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- All Subjects: Music
- All Subjects: Chamber music
- Creators: Campbell, Andrew
Description
The Building Blocks of Trumpet is a comprehensive and fully modular method book specifically designed for beginner trumpeters. It is designed to be approachable and accessible, providing a reliable resource for both starting students and teachers alike. The book aims to tackle and answer the major questions and challenges that beginning trumpeters often encounter at the onset of their musical journey. Its content is structured in a way that naturally guides performers from the initial steps of learning their instruments and progressively leads them to mastery of foundational musical concepts. These concepts equip students with the necessary knowledge to actively participate and contribute to Western cultural communities.A key feature of this method book is its emphasis on fostering independent learning. It encourages students to delve into their private studies of music, guiding them through the process of perfecting their technique through routine exercises and understanding musical compositions through repertoire studies. Moreover, the progression presented in this book is not merely linear but also modular in design. The book is designed with plenty of material and organized in a clear and thoughtful manner. This allows students and teachers to design personalized lesson curriculums. The book's ultimate goal is to empower students to perform these exercises, etudes, and solos effectively and confidently to express their music to an audience.
ContributorsDicks, Brandon (Author) / Burgstaller, Josef (Thesis advisor) / Swoboda, Deanna (Committee member) / Temple, Alex (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
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 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
Over the past fifty years, the number of new compositions written for trumpet has increased tremendously. Fueled by close collaboration between composers, performers, and organizations, audiences are yearning to hear these new works. The purpose of this doctoral project is to provide insight into how a commission for solo trumpet, All My Spirit Tingled, came to fruition and how a burgeoning soloist may best learn this challenging repertoire. The first chapter provides background on the composer, his musical vision, and the chosen soloist for this commission. The second chapter provides a detailed performance guide of All My Spirit Tingled, including references to technical studies, etudes, and solos from trumpet literature that may provide further material with which to grow as a performer of this work. The dissertation provides a professional recording of the premiere to assist the reader throughout the performance guide. This document also includes program notes for the composition, as well as composer biographical information, a list of other works by Robert Tindle featuring brass instruments, and a transcript of the composer and performer interview.
ContributorsDeshler, David Woehrle (Author) / Burgstaller, Joesef (Thesis advisor) / Swoboda, Deanna (Committee member) / Temple, Alex (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2023
Description
Saxophonists regularly transcribe works from the 19th and 20th centuries in order tobolster our repertoire from those eras. As one of the youngest concert instruments, few
substantial works exist for the instrument prior to the mid 20th century. By regularly
transcribing works that are standards in other instruments’ repertoires, we have perpetuated
the historical underrepresentation of female composers from the same time period. In answer
to this, I have researched, analyzed, transcribed, and recorded four works originally for violin
and piano written by female composers born in the 19th century. This program represents
differing styles and nationalities, while being a cohesive program of works. The repertoire
consists of a set of character pieces by Ika Peyron, sonatas by Dora Pejačević and Germaine
Tailleferre, and finally a theme and variations by Teresa Milanollo to serve as a closer. Each
chapter provides insights into my transcription process and tables of the alterations made to
the original material, as well as short analyses of each piece.
i
ContributorsDodge-Overstreet, Jessica (Author) / Creviston, Christopher (Thesis advisor) / Shea, Nicholas (Thesis advisor) / Swoboda, Deanna (Committee member) / Spring, Robert (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2023
Description
This project is intended to fill gaps in the professional knowledge of music educators in the state of Arizona concerning the pedagogy, content, and importance of a visual education program in the scholastic marching band. It also aims to contribute to the general pool of knowledge surrounding visual education. While music educators are often expected to begin teaching marching band immediately following their graduation, many do not ever receive proper training in the visual aspect of the marching arts. The marching band is the most visible element of a holistic educational music program, and often represents the school to the community and the educator to their administrators. While significant music training is given at the collegiate level, many educators have not had further experience in the marching arts. The author uses his experience in Drum Corps International, as well as in teaching marching band to synthesize research-based practices into a handbook of immediately applicable visual pedagogical information that would be immediately useful to any music educator.
ContributorsGerald, Thomas (Author) / Swoboda, Deanna (Thesis director) / Quamo, Jeff (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / School of Music, Dance and Theatre (Contributor)
Created2023-05
Description
While Aleksandr Borodin enjoyed a varied career as a composer, he was a chemist by profession and made his living as such. Although his focus was primarily on academic life as a chemistry professor, his musical style still managed to evolve in remarkable ways: from a more Western-European style to the style of Russian nationalism of the late 19th century. While Borodin did compose early chamber works featuring the piano, during this stylistic shift, his chamber music output notably excluded the piano, as he switched his focus to string quartets. Additionally, he dedicated many of these later years to producing large-scale symphonic works and the opera Prince Igor. The purpose of this project is to address a lost opportunity: There is sadly no chamber music in Borodin’s mature style that features the piano. His masterpiece, Prince Igor, is the work of a mature composer, and Konchakovna’s Cavatina from the opera’s second act was chosen to serve as the basis for an arrangement for traditional piano trio: violin, cello, and piano. This aria for contralto is rare in that the themes and orchestration all are attributed to Borodin, while much of the rest of the opera was completed by other composers of the time.
I have created two arrangements of this scene: a literal transcription that maintains the integrity of the original composition, in which the vocal line of the aria is given primarily to the violin, while the orchestral parts are divided between the cello and the piano, and a second arrangement that alters much of the piece for compositional variety, in the spirit of other arrangers such as Franz Liszt or Jascha Heifetz. In the second version, there are creative interpolations, countermelodies, harmonies, and new figuration to fully utilize the qualities of a piano trio. This paper explains the methods used in the creation of these arrangements, accompanied by examples from the score, and can serve as a model for other musicians who wish to create their own arrangements of pre-existing musical materials.
ContributorsArch, Nathan (Author) / Campbell, Andrew (Thesis advisor) / Rockmaker, Jody (Committee member) / Ryan, Russell (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2023
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 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