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- All Subjects: Music
- Creators: Spring, Robert
- Creators: Schuring, Martin
Description
Musicians who perform in front of an audience are often familiar with tension and nervousness, whether they are performing on stage, giving a public concert, or practicing on their own. Tension can eventually build up in a musician’s body because of the stress of holding an instrument or performing in an audition or concert. Warm-ups are not guaranteed to reduce stress or pain. However, by warming up, musicians can help expect to prevent possible injuries and reduce stress or pain. In addition, some musicians can expect warm-ups to improve basic skills and the level of their playing overall.
To begin, this document will examine several warm-ups which were published by famous flutists. It will reference warm-ups back to the 20th century, when legendary flutist and pedagogue Marcel Moyse published De La Sonorité (Paris, 1934). De La Sonorité is a world-famous warm-up book which emphasizes the importance of flute tone. Many flutists were inspired by this book, and because of its renown, De La Sonorité is the starting point when discussing flute warm-ups.
After discussing specific flutists’ warm-up books, the author will add her own warm-up exercises as a final project. Specifically, these warm-ups are intended to improve flutists’ embouchure and flexibility. Embouchure warm-ups can help reduce pain or tightness in the embouchure and help prevent some mistakes caused by stress and anxiety, such as in an audition or performance.
To begin, this document will examine several warm-ups which were published by famous flutists. It will reference warm-ups back to the 20th century, when legendary flutist and pedagogue Marcel Moyse published De La Sonorité (Paris, 1934). De La Sonorité is a world-famous warm-up book which emphasizes the importance of flute tone. Many flutists were inspired by this book, and because of its renown, De La Sonorité is the starting point when discussing flute warm-ups.
After discussing specific flutists’ warm-up books, the author will add her own warm-up exercises as a final project. Specifically, these warm-ups are intended to improve flutists’ embouchure and flexibility. Embouchure warm-ups can help reduce pain or tightness in the embouchure and help prevent some mistakes caused by stress and anxiety, such as in an audition or performance.
ContributorsHur, Jiyoun (Author) / Buck, Elizabeth (Thesis advisor) / Micklich, Albie (Committee member) / Norton, Kay (Committee member) / Schuring, Martin (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2019
Description
Hungarian composer, Miklós Rózsa, is primarily known for his career as a film composer, but he wrote over forty-five pieces for the concert hall. The most famous of these works, Theme, Variations, and Finale, was composed in 1933 and premiered the following year, ushering in a long history of performances throughout Europe and abroad in the 1930s and 1940s. This document serves as a guide for performers of Theme, Variations, and Finale by offering biographical information about Rózsa, the compositional history and performance history of the work and recorded legacy, details about its two versions, and a detailed analysis of the score. This document also clarifies important details about the work's performance history, which have previously been recorded inaccurately.
ContributorsAlpizar, Mark Daniel (Author) / Meyer, Jeffery (Thesis advisor) / Feisst, Sabine (Committee member) / Spring, Robert (Committee member) / Caslor, Jason (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2018
Description
The main objective of this research project is to expand the bassoon repertoire with the addition of three pieces. The first composition, Rust for bassoon and piano, was written by Christopher Marchant and is six minutes in duration; august, for woodwind quartet (flute, oboe, B-flat clarinet, and bassoon) was composed by Matthew Triplett and is four minutes in duration; the third composition, Rhapsody for woodwind quartet, was written by Conor Anderson and is six minutes in duration. The present document includes background information and a performance guide for each of the commissioned works. The performance guide provides recommendations and tips to aid musicians in preparing these works. This document also contains transcripts of interviews with each composer and performer. Finally, this document is accompanied by a recording of each piece.
