Matching Items (36)
Description
This research paper explores the works of two contemporary Chinese composers: Shuai Zhang's "Three Preludes" and "The Joys and Sorrows of Love and Life," and Wanghua Chu's "Jasmine Flower Fantasia" and "Man Jiang Hong – Prelude for Left Hand." It introduces the composers with their personal and academic background, as well as the sources of influence to their compositions. A descriptive analysis of the composers’ selected works is provided and discussed in detail, examining formal structure, harmonic language, rhythmic and melodic characteristics, and other compositional elements of highlighted sections of the pieces. Finally, a performance guide for pianists is offered on noteworthy segments of each piece and provides detailed interpretations and suggestions of techniques and challenges.
ContributorsGong, Yuerong (Author) / Hamilton, Robert (Thesis advisor) / Meir, Baruch (Committee member) / Rockmaker, Jody (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2023
Description
Alexina Louie (b. 1949) is a highly respected Canadian composer who has received numerous prestigious awards. The present study focuses on her pedagogical works for young pianists: Music for Piano (1982), Star Light, Star Bright (1995), and Small Beautiful Things (2016). All three sets, written in different periods of her compositional career, reveal Louie's highly artistic musical style adapted to her strong interest in piano pedagogy.
Music for Piano, intended for intermediate-level pianists, has four individual pieces, taking two to three minutes each, representing Louie’s early compositional style. Star Light, Star Bright, for intermediate-level pianists at a slightly lower level than intended for Music for Piano, consists of nine short character pieces inspired by the stars and planets and other phenomena of the solar system. Small Beautiful Things is technically less challenging than the other works. It consists of eleven-character pieces with titles from everyday life that are designed to appeal to young musicians.
The first chapter is an account of Louie's educational background and how mentors influenced her development as a pianist, composer, and teacher. The chapter also documents Louie's strong interest in teaching, which led her to compose piano music with pedagogical intent. The second chapter describes the compositional elements of Music for Piano, examining Louie's uses of various Asian elements, minimalism, notational innovations resulting in rhythmic freedom, and Impressionistic timbres and sonorities. The third chapter assesses Star Light, Star Bright, showing the overall palindromic structure of the set while discussing the content and pedagogical value of the individual pieces. The fourth chapter focuses on how the pieces of Small Beautiful Things help young pianists to develop basic techniques and musicianship.
Overall, the discussion reveals not only the musical and expressive qualities of Louie's works for young pianists, but also their value for cultivating both technique and musicality.
ContributorsNam, Michelle Yelin (Author) / Hamilton, Robert (Thesis advisor) / Holbrook, Amy (Thesis advisor) / Meir, Baruch (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2022
Description
The music of Claude Debussy has its own language. It is challenging for performers who are not familiar with Debussy’s musical style to produce the subtle tone colors or understand the proper atmosphere. There are many scholars, researchers, and pianists who have shown interest in Debussy’s piano music and who provided critical comments and interpretive suggestions. However, the work Pour le piano has varied interpretive suggestions given the consistent presence of the work in popular piano repertoire. This document creates a closer interpretation of Debussy’s piano music, specifically the three movements of Pour le piano, for enthusiastic music students and professionals. The focus of this work is to guide performance and interpretive aspects. A brief introduction of Debussy’s life reveals historical and contemporary influences on Pour le Piano. A closer look at compositional models which form the basis of Pour le piano, helps one recognize these compositional characteristics and correctly create a particular performance atmosphere. This analysis is followed by performance suggestions for fingerings, pedaling, how to isolate difficult passagework, and interpretive suggestions based on two recordings by Magda Tagliaferro and Caio Pagano. A more comprehensive understanding of Pour le piano not only leads to correct performances, but also wider proliferation and study of this piece among pianists
ContributorsPaesaroch, Puripat (Author) / Pagano, Caio (Thesis advisor) / Rockmaker, Jody (Committee member) / Hamilton, Robert (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2022
Description
Beginning around the 1820s, the refinement of the piano mechanism increased the expressiveness of the instrument’s sonority and further attracted the composers’ attention and curiosity about the instrument. Concentration on piano music became a trend for composers between the mid to late nineteenth century. During this period, the massive output of music for piano and extremely developed keyboard techniques resulted in classical composers searching for fresh ideas. Starting in the twentieth century, composers became increasingly interested in music outside the classical world and new interpretations of meter, harmony, and form. As early as the 1910s, composers included tone clusters generated at keyboard and soon afterwards, began “playing” the internal components of the piano including strings. Concurrently, they blended different styles within a piece according to their cultural and educational background. A prime example of this compositional trend is the classically-trained Turkish pianist-composer Fazil Say (b. 1970). His ability as a pianist reflects his strong classical training as well as a stylistic freedom partly derived from jazz. Say’s inspiration is also drawn from his Turkish heritage, as traditional folk elements have helped to shape his compositions. Representing Say’s education, passion, and ethnic background, the three elements of classical, jazz, and folk music have become his primary devices within his solo piano compositions.
