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ContributorsTanabe, Arion (Author) / Bolanos, Gabriel (Thesis director) / Temple, Alex (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2023-05
Description
This presentation explores the processes of writing and producing the original musical "Subplots," debuted in August 2022. Through composition and music direction lenses, this presentation outlines the creative journey from conception to performance, highlighting the process of collaborating with a librettist, performers, and production team members. This thesis was completed under the direction of Dr. Jody Rockmaker and Dr. Alex Temple; all materials are copyrighted by Anthony Procopio and Sara Matin.
ContributorsProcopio, Anthony (Author) / Rockmaker, Jody (Thesis director) / Temple, Alex (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / School of Music, Dance and Theatre (Contributor)
Created2023-05
Description
Over the past fifty years, the number of new compositions written for trumpet has increased tremendously. Fueled by close collaboration between composers, performers, and organizations, audiences are yearning to hear these new works. The purpose of this doctoral project is to provide insight into how a commission for solo trumpet, All My Spirit Tingled, came to fruition and how a burgeoning soloist may best learn this challenging repertoire. The first chapter provides background on the composer, his musical vision, and the chosen soloist for this commission. The second chapter provides a detailed performance guide of All My Spirit Tingled, including references to technical studies, etudes, and solos from trumpet literature that may provide further material with which to grow as a performer of this work. The dissertation provides a professional recording of the premiere to assist the reader throughout the performance guide. This document also includes program notes for the composition, as well as composer biographical information, a list of other works by Robert Tindle featuring brass instruments, and a transcript of the composer and performer interview.
ContributorsDeshler, David Woehrle (Author) / Burgstaller, Joesef (Thesis advisor) / Swoboda, Deanna (Committee member) / Temple, Alex (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2023
Description
Frank Zappa considered “The Adventures of Greggery Peccary” hismasterpiece. It contains every aspect of his melodic, harmonic, and rhythmic language. These techniques include: folk-influenced songs, quartal melodies, asymmetric meters, speech-influenced rhythms, octave-displaced chromaticism, “conceptual continuity,” and creative studio techniques. He considers these aspects and weighs them against each other to maintain a sense of balance on both a micro- and macroscopic scale.
The first chapter of this dissertation explores the events that led up to the creation of the composition. A chronology of historical events precedes a synopsis of the piece’s narrative. The second chapter examines a rehearsal tape from March of 1972, which was released posthumously, that contains the song that will eventually become the fourth movement of the piece: “The New Brown Clouds.” That song, as well as others on the recording, contains several examples of Zappa’s musical vocabulary. These excerpts are also included in the two albums that were released and are also heard in Zappa’s magnum opus.
The third and fourth chapters examine the first version of “The Adventures of Greggery Peccary.” The third chapter focuses on musical analysis and identifying key components of Zappa’s compositional style. The fourth chapter talks about he Grand Wazoo’s tour, the Petit Wazoo tour a month later, and the subsequent tour in 1973. Zappa wrote new music for these tours, and those pieces became part of the large revision that is discussed in chapter 5.
The sixth chapter examines the recording process, locations, and the innovative techniques Zappa uses in the studio. Every time he released a recording of the composition, there was always a notable revision— including shortly before his death in 1993. Finally, the Ensemble Modern’s posthumous recording of “The Adventures of Greggery Peccary” is also scrutinized.
ContributorsOxford, Josh (Author) / Temple, Alex (Thesis advisor) / Meyer, Jeffery (Committee member) / Bolanos, Gabriel (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2022
Description
In a Mirror Dimly… is an autobiographical work that follows my mental development from my teen years into my mid-20s and offers a way forward into the future. First comes legalism: a canon, which represents a rule-based thought process. Next is freedom and individuality: indeterminate methods and textures. Finally, the piece concludes with unity and wholeness, using quoted and composed hymns in chorale settings. The conceptual content is taken from Hermann Hesse’s Siddhartha, a story of a Hindu man’s life through the development of his own ideology into Buddhism. He begins by following the rules of his faith obsessively, then he decides that the rules themselves don’t matter as much as the spirit behind them, and finally he begins to see the interconnectedness of nature through the flow of a river and gains a fuller picture of all that is. I have also included an anxiety motif which begins as an interruption or nuisance; it then takes over in the form of a panic attack but is quelled by a hymn: “Be Still My Soul,” with text written by Katharina von Schlegel set to the tune of Sibelius’ Finlandia. Finally, the anxiety is contained and molded to help the overall texture rather than disrupting it. The anxiety is never truly eradicated, but it is transformed.
