Matching Items (61)
Filtering by
- All Subjects: Music
- Genre: Doctoral Dissertation
- Creators: Rockmaker, Jody
- Creators: McLin, Katherine
- Resource Type: Text
Description
A systematic approach to composition has been used by a variety of composers to control an assortment of musical elements in their pieces. This paper begins with a brief survey of some of the important systematic approaches that composers have employed in their compositions, devoting particular attention to Pierre Boulez's Structures Ia . The purpose of this survey is to examine several systematic approaches to composition by prominent composers and their philosophy in adopting this type of approach. The next section of the paper introduces my own systematic approach to composition: the Take-Away System. The third provides several musical applications of the system, citing my work, Octulus for two pianos, as an example. The appendix details theorems and observations within the system for further study.
ContributorsHarbin, Doug (Author) / Hackbarth, Glenn (Thesis advisor) / DeMars, James (Committee member) / Etezady, Roshanne, 1973- (Committee member) / Rockmaker, Jody (Committee member) / Rogers, Rodney (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2011
Description
This study examined attitudes and perspectives of classroom guitar students toward the reading of staff notation in music. The purpose of this qualitative research was to reveal these perceptions in the student's own words, and compare them to those of orchestra and band students of comparable experience. Forty-seven students from four suburban middle and high schools on the east coast were selected through purposeful sampling techniques. Research instruments included a Musical Background Questionnaire and a thirty-five question Student Survey. Follow-up interviews were conducted with students to clarify or expound upon collected data. Guitar, orchestra, and band teachers were interviewed in order to provide their perspectives on the issues discussed. The Student Survey featured a five-point Likert-type scale, which measured how much students agreed or disagreed with various statements pertaining to their feelings about music, note-reading, or their class at school. Collected data were coded and used to calculate mean scores, standard deviations, and percentages of students in agreement or disagreement with each statement. Interviews were audio recorded and transcribed into a word processing document for analysis. The study found that while a variety of perspectives exist within a typical guitar class, some students do not find note-reading to be necessary for the types of music they desire to learn. Other findings included a perceived lack of relevance toward the classical elements of the guitar programs in the schools, a lack of educational consistency between classroom curricula and private lesson objectives, and the general description of the struggle some guitarists experience with staff notation. Implications of the collected data were discussed, along with recommendations for better engaging these students.
ContributorsWard, Stephen Michael (Author) / Koonce, Frank (Thesis advisor) / Schmidt, Margaret (Thesis advisor) / Buck, Nancy (Committee member) / Rogers, Rodney (Committee member) / McLin, Katherine (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2011
Description
ABSTRACT études; written for violin ensemble, which include violin duets, trios, and quartets, are less numerous than solo études.; These works rarely go by the title "étude;," and have not been the focus of much scholarly research. Ensemble études; have much to offer students, teachers and composers, however, because they add an extra dimension to the learning, teaching, and composing processes. This document establishes the value of ensemble études; in pedagogy and explores applications of the repertoire currently available. Rather than focus on violin duets, the most common form of ensemble étude;, it mainly considers works for three and four violins without accompaniment. Concentrating on the pedagogical possibilities of studying études; in a group, this document introduces creative ways that works for violin ensemble can be used as both études; and performance pieces. The first two chapters explore the history and philosophy of the violin étude; and multiple-violin works, the practice of arranging of solo études; for multiple instruments, and the benefits of group learning and cooperative learning that distinguish ensemble étude; study from solo étude; study. The third chapter is an annotated survey of works for three and four violins without accompaniment, and serves as a pedagogical guide to some of the available repertoire. Representing a wide variety of styles, techniques and levels, it illuminates an historical association between violin ensemble works and pedagogy. The fourth chapter presents an original composition by the author, titled Variations on a Scottish Folk Song: étude; for Four Violins, with an explanation of the process and techniques used to create this ensemble étude.; This work is an example of the musical and technical integration essential to étude; study, and demonstrates various compositional traits that promote cooperative learning. Ensemble études; are valuable pedagogical tools that deserve wider exposure. It is my hope that the information and ideas about ensemble études; in this paper and the individual descriptions of the works presented will increase interest in and application of violin trios and quartets at the university level.