This brief investigation of Say’s life to date and his piano works offers an insight into the correlation between the multi-cultural environments in which he has lived and the formation of his styles. Chapter one, the summary of his life and educational background, illustrates the fact that the three facets within his piano compositions are strongly rooted in his exposure to different environments. The second chapter presents a clear overview of the development of Say’s compositional idiom and a deeper look at selected piano compositions: his transcription of J. S. Bach’s Passacaglia in C Minor, BWV 582, Three Ballads, Black Earth, Alla Turca Jazz, and Paganini Jazz. The goal is to provide current and future pianists with insight into the expressive performance of one composer’s extremely successful hybridization of classical, jazz, and Turkish folk music.
This brief investigation of Say’s life to date and his piano works offers an insight into the correlation between the multi-cultural environments in which he has lived and the formation of his styles. Chapter one, the summary of his life and educational background, illustrates the fact that the three facets within his piano compositions are strongly rooted in his exposure to different environments. The second chapter presents a clear overview of the development of Say’s compositional idiom and a deeper look at selected piano compositions: his transcription of J. S. Bach’s Passacaglia in C Minor, BWV 582, Three Ballads, Black Earth, Alla Turca Jazz, and Paganini Jazz. The goal is to provide current and future pianists with insight into the expressive performance of one composer’s extremely successful hybridization of classical, jazz, and Turkish folk music.
ContributorsChen, Yen-Wei (Author) / Meir, Baruch (Thesis advisor) / Norton, Kay (Committee member) / Hamilton, Robert (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2019
Description
The purpose of this research is to uncover connections between Chinese composer Shande Ding and Western composers, as found in the development of Ding’s compositional style.
Ding’s solo piano pieces are representative of his overall stylistic tendencies. As an innovative composer, Ding’s experiments in combining various and bold musical materials with Chinese traditional styles became the model for contemporary Chinese composers and those of the next generation.
There is little research, and few recordings of Ding’s work available in the United States. Most of the research remains in China, including his biography, styles, the analyses of specific pieces, etc. To date, Yuefang Liu has contributed the only dissertation on the merging of Eastern and Western Music Cultures that mentions Shande Ding, and it cites only Ding’s early piano works. Some articles have suggested that Ding may have been influenced by western composers, but there is no actual exploration of the proposition. This paper will offer some pedagogical suggestions by dividing Ding’s solo piano works into different levels of difficulty, along with tips on performance and teaching approaches. Both the connection between piano works of Western composers and Shande Ding, and Ding’s resultant compositional style, will be explored. It is hoped that the project will expand further interest in Ding’s solo piano works.
Ding’s solo piano pieces are representative of his overall stylistic tendencies. As an innovative composer, Ding’s experiments in combining various and bold musical materials with Chinese traditional styles became the model for contemporary Chinese composers and those of the next generation.
There is little research, and few recordings of Ding’s work available in the United States. Most of the research remains in China, including his biography, styles, the analyses of specific pieces, etc. To date, Yuefang Liu has contributed the only dissertation on the merging of Eastern and Western Music Cultures that mentions Shande Ding, and it cites only Ding’s early piano works. Some articles have suggested that Ding may have been influenced by western composers, but there is no actual exploration of the proposition. This paper will offer some pedagogical suggestions by dividing Ding’s solo piano works into different levels of difficulty, along with tips on performance and teaching approaches. Both the connection between piano works of Western composers and Shande Ding, and Ding’s resultant compositional style, will be explored. It is hoped that the project will expand further interest in Ding’s solo piano works.
ContributorsZhou, Xu (Author) / Hamilton, Robert (Thesis advisor) / Rockmaker, Jody (Committee member) / Creviston, Hannah (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2020
Description
This research will explore the compositional approaches of Henry Cowell and John Cage to reveal piano techniques for the practice and performance of selected works. The discussion will focus on Henry Cowell’s Three Irish Legends and Six Ings, as well as John Cage’s The Perilous Night. An important contribution of Cowell was to further the use of tone clusters, applied in his Three Irish Legends by playing directly with the forearm, fists, and palm. Cowell’s Six Ings employ rhythmic experimentation, particularly in the first, second, and sixth pieces. He also uses tone color to portray specific programmatic features. John Cage greatly advanced the prepared piano from its earliest beginnings, as evidenced significantly in The Perilous Night. The present study will include advice on piano preparation, along with performance challenges and solutions.
