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- All Subjects: Music
- Creators: Ryan, Russell
- Creators: Hamilton, Robert
- Member of: ASU Electronic Theses and Dissertations
Description
John La Montaine (b. 1920) has devoted his life to music composition. His major works total 62 opus numbers, including operas, concertos, songs, chamber music, and orchestral works as well as eleven compositions for solo piano. Among his composition teachers were Nadia Boulanger and Howard Hanson, and his first piano concerto was awarded the 1959 Pulitzer Prize for Music. He was active also as a concert soloist and collaborative pianist, appearing on prestigious concert series and with first-rank orchestras. Despite his obvious success, La Montaine did not seek publicity. As a result, the majority of his music is not widely known. La Montaine's eleven compositions for solo piano are written in a wide variety of styles, from tonal to serial, with many based on a tonal center, and they range in difficulty from the easiest beginner pieces to challenging concert works. His elementary works include a set of easy canons and many small pieces written for an early piano method. An imaginative set of children's pieces and a small virtuoso étude challenge the intermediate pianist. A diverse range of works for the advanced pianist includes a serious sonata, a lively toccata, several contrapuntal works, lilting dance pieces, and unique smaller pieces. The recording included with this research project is the first to present La Montaine's complete works for solo piano. The composer's own recordings of many of his works are difficult to obtain, and only a few have been recorded commercially. While some of his works remain in publishers' catalogs, those which are out-of-print can be obtained via interlibrary loan. This recording and discussion of La Montaine's solo piano pieces are intended to make his work better known.
ContributorsO'Brien, Andrew Charles (Author) / Hamilton, Robert (Thesis advisor) / Cosand, Walter (Committee member) / Holbrook, Amy (Committee member) / Meyer Thompson, Janice (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2010
Description
Classical pianists have struggled to reconcile personal artistic growth with the economic and cultural realities of a career as a musician. This paper explores the existing structure of North American undergraduate piano education and its development alongside sociological and cultural changes in the twentieth century. Through document study and interviews, I look at three different models of undergraduate piano curricula. Chapters One and Two explore the issues and history surrounding the traditional piano curriculum. Chapters Three and Four draw on interviews to study two different North American undergraduate curricula: a piano curriculum within a liberal arts environment of an American Conservatory-College, and a piano curriculum within a Canadian University Faculty of Music. Chapter Five concludes with a summary of these findings and potential recommendations for implementation. In this study, I suggest that changes to piano curricula were made because of a differing approach, one in which music is seen as an entrepreneurial vocation. These changes point to a discrepancy between what is being provided in the curriculum, and the actual skills that are needed in order to thrive in today's economy. Awareness of the constant flux of the current professional climate is necessary in order for pianists to channel their skills into the world. I theorize that changes in curricula were made in order to provide a better bridge for students to meet realistic demands in their career and increase their ability to impact the community.
ContributorsChoi, Rosabel (Author) / Kim, Kwang-Wu (Thesis advisor) / Campbell, Andrew (Committee member) / Hamilton, Robert (Committee member) / Levy, Benjamin (Committee member) / Pagano, Caio (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2013
Description
Collaborative piano skills are not only important for pianists. Many of the skills that collaborative pianists use regularly are the same skills used by music educators, music therapists, and vocal and instrumental professionals. If these skills were included in the class piano curriculum of music majors for whom piano is not their primary instrument, students might be better prepared for essential tasks they will accomplish in their future careers. This study seeks to discover the extent to which collaborative piano skills such as sight-reading, collaboration with a singer or instrumentalist, and score reduction are incorporated into the class piano courses offered in Arizona. A survey was sent in 2021 to all community college and university instructors of class piano in Arizona, asking them about the role, frequency, and assessment methods of collaborative piano skills in their courses. Public information was also gathered from institutional websites regarding course curriculum. To collect more detailed information regarding the pedagogical practices of Arizona class piano educators, I interviewed four professors who develop and implement class piano curricula in Arizona.
The results of this study suggest that Arizona class piano educators desire to incorporate more collaborative piano skills in their courses. The goal of this research is to bring awareness to the discrepancy in class piano curriculum standards with regards to collaborative piano skills across Arizona and spur pedagogical dialogue among educators regarding ways to improve programs. These enhancements will ultimately serve to give each student the best possible preparation for a career in music.
