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Description
Traditional consensus in duos with grand piano has been that issues of balance between piano and the other instrument can be corrected through lowering the lid on the piano, particularly when the other instrument has been thought of as less forceful. The perceived result of lowering the lid on the piano is to quiet the piano enough so as not to overwhelm the other instrument, though the physics of the piano and acoustics suggest that it is incorrect to expect this result. Due to the physics of the piano and natural laws such as the conservation of energy, as well as the intricacies of sound propagation, the author hypothesizes that lowering the lid on the piano does not have a significant effect on its sound output for the audience of a musical performance. Experimentation to determine empirically whether the lid has any significant effect on the piano's volume and tone for the audience seating area was undertaken, with equipment to objectively measure volume and tone quality produced by a mechanical set of arms that reproduces an F-major chord with consistent power. The chord was produced with a wooden frame that input consistent energy into the piano, with measurements taken from the audience seating area using a sound pressure level meter and recorded with a Zoom H4N digital recorder for analysis. The results suggested that lowering the lid has a small effect on sound pressure level, but not significant enough to overcome issues of overtone balance or individual pianists’ touch.
ContributorsLee, Paul Allen (Author) / Campbell, Andrew (Thesis advisor) / DeMars, James (Committee member) / FitzPatrick, Carole (Committee member) / Ryan, Russell (Committee member) / Swoboda, Deanna (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2017
Description
Even in the most despondent situations, the arts find a way to flourish. This research document examines the vocal music that Viktor Ullmann composed in the concentration camp-ghetto of Theresienstadt in German-occupied Czechoslovakia, and the notable aspects of his compositional writing style. Although his opera Der Kaiser von Atlantis has been performed globally, the remainder of his oeuvre has rarely been recorded or performed. Singers often shy away from twentieth-century composers such as Ullmann, with claims that the music is not lyrical or relatable. Perhaps the irregularity of the meter, rhythms, or intervals seem too daunting for many to consider attempting a performance. With Confined, But Not Silenced: Vocal Music of Viktor Ullmann from the Theresienstadt Ghetto, I hope to open the door to music that is both accessible and uniquely beautiful. Not intended as a performance guide, this document aims instead at unearthing the appeal of music that is often perceived as unusual and difficult to perform through analysis that emphasizes relatable aspects of the compositions. By exposing colleagues to relatable music by a composer such as Ullmann, that has not normally been integrated in the canon, the boundaries of standard vocal repertoire can be expanded to include unconventional contemporary compositions. In addition to highlighting specific musical examples, Confined, But Not Silenced focuses on music’s positive effects for World War II prisoners in Theresienstadt.
ContributorsGoglia, Adrienne Ruth (Author) / FitzPatrick, Carole (Thesis advisor) / Feisst, Sabine (Committee member) / Ryan, Russell (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2018
Description
A resurgence of the American art song is underway. New art song composers such as Adam Guettel, Michael John LaChiusa, and Georgia Stitt are writing engaging and challenging songs that are contributing to this resurgence of art song among college students. College and University musical theatre programs are training performers to be versatile and successful crossover artists. Cross-training in voice is training a performer to be capable of singing many different genres of music effectively and efficiently, which in turn creates a hybrid performer. Cross-training and hybridity can also be applied to musical styles. Hybrid songs that combine musical theatre elements and classical art song elements can be used as an educational tool and create awareness in musical theatre students about the American art song genre and its origins while fostering the need to learn about various styles of vocal repertoire.
American composers Leonard Bernstein and Ned Rorem influenced hybridity of classical and musical theatre genres by using their compositional knowledge of musicals and their classical studies to help create a new type of art song. In the past, academic institutions have been more accepting of composers whose careers began in classical music crossing between genres, rather than coming from a more popularized genre such as musical theatre into the classical world. Continued support in college vocal programs will only help the new hybrid form of American art song to thrive.
Trained as a classical pianist and having studied poetry and text setting, Georgia Stitt understands the song structure and poetry skills necessary to write a contemporary American art song. This document will examine several of Carol Kimball’s “Component of Style” elements, explore other American composers who have created a hybrid art song form and discuss the implementation of curriculum to create versatile singers. The study will focus on three of Georgia Stitt’s art songs that fit this hybrid style and conclude with a discussion about the future of hybridity in American art song.
