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- Creators: Koonce, Frank
- Creators: Caslor, Jason
Description
Since at least the Baroque era, all Western classical woodwind instruments have only used Arundo donax for reeds. This preliminary investigation is one of the first inquiries into alternative natural materials for oboe reeds. The first chapter of this document is an overview of what we currently know about the materials used for reeds from the start of historical documentation until today. The second part of this overview surveys double reed instruments outside of Western classical music for reed materials and candidates for oboe reeds. The second chapter is a survey of some plants in the Poaceae familya group of woody grasses and the family Arundo donax is into determine if there are more candidates for oboe reeds. The third chapter consists of Martin Schuring and I making reeds from two experimental materials: Phragmites and Bambusa textilis. Additionally, Dr. Gardner and I conducted a study involving six participants. I processed Phragmites, Arundo donax, and Bambusa textilis into gouged cane and sent the participants three pieces of each material, which were labeled A, B, and C, respectively. The purpose of the study was to test if oboists with diverse backgrounds could scrape the provided cane into a reed that produces a sound on the oboe. The full study responses are in Appendix B. The last chapter of this document is a scope analysis, courtesy of Professor Jeffrey Kleim, of the plant samples I was able to obtain, which includes Phragmites, Bambusa textilis, and a few other plants. Furthermore, Dr. Lindsey Reymore and I tested the Phragmites and Bambusa textilis reeds Martin Schuring and I made by analyzing spectrograms, extracting audio descriptors from MATLAB, and running a few statistical tests to determine any statistically significant differences. Collective results indicate that eight oboists were able to make functional Phragmites and Bambusa textilis reeds, there are many potential candidates, and there were some statistically significant differences in audio descriptors between the Arundo donax, Phragmites, and Bambusa textilis reeds. Since this is preliminary research and no candidates were deemed unsuitable, future and long-term research is required for more thorough and conclusive data collection and analysis.
ContributorsMaes, Kelsey Amber (Author) / Schuring, Martin (Thesis advisor) / Gardner, Joshua (Committee member) / Reymore, Lindsey (Committee member) / Caslor, Jason (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2024
Description
Tres Tangos para Duo de Contrabajos (Three Tangos for Double Bass Duet) is a three-movement set written by Andrés Martín and commissioned by Darren Cueva specifically for this document and accompanying performance project. This piece blends tango with Western art music in a style often referred to as “nuevo tango” (new tango) which was popularized by Astor Piazzolla. This research paper will serve as a performance aid for those wishing to present tango idioms on the double bass in addition to a more detailed guide to performing Tres Tangos by Martín.
To give context to performers, this survey begins with a brief history of the tango and the life and stylistic developments of Astor Piazzolla. Various music and dance styles that contributed to early tango include, milonga, habanera, and tango andalúz. The resulting tango was popularized as a music and dance style in the early twentieth century. Astor Piazzolla brought the tango to the concert hall after studying composition with acclaimed professor Nadia Boulanger. His new tango style merged traditional tango, classical composition, and jazz music, which he was exposed to after his family moved from Argentina to New York.
Tres Tangos was modeled after the style of Piazzolla. Characteristic articulation and improvised techniques are a fundamental aspect of the tango sound; a successful performance will depend on the musician’s ability to create these sounds. A detailed description of the most common elements is provided as well as suggestions for creating them on the double bass. Finally, I have compiled a specific performance guide for Tres Tangos. This guide includes rhythmic, articulation, fingering, and notational considerations, to assist in the performance of this piece.
To give context to performers, this survey begins with a brief history of the tango and the life and stylistic developments of Astor Piazzolla. Various music and dance styles that contributed to early tango include, milonga, habanera, and tango andalúz. The resulting tango was popularized as a music and dance style in the early twentieth century. Astor Piazzolla brought the tango to the concert hall after studying composition with acclaimed professor Nadia Boulanger. His new tango style merged traditional tango, classical composition, and jazz music, which he was exposed to after his family moved from Argentina to New York.
Tres Tangos was modeled after the style of Piazzolla. Characteristic articulation and improvised techniques are a fundamental aspect of the tango sound; a successful performance will depend on the musician’s ability to create these sounds. A detailed description of the most common elements is provided as well as suggestions for creating them on the double bass. Finally, I have compiled a specific performance guide for Tres Tangos. This guide includes rhythmic, articulation, fingering, and notational considerations, to assist in the performance of this piece.
ContributorsCueva, Darren (Author) / Rotaru, Catalin (Thesis advisor) / Koonce, Frank (Committee member) / Rogers, Rodney (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2018
Description
Transcriptions and arrangements of works originally written for other instruments have greatly expanded the guitar’s repertoire. This project focuses on a new arrangement of the Suite in A Minor by Élisabeth Jacquet de la Guerre (1665–1729), which originally was composed for harpsichord. The author chose this work because the repertoire for the guitar is critically lacking in examples of French Baroque harpsichord music and also of works by female composers. The suite includes an unmeasured harpsichord prelude––a genre that, to the author’s knowledge, has not been arranged for the modern six-string guitar. This project also contains a brief account of Jacquet de la Guerre’s life, discusses the genre of unmeasured harpsichord preludes, and provides an overview of compositional aspects of the suite. Furthermore, it includes the arrangement methodology, which shows the process of creating an idiomatic arrangement from harpsichord to solo guitar while trying to preserve the integrity of the original work. A summary of the changes in the current arrangement is presented in Appendix B.