ContributorsStrickland, Kiefer Philip (Author) / Micklich, Albie (Thesis advisor) / Gardner, Joshua (Committee member) / Rogers, Rodney (Committee member) / Schuring, Martin (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2019
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
This creative project documents the methods and challenges of writing three clarinet choir arrangements of different musical genres, and culminates into three clarinet choir scores with an upcoming performance date. The three pieces that were arranged are “Dinah” by Sam Lewis and Joe Young, “Laud ye the Name of the Lord” from Vespers by Sergei Rachmaninoff, and “Peace” by Jeremy Zuckerman. The goal of the project was to arrange these pieces for clarinet choir without making any major changes to the form or style of the original works. Scores to the final three arrangements are included within this document, as well as a brief description of the processes involved in writing them. While the pieces were being arranged, the techniques of arranging were studied concurrently by reviewing a text on arranging, other successful clarinet choir arrangements, fixing the challenges that were presented by the pieces to be arranged. Each piece required a few drafts: after being written to near-completion, they were played by live clarinet groups and recorded to hear how they sounded. After these recording sessions, the pieces would be further edited for readability, suitability for the instrument, and overall sound and effect. Major difficulties are also covered within the following paper, including why those issues arose and what methods were used to solve them. Each of the pieces helped to explore different aspects of arranging for clarinet choir, and each piece has turned into a pleasing arrangement that may be performed by a live ensemble. This creative project greatly improved the skills of the author and serves to stoke interest in arranging and composition.
ContributorsGerman, Lindsey (Author) / Spring, Robert (Thesis director, Committee member) / Gardner, Joshua (Thesis director, Committee member) / School of Music (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2019-05
Description
“In what ways can I engage an audience of primarily western musicians in experiencing a new musical world in dialogue with the one they know?” The author begins by asking himself this question. He describes a project which will answer this question, then selects and focuses on a single aspect of this project: the arranging of three pieces from Kenzou Hatanaka’s Iyonokuni Matsuyama Suigun Daiko for woodwind quintet and taiko from its original orchestration for band and taiko. Emphasis is placed on creating an enticing multicultural work that equally presents western and Japanese influences, and the author’s compositional process and considerations are explained. A discussion of what the author learned about multiculturalism and himself concludes.
ContributorsBerry, Tanyon Hideki Lane (Author) / Schuring, Martin (Thesis director) / Morgan, Eileen (Committee member) / School of Music (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2019-05
Description
This is a two-part thesis, completed in conjunction with my Materials Science and Engineering Capstone Project. The first part involves the design and testing of cold-extruded high-density polyethylene for student oboe reeds. The goal of this section was to create a longer-lasting reed that produces a similar sound to a cane reed, has less variation in quality, and costs less per year than cane reeds. For low-income students in particular, the cost of purchasing cane oboe reeds ($500-$2,000 per year) is simply not feasible. This project was designed to allow oboe to be a more affordable option for all students. Money should not be a factor that limits whether or a not a child is able to explore their interests. The process used to create the synthetic reed prototype involves cold-extrusion of high-density polyethylene in order to induce orientation in the polymer to replicate the uniaxial orientation of fibrous cane. After successful cold-extrusion of a high-density polyethylene (HDPE) cylinder, the sample was made into a reed by following standard reedmaking procedures. Then, the HDPE reed and a cane reed were quantitatively tested for various qualities, including flexural modulus, hardness, and free vibration frequency. The results from the design project are promising and show a successful proof of concept. The first prototype of an oriented HDPE reed demonstrates characteristics of a cane reed. The areas that need the most improvement are the flexural modulus and the stability of the higher overtones, but these areas can be improved with further development of the cold-extrusion process. The second part of this thesis is a survey and analysis focusing on the qualitative comparison of synthetic and cane oboe reeds. The study can be used in the future to refine the design of synthetic reeds, more specifically the cold-extruded high-density polyethylene student oboe reed I designed, to best replicate a cane reed. Rather than approaching this study from a purely engineering mindset, I brought in my own experience as an oboist. Therefore, the opinions of oboists who have a wide range of experience are considered in the survey. A panel of five oboists participated in the survey. They provided their opinion on various aspects of the five reeds, including vibrancy, response, stability, resistance, tone, and overall quality. Each of these metrics are rated on a scale from one to five, from unacceptable to performance quality. According to the survey, a participant's personal, hand-made cane reed is overall the most preferred option. My prototype HDPE student reed must be improved in many areas in order to rank near the other four reeds. However, its vibrancy and resistance already rival that of a Jones student reed. As this is just the first prototype, that is a significant accomplishment. With further refinement of the cold-extrusion and reedmaking method, the other areas of the HDPE reed may be improved, and the reed may eventually compete with the existing synthetic and cane reeds on the market.