ContributorsLundell, Eva Rachel (Contributor) / Swartz, Jonathan (Thesis advisor) / Rockmaker, Jody (Committee member) / Buck, Nancy (Committee member) / Koonce, Frank (Committee member) / Norton, Kay (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2011
Description
Despite a quickly growing repertoire list for the brass quintet, the music of the early Argentine tango has remained relatively neglected by brass quintet arrangers and performers. With the goal of bringing a neglected art form to the brass quintet repertoire, three arrangements based on early twentieth century Argentine tango songs are presented here: "Elegante Papirusa" by Tito Roccatagliata, "A La Gran Muñeca" by Jesús Ventura, and "La Cotorrita" by Samuel Castriota. The arrangements follow the style of three early recordings produced by The Victor Talking Machine in 1920 and 1922, as performed by two authentic Argentine orquesta típicas: Orquesta Típica Select and Orquesta Típica Fresedo. A brief history of the style and instrumental evolution of tango music from its influences and origins up until 1920 is discussed, followed by a detailed account of the musicians and circumstances involved in the three early recordings. An explanation of the issues encountered by the author in adapting the early tango style to the brass quintet setting is discussed, along with the solutions realized in order to make the project successful and practical for a moderately advanced brass quintet. The full brass quintet scores are provided as part of the Appendix.
ContributorsCamacho, Gustavo (Musician) (Author) / Ericson, John Q (Thesis advisor) / Pilafian, Samuel (Committee member) / Schuring, Martin (Committee member) / Campbell, Andrew (Committee member) / Rockmaker, Jody (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2011
Description
This thesis presents a new arrangement of Richard Peaslee's trombone solo "Arrows of Time" for brass band. This arrangement adapts Peaslee's orchestration - and subsequent arrangement by Dr. Joshua Hauser for wind ensemble - for the modern brass band instrumentation and includes a full score. A brief biography of Richard Peaslee and his work accompanies this new arrangement, along with commentary on the orchestration of "Arrows of Time", and discussion of the evolution and adaptation of the work for wind ensemble by Dr. Hauser. The methodology used to adapt these versions for the brass band completes the background information.
ContributorsMalloy, Jason Patrick (Author) / Ericson, John (Thesis advisor) / Oldani, Robert (Committee member) / Rockmaker, Jody (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2013
Description
In order to cope with the decreasing availability of symphony jobs and collegiate faculty positions, many musicians are starting to pursue less traditional career paths. Also, to combat declining audiences, musicians are exploring ways to cultivate new and enthusiastic listeners through relevant and engaging performances. Due to these challenges, many community-based chamber music ensembles have been formed throughout the United States. These groups not only focus on performing classical music, but serve the needs of their communities as well. The problem, however, is that many musicians have not learned the business skills necessary to create these career opportunities. In this document I discuss the steps ensembles must take to develop sustainable careers. I first analyze how groups build a strong foundation through getting to know their communities and creating core values. I then discuss branding and marketing so ensembles can develop a public image and learn how to publicize themselves. This is followed by an investigation of how ensembles make and organize their money. I then examine the ways groups ensure long-lasting relationships with their communities and within the ensemble. I end by presenting three case studies of professional ensembles to show how groups create and maintain successful careers. Ensembles must develop entrepreneurship skills in addition to cultivating their artistry. These business concepts are crucial to the longevity of chamber groups. Through interviews of successful ensemble members and my own personal experiences in the Tetra String Quartet, I provide a guide for musicians to use when creating a community-based ensemble.
ContributorsDalbey, Jenna (Author) / Landschoot, Thomas (Thesis advisor) / McLin, Katherine (Committee member) / Ryan, Russell (Committee member) / Solis, Theodore (Committee member) / Spring, Robert (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2013
Description
Bright Summer, a one-movement piece for orchestra, was composed in Arizona, and completed in February 2013. The piece is approximately twelve minutes long. The motivation for writing this piece was the death of my mother the year before, in 2012. The prevailing mood of this work is bright and pleasant, expressing my mother's cheerful personality when she was alive. It also portrays bright summer days which resemble my mother's spirit. Thus, soundscape plays an important role in this work. It depicts summer breeze, rustling sounds of leaves, and, to translate a Korean saying, "high blue skies." This soundscape opens the piece as well as closes it. In the middle section, the fast upbeat themes represent my mother's witty and optimistic personality. The piece also contains the presence of a hymn tune, The Love of God is Greater Far, which informs the motivic content and also functions as the climax of the piece. It was my mother's favorite hymn and we used to sing it together following her conversion to Christianity. The piece contains three main sections, which are held together by transitional material based on the soundscape and metric modulations. Unlike my earlier works, Bright Summer is tonal, with upper tertian harmonies prevailing throughout the piece. However, the opening and closing soundscapes do not have functional harmonies. For example, tertian chords appear and vanish silently, leaving behind some resonant sounds without any harmonic progression. Overall, the whole piece is reminiscent of my mother who lived a beautiful life.
