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Description
This presentation explores the processes of writing and producing the original musical "Subplots," debuted in August 2022. Through composition and music direction lenses, this presentation outlines the creative journey from conception to performance, highlighting the process of collaborating with a librettist, performers, and production team members. This thesis was completed under the direction of Dr. Jody Rockmaker and Dr. Alex Temple; all materials are copyrighted by Anthony Procopio and Sara Matin.
ContributorsProcopio, Anthony (Author) / Rockmaker, Jody (Thesis director) / Temple, Alex (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / School of Music, Dance and Theatre (Contributor)
Created2023-05
Description
This work studies the influence on music and sound on visual media. It takes two visual media clips and sets them with several musical and compositions. Each piece of music is different in genre and tone, thus changing the audiences perception of the media. It also studies how different genres appeal to different demographics and how this can be used to appeal to them.
ContributorsTanabe, Arion (Author) / Bolanos, Gabriel (Thesis director) / Temple, Alex (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2023-05
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
Frank Zappa considered “The Adventures of Greggery Peccary” hismasterpiece. It contains every aspect of his melodic, harmonic, and rhythmic language. These techniques include: folk-influenced songs, quartal melodies, asymmetric meters, speech-influenced rhythms, octave-displaced chromaticism, “conceptual continuity,” and creative studio techniques. He considers these aspects and weighs them against each other to maintain a sense of balance on both a micro- and macroscopic scale.
The first chapter of this dissertation explores the events that led up to the creation of the composition. A chronology of historical events precedes a synopsis of the piece’s narrative. The second chapter examines a rehearsal tape from March of 1972, which was released posthumously, that contains the song that will eventually become the fourth movement of the piece: “The New Brown Clouds.” That song, as well as others on the recording, contains several examples of Zappa’s musical vocabulary. These excerpts are also included in the two albums that were released and are also heard in Zappa’s magnum opus.
The third and fourth chapters examine the first version of “The Adventures of Greggery Peccary.” The third chapter focuses on musical analysis and identifying key components of Zappa’s compositional style. The fourth chapter talks about he Grand Wazoo’s tour, the Petit Wazoo tour a month later, and the subsequent tour in 1973. Zappa wrote new music for these tours, and those pieces became part of the large revision that is discussed in chapter 5.
The sixth chapter examines the recording process, locations, and the innovative techniques Zappa uses in the studio. Every time he released a recording of the composition, there was always a notable revision— including shortly before his death in 1993. Finally, the Ensemble Modern’s posthumous recording of “The Adventures of Greggery Peccary” is also scrutinized.
ContributorsOxford, Josh (Author) / Temple, Alex (Thesis advisor) / Meyer, Jeffery (Committee member) / Bolanos, Gabriel (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2022
Description
ABSTRACT This project is comprised of two main components, a paper, and audiovisual composition (two-channel audio, single-channel video). The composition takes the beginning thematic elements from the book of Genesis and transitions to a robotic teleology (the transhuman being merged with technology). For the transhumanist, taking control of the evolutionary process both in speed and in trajectory is the ultimate goal.The composition, Queue R is narrative and tripartite in structure, having a beginning, middle, and end. However, a more in-depth analysis of the piece will yield smaller parts and extractions. Although the composition is programmatic, many of the visual and aural gestures lean towards an abstract aesthetic.
The paper will discuss various tenets of Christianity and Transhumanism, including religious motifs, philosophical aspects, oppositional and congruent features between the two. Ray Kurzweil’s “The Six Epochs of Evolution,” is used as a reference and launching point for Transhuman teleology and is discussed later in the paper. Lastly, the paper will discuss how the artwork engages with Transhumanism and Christianity, and end with a discussion of some aspects the compositional process.
Finally, the title of the piece, Queue R, refers to a line, a queue which leads to a Robotic existence, that is, an existence where the human being and technology merge. Also, Queue R refers to the present state of technology, a QR code being a scannable (machine readable) code which contains information about a product or item being scanned.
The video may be found at the link to the channel of the composer, and will list all audiovisual compositions. Click (or copy/paste into browser) on the video titled Queue R: Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCzOhPCwYGjJud92RLG_UQpQ or direct link: https://youtu.be/7ogR0Vb1-pA .
ContributorsHernandez, Brian (Author) / Bolanos, Gabriel (Thesis advisor) / Temple, Alex (Committee member) / Rockmaker, Jody (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2021
Description
Temporal Creative Entanglement and the Composer’s Search for a Unique Voice is about some of the creative challenges inherent in the composing process. Creative entanglement is when a composer gets caught up—entangled—in the creative process and it tarnishes their sense of how to appropriately assemble the formal structure of a piece. The word temporal means that I’m focusing on how a lot of creative entanglement happens because of process / product disparities related to time. Process / product disparity is the term I use to describe the enormous differences between the experience of composing and the experience of hearing the premiere of a work. And, I bring up the composer’s search for a unique voice because composers are especially vulnerable to creative entanglement when they are trying to write in a new style. I try to identify some different ways a composer can become entangled by discussing some specific ways that people subconsciously process music (musical expectations and information flow). I draw on the works of David Huron, Fred Lerdahl, and John Sloboda, among others, to paint a picture of the different mental processes that occur during composing and listening. I discuss how schematic, veridical, and dynamic expectations work in the mind of composer and the listener, and how these relate to creative entanglement. I also discuss how the conception of large-scale form fits into this topic. In the conclusion, I offer some thoughts on approaching composing from the perspective of creative entanglement. To close, I offer a perspective about artistic satisfaction and composing.
ContributorsClay, William (Author) / Bolanos, Gabriel (Thesis advisor) / Temple, Alex (Committee member) / Knowles, Kristina (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2021
Description
The importance of interactive electronic devices in the twenty-first century is a quickly expanding one, and the field of music technology is not exempt from this. Most traditional acoustic instruments pose challenges for individuals lacking fine motor skills, coordination, or grip strength. The author has responded to this issue as they experience it by developing a programmable interactive instrument system using a Mugic Motion System hardware, which includes a gyroscopic sensor, and Max/MSP, a visual programming environment which allows for customizable musical engagement for a variety of user types and requirements. This thesis explores the potential of interactive electronic devices to revolutionize the field of music as well as their potential in larger immersive environments, allowing creativity to reach a wider range of people regardless of physical limitations. The use of interactive sensor devices presents a not yet completely explored path for creating forms of sonic and multimedia interaction to a degree that has not yet become standard within either the musical field nor the emerging field of immersive environments and storytelling. The implications of a more fleshed out sensor-based system extend beyond the sound potential explored within this paper, and could allow interaction with visual aspects and motion based interactive art installations. This technology can also be applied as part of larger interactive systems, such as those found in theme parks and other large interactive attraction spaces. The author offers a novel approach to the democratization of music by leveraging the potential of interactive electronic devices for a population traditionally overlooked in music.
ContributorsMeconiates, Stacia (Author) / Temple, Alex (Thesis advisor) / Paine, Garth (Committee member) / Cechanowicz, Laura (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2023