Matching Items (57)
Filtering by
- All Subjects: Jazz
- Creators: Pilafian, Sam
- Creators: Kocour, Michael
Description
The Vocal Jazz ensemble, a uniquely American choral form, has grown and flourished in the past half century largely through the efforts of professionals and educators throughout the collegiate music community. This document provides historical data as presented through live and published interviews with key individuals involved in the early development of collegiate Vocal Jazz, as well as those who continue this effort currently. It also offers a study of the most influential creative forces that provided the spark for everyone else's fire. A frank discussion on the obstacles encountered and overcome is central to the overall theme of this research into a genre that has moved from a marginalized afterthought to a legitimate, more widely accepted art form. In addition to the perspective provided to future generations of educators in this field, this document also discusses the role of collegiate music academia in preserving and promoting the Vocal Jazz ensemble. The discussion relies on recent data showing the benefits of Vocal Jazz training and the need for authenticity towards its universal integration into college and university vocal performance and music education training.
ContributorsAmerind, Gregory (Author) / Kocour, Michael (Thesis advisor) / Carpenter, Ellon (Committee member) / Britton, David (Committee member) / Ryan, Russell (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2013
Description
With this thesis, I have set out to answer two fundamental questions within music: does music mean anything, and should music mean anything? In answering those questions, I also set out to create a creative project that would implement these ideas: an original concept album of music that is programmatic in nature and incorporates motivic composition, jazz improvisation, lyrics, extra-musical audio and more all in the service of telling a narrative, a story, through music. I have done research into understanding music as a language, finding that this language is primarily communicative and recreational, rather than representational, of meaning. As well, I discuss the various different ways that music composers from Wagner to Williams have created narrative meaning in their works, using examples of leitmotif and other devices, as well as tracing the contextual associations of meaning that occurs when music is perceived in certain contexts. Furthermore, I discuss the dialogue between absolute and programmatic music, and also talk about the role of jazz improvisation in adding meaning to works.
For the second part of my thesis I talk about how I came to create the creative project aspect. I discuss how and why I designed the narrative that I did, and also analyzed the music I have created to illustrate how I implemented the various methods of musical storytelling that I detail in the first part of the paper. Lastly, I discuss my plans for publication and release of the creative project.
The third part of this thesis is a sample of the creative project. There is a version of the narrative that goes along with the creative project, as well as one of the eight pieces of original music on the creative project, entitled Journey.
Overall, I found that music does have meaning, it is just meaning that society ascribes to it based off of artistic intent and context, and as to whether music should mean anything, I believe that this is a question best left to be answered on an individual basis. Music can be whatever it wants to be.
For the second part of my thesis I talk about how I came to create the creative project aspect. I discuss how and why I designed the narrative that I did, and also analyzed the music I have created to illustrate how I implemented the various methods of musical storytelling that I detail in the first part of the paper. Lastly, I discuss my plans for publication and release of the creative project.
The third part of this thesis is a sample of the creative project. There is a version of the narrative that goes along with the creative project, as well as one of the eight pieces of original music on the creative project, entitled Journey.
Overall, I found that music does have meaning, it is just meaning that society ascribes to it based off of artistic intent and context, and as to whether music should mean anything, I believe that this is a question best left to be answered on an individual basis. Music can be whatever it wants to be.
ContributorsPrice, Alexander (Author) / Gilfillan, Daniel (Thesis director) / Kocour, Michael (Committee member) / Libman, Jeffrey (Committee member) / Department of English (Contributor) / School of Music (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2019-05
ContributorsPilafian, Sam (Performer) / Marohnic, Chuck (Performer) / Lovelady, Hugh (Performer) / Ruth, Bryon (Performer) / Jones, Warren (Performer) / Moio, Dom (Performer) / Young Sounds of Arizona (Performer) / Arizona Jazz Faculty Nonet (Performer) / ASU Library. Music Library (Publisher)
Created1999-03-08
ContributorsPilafian, Sam (Contributor) / Concert Jazz Band (Performer) / ASU Library. Music Library (Publisher)
Created1999-10-04
ContributorsPilafian, Sam (Performer) / Concert Jazz Band (Performer) / ASU Library. Music Library (Publisher)
Created1996-11-18
ContributorsPilafian, Sam (Director) / La Barbera, Joe (Performer) / Stinnett, Jim (Performer) / Sheppard, Bob (Performer) / Concert Jazz Band (Performer) / ASU Library. Music Library (Publisher)
Created2002-03-19
ContributorsLovelady, Hugh (Conductor) / Pilafian, Sam (Contributor) / Young Sounds of Arizona (Performer) / Concert Jazz Band (Performer) / ASU Library. Music Library (Publisher)
Created2000-04-24
ContributorsAlessi, Joseph (Performer) / Lennex, Matthew (Performer) / Hopkins, Charles (Performer) / Pilafian, Sam (Performer) / Ruth, Bryon (Performer) / Crotty, Mike, 1950- (Performer) / Champion, Chris (Performer) / Kocour, Mike (Performer) / Millhouse, Steve (Performer) / Moio, Dom (Performer) / Jazz Repertory Band (Performer) / Faculty Jazz Sextet (Performer) / ASU Library. Music Library (Publisher)
Created2005-03-31
ContributorsPilafian, Sam (Director) / Kocour, Mike (Performer) / Jazz Repertory Band (Performer) / ASU Library. Music Library (Publisher)
Created2004-11-22
ContributorsPilafian, Sam (Performer) / Malaby, Tony (Performer) / DiBartolo, Joel (Performer) / Moio, Dom (Performer) / Joel DiBartolo Tentet (Performer) / ASU Library. Music Library (Publisher)
Created1995-03-08