American composers Leonard Bernstein and Ned Rorem influenced hybridity of classical and musical theatre genres by using their compositional knowledge of musicals and their classical studies to help create a new type of art song. In the past, academic institutions have been more accepting of composers whose careers began in classical music crossing between genres, rather than coming from a more popularized genre such as musical theatre into the classical world. Continued support in college vocal programs will only help the new hybrid form of American art song to thrive.
Trained as a classical pianist and having studied poetry and text setting, Georgia Stitt understands the song structure and poetry skills necessary to write a contemporary American art song. This document will examine several of Carol Kimball’s “Component of Style” elements, explore other American composers who have created a hybrid art song form and discuss the implementation of curriculum to create versatile singers. The study will focus on three of Georgia Stitt’s art songs that fit this hybrid style and conclude with a discussion about the future of hybridity in American art song.
ContributorsKlofach, Carrie Ann (Author) / FitzPatrick, Carole (Thesis advisor) / Dreyfoos, Dale (Committee member) / Wells, Christopher (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2018
Description
Only in the world of acting can an individual be denied a job simply on the basis of their appearance, and in my thesis, I sought to explore alternatives to this through the concept of nontraditional casting and casting against "type", which included the presentation of a full-length production of the musical "Once on this Island" which I attempted to cast based on vocal quality and skill alone rather than taking physical characteristics into account. I researched the history and implementation of nontraditional casting, both in regards to race and other factors such as gender, socio-economic status, and disability. I also considered the legal and intellectual property challenges that nontraditional casting can pose. I concluded from this research that while nontraditional casting is only one solution to the problem, it still has a great deal of potential to create diversity in theater. For my own show, I held the initial auditions via audio recording, though the callback auditions were held in person so that I and my crew could appraise dance and acting ability. Though there were many challenges with our cast after this initial round of auditions, we were able to solidify our cast and continue through the rehearsal process. All things said, the show was very successful. It is my hope that those who were a part of the show, either as part of the production or the audience, are inspired to challenge the concept of typecasting in contemporary theater.
ContributorsBriggs, Timothy James (Author) / Yatso, Toby (Thesis director) / Dreyfoos, Dale (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / School of Music (Contributor)
Created2014-12
Description
Music is part of cultures all over the world and is entrenched in our daily lives, and yet little is known about the neural pathways responsible for how we perceive music. The property of "dissonance" is central to our understanding of the emotional meaning in music, and this study is a preliminary step in understanding how this property of music is perceived. Twenty-four participants with normal hearing listened to melodies and ranked their degrees of dissonance. Melodies that are categorized as "dissonant" according to Western music theory were ranked as more "dissonant" to a significant degree across the 9 conditions (3 conditions of scale: Major, Neapolitan Minor, and Oriental; 3 conditions of wrong notes: no wrong notes, diatonic wrong notes, and non-diatonic wrong notes). As expected, the familiar Major scale was identified as more consonant across all wrong note conditions than the other scales. Notably, a significant interaction was found, with diatonic and non-diatonic notes not perceived differently in both of the unfamiliar scales, Neapolitan and Oriental. This study suggests that the context of musical scale does influence how we create expectations of music and perceive dissonance. Future studies are necessary to understand the mechanisms by which scales drive these expectations.
ContributorsBlumenstein, Nicole Rose (Author) / Rogalsky, Corianne (Thesis director) / Peter, Beate (Committee member) / FitzPatrick, Carole (Committee member) / School of Music (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2016-12
Description
The piano-vocal scores of musical theatre songs often contain simplistic and uninspired piano writing. Characteristically, the scores have right-hand figuration that doubles the voice line, restricting the singer from having the rhythmic and melodic freedom that is an essential component of the style. In addition, the piano-vocal scores have shallow bass lines and thin textures, making it difficult for the pianist to offer the support and expression that the music deserves. Editors may choose this writing style to make the score pianistically accessible for voice teachers accompanying their students, or to provide melodic assistance for less experienced singers. Conductor-vocal scores do exist and more closely resemble what an orchestra might play, but they are expensive, at times only available as rental scores, or highly inconvenient to locate. Therefore, I have designed twelve techniques to enhance piano-vocal scores, and will demonstrate those techniques through seven songs selected from the canon of musical theatre repertoire. The project is intended to be a teaching tool for advanced collaborative pianists working with advanced musical theatre singers, as many of the techniques create virtuosic piano writing and are designed for use with little to no prior rehearsal, which could potentially distract, rather than benefit, a beginning singer. The ultimate aim of enhancing the piano-vocal score is for the finished product to be creative and inspiring. Further objectives include: the creation of orchestral textures, allowing the singer more freedom, the creation of a piano part that is technically rewarding, and piano writing that inspires the singer. Through my descriptions of the techniques and discussions of the piano-vocal score enhancements, I hope to demonstrate that the singer, pianist, and audience all benefit when collaborative pianists enhance the piano-vocal score of musical theater repertoire.