ContributorsSherrill, Amanda May (Author) / Campbell, Andrew (Thesis advisor) / DeMaris, Amanda (Committee member) / Holbrook, Amy (Committee member) / Ryan, Russell (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2022
Description
The unmeasured Fantasias by Johann Gottfried Müthel appear as part of a collection of pedagogical exercises to foster improvisation. The information he gives in the notation of his fantasias can be elucidated with a historiographical interpretation of musical rhetoric. Müthel developed musical figures and contrasting textures in accordance with contemporary rhetorical principles of inventio, dispositio and elaboratio. An analysis of Müthel’s G-minor Fantasia provides a link between musical rhetoric and performance, as seen through its improvisatory gestures. Issues of performance practice that arise in the G-minor Fantasia are the execution of ornaments, rhythmic alterations, registration, and articulation. This paper explores primary sources contemporary to Müthel to make sense of these issues. The unmeasured Fantasias are written for a keyboard with pedal. At the time that they were written, the pedal fortepiano and pedal clavichord were seen by musicians such as Carl Phillip Emanual Bach to be the superior instruments for performing improvisations. While the notation and texture of the Fantasias suggests that Müthel intended them for organ, a consideration of the possibilities provided by the fortepiano suggests that it may be more suited to conveying aspects of the galant aesthetic.
ContributorsMealey, Natalie (Author) / Marshall, Kimberly (Thesis advisor) / Ryan, Russell (Committee member) / Rockmaker, Jody (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2022
Description
In this research project, I introduce to the reader Bongsunhwa Variations for Violin Solo by Young-Jo Lee. Lee’s work is based on the original melody Ae-Su by Nan-Pa Hong, which Hong then developed into the Korean art song Bongsunhwa. The evolution of this simple melody to an art song and later a virtuosic violin work is explored as well. A historical background of Korean-Western music and composers is provided in order to further understand the evolution of compositional techniques that led to Lee’s work. Additionally, I examine the historical context of Hong’s work and the meaning of the lyrics of Bongsunhwa. In this paper, I also explore how Ae-Su affects Bongsunhwa Variations for Violin Solo; in particular, how Lee transforms Hong’s Bongsunhwa to his musical style and uses contemporary Western violin techniques, rhythms, and modulations to express the original intent of the work. Finally, I provide a performance guide of Bongsunhwa Variations for Violin Solo for non-Korean musicians, comparing the original source material of Hong’s song and three verses to the three variations of Lee’s work and how the history and context of the work shape performances of the Bongsunhwa Variations for Violin Solo. Interviews I undertook over email with the composer inform much of the interpretative suggestions in the performance guide.
ContributorsDong, Shinhye (Author) / McLin, Katherine (Thesis advisor) / Ryan, Russell (Committee member) / Solís, Ted (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2022
Description
This research project investigates the way in which Paul Hindemith expresses musical and extramusical ideas during his early compositional period through an analysis of the fourteen movements of his work for solo piano, In einer Nacht... Träume und Erlebnisse, op. 15 (In One Night… Dreams and Experiences). Op. 15 is a set of character movements composed in 1917-1919 and unified into a cohesive, singular work through extramusical connections and a common harmonic language. Hindemith depicted the night as a mystery unfolding in a series of descriptive and untitled miniatures displaying a thrilling journey into the unknown. The set reflects Hindemith’s unique chromatic compositional language in the late 1910s, and his interests in Expressionism, early forms, and popular elements such as jazz. However, due to its delayed publication, op. 15 remains an underestimated work and deserves closer attention.This paper describes the work’s creation, problems it faced in its reception and dissemination, and offers a brief literature review related to the set. The second chapter places op. 15 in the context of Hindemith’s early development as a composer (up to 1920) and his hallmark compositional styles. The most substantial portion of the research is an analytical description of the fourteen movements. Each chapter offers an overview of a movement’s general character followed by detailed depictions of musical or extramusical elements. It is hoped that this text will ultimately aid performers in creating a more accurate and musically cohesive performance. In a brief conclusion, the common elements between movements are reemphasized, again drawing the performer’s attention to each movement as a part of the longer narrative. Scholarship on this set provides opportunities for a better understanding of Hindemith’s early music.
ContributorsLu, Yi (Author) / Hamilton, Robert (Thesis advisor) / Meir, Baruch (Committee member) / Rockmaker, Jody (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2022
Description
The music of Claude Debussy has its own language. It is challenging for performers who are not familiar with Debussy’s musical style to produce the subtle tone colors or understand the proper atmosphere. There are many scholars, researchers, and pianists who have shown interest in Debussy’s piano music and who provided critical comments and interpretive suggestions. However, the work Pour le piano has varied interpretive suggestions given the consistent presence of the work in popular piano repertoire. This document creates a closer interpretation of Debussy’s piano music, specifically the three movements of Pour le piano, for enthusiastic music students and professionals. The focus of this work is to guide performance and interpretive aspects. A brief introduction of Debussy’s life reveals historical and contemporary influences on Pour le Piano. A closer look at compositional models which form the basis of Pour le piano, helps one recognize these compositional characteristics and correctly create a particular performance atmosphere. This analysis is followed by performance suggestions for fingerings, pedaling, how to isolate difficult passagework, and interpretive suggestions based on two recordings by Magda Tagliaferro and Caio Pagano. A more comprehensive understanding of Pour le piano not only leads to correct performances, but also wider proliferation and study of this piece among pianists
ContributorsPaesaroch, Puripat (Author) / Pagano, Caio (Thesis advisor) / Rockmaker, Jody (Committee member) / Hamilton, Robert (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2022
Description
The Serenade (after Plato’s “Symposium”) was composed by American composer, Leonard Bernstein (1918-1990) in 1954. The instrumentation of this piece is for solo violin, string orchestra, harp, and percussion, and the only existing piano reduction was arranged by the composer himself. Musical expression markings are exceptionally crucial in Bernstein’s music because these markings can indicate the complexity of the rhythmic patterns, grouping of notes, and musical textures more directly to the performers. This piano reduction has many unplayable and awkward passages due to the technical challenges and oversized chords. Additionally, it is missing some of the musical expression markings such as breath marks and slurs from the full score. It also does not have any instrumentation markings which leads to the fact, the piano, at times, may have difficulties imitating the orchestra.My aim for the newer piano reduction is to make it sound more acoustically similar to an orchestra by adding missing musical components and also modifying the technically challenging passages to be more comfortable to play. My paper demonstrates the process in creating the new piano reduction while explaining the modifications and selections of the voices. Many approaches I used in this project are also applicable to other orchestra reductions. This Serenade is a wonderful piece for both violinists and pianists, I hope my revised piano reduction could benefit more performers in the future. A complete piano reduction will be in the appendix.
