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: Feisst, Sabine
- Creators: Mobasher, Barzin
Through the commission, examination, and recording of three new works for solo percussion and live electronics, the author seeks to further explore and highlight electroacoustic compositional techniques for solo percussion. A specific compositional element to be included in these commissioned works is the activation or manipulation of the acoustic properties of percussion instruments by electronic components. The three artists who contributed works are percussionist-composer Jeremy Muller, composer and multimedia artist Jordan Munson, and composer, sound artist, and performer Garth Paine. The creativity demonstrated in their previous works made them desirable candidates for this project. Each of them approached their composition in different ways. In Hysteresis, Muller utilizes a loudspeaker underneath a vibraphone to expand the sound palette of the instrument with microtonal electronic sounds that match the instrument’s timbre. In Where Light Escapes You, Jordan Munson layers various electronic sounds with the vibraphone to create a slowly evolving texture that also incorporates a bass drum and the buzzing of snare drums. In Resonant Textures, Paine spatializes vibraphone, cymbal, and electronic sounds to create a meditative and immersive listening experience. Ultimately, each of the three composers implemented distinctive compositional and performance tools to create new works that provide a glimpse into the future of percussion music.
The period of Normalization followed a cultural thaw, and beginning in 1969 the Czechoslovak government attempted to restore control. Many Czech and Slovak citizens kept their opinions private to avoid punishment, but some voiced their opinions and faced repression, while others chose to leave the country. In this thesis, I explore how two Czech composers, Marek Kopelent (b. 1932) and Petr Kotík (b. 1942) came to terms with writing music before and during the period of Normalization.
My thesis explores two seminal American artists who explored outer space in numerous works. John Cage (1912–1992), an avant-garde classical composer, wrote such works as Atlas Eclipticalis (1961), Etudes Australes (1974–75), and the Freeman Etudes (1977–1980), all composed using star-maps. Sun Ra (1914–1993), an American Afrofuturist jazz composer, created hundreds of iconic experimental jazz works on the theme of outer space, with albums such as We Travel the Space Ways (1967), Space Is the Place (1973), and Cosmos (1976).
The works of these two composers span across several decades, encompassing the Space Race and Cold War. In this thesis, I will specifically discuss the details of two works: Cage’s Atlas Eclipticalis, and Ra’s composition Space Is the Place (later included in the soundtrack of a film by the same name). Discussion will elaborate on the cultural, political, philosophical, and societal influences that played a part in the creation of these two compositions.
My research materials for this thesis includes a collection of primary sources in the form of recordings, early musical sketches, and in the case of Ra, film footage from Space Is the Place (1974), as well as multitude of secondary sources. By choosing works from two different genres I hope to present a wider, more nuanced snapshot of artist responses to space exploration during the Cold War.