ContributorsNamminga, Jaime (Author) / Campbell, Andrew (Thesis advisor) / Carpenter, Ellon (Committee member) / FitzPatrick, Carole (Committee member) / Ryan, Russell (Committee member) / Schildkret, David (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2016
Description
A poster advertising two 1966 performances of Duke Ellington’s First Sacred Concert at Trinity Cathedral catalyzed research into several storylines that stem from the jazz great’s time in Phoenix, Arizona. Ellington’s arrival on the weekend of November 10th, 1966, was surrounded by controversy within Trinity Cathedral, the Diocese of Arizona, and the diocesan relationship to the national Episcopal Church. Because Phoenix had recently passed civil rights legislation, race relations remained on unstable footing when Ellington’s sacred jazz music—performed by Ellington’s black band members—filled the nave of the historic cathedral. This concert stimulated research into Duke Ellington’s connection to the Episcopal Church; from Ellington’s influential reading of the Episcopal publication Forward Day by Day (1935 – current) to his lifelong friendships with Episcopal clergy, his connection to the Episcopal Church illuminates a spirituality that was influenced by a denomination in constant transformation. Rather than homing in on a single topic throughout this work, this study brings together the distinct, but interrelated, spheres of church, artist, jazz, and locale in a politically and socially charged moment in recent history. Informed by documents not before examined, this research adds a new spiritual dimension to the existing Ellington biography and contributes to the local history of Phoenix and Trinity Cathedral in the 1960s.
ContributorsDowney, Ryan (Author) / FitzPatrick, Carole (Thesis advisor) / Norton, Kay (Committee member) / Ryan, Russell (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2017
Description
Aspiring opera singers receive training in many different areas including vocal technique, acting, foreign languages, and role preparation to help them prepare for the demands of the standard operatic repertoire. Many of the operatic roles within the standard repertoire are too demanding in their entirety for young singers who are still developing physically and intellectually. Vocal health is a great concern for young voice students and their teachers. An operatic role which demands more stamina or control than a student is currently capable of executing in a healthy way can result in vocal trauma. To avoid assigning repertoire to students which may push their limits, many undergraduate vocal students are not given the opportunity to perform an operatic role in its entirety until after they have graduated.
Pauline Viardot’s operetta Cendrillon provides a solution to the often difficult task of giving experience to young singers without causing them potential harm. The knowledge Viardot gained by having a career both as an opera singer and a voice teacher resulted in a composition which contains full operatic roles that many young singers could capably perform. Viardot was sensitive to the issues that many young singers face, and as a result, she created an operetta which voice faculty can feel comfortable assigning to their students. In order to understand the demands of Cendrillon on young opera singers, this project included a performance of the piece with undergraduate voice students, many of whom had never been in an opera before. Through this process and a comparison of Cendrillon with some of the repertoire these singers will encounter later in their careers, it is clear that Viardot’s insightful compositional style provided a smooth transition for these relatively inexperienced students.
Pauline Viardot’s operetta Cendrillon provides a solution to the often difficult task of giving experience to young singers without causing them potential harm. The knowledge Viardot gained by having a career both as an opera singer and a voice teacher resulted in a composition which contains full operatic roles that many young singers could capably perform. Viardot was sensitive to the issues that many young singers face, and as a result, she created an operetta which voice faculty can feel comfortable assigning to their students. In order to understand the demands of Cendrillon on young opera singers, this project included a performance of the piece with undergraduate voice students, many of whom had never been in an opera before. Through this process and a comparison of Cendrillon with some of the repertoire these singers will encounter later in their careers, it is clear that Viardot’s insightful compositional style provided a smooth transition for these relatively inexperienced students.