ContributorsGuo, Hongzuo (Author) / Ryan, Russell (Thesis advisor) / Bolanos, Gabriel (Committee member) / Campbell, Andrew (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2022
Description
As a collaborative pianist, learning and performing works that were not originally composed for the piano is standard practice. Wynton Marsalis’ The Ever Fonky Lowdown, premiered in 2018 and digitally released in 2020, is a monumental work for narrator, three singers and jazz big band. The purpose of this research is to create a vocal score so that the work can be rehearsed and potentially performed by a pianist without the full jazz band. This paper and subsequent vocal score should serve as important resources for collaborative pianists and singers, and will help to enhance their knowledge and understanding in preparing this work. This research project is divided into three large sections. The first section starts with a brief commentary on the relationship between The Ever Fonky Lowdown and Marsalis’ earlier work From the Plantation to the Penitentiary, as both works explore similar themes and ideas. This is followed by an analysis of the lyrics and description of each musical number, as well as a discussion of the narration by Mr. Game. The Ever Fonky Lowdown comments on societal issues of the past, present and potentially future, such as freedom, race, greed, consumerism and cultural decay. Wynton Marsalis wrote the narration, lyrics and music, and often masks these societal problems with sarcasm and satire. Presenting a description of the narration, lyrics and music will not only promote future research on this important work, but also will aid the rehearsal and performance process for both collaborative pianists and singers. The second portion of this paper describes some of the reduction techniques used in creating the vocal score. While portions of the reduction process were relatively straightforward, others were more complex. The focus of the second half of the paper is to present the more noteworthy reduction techniques in order for collaborative pianists to understand how the composition was reduced, and perhaps apply similar techniques to their own future projects. The final portion of this research is the complete vocal score for The Ever Fonky Lowdown.
ContributorsTehse, Jared Robert (Author) / Campbell, Andrew (Thesis advisor) / Ryan, Russell (Committee member) / Wells, Christi Jay (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2022
Description
Alexina Louie (b. 1949) is a highly respected Canadian composer who has received numerous prestigious awards. The present study focuses on her pedagogical works for young pianists: Music for Piano (1982), Star Light, Star Bright (1995), and Small Beautiful Things (2016). All three sets, written in different periods of her compositional career, reveal Louie's highly artistic musical style adapted to her strong interest in piano pedagogy.
Music for Piano, intended for intermediate-level pianists, has four individual pieces, taking two to three minutes each, representing Louie’s early compositional style. Star Light, Star Bright, for intermediate-level pianists at a slightly lower level than intended for Music for Piano, consists of nine short character pieces inspired by the stars and planets and other phenomena of the solar system. Small Beautiful Things is technically less challenging than the other works. It consists of eleven-character pieces with titles from everyday life that are designed to appeal to young musicians.
The first chapter is an account of Louie's educational background and how mentors influenced her development as a pianist, composer, and teacher. The chapter also documents Louie's strong interest in teaching, which led her to compose piano music with pedagogical intent. The second chapter describes the compositional elements of Music for Piano, examining Louie's uses of various Asian elements, minimalism, notational innovations resulting in rhythmic freedom, and Impressionistic timbres and sonorities. The third chapter assesses Star Light, Star Bright, showing the overall palindromic structure of the set while discussing the content and pedagogical value of the individual pieces. The fourth chapter focuses on how the pieces of Small Beautiful Things help young pianists to develop basic techniques and musicianship.
Overall, the discussion reveals not only the musical and expressive qualities of Louie's works for young pianists, but also their value for cultivating both technique and musicality.
ContributorsNam, Michelle Yelin (Author) / Hamilton, Robert (Thesis advisor) / Holbrook, Amy (Thesis advisor) / Meir, Baruch (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2022