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Description
Phantom Sun is a ten-minute piece in three sections, and is composed for flute, clarinet in b-flat, violin, cello, and percussion. The three-part structure for this work is a representation of the atmospheric phenomenon after which the composition is named. A phantom sun, also called a parhelion or sundog, is a weather-related phenomenon caused by the horizontal refraction of sunlight in the upper atmosphere. This refraction creates the illusion of three suns above the horizon, and is often accompanied by a bright halo called the circumzenithal arc. The halo is caused by light bending at 22° as it passes through hexagonal ice crystals. Consequently, the numbers six and 22 are important figures, and have been encoded into this piece in various ways.
The first section, marked “With concentrated intensity,” is characterized by the juxtaposition of tonal ambiguity and tonal affirmation, as well as the use of polymetric counterpoint (often 7/8 against 4/4 or 7/8 against 3/4). The middle section, marked “Crystalline,” provides contrast in its use of unmetered sections and independent tempos. The refraction of light is represented in this movement by a 22-note row based on a hexachord (B-flat, F, C, G, A, E) introduced in measure 164 of the first section. The third section, marked “With frenetic energy,” begins without pause on an arresting entrance of the drums playing an additive rhythmic pattern. This pattern (5+7+9+1) amounts to 22 eighth-note pulses and informs much of the motivic and structural considerations for the remainder of the piece.
The first section, marked “With concentrated intensity,” is characterized by the juxtaposition of tonal ambiguity and tonal affirmation, as well as the use of polymetric counterpoint (often 7/8 against 4/4 or 7/8 against 3/4). The middle section, marked “Crystalline,” provides contrast in its use of unmetered sections and independent tempos. The refraction of light is represented in this movement by a 22-note row based on a hexachord (B-flat, F, C, G, A, E) introduced in measure 164 of the first section. The third section, marked “With frenetic energy,” begins without pause on an arresting entrance of the drums playing an additive rhythmic pattern. This pattern (5+7+9+1) amounts to 22 eighth-note pulses and informs much of the motivic and structural considerations for the remainder of the piece.
ContributorsMitton, Stephen LeRoy (Author) / DeMars, James (Thesis advisor) / Norton, Kay (Committee member) / Rogers, Rodney (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2017
Description
Aspiring opera singers receive training in many different areas including vocal technique, acting, foreign languages, and role preparation to help them prepare for the demands of the standard operatic repertoire. Many of the operatic roles within the standard repertoire are too demanding in their entirety for young singers who are still developing physically and intellectually. Vocal health is a great concern for young voice students and their teachers. An operatic role which demands more stamina or control than a student is currently capable of executing in a healthy way can result in vocal trauma. To avoid assigning repertoire to students which may push their limits, many undergraduate vocal students are not given the opportunity to perform an operatic role in its entirety until after they have graduated.
Pauline Viardot’s operetta Cendrillon provides a solution to the often difficult task of giving experience to young singers without causing them potential harm. The knowledge Viardot gained by having a career both as an opera singer and a voice teacher resulted in a composition which contains full operatic roles that many young singers could capably perform. Viardot was sensitive to the issues that many young singers face, and as a result, she created an operetta which voice faculty can feel comfortable assigning to their students. In order to understand the demands of Cendrillon on young opera singers, this project included a performance of the piece with undergraduate voice students, many of whom had never been in an opera before. Through this process and a comparison of Cendrillon with some of the repertoire these singers will encounter later in their careers, it is clear that Viardot’s insightful compositional style provided a smooth transition for these relatively inexperienced students.
Pauline Viardot’s operetta Cendrillon provides a solution to the often difficult task of giving experience to young singers without causing them potential harm. The knowledge Viardot gained by having a career both as an opera singer and a voice teacher resulted in a composition which contains full operatic roles that many young singers could capably perform. Viardot was sensitive to the issues that many young singers face, and as a result, she created an operetta which voice faculty can feel comfortable assigning to their students. In order to understand the demands of Cendrillon on young opera singers, this project included a performance of the piece with undergraduate voice students, many of whom had never been in an opera before. Through this process and a comparison of Cendrillon with some of the repertoire these singers will encounter later in their careers, it is clear that Viardot’s insightful compositional style provided a smooth transition for these relatively inexperienced students.
ContributorsBerman, Lauren Rebecca (Author) / FitzPatrick, Carole (Thesis advisor) / Campbell, Andrew (Committee member) / Suzuki, Kotoka (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2017
ContributorsHsu, Gabrielle (Performer) / Kierum, Caitlin (Performer) / Song, Yiqian (Performer) / Fox, Matt (Performer) / Lougheed, Julia (Performer) / Jones, Evelyn (Performer) / Miller, Isaac (Performer) / ASU Library. Music Library (Publisher)
Created2018-03-14
ContributorsMoonitz, Olivia (Performer) / ASU Library. Music Library (Publisher)
Created2018-03-13
ContributorsAnderle, Jeff (Performer) / Wegehaupt, David (Performer) / Bennett, Joshua (Performer) / Clements, Katrina (Performer) / Dominguez, Vincent (Performer) / Druesedow, Libby (Performer) / Englert, Patrick (Performer) / Liang, Jack (Performer) / Moonitz, Olivia (Performer) / Ruth, Jeremy (Performer) / ASU Library. Music Library (Publisher)
Created2018-04-09
ContributorsNeidermayer, Tyler (Performer) / Karam, Andrea Luque (Performer) / White, Jonathan (Performer) / Manka, Andrew (Performer) / Chaston, Aubrey (Performer) / ASU Library. Music Library (Publisher)
Created2018-03-31
ContributorsSpring, Robert (Performer) / Gardner, Joshua (Performer) / Buck, Elizabeth (Performer) / Schuring, Martin (Performer) / Micklich, Albie (Performer) / Ericson, John Q. (John Quincy), 1962- (Performer) / Smith, J. B., 1957- (Performer) / Ryan, Russell (Contributor) / ASU Library. Music Library (Publisher)
Created2018-09-16
ContributorsZhu, Shuang (Performer) / Spring, Robert (Performer) / Zhang, Aihua (Performer) / Skinner, Wesley (Performer) / Jiang, Zhou (Performer) / ASU Library. Music Library (Publisher)
Created2018-09-09
ContributorsSadownik, Stephanie (Performer) / Di Russo, Michelle (Conductor) / ASU Library. Music Library (Publisher)
Created2018-04-08