Matching Items (61)
Description
The purpose of this project is twofold: to contribute to the literature of chamber ensembles comprising mixed wind, string, and percussion instruments by producing arrangements of three piano rags by William Bolcom; and to highlight Bolcom's pivotal role in the ragtime revival of the 1960's and 1970's. Through his influence as a scholar, composer, and performer, Bolcom (b. 1938), one of the most prominent American composers of his generation, helped garner respect for ragtime as art music and as one of America's great popular music genres. Bolcom's 3 Ghost Rags were written in the tradition of classic piano rags, but with a compositional sensibility that is influenced by the fifty years that separate them from the close of the original ragtime era. The basis for the present orchestrations of 3 Ghost Rags is the collection of instrumental arrangements of piano rags published by Stark Publishing Co., entitled Standard High-Class Rags. More familiarly known as the "Red Back Book," this publication was representative of the exchange of repertoire between piano and ensembles and served as a repertory for the various ragtime revivals that occurred later in the twentieth century. In creating these orchestrations of Bolcom's piano rags, the author strove to provide another medium in which Bolcom's music could be performed, while orchestrating the music for an historically appropriate ensemble.
ContributorsMelley, Eric Charles (Author) / Hill, Gary W. (Thesis advisor) / Bailey, Wayne (Committee member) / Norton, Kay (Committee member) / Rogers, Rodney (Committee member) / Russell, Timothy (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2013
Description
This study catalogues symphonies for wind band from the origin of the genre in the late eighteenth century through 2014. Wind bands include any mixed wind group of eight or more players. Works using the word "symphony" or its derivatives in the title are included in the study. A total of 1342 works that fit these criteria were identified. An annotated bibliography (Appendix A) includes detailed information about 695 of these works. Such information was not available for an additional 621 wind band symphonies; consequently, these works are listed in a second appendix that includes a list of sources for each work so that future researchers might investigate them further. The final appendix lists 26 wind band symphonies that are no longer available based on the author's current sources.
The titles included in this study were found by examining many repertoire resources for the wind band, including previous studies of wind band symphonies and more comprehensive repertoire resources like the Heritage Encyclopedia of Band Music and the website "The Wind Repertory Project." Details of each piece in the annotated bibliography were found in their scores whenever possible. Contact with composers and publishers, through both their websites and direct correspondence, played a major role in this part of the study. The classified bibliography in this document sorts all of these sources categorically for easy reference. All parts of this document are intended as tools for conductors wishing to research or program symphonies for wind band.
The titles included in this study were found by examining many repertoire resources for the wind band, including previous studies of wind band symphonies and more comprehensive repertoire resources like the Heritage Encyclopedia of Band Music and the website "The Wind Repertory Project." Details of each piece in the annotated bibliography were found in their scores whenever possible. Contact with composers and publishers, through both their websites and direct correspondence, played a major role in this part of the study. The classified bibliography in this document sorts all of these sources categorically for easy reference. All parts of this document are intended as tools for conductors wishing to research or program symphonies for wind band.
ContributorsPease, Andrew Donald (Author) / Hill, Gary W. (Thesis advisor) / Bailey, Wayne (Committee member) / Reber, William (Committee member) / Saucier, Catherine (Committee member) / Rogers, Rodney (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2015
Description
This research paper examines the close relationships between the visual arts and music and the implications of curatorial practice upon the work of conductors. While some conductors consider suitability the prime (or only) factor in determining which music to perform, curators use many more criteria. Five elements of exhibition design are particularly germane to musicians including setting, subject matter, visual weight, compositional direction, and narrative. Each of these five elements is discussed in terms of its impact on concert design with a goal of providing additional criteria to the conductor when planning concerts. Three concert experiences, designed with these principles in mind, are presented as examples. Upon consideration of the elements of exhibition design separately and corporately, one arrives at a new appreciation of the concert as a unified experience--capable of being much more than the sum of its parts. The aim of effective concert design is to eliminate unintentional communication--to present music in the most complimentary manner possible. To this end, this study has implications for conductors at all levels.
ContributorsHoughtalen, Brandon (Author) / Hill, Gary W. (Thesis advisor) / Bailey, Wayne A (Committee member) / Ericson, John Q (Committee member) / Feisst, Sabine M (Committee member) / Russell, Timothy W (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2012
Description
Convergences, one of the best known orchestral pieces by Marlos Nobre, was originally written in 1968 and scored for winds, percussion and piano; however, that version was neither performed nor published. Upon contacting the composer, the author learned that there was no performance-ready edition available. The purpose of this project, therefore, was to create a performance edition of Convergences Op. 28a by Marlos Nobre; to lead the premiere performance of the original version of the work; and to provide potential future performers with a descriptive analysis of the work, along with biographical information about the composer. After receiving revisions from the composer, the author created a new score, using a music notation program; the score appears at the end of this document. Additionally, performance parts were extracted from the new score. The analytical portion of this paper discusses the structure of the three movements (Vivo, Adagio, Vivo), their interrelationships, and the organic use of motivic transformation that binds the movements together. The work is approximately twenty-one minutes long and is scored for a small wind ensemble comprising: flute/piccolo, oboe, clarinet, bassoon, horn, trumpet, trombone, bass trombone, six percussionists, and piano.