ContributorsKim, JeeYeon (Composer) / DeMars, James (Thesis advisor) / Hackbarth, Glenn (Committee member) / Rogers, Rodney (Committee member) / Levy, Benjamin (Committee member) / Rockmaker, Jody (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2013
Description
The life and pedagogy of Saburo Sumi (1902-1984) has had a major influence on the violin world, particularly in Japan. Born of humble origins and lacking any formal musical training until his adulthood, Sumi nevertheless rose to become one of the most important violin pedagogues of Japan. His non-traditional musical background had a profound effect on the teacher he became and contributed to his tremendous success as a pedagogue. Since most of the existing information on Sumi is written in Japanese, this study is designed to acquaint the Western reader with this amazing pedagogue. The information for this study was gathered through books, articles, and documents related to his life as well as the writer's personal experiences with the Sumi family.
ContributorsHayashi, Junko (Author) / McLin, Katherine (Thesis advisor) / Hill, Gary (Committee member) / Holbrook, Amy (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2012
Description
The German pianist and composer Johannes Brahms (1883-1897) wrote more than 122 works for a wide variety of ensembles and genres. Despite this remarkable productivity, and his widely heralded talent for innovation and technique as a composer, few of his works have been arranged for solo guitar, and these have focused primarily on his simpler, more melodic works. Conventional wisdom is that his music is "too dense" to be played on the guitar. As a result, there are no arrangements of orchestral works by Brahms in the standard repertoire for the guitar. In arranging Brahms's Serenade in D Major, movt. 1 for the guitar, I provide a counter argument that not all of Brahms's orchestral music is too dense all of the time. In Part I, I provide a brief overview of the history of, and sources for, the Serenade. Part II describes a step-by-step guide through the process of arranging orchestral repertoire for the solo guitar. Part III is an examination of the editing process that utilizes examples from the guitar arrangement of the Serenade in order to illustrate the various techniques and considerations that are part of the editing process. Part IV is a performance edition of the arrangement. In summary, the present arrangement of Brahms's Serenade, op.11 is the beginning of a conversation about why the "guitar world" should be incorporating the music of Brahms into the standard repertoire. The lessons learned, and the technical challenges discovered, should help inform future arrangers and guitar performers for additional compositions by Brahms.
ContributorsLanier, William Hudson (Author) / Koonce, Frank (Thesis advisor) / Micklich, Albie (Committee member) / Rockmaker, Jody (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2013
Description
The two solo violin works by Carl Nielsen (1865-1931) have been largely overlooked since their composition in the 1920s. These pieces are representative of Nielsen's mature style, combining elements of classical form (the Theme and Variations) as well as processes more commonly found in the twentieth century (through-composition and non-tonal harmonic language). This paper is designed to bring these long-neglected works to light and make them more approachable for violin students, teachers and performers. As Denmark's leading composer, Nielsen was well regarded in his lifetime, although his isolation from mainland Europe created obstacles in his path toward international fame. Rather than following trends in post-romantic music, he remained true to his own musical ideals. This choice often isolated him further during his career, but his unique blend of chromatic harmony, driving rhythms and juxtapositions of character captivates modern listeners. Although small in scope compared to his symphonies and other large works, the enthusiastic spirit and indomitable energy of the solo violin works reflect Nielsen's character at its best. Combining a high level of virtuosity with solid structural integrity, textural variety and musical interest, these works deserve a much more prominent place in the standard violin repertoire.
ContributorsVallier, Michelle Mitchell (Author) / McLin, Katherine (Thesis advisor) / Rogers, Rodney (Committee member) / Jiang, Danwen (Committee member) / Bailey, Wayne (Committee member) / Landschoot, Thomas (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2012