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- All Subjects: Music
- Creators: Spring, Robert
Description
Clarinet articulation is a process that uses the tongue to create an interruption in sound production either by contacting the reed or disrupting the air stream. This process occurs inside the mouth and is hidden from direct view. As a result, various solutions were developed in clarinet pedagogy to address the issue of teaching with no visual feedback. Clarinet pedagogy literature consists of language that makes it possible for other clarinetists to discuss, teach, and research various aspects of clarinet playing. The interdisciplinary application of theoretical concepts in linguistics and how they map onto the language of clarinet pedagogy offers a new perspective for understanding the teaching methods used for articulation. To provide insight into the relationship of language and clarinet pedagogy, an overview of several linguistic theories and concepts, such as Peircean semiotics, metalanguages, discursive strategies, and articulatory phonetics, is presented. Additionally, a brief explanation of articulation techniques (single, multiple, flutter, and slap articulation) and commonly used teaching strategies is outlined. The language used in clarinet pedagogy literature from resources by prominent clarinet pedagogues, such as the works of John Anderson, Joshua Gardner, Michèle Gingras, Eric C. Hansen, Howard Klug, Phillip Rehfeldt, Thomas Ridenour, Heather Roche, Robert Spring, and Rachel Yoder, is surveyed. Pedagogical insights from a linguistic analysis are used to create resources for teaching and/or correcting articulation. Since the interdisciplinary application of linguistics and clarinet pedagogy is an underexplored topic, this research also aims to serve as a basis for further interdisciplinary studies.
Contributorsde Alba, Francisco Javier (Author) / Spring, Robert (Thesis advisor) / Gardner, Joshua (Thesis advisor) / Fossum, Dave (Committee member) / Caslor, Jason (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2021
Description
For this project, I commissioned and recorded five new works for contrabassclarinet from five different composers. Composition parameters were given to each
composer before they started writing which detailed what needed to be included in each
work. Four of the composers were asked to utilize a single, difficult aspect of playing the
instrument, which included intonation, low note technique and response, phrasing, and
articulation. For the fifth work, the composer was asked to incorporate all parameters of
the project. Because of the differences between contrabass clarinet designs, I recorded
each work three times using the Leblanc Vito, Leblanc “Paperclip”, and Selmer Model 41
contrabass clarinets to demonstrate that the works were adaptable and playable. In this
paper, I will outline the parameters of the project, describe the instruments used for
recording and provide a performance guide for each work. It is my hope that these works
will provide an enjoyable way for future contrabass clarinetists to become more
proficient performers of the instrument.
ContributorsFullerton, Kimberly Irene (Author) / Spring, Robert (Thesis advisor) / Gardner, Joshua (Thesis advisor) / Micklich, Albie (Committee member) / Wells, Christi Jay (Committee member) / Watts, Sarah (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2023
Description
Saxophonists regularly transcribe works from the 19th and 20th centuries in order tobolster our repertoire from those eras. As one of the youngest concert instruments, few
substantial works exist for the instrument prior to the mid 20th century. By regularly
transcribing works that are standards in other instruments’ repertoires, we have perpetuated
the historical underrepresentation of female composers from the same time period. In answer
to this, I have researched, analyzed, transcribed, and recorded four works originally for violin
and piano written by female composers born in the 19th century. This program represents
differing styles and nationalities, while being a cohesive program of works. The repertoire
consists of a set of character pieces by Ika Peyron, sonatas by Dora Pejačević and Germaine
Tailleferre, and finally a theme and variations by Teresa Milanollo to serve as a closer. Each
chapter provides insights into my transcription process and tables of the alterations made to
the original material, as well as short analyses of each piece.