ContributorsPereira, Diogo Ahmed (Author) / Hill, Gary W. (Thesis advisor) / Bailey, Wayne (Committee member) / Pagano, Caio (Committee member) / Rogers, Rodney (Committee member) / Russell, Timothy (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2012
Description
Although music is regarded as a universal language, it is rare to find musicians of different ages, ability levels, and backgrounds interacting with each other in collaborative performances. There is a dearth of mixed-ability-level wind band and string orchestra repertoire, and the few pieces that exist fail to celebrate the talents of the youngest and least-experienced performers. Composers writing music for school-age ensembles have also been excluded from the collaborative process, rarely communicating with the young musicians for whom they are writing.
This project introduced twenty-nine compositions into the wind band and string orchestra repertoire via a collaboration that engaged multiple constituencies. Students of wind and string instruments from Phoenix’s El Sistema-inspired Harmony Project and the Tijuana-based Niños de La Guadalupana Villa Del Campo worked together with students at Arizona State University and composers from Canada, Finland, and across the United States to learn and record concertos for novice-level soloists with intermediate-level accompaniment ensembles.
This project was influenced by the intergenerational ensembles common in Finnish music institutes. The author provides a document which includes a survey of the existing concerto repertoire for wind bands and previous intergenerational and multicultural studies in the field of music. The author then presents each of the mixed-ability concertos created and recorded in this project and offers biographical information on the composers. Finally, the author reflects upon qualitative surveys completed by the project’s participants.
Most the new concertos are available to the public. This music can be useful in the development and implementation of similar collaborations of musicians of all ages and abilities.
This project introduced twenty-nine compositions into the wind band and string orchestra repertoire via a collaboration that engaged multiple constituencies. Students of wind and string instruments from Phoenix’s El Sistema-inspired Harmony Project and the Tijuana-based Niños de La Guadalupana Villa Del Campo worked together with students at Arizona State University and composers from Canada, Finland, and across the United States to learn and record concertos for novice-level soloists with intermediate-level accompaniment ensembles.
This project was influenced by the intergenerational ensembles common in Finnish music institutes. The author provides a document which includes a survey of the existing concerto repertoire for wind bands and previous intergenerational and multicultural studies in the field of music. The author then presents each of the mixed-ability concertos created and recorded in this project and offers biographical information on the composers. Finally, the author reflects upon qualitative surveys completed by the project’s participants.
Most the new concertos are available to the public. This music can be useful in the development and implementation of similar collaborations of musicians of all ages and abilities.
ContributorsBrooks, Melanie Jane (Author) / Hill, Gary W. (Thesis advisor) / Caslor, Jason K (Thesis advisor) / Belgrave, Melita (Committee member) / Holbrook, Amy (Committee member) / Swoboda, Deanna (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2018
Description
Clarinet multiphonics have become increasingly popular among composers since they were first introduced in the 1950s. However, it is a topic poorly understood by both performers and composers, which sometimes leads to the use of acoustically impossible multiphonics in compositions. Producing multiphonics requires precise manipulations of embouchure force, air pressure, and tongue position. These three factors are invisible to the naked eye during clarinet performance, leading to many conflicting theories about multiphonic production strategies, often based on subjective perception of the performer. This study attempts to observe the latter factor—tongue motion—during multiphonic production in situ using ultrasound. Additionally, a multiphonic catalog containing 604 dyad multiphonics was compiled as part of this study. The author hypothesized that nearly all, if not all, of the multiphonics can be produced using one of four primary production strategies. The four production strategies are: (A) lowering the back of the tongue while sustaining the upper note; (B) raising the back of the tongue while sustaining the upper note; (C) changing the tongue position to that of the lower note while sustaining the upper note; and (D) raising the root of the tongue (a sensation similar to constricting the throat) while sustaining the upper note. To distill production strategies into four primary categories, the author documented his perceived tongue motion over twenty repetitions of playing every multiphonic in the catalog. These perceptions were then confirmed or corrected through ultrasound investigation sessions after every five repetitions. The production strategies detailed in this study are only for finding the correct voicing to produce the multiphonics. The catalog compiled during this study is organized using two different organizational systems: the first uses the traditional method of organizing by pitch; the second uses a fingering-based system to facilitate the ease of finding multiphonics in question, since notated pitches of multiphonics often differ between sources.