ContributorsBerman, Lauren Rebecca (Author) / FitzPatrick, Carole (Thesis advisor) / Campbell, Andrew (Committee member) / Suzuki, Kotoka (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2017
Description
While opera often portrays young heroes and heroines in love, only recently have children taken center stage as principal characters in opera. This paper outlines the evolution of child characters in the standard opera repertoire, beginning with the famous trouser roles of Cherubino from Le nozze di Figaro, Siébel from Faust, Stéphano from Roméo et Juliette, Octavian from Der Rosenkavalier, and Hänsel from Hänsel und Gretel, and ending with principal child roles written for boys (Amahl from Amahl and the Night Visitors and Miles from The Turn of the Screw). Examination of the history of childhood and the casting of children in opera reveals that the two are closely related; as children gained more legislative protection against child abuse and labor, children also appeared more frequently in opera. The evolution of children in opera culminates in the mid-twentieth century, when children perform principal roles in operas like Amahl and the Night Visitors (1951) and The Turn of the Screw (1954).
The study of trouser roles and roles for children in opera also reveals the heteronormativity and misogyny that is deeply engrained in the art form. While trouser roles might have reached popularity because of the vocal aesthetic created earlier by castrati, it is possible that heterosexual composers, librettists and audience members may have wanted to objectify the women playing those roles. Although trouser roles may have also been conceived as a way to create vocal or comedic variety, the strength of these roles has been their openness to multiple interpretations. The primary advancements for children in opera are entwined with this ambiguous history of trouser roles, as this paper will show. These milestones only seem to occur for boys instead of girls; for the most part, if a girl character appears in opera, she is portrayed by an adult woman. This paper will also discuss heteronormativity and misogyny in opera while following the evolution of child roles and child actors in the art form.
The study of trouser roles and roles for children in opera also reveals the heteronormativity and misogyny that is deeply engrained in the art form. While trouser roles might have reached popularity because of the vocal aesthetic created earlier by castrati, it is possible that heterosexual composers, librettists and audience members may have wanted to objectify the women playing those roles. Although trouser roles may have also been conceived as a way to create vocal or comedic variety, the strength of these roles has been their openness to multiple interpretations. The primary advancements for children in opera are entwined with this ambiguous history of trouser roles, as this paper will show. These milestones only seem to occur for boys instead of girls; for the most part, if a girl character appears in opera, she is portrayed by an adult woman. This paper will also discuss heteronormativity and misogyny in opera while following the evolution of child roles and child actors in the art form.
ContributorsSchildkret, Miriam R. (Author) / FitzPatrick, Carole (Thesis advisor) / Dreyfoos, Dale (Committee member) / Norton, Kay (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2017
Description
This dissertation investigates vocal performance of art songs requiring authentic and appropriate regional dialects of the American South. Through close analysis of performance practice in American opera, musical theatre, and art song, this document follows the existence of regional southern dialects on the stage from the early 1800s to today’s practice. Evidence of specified regional southern accents is discussed regarding literary depictions in librettos, lyrics, and dialogue. Other topics include the ways regional nuances and colloquialisms differentiate southern regional accents, the existence of a generic “southern” accent to stand for any representation of rural whites, and, briefly, the nonspecific ways African American southern dialects are usually rendered. Art song selections from Kenneth Frazelle’s Appalachian Songbooks (1989) and Doug Borwick’s Southern Comfort (1989), which I studied, recorded, and transcribed into singer’s IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet), are the central texts of this discussion. The recording can be accessed online at https://soundcloud.com
ina-c-garguilo/sets/southern-study-through-song.
This research will benefit the performers of American art song that specifically requires “white” dialects, the native and non-native speakers of some Southern-American dialects, and scholars who seek to promote authentic performance practice of southern oral tradition in concert music.
ina-c-garguilo/sets/southern-study-through-song.
This research will benefit the performers of American art song that specifically requires “white” dialects, the native and non-native speakers of some Southern-American dialects, and scholars who seek to promote authentic performance practice of southern oral tradition in concert music.
ContributorsCole, Nina Michelle (Author) / Dreyfoos, Dale (Thesis advisor) / Norton, Kay (Thesis advisor) / FitzPatrick, Carole (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2017