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.
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- Creators: Campbell, Andrew
Description
ABSTRACT
"The Soul Unto Itself," a chamber music song cycle, was commissioned by the author, Rosa LoGiudice, and composed by William Clay, a doctoral candidate in composition at Arizona State University. The cycle was conceived and composed in the summer and fall of 2019. The chamber ensemble was a sextet comprised of Megan Law, mezzo-soprano, Kristi Hanno, clarinet, Emilio Vazquez, violin, Rittika Gambhir, bassoon, Nathaniel De la Cruz, double bass, and Rosa LoGiudice, piano, all based in Tempe, Arizona. The song cycle was premiered in a lecture recital on December 8, 2019 at Hammer and Strings Conservatory in Gilbert, AZ.
"The Soul Unto Itself" is a cycle of six songs based on poems of Emily Dickinson. The poems all have common themes of personal transformation achieved through the introspective observations of the poet. An unusual chamber ensemble was chosen to include instruments not commonly used in vocal chamber music in order to create a greater variety of musical colors and timbres. This project included the creation of the musical score, a live performance that was video recorded, and the research paper. This document discusses the process of working with the composer, rehearsing the music as it was being composed, and negotiating revisions necessary to make the music more effective in performance. Each song is discussed in detail, especially the connection between the music and poetry, the overall form of the song, revisions discussed and implemented, and important motivic relationships between the songs that unify the cycle. In summary, the process of collaborating with a composer is a rewarding experience for both the performers and the composer, as everyone is challenged to improve their craft and overcome obstacles to achieve a successful performance.
"The Soul Unto Itself," a chamber music song cycle, was commissioned by the author, Rosa LoGiudice, and composed by William Clay, a doctoral candidate in composition at Arizona State University. The cycle was conceived and composed in the summer and fall of 2019. The chamber ensemble was a sextet comprised of Megan Law, mezzo-soprano, Kristi Hanno, clarinet, Emilio Vazquez, violin, Rittika Gambhir, bassoon, Nathaniel De la Cruz, double bass, and Rosa LoGiudice, piano, all based in Tempe, Arizona. The song cycle was premiered in a lecture recital on December 8, 2019 at Hammer and Strings Conservatory in Gilbert, AZ.
"The Soul Unto Itself" is a cycle of six songs based on poems of Emily Dickinson. The poems all have common themes of personal transformation achieved through the introspective observations of the poet. An unusual chamber ensemble was chosen to include instruments not commonly used in vocal chamber music in order to create a greater variety of musical colors and timbres. This project included the creation of the musical score, a live performance that was video recorded, and the research paper. This document discusses the process of working with the composer, rehearsing the music as it was being composed, and negotiating revisions necessary to make the music more effective in performance. Each song is discussed in detail, especially the connection between the music and poetry, the overall form of the song, revisions discussed and implemented, and important motivic relationships between the songs that unify the cycle. In summary, the process of collaborating with a composer is a rewarding experience for both the performers and the composer, as everyone is challenged to improve their craft and overcome obstacles to achieve a successful performance.
ContributorsLoGiudice, Rosa Mia (Author) / Campbell, Andrew (Thesis advisor) / Ryan, Russell (Committee member) / Rockmaker, Jody (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2020
Description
The organ sonatas of Hans Fährmann are some of the fullest realizations of the orchestral potential of the pipe organ. These works fill a crucial gap in the existing canonic organ repertoire; they allow the organist to engage with the late German Romantic symphonic works of Brahms, Mahler, and Strauss. There is relatively little remaining documentary evidence about Fährmann’s life. This paper provides a biography summarizing what is known about the composer and situates his work historically. Turn-of-the-century Dresden, the so-called “El Dorado on the Elbe,” provided an environment where musical conservatism and radical progressivism lived uneasily side-by-side. The evolution of the German Romantic organ and the organ sonata paved the way for Fährmann’s important contributions to the genre. Fährmann’s own musical language situates him between the organ tradition and broader trends in 19th-century German composition, especially Richard Wagner.Although there is little information on the performance practice of Fährmann’s music, it is possible to derive ideas from German Romantic conducting practices. The study compares the rhythmic interpretive decisions of conductors contemporary to Fährmann with organ-playing in the Straube tradition. The symphonic performance tradition is a better source for organists interpreting Fährmann because of the stylistic similarities between his organ sonatas and the orchestral repertoire, as opposed to the approach of the Straube school, which was at that time laying the foundation for and engaging with the Orgelbeewgung. To elucidate the registration of Fährmann’s organ sonatas, the author investigates contemporary practices and specification of the Johanneskirche instrument on which Fährmann spent most of his time. The study concludes with an analysis of his First Sonata, demonstrating the composer’s craftsmanship and creation of a narrative arch across the form.
ContributorsHalbert, Nicholas (Author) / Marshall, Kimberly (Thesis advisor) / Campbell, Andrew (Committee member) / Reymore, Lindsey (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2024
Description
Oxford’s Grove Dictionary of Music describes art song as “song intended for the concert repertory, as opposed to a traditional or popular song,” but despite this broad
definition, poetry is the primary text source for art song. Poetry is stereotypically
considered more suitable for art song because of its rhythm, meter, and rhyme. However,
poems are not the only sources for art songs.
Many examples of prose are used in song, such as Libby Larsen’s Try Me, Good
King! which sets the last words of the wives of Henry XIII, and Patrice Michaels’ The
Long View: A Portrait of Ruth Bader Ginsburg in Nine Songs, which sets texts from
Justice Ginsburg’s life. Despite the wealth of potentials texts, there are not many songs
set to text from novels. Even setting letters is more common than novel excerpts,
including Stacy Garrop’s My Dearest Ruth and Libby Larsen’s Songs from Letters.