ContributorsChesney, Jacob Andrew (Author) / Temple, Alex (Thesis advisor) / Bolanos, Gabriel (Committee member) / Rockmaker, Jody (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2022
Description
It is not a tremendous exaggeration to suggest the world almost ended on September
26, 1983. At the command center for the Soviet Union's Oko nuclear early warning
system a report came in stating that six hostile missiles were launched from the United
States. The commanding officer at the center, Stanislav Petrov, was convinced that the
missiles were a false alarm, and indeed the Oko system had malfunctioned. Petrov was
justified in reporting the attack to his superiors, which would have likely resulted in
retaliatory strikes from the Soviet Union, leading to nuclear war. This relatively obscure,
but immensely important moment in history is the inspiration for Alarm.
This work is not a direct retelling of Petrov's story, but a musical journey imagining the
many emotions this man must have been feeling. The piece is also not a look at the
Cold War politics surrounding the event, but a study of a choice, one of massive
consequences. The most significant element in Alarm is tension. The goal of the
opening statement of the piece, played by the brass, is to immediately transport the
listener into this world on the edge. This motive is developed throughout the work, and
serves as a binding agent as the music evolves. Another crucial element is the
oscillating staccato notes usually played by high-pitched instruments. This is implying
stress one might feel- whether it be an alarm going off or time running out. As the piece
seems to reach its breaking point just past the halfway mark, Petrov makes his choice.
The final part of the work is decidedly more peaceful, emphasized by the "Tranquillo"
and "Calmo" descriptors, but there is a consistent dark undertone to Alarm. Petrov's
story is bittersweet- he is a hero, but his accomplishments were swept under the rug by
Soviet leadership, humiliated by their nuclear system's failure. The near disaster in 1983
has barely been addressed by the world at large, even as the threat of nuclear war
seems to fade. When the next nuclear crisis arises, what choices will be made?
26, 1983. At the command center for the Soviet Union's Oko nuclear early warning
system a report came in stating that six hostile missiles were launched from the United
States. The commanding officer at the center, Stanislav Petrov, was convinced that the
missiles were a false alarm, and indeed the Oko system had malfunctioned. Petrov was
justified in reporting the attack to his superiors, which would have likely resulted in
retaliatory strikes from the Soviet Union, leading to nuclear war. This relatively obscure,
but immensely important moment in history is the inspiration for Alarm.
This work is not a direct retelling of Petrov's story, but a musical journey imagining the
many emotions this man must have been feeling. The piece is also not a look at the
Cold War politics surrounding the event, but a study of a choice, one of massive
consequences. The most significant element in Alarm is tension. The goal of the
opening statement of the piece, played by the brass, is to immediately transport the
listener into this world on the edge. This motive is developed throughout the work, and
serves as a binding agent as the music evolves. Another crucial element is the
oscillating staccato notes usually played by high-pitched instruments. This is implying
stress one might feel- whether it be an alarm going off or time running out. As the piece
seems to reach its breaking point just past the halfway mark, Petrov makes his choice.
The final part of the work is decidedly more peaceful, emphasized by the "Tranquillo"
and "Calmo" descriptors, but there is a consistent dark undertone to Alarm. Petrov's
story is bittersweet- he is a hero, but his accomplishments were swept under the rug by
Soviet leadership, humiliated by their nuclear system's failure. The near disaster in 1983
has barely been addressed by the world at large, even as the threat of nuclear war
seems to fade. When the next nuclear crisis arises, what choices will be made?
ContributorsArmetta, Daniel Michael (Author) / Rockmaker, Jody (Thesis advisor) / Temple, Alex (Committee member) / Bolanos, Gabriel (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2020
Description
“The Mystery of Light” is the first movement of a yet to be completed larger work titled ...to melt into the sun for chamber choir and percussion quartet. The text of the work is an excerpt from Kahlil Gibran’s masterpiece, The Prophet. This book tells the story of a prophet-like man, Almustafa, who, before embarking on the journey back to his native land, stops in the city of Orphalese, where the townspeople, having known him for many years, entreat him to share his wisdom before he departs. The seeress, Almitra, urges him, “speak to us and give us of your truth.” Almustafa proceeds to philosophize on a range of topics including love, laws, pain, friendship, children, time, beauty, and self-knowledge. Just before his farewell to the people of Orphalese, he speaks of death, saying that it is not something to be feared, but rather, embraced as a necessary and beautiful part of life.