ContributorsLiang, Jack Yi Jing (Author) / Gardner, Joshua (Thesis advisor) / Spring, Robert (Thesis advisor) / Caslor, Jason (Committee member) / Creviston, Christopher (Committee member) / Rockmaker, Jody (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2018
Description
Despite the growth of technology in music composition and performance, professional clarinetists maintain that air microphones are superior to piezoelectric pickups. Pickups offer increased mobility, isolation, and reduced feedback, but air microphones are used simply for the perceived sound quality. In this study a ported barrel pickup and a contact transducer pickup placed at various intervals on the clarinet were sampled and compared to a reference recording to determine how the sound differed for each method. In addition, the history of wind instrument pickups, the acoustics of the clarinet, and the basics of piezoelectricity were discussed to help examine the results. The pickups were examined in three ways: overall level in decibels, frequency cutoff, and overtone displacement. Through these results it was determined that the most accurate methods of clarinet pickup are the ported barrel pickup, contact transducers closer to the vibration of the reed such as the ligature or barrel surface, or a transducer placed at the end of the bell. These findings were consistent with the discussions regarding history, clarinet acoustics, and piezoelectricity. This study also produced a reference for the sounds associated with different pickup methods, as well as possible improvements for clarinet pickup design.
ContributorsEnglert, Patrick William (Author) / Spring, Robert S (Thesis advisor) / Gardner, Joshua T (Thesis advisor) / Caslor, Jason (Committee member) / Rogers, Rodney (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2018
Description
This document accompanies new recordings of four recent sonatas for trumpet and piano. The project’s objective is to promote these works, while providing a comprehensive resource for potential performers. The four sonatas were selected based on their appeal to modern audiences. Composers Brendan Collins, Luis Engelke, William Rowson, and Christoph Nils Thompson each represents a different country, and they offer significant contributions to the trumpet repertoire. Each sonata expertly features the trumpet by highlighting its lyricism, virtuosity, and ability to cross genres.
The accompanying document draws upon interviews with the four composers, which reveal insights into the compositional process and provide details that performers will find useful. This document also offers in-depth musical descriptions, allowing performers to enhance their understanding of each sonata. The principal component of the document is the performer’s guide: Advice is presented directly to the trumpet player that has been garnered from the composers’ interviews, study of the music, and the author’s thoughts on preparing the music. To help other young musicians better comprehend the recording process, the author’s own experience is detailed. Ultimately, this document provides a window into the lifespan of the four sonatas; from their initial composition through the various stages of studying and rehearsing, culminating with the experience of recording these works for the first time.
The accompanying document draws upon interviews with the four composers, which reveal insights into the compositional process and provide details that performers will find useful. This document also offers in-depth musical descriptions, allowing performers to enhance their understanding of each sonata. The principal component of the document is the performer’s guide: Advice is presented directly to the trumpet player that has been garnered from the composers’ interviews, study of the music, and the author’s thoughts on preparing the music. To help other young musicians better comprehend the recording process, the author’s own experience is detailed. Ultimately, this document provides a window into the lifespan of the four sonatas; from their initial composition through the various stages of studying and rehearsing, culminating with the experience of recording these works for the first time.
ContributorsKlein, Garrett Lane (Author) / Hickman, David R (Thesis advisor) / Holbrook, Amy K (Committee member) / Hill, Gary W. (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2019
Description
Video conferencing applications, such as Skype, have long been used in classroom settings. Although musicians have been conducting online lessons for years, and institutions such as the Berklee School of Music and the Manhattan School of Music offer online music classes, scholarly research concerning online video conferencing music lessons is limited. Most studies of video conferencing lessons are based on subjective answers, making it difficult to yield conclusive results. As such, the only basis to evaluate the efficacy of video conferencing lessons are those from opinions. This study offers quantitative research on online video conferencing lessons. Between September and December 2017, 22 cello students from Muscatine High School received weekly private online lessons. Students filled out surveys using a Likert scale to rate these lessons and how they felt video and audio quality affected them. Students also received in-person lessons during October 23 or 24 to compare this experience to online lessons. The responses collected throughout the semester were compiled and sorted to reveal data trends. Using information derived from the data, this study concludes that online video conferencing lessons were less productive than in-person lessons but were still effective. In addition, average lesson ratings improved significantly after meeting in-person. In conclusion, this study found that online private lessons are feasible for high school students.
ContributorsPark, Yeil (Author) / Landschoot, Thomas (Thesis advisor) / Caslor, Jason (Thesis advisor) / Campbell, Andrew (Committee member) / Holbrook, Amy (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2019
Description
Hungarian composer, Miklós Rózsa, is primarily known for his career as a film composer, but he wrote over forty-five pieces for the concert hall. The most famous of these works, Theme, Variations, and Finale, was composed in 1933 and premiered the following year, ushering in a long history of performances throughout Europe and abroad in the 1930s and 1940s. This document serves as a guide for performers of Theme, Variations, and Finale by offering biographical information about Rózsa, the compositional history and performance history of the work and recorded legacy, details about its two versions, and a detailed analysis of the score. This document also clarifies important details about the work's performance history, which have previously been recorded inaccurately.
ContributorsAlpizar, Mark Daniel (Author) / Meyer, Jeffery (Thesis advisor) / Feisst, Sabine (Committee member) / Spring, Robert (Committee member) / Caslor, Jason (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2018