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ContributorsDodge-Overstreet, Jessica (Author) / Creviston, Christopher (Thesis advisor) / Shea, Nicholas (Thesis advisor) / Swoboda, Deanna (Committee member) / Spring, Robert (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2023
Description
The rich musical tradition of the Bohemian and Moravian regions of modern-day Czech Republic dates to the Medieval period. In the trumpet community, the orchestral music of Bedřich Smetana, Antonín Dvořák, and Leoš Janáček enjoys considerable attention. Trumpet authors have also explored Czech Baroque and early Romantic music extensively, including the music of Pavel Josef Vejvanovsky. However, a gap emerged in research of Czech trumpet music and Czech trumpet players from the period after the Czechoslovakian communist coup d’état of 1948. After this event, Czech musicians and artists experienced years of censorship and seclusion from the outside world except for those who regretfully fled their homeland. During this time, opinions developed abroad that in a communist environment without freedom and ideological dictations against artists, great art could not be produced. Much to the contrary, since 1948, Czech composers wrote over two-hundred trumpet works for excellent Czech trumpet soloists. This research project seeks to build a wider awareness of the extensive work by Czech composers and trumpeters during this period, and investigate the definition of Czech musical style and trumpeting. Discussion begins with historical analysis of trumpet repertoire throughout Czech musical history to develop a greater understanding of the music composed during a dark period of communist Czech history. This is followed by profiles of selected Czech trumpet soloists who contributed to the Czech trumpet repertoire by recording and commissioning works by Czech composers. A concluding discussion addresses the definition of Czech musical style, and explores compositional aspects and the playing style that make the music “Czech.” This document includes a catalog of works by Czech composers for unaccompanied trumpet or trumpet and electronics, works for trumpet and keyboard, works for solo trumpet and ensemble, and works for trumpet and other solo instruments with ensemble. This catalog was compiled to serve as a resource for future performers interested in Czech trumpet music.
ContributorsBrand, Spencer (Author) / Hickman, David R (Thesis advisor) / Fossum, David (Committee member) / Spring, Robert (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2021
Description
Many options for mouthpieces and reeds are available to clarinetists, which makes selecting the right equipment complicated. In addition to personal research, potential influences in this process included teachers, professors, and private instructors. To provide some clarity in the current trends impacting the selection of new equipment, a survey of clarinetists was conducted. All participants were asked what equipment they were currently using and to specify what elements of the purchase were most important. Aspects such as price, instructor influence, personal research, conferences, brand loyalty, new releases, and social media were ranked by level of importance. Additionally, questions were asked of participants who taught clarinet about what they recommended to their students at various skill levels. The opinions of clarinetists along with the analysis of the data confirmed which mouthpieces and reeds were being suggested for different skill levels. The results were analyzed by type of career with strong trends in the participants current equipment and their suggested equipment.
ContributorsDruesedow, Elizabeth Jane (Author) / Spring, Robert (Thesis advisor) / Gardner, Joshua (Thesis advisor) / Knowles, Kristina (Committee member) / Caslor, Jason (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2021
Description
In the early part of 2020, musicians faced an unprecedented challenge. A novel coronavirus emerged, spreading throughout the world and creating a pandemic. To control the spread of this virus, local governing officials suspended large gatherings in public spaces, which meant that all live music performances were cancelled for the foreseeable future. As a response to these cancellations, many musicians turned to live streaming, sharing transmissions of live performances over the internet. However, as life under COVID-19-related restrictions continued, the internet quickly became oversaturated with live stream music performances. This led musicians to discover innovative ways to adapt their creative practices for virtual settings. Through the process of commissioning, premiering, and recording new works, this research project explores how music practitioners can create music that is designed specifically for the imposed restrictions on the performing arts that accompanied the COVID-19 pandemic. To complete this project, I commissioned new works for clarinet and bass clarinet intended for performance under shelter-in-place conditions. The pieces included in this project are Two Flights for B-Flat Clarinet by Bill Clay (2020), 8 Months by Jessi Harvey (2020), R....v...rs....m oooiiiiii by Gabo Champagne (2021) and Od-ieu by Kim Farris-Manning (2021). I presented these works in two virtual formats: (1) I staged a virtual concert of their premieres from my home studio space, and (2) released studio-quality recordings of them paired with extra-musical video footage. This document offers an account of the virtual concert, a description of the process of the video production component, and performance guides for each commissioned piece. An audio/video recording of the virtual concert is included as a supplemental media file to this document, as are all music videos.