ContributorsSewell, David (Author) / Koonce, Frank (Thesis advisor) / Rotaru, Catalin (Committee member) / Suzuki, Kotoka (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2019
Description
In 1568, Vincenzo Galilei published the first edition of Fronimo as a guide to the art of intabulating vocal music for the lute. A second edition was released in 1584 in which Galilei presents “26 Ricercari” to demonstrate the sound of each Glarean mode. These short works provide a methodical approach to experiencing the Renaissance modes through his beautiful writing for the lute.
This research project focuses on the “26 Ricercari” and explores the challenges of transcribing and arranging Renaissance lute tablatures to be played on the guitar. Topics such as making decisions for voicings, fingerings, tactus reductions, and formatting are examined. Historically-informed playing suggestions such as articulations, lute techniques, and tempo are also included.
Many lute and vihuela works, like the ricercari, have not yet been transcribed. The ricerari tablatures are idiomatic and instantly playable for guitarists who are familiar with different forms of tablature, but most classical guitarists today are familiar only with modern staff notation. Because of this, Galilei’s works have been wrongfully neglected.
My project presents the first guitar edition of these works, along with the documentation of my methodology, and serves as an aid to others for transcribing lute tablatures.
This research project focuses on the “26 Ricercari” and explores the challenges of transcribing and arranging Renaissance lute tablatures to be played on the guitar. Topics such as making decisions for voicings, fingerings, tactus reductions, and formatting are examined. Historically-informed playing suggestions such as articulations, lute techniques, and tempo are also included.
Many lute and vihuela works, like the ricercari, have not yet been transcribed. The ricerari tablatures are idiomatic and instantly playable for guitarists who are familiar with different forms of tablature, but most classical guitarists today are familiar only with modern staff notation. Because of this, Galilei’s works have been wrongfully neglected.
My project presents the first guitar edition of these works, along with the documentation of my methodology, and serves as an aid to others for transcribing lute tablatures.
ContributorsOeth, John (Author) / Koonce, Frank (Thesis advisor) / Feisst, Sabine (Committee member) / McLin, Katherine (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2020
Description
In the early part of 2020, musicians faced an unprecedented challenge. A novel coronavirus emerged, spreading throughout the world and creating a pandemic. To control the spread of this virus, local governing officials suspended large gatherings in public spaces, which meant that all live music performances were cancelled for the foreseeable future. As a response to these cancellations, many musicians turned to live streaming, sharing transmissions of live performances over the internet. However, as life under COVID-19-related restrictions continued, the internet quickly became oversaturated with live stream music performances. This led musicians to discover innovative ways to adapt their creative practices for virtual settings. Through the process of commissioning, premiering, and recording new works, this research project explores how music practitioners can create music that is designed specifically for the imposed restrictions on the performing arts that accompanied the COVID-19 pandemic. To complete this project, I commissioned new works for clarinet and bass clarinet intended for performance under shelter-in-place conditions. The pieces included in this project are Two Flights for B-Flat Clarinet by Bill Clay (2020), 8 Months by Jessi Harvey (2020), R....v...rs....m oooiiiiii by Gabo Champagne (2021) and Od-ieu by Kim Farris-Manning (2021). I presented these works in two virtual formats: (1) I staged a virtual concert of their premieres from my home studio space, and (2) released studio-quality recordings of them paired with extra-musical video footage. This document offers an account of the virtual concert, a description of the process of the video production component, and performance guides for each commissioned piece. An audio/video recording of the virtual concert is included as a supplemental media file to this document, as are all music videos.
ContributorsLougheed, Julia Lynn (Author) / Spring, Robert (Thesis advisor) / Gardner, Joshua (Thesis advisor) / Knowles, Kristina (Committee member) / Wells, Christi Jay (Committee member) / Caslor, Jason (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2021
Description
The rich musical tradition of the Bohemian and Moravian regions of modern-day Czech Republic dates to the Medieval period. In the trumpet community, the orchestral music of Bedřich Smetana, Antonín Dvořák, and Leoš Janáček enjoys considerable attention. Trumpet authors have also explored Czech Baroque and early Romantic music extensively, including the music of Pavel Josef Vejvanovsky. However, a gap emerged in research of Czech trumpet music and Czech trumpet players from the period after the Czechoslovakian communist coup d’état of 1948. After this event, Czech musicians and artists experienced years of censorship and seclusion from the outside world except for those who regretfully fled their homeland. During this time, opinions developed abroad that in a communist environment without freedom and ideological dictations against artists, great art could not be produced. Much to the contrary, since 1948, Czech composers wrote over two-hundred trumpet works for excellent Czech trumpet soloists. This research project seeks to build a wider awareness of the extensive work by Czech composers and trumpeters during this period, and investigate the definition of Czech musical style and trumpeting. Discussion begins with historical analysis of trumpet repertoire throughout Czech musical history to develop a greater understanding of the music composed during a dark period of communist Czech history. This is followed by profiles of selected Czech trumpet soloists who contributed to the Czech trumpet repertoire by recording and commissioning works by Czech composers. A concluding discussion addresses the definition of Czech musical style, and explores compositional aspects and the playing style that make the music “Czech.” This document includes a catalog of works by Czech composers for unaccompanied trumpet or trumpet and electronics, works for trumpet and keyboard, works for solo trumpet and ensemble, and works for trumpet and other solo instruments with ensemble. This catalog was compiled to serve as a resource for future performers interested in Czech trumpet music.
ContributorsBrand, Spencer (Author) / Hickman, David R (Thesis advisor) / Fossum, David (Committee member) / Spring, Robert (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2021