This interconnectedness of the life and death process, of which Almustafa speaks, is the subject of “The Mystery of Light.” Almitra’s aforementioned request returns directly and indirectly throughout the movement as a reference to humanity’s undying desire to understand the great mysteries of our own mortal condition. The choir shifts throughout the movement between the three following perspectives: 1) that of people who live in fear, whose anxious whispers grow into shouts of horror as they are faced with the threat of death, 2) that of people who share Almitra’s inquisitiveness and are inspired with wonder by the secret of death and 3) that of the prophet, as he speaks words of comfort and wisdom to those who look, either in terror or wonder, upon the face of death. My hope with this music is to share the comforting words which Gibran has spoken through the character, Almustafa, so that, as they have done for me, these words may provide comfort to those who will stand trembling in the presence of life’s most inevitable consequence.
This interconnectedness of the life and death process, of which Almustafa speaks, is the subject of “The Mystery of Light.” Almitra’s aforementioned request returns directly and indirectly throughout the movement as a reference to humanity’s undying desire to understand the great mysteries of our own mortal condition. The choir shifts throughout the movement between the three following perspectives: 1) that of people who live in fear, whose anxious whispers grow into shouts of horror as they are faced with the threat of death, 2) that of people who share Almitra’s inquisitiveness and are inspired with wonder by the secret of death and 3) that of the prophet, as he speaks words of comfort and wisdom to those who look, either in terror or wonder, upon the face of death. My hope with this music is to share the comforting words which Gibran has spoken through the character, Almustafa, so that, as they have done for me, these words may provide comfort to those who will stand trembling in the presence of life’s most inevitable consequence.
ContributorsStefans, Karl (Author) / Temple, Alex (Thesis advisor) / Knowles, Kristina (Committee member) / Rockmaker, Jody (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2020
Description
Forget You’re Female focuses on stories of women pursuing engineering degrees and women in the field of engineering. The main character, Samantha (Sam), comes from a family of engineers and is unsure whether she wants to study engineering in college. In Opening-Decision, a university admissions counselor insists that Sam enters the engineering program. Sam expresses excitement for the degree in Engineer. However, she faces discrimination and microaggressions in First Class and Peers. These experiences lead her to seek a professor’s advice in Forget You’re Female. Jack’s Song explores the moment when a male student discovers overt sexism in a public part of the engineering building. Finally, in Graduation, Sam completes the degree and reflects on her experiences and potential longevity in the engineering field.
There are some staging instructions written into the score, however, lighting instructions are the only required element. Extras and props are optional but help convey the scene of each song. Projecting relevant footage or written descriptors is recommended in place of extras and props. If no extras are available, then spoken lines (male) need to be recorded and played back as indicated in the score.
ContributorsBush, Zachary Warren (Author) / Rockmaker, Jody (Thesis advisor) / Caslor, Jason (Committee member) / Temple, Alex (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2021
Description
CONCERTO GROSSO is a 15-minute three-movement piece composed for an 11-instrument ensembleand electronics which is performed by an additional performer. The aim of this piece is to expresses my
interpretation of classical Egyptian and contemporary Western musical idioms through the methods of both live
orchestration and electronic processing. The relationship between the acoustic instruments and the electronics is meant to sound as if the electronicpart is a live processing of each acoustic instrument in real time, but in reality the processing does not occur live,
and has been prepared prior to the performance by a recording of each individual instrumental part which has been
made in advance. These recordings are processed and prepared into cues which are then triggered by an
individual performer on a synthesizer. CONCERTO GROSSO explores the generation of new timbers, textures and tuning systems out of theacoustic material performed by the instruments through the use of electronic processing. Through the alteration of
timbres, the instruments can be altered to sound similar to native Egyptian and other-wordly instruments. The
alteration of textures results from the duplication of one instrument into a choir of that instrument, which can either
be aligned vertically or offset by small durations to create a brief nebula of sound. Finally, non-western tuning
systems such as the Arabic "Maqamat" are generated through the processing of pitch in order to create intervals
such as neutral seconds, which are not in the common practice technique of the instruments of the ensemble.
ContributorsFarag, Mohamed-Aly (Author) / Bolanos, Gabriel (Thesis advisor) / Temple, Alex (Committee member) / Jiang, Danwen (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2021
Description
This paper is an in-depth analysis of the symphonic piece titled Subconsciousness for symphony orchestra that was composed during the summer of 2021. This document will explain the conceptual ideas and compositional processes involved in its creation. This document was written as a resource for musicians, music theorist, composers, and public interested in the creative process used to compose the piece. Much of this work was inspired by the writings of Carl Gustav Jung that explore dreams and how the unconscious mind plays an important role in developing these dreams. In addition, this paper shows how Jung’s ideas are manifested in the music, providing arguments that demonstrate how both psychology and music are correlated in the development of the piece.
ContributorsTaborda Higuita, Daniel Felipe (Author) / Rockmaker, Jody (Thesis advisor) / Bolanos, Gabriel (Committee member) / Temple, Alex (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2022