ContributorsLiu, Xuan (Author) / Hamilton, Robert (Thesis advisor) / Campbell, Andrew (Committee member) / Rockmaker, Jody (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2020
Description
During the nineteenth century, it was common for pianists to publish their own editions of Beethoven’s piano sonatas. They did this to demonstrate their understanding of the pieces. Towards the end of the century, musicians focused their attention on critical editions in an effort to reproduce the composer’s original intention. Unfortunately, this caused interpretive editions such as those created in the nineteenth century to fade from attention. This research focuses on situating these interpretive editions within the greater discourse surrounding the editorial development of Beethoven’s piano sonatas. The study opens with the critical reception of Beethoven, his Sonata in C-sharp minor, Op. 27 No. 2, also known as the “Moonlight” Sonata, the organology of the nineteenth-century fortepianos and the editorial practices of subsequent editions of the piece. It also contextualizes the aesthetic and performance practice of nineteenth-century piano playing. I go on to analyze and demonstrate how the performance practices conveyed in the modern Henle edition (1976) differ from those in selected earlier interpretive editions. I will conclude with an assessment of the ways in which nineteenth-century performance practices were reflected by contemporary editions.
This study compares the First edition (1802) and seven selected editions of Beethoven’s “Moonlight” Sonata by Ignaz Moscheles (1814), Carl Czerny (1846), Franz Liszt (1857), Louis Köhler (1869), Hugo Riemann (1885), Sigmund Lebert and Hans von Bülow (1896), and Carl Krebs (1898) with the Henle edition. It covers the tempo, rubato, articulations, phrasing, dynamics, fingerings, pedaling, ornamentation, note-stem and beaming, pitch, and rhythm. I evaluate these editorial changes and performance practice to determine that, compared to modern practice, the 19th century fostered a tendency of applying rubato, longer slurs, diverse articulations, and expanded dynamic range. Furthermore, the instructions of fingerings, pedaling and ornamentation became more detailed towards the end of the century.
This study compares the First edition (1802) and seven selected editions of Beethoven’s “Moonlight” Sonata by Ignaz Moscheles (1814), Carl Czerny (1846), Franz Liszt (1857), Louis Köhler (1869), Hugo Riemann (1885), Sigmund Lebert and Hans von Bülow (1896), and Carl Krebs (1898) with the Henle edition. It covers the tempo, rubato, articulations, phrasing, dynamics, fingerings, pedaling, ornamentation, note-stem and beaming, pitch, and rhythm. I evaluate these editorial changes and performance practice to determine that, compared to modern practice, the 19th century fostered a tendency of applying rubato, longer slurs, diverse articulations, and expanded dynamic range. Furthermore, the instructions of fingerings, pedaling and ornamentation became more detailed towards the end of the century.
ContributorsLi, King Yue (Author) / Meir, Baruch (Thesis advisor) / Hamilton, Robert (Committee member) / Marshall, Kimberly (Committee member) / Norton, Kay (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2020
Description
Pacific Suite (2016) is a four-movement work for solo piano composed by the author of this paper, Holly Kordahl, that incorporates elements of several musical idioms, including Impressionism, tintinnabuli (as in the music of Arvo Pärt), post-modernism, minimalism and improvisation. This Doctorate of Musical Arts project consists of a descriptive paper, analysis, score and recording. The piece features varying levels of performer independence and improvisation along with notated music. Each movement is named after a different environment of the Pacific Ocean: Great Barrier Reef, Mariana Trench, Sunlit Zone, and Bikini Atoll.
Pacific Suite is engaging to mature pianists and accessible to students. The score of Pacific Suite is a blank canvas in some ways; almost all dynamics, tempi, pedaling, and fingerings are to be determined by the performer. The first movement, Great Barrier Reef, presents different musical vignettes. The second movement, Mariana Trench, requires the performer to improvise extensively while following provided instructions. The third movement, Sunlit Zone, asks the performer to improvise on a theme of Debussy. The final movement, Bikini Atoll, illustrates events of nuclear testing at Bikini Atoll in the 1940s.
