Matching Items (3)
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- All Subjects: Musical analysis
- Creators: Ryan, Russell
- Resource Type: Text
Description
Our world has become smaller due to globalization and frequent cultural exchange between different countries. As a result, classical music is becoming increasingly global. There are a significant number of Chinese composers, including Tan Dun, Chen Yi, Zhou Long, and Bright Sheng, who have gained international attention. For a modern performer, familiarity with music outside of the Western canon is increasingly important.
Bright Sheng is an internationally renowned Chinese-American composer who blends the heritage of traditional Chinese musical elements, traditional instruments, Chinese Opera and folk melodies with Western musical techniques. He infuses Chinese character into his works and introduces Chinese music to the Western classical music world.
In this paper, I discuss two of Bright Sheng’s pieces: A Night at the Chinese Opera and Three Fantasies. Both works were composed in 2005 and are the only two compositions he wrote for violin and piano. Most pianists are not familiar with how to transfer or imitate the sounds of traditional Chinese instruments on Western musical instruments. The paper examines traditional Chinese techniques for Western instruments from A Night in Chinese Opera. Three Fantasies contains three distinct musical characters related to different musical elements from different regions of China. I explore the traditional musical forms from Three Fantasies and offer practical suggestions for performance practice.
This document provides Bright Sheng’s biography, educational background, influences, and compositional style. It also features the inspirations for both pieces, a detailed analysis of both scores including a structural outline, discussion of compositional style, usage of rhythm and timbre and explanation of special techniques. This document also serves as an interpretative guide to each composition, including story outlines, suggestions for practice strategies, aesthetic considerations, rehearsal techniques and performance considerations.
The research for this paper is based on personal interview and coaching with Bright Sheng and analysis from the published scores for A Night at the Chinese Opera and Three Fantasies by G. Schirmer, Inc. I hope that this document will be a comprehensive performers’ guide to both works and serve as an explanation and promotion of Chinese classical music to a larger audience.
Bright Sheng is an internationally renowned Chinese-American composer who blends the heritage of traditional Chinese musical elements, traditional instruments, Chinese Opera and folk melodies with Western musical techniques. He infuses Chinese character into his works and introduces Chinese music to the Western classical music world.
In this paper, I discuss two of Bright Sheng’s pieces: A Night at the Chinese Opera and Three Fantasies. Both works were composed in 2005 and are the only two compositions he wrote for violin and piano. Most pianists are not familiar with how to transfer or imitate the sounds of traditional Chinese instruments on Western musical instruments. The paper examines traditional Chinese techniques for Western instruments from A Night in Chinese Opera. Three Fantasies contains three distinct musical characters related to different musical elements from different regions of China. I explore the traditional musical forms from Three Fantasies and offer practical suggestions for performance practice.
This document provides Bright Sheng’s biography, educational background, influences, and compositional style. It also features the inspirations for both pieces, a detailed analysis of both scores including a structural outline, discussion of compositional style, usage of rhythm and timbre and explanation of special techniques. This document also serves as an interpretative guide to each composition, including story outlines, suggestions for practice strategies, aesthetic considerations, rehearsal techniques and performance considerations.
The research for this paper is based on personal interview and coaching with Bright Sheng and analysis from the published scores for A Night at the Chinese Opera and Three Fantasies by G. Schirmer, Inc. I hope that this document will be a comprehensive performers’ guide to both works and serve as an explanation and promotion of Chinese classical music to a larger audience.
ContributorsJiang, Zhou (Author) / Ryan, Russell (Thesis advisor) / Campbell, Andrew (Committee member) / Carpenter, Ellon (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2018
Description
This research paper examines Guillaume Lekeu's Sonata for Piano and Violin (1892) from the perspective of a collaborative pianist, providing historical background, an analysis of the work's musical structure, and performance practice insights. Each chapter offers the performer a deeper understanding of various aspects concerning the work, including an in-depth analysis of cyclical features used by Lekeu.
Lekeu was strongly influenced by his teacher, César Franck, and in particular by Franck's use of cyclic techniques, which profoundly impacted Lekeu's Sonata for Piano and Violin. The cyclic treatment, which includes cyclic themes, cyclic motives, and non-cyclic themes is discussed, enabling performers to achieve a relevant structural approach to this work. A performance guide includes practical advice for the interpretation and performance of the work, along with piano pedaling suggestions. The integration of these aspects enables a pianist to gain a better understanding and appreciation of Lekeu's Sonata for Piano and Violin.
