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- All Subjects: Violin and piano music
- All Subjects: Violin
- Creators: McLin, Katherine
Description
The two solo violin works by Carl Nielsen (1865-1931) have been largely overlooked since their composition in the 1920s. These pieces are representative of Nielsen's mature style, combining elements of classical form (the Theme and Variations) as well as processes more commonly found in the twentieth century (through-composition and non-tonal harmonic language). This paper is designed to bring these long-neglected works to light and make them more approachable for violin students, teachers and performers. As Denmark's leading composer, Nielsen was well regarded in his lifetime, although his isolation from mainland Europe created obstacles in his path toward international fame. Rather than following trends in post-romantic music, he remained true to his own musical ideals. This choice often isolated him further during his career, but his unique blend of chromatic harmony, driving rhythms and juxtapositions of character captivates modern listeners. Although small in scope compared to his symphonies and other large works, the enthusiastic spirit and indomitable energy of the solo violin works reflect Nielsen's character at its best. Combining a high level of virtuosity with solid structural integrity, textural variety and musical interest, these works deserve a much more prominent place in the standard violin repertoire.
ContributorsVallier, Michelle Mitchell (Author) / McLin, Katherine (Thesis advisor) / Rogers, Rodney (Committee member) / Jiang, Danwen (Committee member) / Bailey, Wayne (Committee member) / Landschoot, Thomas (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2012
Description
John Harbison is one of the most prominent composers of the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. He has made major contributions in all areas of classical music, including operas, symphonies, chamber music, choral works, and vocal pieces.Among his vast output is 'Four Songs of Solitude,' his only composition (to date) for solo violin. Though the piece is beautiful and reflective in nature, its inherent technical and musical difficulties present challenges to violinists preparing the piece. There is no published edition of 'Four Songs of Solitude' that includes bowings and fingerings, and violinists used to practicing and performing the études and repertoire of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries may have difficulty determining how to successfully navigate the music. This paper examines the piece in detail, providing an analytic description of the music and suggestions for practice. An interview with the composer yielded many insights into the structural and harmonic events of the songs, and the composer's interpretive suggestions are given alongside technical suggestions by the author. The solo violin has a centuries-long legacy, and some of the most performed repertoire exists in the medium. 'Four Songs of Solitude' is a demanding set of pieces that stands out in late twentieth-century violin music. Providing information about the piece directly from the composer and suggestions for practice and performance increases the accessibility of the work for violinists seeking to bring it to the concert stage.
ContributorsSchreffler, Sarah (Author) / McLin, Katherine (Thesis advisor) / Hill, Gary (Committee member) / Holbrook, Amy (Committee member) / Spring, Robert (Committee member) / Swartz, Jonathan (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2012
Description
In my path through both the academic and the professional music world, I have realized that violinists traditionally operate in a very limited role when it comes to pop music. Rarely are string players integral to a song, and rarely are they allowed to indulge in creativity or improvisation. This three-track EP explores the various roles and functions that both the violin and the 21st-century violinist can have, beyond the stereotypical string pads in ballads and non-rhythmic, chordal accompaniment. The first track explores the violin providing chordal and rhythmic foundation of a song, containing only vocals and a midi bass as non-violin elements. The second track investigates the importance of production skills and strings providing the melody for a groove based up-tempo electronic drop. The final track is a more traditional yet accessible composition for piano and string quartet, inspired by the work of Ólafur Arnalds and Max Richter, potentially viable for modern dance choreography. The process of writing, recording, and producing this EP served as my first legitimate foray into the professional songwriting world. It is a testament to my battle with, and a temporary victory over, toxic perfectionism. This is an affliction that befalls creators of all trades: the crippling fear of putting out something less than perfect resulting in nothing being put out at all. Finally, I have put something out, something I am solely responsible for, that represent my original creative work. This EP seeks to set a blueprint for the capabilities of modern string playing and modern string players often neglected in the modern popular music sphere. It is the culmination of all I have learned as a musician, technically, professionally, and emotionally.