There may be concerns which prevent text from novels being set to song, for
example, the short length of a song may limit its ability to contextualize plot or character
relationships. Composers and performers may also face challenges in approaching
narration or dialogue from multiple characters to be sung by only one voice.
Additionally, prose often contains more filler words and colloquial language. All of these
are challenges which must be faced when adapting and performing text from novels.
Despite these challenges, using text from novels can be a rewarding experience
for musicians and audiences, as they bring to life the drama and emotion of a character.
Some authors, such as Jane Austen, use novels to reflect their characters’ worlds as well
as their own cultures and societies. Paired with art song, an intimate way of sharing
human experiences with audiences, songs with text from novels have the potential to
become profound snapshots of a character or author’s world.
This paper will discuss art songs with prose text excerpted from novels and will
analyze sources of both poetry and prose to determine if there are fundamental textual
differences which prevent the performance of songs with text from novels.
ContributorsMarr, Mackenzie Lyn (Author) / Campbell, Andrew (Thesis advisor) / Aoki, Miki (Committee member) / Aoki Navarro, Fernanda (Committee member) / FitzPatrick, Carole (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2024
Description
The Studio Ghibli animated films have achieved international recognition for their cinematic quality and original soundtracks composed by Joe Hisaishi. The music from these films is so celebrated it is performed by symphony orchestras without the movie animations in concert halls worldwide. Film music originally scored for full-size orchestras can be arranged for smaller chamber ensembles and is a popular genre that makes performing these works more accessible. Arranging and rewriting orchestral reductions are skills collaborative pianists use every day when dealing with concertos or arias, and applying these skills to the music of Hisaishi was the foundation of this research. For this project, I created a medley of musical themes from three Studio Ghibli films: My Neighbor Totoro, Howl’s Moving Castle, and Spirited Away. The medley is written for traditional piano trio: violin, cello, and piano. This paper includes a brief history of the relationship between composer Joe Hisaishi and film director Hayao Miyazaki, one of the founders of Studio Ghibli, and explains the methods of creating this arrangement without access to the original orchestral score. Methods for creating transitions between different film themes, creation of countermelodies, and nuances of voicing are also presented, along with the score of the medley. I hope this project and these methods will inspire other collaborative pianists and musicians to create their own arrangements and medleys.
ContributorsTelling, Emily (Author) / Campbell, Andrew (Thesis advisor) / Aoki, Miki (Committee member) / Reymore, Lindsey (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2024
Description
This paper provides an in-depth examination of Sergei Prokofiev's Second Violin Concerto, Op. 63. Closer study of the full score supports the need for a new piano reduction. Composed in 1935, this concerto occupies an important place within Soviet music, and is a staple in solo violin repertoire. Its orchestration is distinguished by a Neo-classical style with a modern sensibility. A notable aspect of this orchestration is the absence of timpani in the percussion section. Instead, Prokofiev selected snare drum, bass drum, castanets, suspended cymbal, and triangle, which contribute to the unique character of this concerto. Prior to this reduction, pianists faced unplayable and cumbersome passages, a direct result of including too many disparate elements from the orchestration. Additionally in piano reductions to date, there is a conspicuous absence of vital percussive and instrumental parts that are crucial elements of the full orchestral score. These shortcomings not only present considerable challenges to pianists, who are then tasked with further reducing and arranging of the piano part, but also compromise the composer’s intended musical expression. Consequently, this paper advocates for the critical necessity of a new piano reduction of Prokofiev’s Op. 63 Violin Concerto. This new piano reduction rectifies existing deficiencies and discrepancies, thereby enhancing practical playability. Most significantly, this revision offers a more faithful representation of Prokofiev’s original orchestration and artistic vision. Furthermore, it provides insights into the complexities involved in adapting orchestral compositions, underscoring the need for thoughtful reinterpretation in the transcription process. These insights may be applied to other concerto reductions.
ContributorsHsieh, Alison (Author) / Campbell, Andrew (Thesis advisor) / Ryan, Russell R (Committee member) / Norton, Kay (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2024
Description
The practice strategies that musicians employ can be made more effective by leveraging existing research about memory and learning. Musicians often use strategies that feel intuitive, such as massed practice and rote repetition, but that research has proven ineffective. When they do employ strategies that are effective, such as varied practice and chunking, they often do not understand the reasons why they are effective and therefore cannot use the principles behind effective learning to generate new approaches when faced with an unfamiliar challenge or learning plateau. In this paper, I propose that, through developing knowledge of the research surrounding learning and memory, musicians can acquire insight into the learning process and develop the ability to self-generate effective practice strategies that address issues specific to their own practice. As a result, they can avoid common learning pitfalls and gain greater confidence in their ability to approach learning complicated skills and taking on big projects. This paper examines and distills recent research of effective learning into an in-depth and practical document for use by musicians. Additionally, this document interprets and applies existing research-based learning strategies—such as retrieval practice, spaced repetition, varied practice, interleaved practice, and chunking—to musical practice through the lens of contemporary percussion repertoire. Readers of this work will develop an in-depth understanding of memory and learning and be able to apply that information practically and immediately in their own practice.
ContributorsKirk, Anthony (Author) / Compitello, Michael (Thesis advisor) / Campbell, Andrew (Committee member) / Bolanos, Gabriel (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2024