interest in Bolcom’s piano ragtime music.
ContributorsLi, Yuhui (Author) / Hamilton, Robert (Thesis advisor) / Creviston, Hannah (Committee member) / Rockmaker, Jody (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2020
Description
History has long been stamped with the name of Carl Czerny in the domain of piano pedagogy, due to the substantial number of didactic piano exercises that Czerny produced. As a result, Czerny’s “canonic” pedagogical works have overshadowed other unrecognized piano études. At the turn of the nineteenth century, the cultivated form of concert études entered the output of almost every pianist-composer, and yet traditionally, attention in piano pedagogy has centered on études by Czerny, Burgmüller, Liszt, Schumann and Chopin. More recent research pays tribute to études by other composers, such as Clementi, Cramer, Hummel and Moscheles. The current lack of documentation and analysis of piano études written by female pianists is undeservedly a great loss to pedagogy and keyboard literature. Not only do these études give modern musicians a glimpse into the pianism and professionalism of the earliest accomplished women pianists, but the varieties in their études also form a comprehensive training method that ranges from the intermediate level to the advanced level. The virtuosity and brilliance of the advanced études deserve to be considered in league with other long-standing piano études that have already been glorified and performed throughout history. The purpose of this pedagogical study is to shed light on these hidden treasures of études which are invaluable pedagogical resources. To concisely demonstrate the varieties of pianistic techniques, this analysis will focus solely on two collections of études: Eight Übungsstücke (1823) by Fanny Mendelssohn Hensel (1805 – 1847), and Six Concert de Études Op. 11 (1881) by Agathe Backer Grøndahl (1847 – 1907).
ContributorsChan, Ka Hou (Author) / Meir, Baruch (Thesis advisor) / Creviston, Hannah (Thesis advisor) / Norton, Kay (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2023
Description
ABSTRACT
Alexina Louie (b.1949), Chen Yi (b.1953), and Vivian Fung (b.1975) are three highly respected Asian female composers in the contemporary classical music world. This written document concentrates on three works by these composers: I Leap Through the Sky with Stars (1991), Guessing (1989), and Glimpses (2006, rev. 2016), exploring their overall structures and influences of the pieces. It also includes brief biographies of each composer and the stylistic characteristics of their solo piano compositions.
The first chapter provides a general description of the changing role and importance of female composers in musical history, as well as in the present day. In addition, this chapter offers a brief comparison of these three composers’ musical languages. The three subsequent chapters offer a deeper exploration of each individual composer and discuss a major work written by each.
Through these works, a fusion nature of Western and Eastern music is revealed. Chen Yi composed Guessing based on a Chinese folk song and employed the form of theme and variations; Alexina Louie demonstrates different timbres of Asian instruments and adopts the Asian philosophy of Yin Yang in her composition, I Leap Through the Sky with Stars; and Vivian Fung composed Glimpses as a prepared piano work to imitate the many timbres of Gamelan and Oriental instruments. Finally, the fifth chapter summarizes these elements and demonstrates the need for female voices in the male-dominated Western classical tradition.
Additionally, my interpretative suggestions and practice notes are included, in order to help those who are learning these pieces or pieces in similar styles. Overall, this document offers some approaches for understanding this music and pieces in similar styles and examines their potential as pedagogical and performance works.
ContributorsXiong, Lirui (Author) / Breslin, Cathal (Thesis advisor) / Creviston, Hannah (Thesis advisor) / Navarro, Fernanda (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2022
Description
Remembered as a virtuoso pianist from the Romantic period, Anton Rubinstein (1829-1894) was well-known for his outstanding piano technique and his series of historic recitals. Rubinstein was also a prolific composer, and piano music constitutes a substantial portion of his output. Scholars and pianists recently have shown interest in Rubinstein’s music, primarily his piano sonatas and études. His Morceaux, however, receive little notice and are seldom performed by pianists today. The project at hand examines four pieces: Impromptu and Serenade from Morceaux, Op. 16, and Ballade and Variations from Morceaux, Op. 104. These works are explored from both compositional and performance perspectives. After a brief introduction about Rubinstein’s life and his piano music, the four pieces from these two sets of Morceaux are described analytically. Performance suggestions follow the description of each piece, concentrating on the technical and expressive challenges for pianists.