Pacific Suite is engaging to mature pianists and accessible to students. The score of Pacific Suite is a blank canvas in some ways; almost all dynamics, tempi, pedaling, and fingerings are to be determined by the performer. The first movement, Great Barrier Reef, presents different musical vignettes. The second movement, Mariana Trench, requires the performer to improvise extensively while following provided instructions. The third movement, Sunlit Zone, asks the performer to improvise on a theme of Debussy. The final movement, Bikini Atoll, illustrates events of nuclear testing at Bikini Atoll in the 1940s.
ContributorsKordahl, Holly (Author) / Meir, Baruch (Thesis advisor) / Bolanos, Gabriel (Committee member) / Campbell, Andrew (Committee member) / Hamilton, Robert (Committee member) / Ryan, Russell (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2020
Description
The core element of this research paper is an analysis of the B-flat minor prelude and fugue BWV 867. The author’s analysis is then compared with the main contributors to Bach’s analytical studies. An understanding of the work’s structure, together with its motivic and harmonic details, help the performer develop an interpretive approach to the work.
Significant Bach scholars, including David Ledbetter and Peter Williams, are used as the source for the additional works to be studied. These scholars also mention close associates of Bach who offer additional insight into his music: Kirnberger and Weiss. The paper includes a brief discussion of the opening chorus fugue BWV 64, instrumental prelude to the cantata BWV 106, chorale prelude BWV 721, and Tombeau sur la Mort de Mr Comte de Logy by Weiss, as they relate to the B-flat minor prelude and fugue. In addition, the analysis provides materials on how the elements of the work relate to the Doctrine of Affections. From the B-flat minor prelude and fugue, the harmonic progressions and figuration are examined from the point of view of the Doctrine. The research also examines the fugue subject, with its unusual leap of a minor 9th, to its structural connection to the opening chorus fugue of BWV 64, and its ties to the Doctrine.
Through the analysis of the B-flat minor prelude and fugue and a comparison to works by Bach that are stylistically connected to this work, the author offers insights into the music and its relationship to works that have a sacred text association.
Significant Bach scholars, including David Ledbetter and Peter Williams, are used as the source for the additional works to be studied. These scholars also mention close associates of Bach who offer additional insight into his music: Kirnberger and Weiss. The paper includes a brief discussion of the opening chorus fugue BWV 64, instrumental prelude to the cantata BWV 106, chorale prelude BWV 721, and Tombeau sur la Mort de Mr Comte de Logy by Weiss, as they relate to the B-flat minor prelude and fugue. In addition, the analysis provides materials on how the elements of the work relate to the Doctrine of Affections. From the B-flat minor prelude and fugue, the harmonic progressions and figuration are examined from the point of view of the Doctrine. The research also examines the fugue subject, with its unusual leap of a minor 9th, to its structural connection to the opening chorus fugue of BWV 64, and its ties to the Doctrine.
Through the analysis of the B-flat minor prelude and fugue and a comparison to works by Bach that are stylistically connected to this work, the author offers insights into the music and its relationship to works that have a sacred text association.
ContributorsYoo, Hye Eun (Author) / Hamilton, Robert (Thesis advisor) / Little, Bliss (Committee member) / Meir, Baruch (Committee member) / Ryan, Russell (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2020
Description
This paper closely examines the performance practice regarding articulation of the preludes from Bach’s Well-Tempered Clavier Book I. Recordings by five pianists are studied: Vladimir Feltsman, Glenn Gould, Angela Hewitt, Andras Schiff, and Rosalyn Tureck. The recordings reveal certain recurring articulation patterns which are categorized into six articulation techniques: short slurs, long slurs, detached upbeat, accented downbeats, changing articulation, and rolled chords. The author has divided the preludes into four groups: preludes with continuous running figuration, lyrical preludes, lyrical preludes with distinct melody and accompaniment, and preludes with non-lyrical themes. Analysis reveals that for each group of preludes, there are a set of principles that these pianists follow. Overall, for non-lyrical preludes, the running sixteenth notes are played legato, staccato, or a short slur followed by staccato. The slower moving quarter and eighth notes stay mostly detached or staccato. For lyrical preludes, the melody remains largely legato. Articulation techniques are used more extensively in non-lyrical preludes than lyrical ones, and more often in the slower moving eighth notes than running figuration. Articulation techniques are often used as means of embellishment. They enhance the individual character of each piece and generate Baroque attributes. Despite the principles observed in the recordings, many isolated performances are found which do not conform to any of them, suggesting that there is no authoritative rule when articulating Bach’s works on piano.
ContributorsGan, Nan (Author) / Hamilton, Robert (Thesis advisor) / Meir, Baruch (Committee member) / Little, Bliss (Committee member) / Marshall, Kimberly (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2020