ContributorsMitchell, Alexis Jacqueline (Author) / Adams, James (Thesis director) / Schuring, Martin (Committee member) / School of Music (Contributor) / Materials Science and Engineering Program (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2018-05
Description
Composers and performers alike are pushing the limits of expression with an ever-expanding sonic palette. There has also been a great expansion of saxophone repertoire over the past few decades. This has lead to an increasing number of advanced pieces incorporating saxophone extended techniques. As younger saxophonists discover these compositions, they too become inspired to implement these techniques in their own playing. There is a need for broader selections of introductory to intermediate compositions with saxophone extended techniques. It is the goal of this project to expand this repertoire for pre-college and early-college saxophonists. These target-level saxophonists are those who have already begun their studies in extended techniques. Three commissioned composers have contributed pieces for this target level of saxophonist with the purpose of bridging the gap between first attempts of extended techniques and the advanced pieces that already exist. Saxophonists who have the standard techniques to perform compositions such as Sonata for E-flat Alto Saxophone and Piano by Paul Creston will be suited to approach these compositions. In addition to the compositions, the author has composed short warm up exercises, utilizing selected extended techniques. A professional recording of the resulting compositions and exercises are also included. The enclosed document will provide a performer's analysis to help instructors of potential performers navigate the extended techniques and provide insight on other challenging aspects of the compositions. It is not the intention of the following document to teach the individual techniques.
ContributorsCharbonneau, Christopher Michael (Author) / Creviston, Christopher (Thesis advisor) / Feisst, Sabine (Thesis advisor) / Schuring, Martin (Committee member) / Campbell, Andrew (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2015
Description
This project includes a recording and performance guide for three newly commissioned pieces for the clarinet. The first piece, shimmer, was written by Grant Jahn and is for B-flat clarinet and electronics. The second piece, Paragon, is for B-flat clarinet and piano and was composed by Dr. Theresa Martin. The third and final piece, Duality in the Eye of a Bovine, was written by Kurt Mehlenbacher and is for B-flat clarinet, bass clarinet, and piano. In addition to the performance guide, this document also includes background information and program notes for the compositions, as well as composer biographical information, a list of other works featuring the clarinet by each composer, and transcripts of composer and performer interviews. This document is accompanied by a recording of the three pieces.
ContributorsPoupard, Caitlin Marie (Author) / Spring, Robert (Thesis advisor) / Gardner, Joshua (Thesis advisor) / Hill, Gary (Committee member) / Oldani, Robert (Committee member) / Schuring, Martin (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2016
Description
The primary objective of this research project is to expand the clarinet repertoire with the addition of four new pieces. Each of these new pieces use contemporary clarinet techniques, including electronics, prerecorded sounds, multiphonics, circular breathing, multiple articulation, demi-clarinet, and the clari-flute. The repertoire composed includes Grant Jahn’s Duo for Two Clarinets, Reggie Berg’s Funkalicious for Clarinet and Piano, Rusty Banks’ Star Juice for Clarinet and Fixed Media, and Chris Malloy’s A Celestial Breath for Clarinet and Electronics. In addition to the musical commissions, this project also includes interviews with the composers indicating how they wrote these works and what their influences were, along with any information pertinent to the performer, professional recordings of each piece, as well as performance notes and suggestions.
ContributorsCase-Ruchala, Celeste Ann (Contributor) / Gardner, Joshua (Thesis advisor) / Spring, Robert (Thesis advisor) / Hill, Gary (Committee member) / Rogers, Rodney (Committee member) / Schuring, Martin (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2016