ContributorsCai, Jun (Author) / Holbrook, Amy (Thesis advisor) / Meir, Baruch (Thesis advisor) / Creviston, Hannah (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2021
Description
This research paper is an explanatory document for the lecture recital presented by the author. The lecture recital focused on the mimicking of instruments in arrangements and transcriptions for piano of Chinese traditional music. There are five Chinese music instruments discussed in the paper, namely guqin, zheng, erhu, suona, and pipa. This document provides an introduction to the five instruments, including their origin, historical background, and physical characteristics. Then it discusses the selected traditional pieces for these instruments and compares them to their corresponding piano arrangements. The traditional pieces are Three Stanzas of Plum Blossoms (arranged by Jianzhong Wang), Liu Yang River (arranged by Jianzhong Wang), Moon Reflected on the Er-quan Spring (arranged by Wanghua Chu), A Hundred Birds Paying Homage to the Phoenix (arranged by Jianzhong Wang), and Flute and Drum at Sunset (arranged by Yinghai Li). The comparison and the discussion of the technical issues in certain passages will help the pianist to create a fitting sound when performing the works.
ContributorsZhou, Jingchao (Author) / Pagano, Caio (Thesis advisor) / Holbrook, Amy (Committee member) / Creviston, Hannah (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2020
Description
Ge Gan-ru (b. 1954) is considered one of the most innovative composers of his time and is referred to in The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians as “China's first avant-garde composer.”[ Stanley Sadie, The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians, 2nd edition. Oxford: Oxford University Press,( January 29, 2004): 258.] In 1986, Ge composed Ancient Music, a piece employs extended piano techniques to express the composer's reimagination of ancient Chinese music.
This project explores the life and music of Ge Gan-ru by providing a historical background of Ge’s life as a composer during the Chinese Cultural Revolution[ The Chinese Cultural Revolution was a decade-long era of political and social upheaval ignited by Mao Zedong's attempt to restore his authority over the Communist Party through the mistreatment of the Chinese people. ] and the changes after he came to America. In addition, a technical analysis and performance guide of Ancient Music are included, in order to discuss how he expresses his individual compositional language and integrates Chinese musical concepts into a western contemporary compositional system. In this document, I take a close look at Ge Gan-ru’s perspectives on Chinese music and the revolutionary reforms he made. Chapter One is a review of sources about Ge’s life and study in China and America and a brief introduction to his Ancient Music. Chapter Two discusses why the concept of composer in the context of Western music is missing in Chinese music, as most traditional Chinese works were not created by a single person and therefore do not reflect the individual voice of one composer. This point can also be extended to explain why Chinese society has historically encouraged homogenization including in music. Chapter Three serves as a performance guide, as well as a musical and technical analysis of Ancient Music. This will involve outlining and comparing the performance of traditional Chinese instruments with the internal piano techniques employed throughout this piece. Chapter Four is a summary of Ge’s Ancient Music and his musical contributions.
ContributorsWang, Yun (Author) / Breslin, Cathal (Thesis advisor) / Solís, Ted (Committee member) / Creviston, Hannah (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2024
Description
This project combines a performance recording with musicological research on Louise Farrenc’s four sets of piano études (Op. 26, 41, 42, 50). It highlights the remarkable piano works of the French female composer Louise Farrenc, exploring representative selections from Farrenc’s four progressive sets of educational piano études. I intend to draw attention to these extraordinary compositions and elevate their position in modern-day piano repertoire. These are essential works from the nineteenth-century piano repertoire, which provide significant pedagogical value as they were composed based on Louise Farrenc’s (1804-1875) own teaching experience of pupils. In addition, a growing appreciation for the aesthetic and educational merit of women composers’ compositions is rapidly emerging in contemporary scholarship, while people tended to focus on prominent male composers’ work in the past. This discussion centers around the technical goals of each set, musical expression and interpretation suggestions, and analysis of important influences to create a comprehensive pedagogical guide for performers and teachers. The lack of documentation and analysis of piano compositions by female pianists is a great loss to pedagogy and keyboard literature, and the purpose of this project is to contribute to change in promoting the works of female composers.This pedagogical study is organized into four chapters. Chapter 1 offers a concise biography of composer Louise Farrenc, exploring her personal journey and the artistic landscape that shaped her work. I emphasize the societal expectations on different genders as musicians in the nineteenth century. The first part of Chapter 2 embarks on a chronological development of études, commencing with their seventeenth-century inception and culminating in their peak during the mid-nineteenth century. The second part of Chapter 2 discusses Farrenc’s études and her pedagogical values. Chapters 3 and 4 provide an overview of the relevance and progression between the four sets of études based on form, texture, and technique. Finally, a pedagogical guide to the études demonstrates the recommended teaching processes and goals for each set and the études as a collection.
ContributorsHan, Wenyan (Author) / Breslin, Cathal (Thesis advisor) / Creviston, Hannah (Committee member) / Solís, Ted (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2024