ContributorsHerbst, Felix Benjamin (Author) / McLin, Katherine (Thesis director) / Peña, Samuel (Committee member) / School of Music (Contributor) / School of Life Sciences (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2019-12
ContributorsMcLin, Katherine (Performer) / Campbell, Andrew (Pianist) (Performer) / Ericson, John Q. (John Quincy), 1962- (Performer) / McLin/Campbell Duo (Performer) / ASU Library. Music Library (Publisher)
Created2018-09-23
Description
ABSTRACTViolin sonatas composed by male composers of the romantic era are widely studied and performed, yet there is far less focus on pieces of that era composed by women. Much of the research on women’s music of the era is scattered and difficult to find. The creation of the Violin Sonatas by Women website (www.violinsonatasbywomen.com) is to educate, promote, and make accessible these deserving but overlooked composers and their works.
Presently, the Violin Sonatas by Women website serves as a resource with detailed information on twenty-five sonatas for violin and piano composed by fifteen European female composers of the romantic era. Provided on this site is biographical information on each composer and access to editions, manuscripts, and recordings. This resource also contains historical information, supplemental exercises and études, and other pedagogical notes. Composers are listed in order of birth date.
This site offers a robust, accurate, and accessible resource for students and professionals. It also provides knowledge, enhances understanding, and identifies technical challenges in the pieces that could be incorporated into teaching curricula and performance repertoires. Finally, it serves to provide long-overdue credit to these female composers by giving their work more recognition.
This study is an ongoing project with more editions and recordings added as they are produced. Presently, the main portion of this website includes advanced published works written from 1863 to 1917. This website will soon be expanded to offer information on violin sonatas composed by women of other eras and origins.
ContributorsAbbott, Sarah (Author) / Swartz, Jonathan (Thesis advisor) / McLin, Katherine (Committee member) / Rockmaker, Jody (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2022
ContributorsMcLin, Katherine (Performer) / Campbell, Andrew (Pianist) (Performer) / ASU Library. Music Library (Publisher)
Created2022-09-16
Description
According to the profile of the World Directory of Minorities and Indigenous Peoples, the Philippines consists over a hundred ethnolinguistic groups, twenty-seven of which were direct descendants of prehistoric settlers in the country. As a nation of diverse indigenous cultures, multiple precolonial rituals are practiced even after four centuries of Western occupation. Beside strong oral and written traditions, Filipino contemporary music contributed to the preservation of these indigenous societies. Filipino composers in the second half of the twentieth century and beyond were able to incorporate native musical concepts with Western compositional language, thereby producing a new style of contemporary music unique to the Philippines. This development did not only bring greater awareness of indigenous music to city-dwelling Filipinos, but also to the larger Western music community. While newer works from Western classical composers are performed frequently today, pieces for violin by contemporary Filipino composers are largely unknown. In this research paper the author aims to bring understanding of and visibility to Filipino contemporary music to the Western violin community through an in-depth analysis of two representative works for solo violin: Abot-Tanaw II (1984) by Filipino National Artist of Music Dr. Ramon Santos, and Darangun (1985) by award-winning composer Conrado Del Rosario.
The research paper will first explore a brief history of the Philippines and its relationship with Western classical music, from precolonial times to the twenty-first century. The succeeding chapters will be devoted to the in-depth study of the two solo violin works. After providing a biography of each composer, I will present the backgrounds and contexts of their respective works. Finally, the present author will provide thorough structural analyses of these pieces and interpretative suggestions to serve as a general performance guide for interested violinists. To gather substantial data for these chapters, the author collaborated with the composers through virtual personal interviews and electronic communication.
This research paper culminated in a lecture recital performed by the author on October 21, 2021 in Katzin Hall of the School of Music, Dance and Theater at Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona.
ContributorsSoberano, Ramon Alfonso Cobangbang (Author) / Jiang, Danwen (Thesis advisor) / Feisst, Sabine (Committee member) / McLin, Katherine (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2021
ContributorsMcLin, Katherine (Performer) / Campbell, Andrew (Pianist) (Performer) / Rotaru, Catalin (Performer) / Spring, Robert (Performer) / ASU Library. Music Library (Publisher)
Created2007-08-30
ContributorsMcLin, Katherine (Performer) / Campbell, Andrew (Pianist) (Performer) / ASU Library. Music Library (Publisher)
Created2014-09-07
ContributorsMcLin, Katherine (Performer) / Campbell, Andrew (Pianist) (Performer) / McLin/Campbell Duo (Performer) / ASU Library. Music Library (Publisher)
Created2017-09-24