Lekeu was strongly influenced by his teacher, César Franck, and in particular by Franck's use of cyclic techniques, which profoundly impacted Lekeu's Sonata for Piano and Violin. The cyclic treatment, which includes cyclic themes, cyclic motives, and non-cyclic themes is discussed, enabling performers to achieve a relevant structural approach to this work. A performance guide includes practical advice for the interpretation and performance of the work, along with piano pedaling suggestions. The integration of these aspects enables a pianist to gain a better understanding and appreciation of Lekeu's Sonata for Piano and Violin.
ContributorsZhang, Dongfang (Author) / Ryan, Russell (Thesis advisor) / Campbell, Andrew (Committee member) / Rogers, Rodney (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2018
Description
This paper provides a comprehensive study of Italian liturgical organ works from the 15th to 17th centuries. This music was composed for the Catholic Mass, and it demonstrates the development of Italian keyboard style and the incorporation of new genres into the organ Mass, such as a Toccata before the Mass, music for the Offertory, and the Elevation Toccata. This often neglected corpus of music deserves greater scholarly attention.
The Italian organ Mass begins with the Faenza Codex of c.1430, which contains the earliest surviving liturgical music for organ. Over a century would pass before Girolamo Cavazzoni published his three organ Masses in 1543: Mass IV (for feasts of apostles), Mass IX (for Marian feasts) and Mass XI (for typical Sundays of the year). The prevalence of publishing in Venice and the flourishing liturgical culture at San Marco led two notable organists, Andrea Gabrieli and Claudio Merulo, to publish their own Masses in 1563 and 1568. Both composers cultivated imitation and figurative lines which were often replete with ornamentation.
Frescobaldi’s Fiori musicali, published in Venice in 1635, represents the pinnacle of the Italian organ Mass. Reflecting the type of music he performed liturgically at San Pietro in Rome, this publication includes several new genres: canzonas after the reading of the Epistle and after Communion; ricercars after the Credo; and toccatas to be played during the Elevation of the Host. Frescobaldi’s music shows unparalleled mastery of counterpoint and invention of figuration. His liturgical music casts a long shadow over the three composers who published organ Masses in the decade following Fiori musicali: Giovanni Salvatore, Fra Antonio Croci and Giovanni Battista Fasolo.
This comprehensive look at Italian organ Masses from the 15th-17th centuries reveals the musical creativity inspired by the Catholic liturgy. Perhaps because of their practical use, these organ works are often neglected, mentioned merely as addenda to the other accomplishments of these composers. Hopefully insight into the contents of each organ Mass, along with the information about their style and aspects of performance practice, will make these musical gems more accessible to contemporary organists.
The Italian organ Mass begins with the Faenza Codex of c.1430, which contains the earliest surviving liturgical music for organ. Over a century would pass before Girolamo Cavazzoni published his three organ Masses in 1543: Mass IV (for feasts of apostles), Mass IX (for Marian feasts) and Mass XI (for typical Sundays of the year). The prevalence of publishing in Venice and the flourishing liturgical culture at San Marco led two notable organists, Andrea Gabrieli and Claudio Merulo, to publish their own Masses in 1563 and 1568. Both composers cultivated imitation and figurative lines which were often replete with ornamentation.
Frescobaldi’s Fiori musicali, published in Venice in 1635, represents the pinnacle of the Italian organ Mass. Reflecting the type of music he performed liturgically at San Pietro in Rome, this publication includes several new genres: canzonas after the reading of the Epistle and after Communion; ricercars after the Credo; and toccatas to be played during the Elevation of the Host. Frescobaldi’s music shows unparalleled mastery of counterpoint and invention of figuration. His liturgical music casts a long shadow over the three composers who published organ Masses in the decade following Fiori musicali: Giovanni Salvatore, Fra Antonio Croci and Giovanni Battista Fasolo.
This comprehensive look at Italian organ Masses from the 15th-17th centuries reveals the musical creativity inspired by the Catholic liturgy. Perhaps because of their practical use, these organ works are often neglected, mentioned merely as addenda to the other accomplishments of these composers. Hopefully insight into the contents of each organ Mass, along with the information about their style and aspects of performance practice, will make these musical gems more accessible to contemporary organists.
ContributorsHolton Prouty, Kristin Michelle (Author) / Marshall, Kimberly (Thesis advisor) / Ryan, Russell (Committee member) / Solis, Theodore (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2015