ContributorsLougheed, Julia Lynn (Author) / Spring, Robert (Thesis advisor) / Gardner, Joshua (Thesis advisor) / Knowles, Kristina (Committee member) / Wells, Christi Jay (Committee member) / Caslor, Jason (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2021
Description
The purpose of this project was to commission, perform, and discuss a new work for an instrument pairing not often utilized, oboe and percussion. The composer, Alyssa Morris, was selected in June 2009. Her work, titled Forecast, was completed in October of 2009 and premiered in February of 2010, as part of a program showcasing music for oboe and percussion. Included in this document is a detailed biography of the composer, a description of the four movements of Forecast, performance notes for each movement, a diagram for stage set-up, the full score, the program from the premiere performance with biographies of all the performers involved, and both a live recording and MIDI sound file. The performance notes discuss issues that arose during preparation for the premiere and should help avoid potential pitfalls. TrevCo Music, publisher of the work, graciously allowed inclusion of the full score. This score is solely for use in this document; please visit the publisher's website for purchasing information. The commission and documentation of this composition are intended to add to the repertoire for oboe in an unusual instrument pairing and to encourage further exploration of such combinations.
ContributorsCreamer, Caryn (Author) / Schuring, Martin (Thesis advisor) / Hill, Gary (Committee member) / Holbrook, Amy (Committee member) / Micklich, Albie (Committee member) / Spring, Robert (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2011
Description
During the twentieth-century, the dual influence of nationalism and modernism in the eclectic music from Latin America promoted an idiosyncratic style which naturally combined traditional themes, popular genres and secular music. The saxophone, commonly used as a popular instrument, started to develop a prominent role in Latin American classical music beginning in 1970. The lack of exposure and distribution of the Latin American repertoire has created a general perception that composers are not interested in the instrument, and that Latin American repertoire for classical saxophone is minimal. However, there are more than 1100 works originally written for saxophone in the region, and the amount continues to grow. This Modern Latin American Repertoire for Classical Saxophone: Recording Project and Performance Guide document establishes and exhibits seven works by seven representative Latin American composers.The recording includes works by Carlos Gonzalo Guzman (Colombia), Ricardo Tacuchian (Brazil), Roque Cordero (Panama), Luis Naón (Argentina), Andrés Alén-Rodriguez (Cuba), Alejandro César Morales (Mexico) and Jose-Luis Maúrtua (Peru), featuring a range of works for solo alto saxophone to alto saxophone with piano, alto saxophone with vibraphone, and tenor saxophone with electronic tape; thus forming an important selection of Latin American repertoire. Complete recorded performances of all seven pieces are supplemented by biographical, historical, and performance practice suggestions. The result is a written and audio guide to some of the most important pieces composed for classical saxophone in Latin America, with an emphasis on fostering interest in, and research into, composers who have contributed in the development and creation of the instrument in Latin America.
ContributorsOcampo Cardona, Javier Andrés (Author) / McAllister, Timothy (Thesis advisor) / Spring, Robert (Committee member) / Hill, Gary (Committee member) / Pilafian, Sam (Committee member) / Rogers, Rodney (Committee member) / Gardner, Joshua (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2011
Description
Finger motion and hand posture of six professional clarinetists (defined by entrance into or completion of a doctorate of musical arts degree in clarinet performance) were recorded using a pair of CyberGloves® in Arizona State University's Center for Cognitive Ubiquitous Computing Laboratory. Performance tasks included performing a slurred three-octave chromatic scale in sixteenth notes, at sixty quarter-note beats per minute, three times, with a metronome and a short pause between repetitions, and forming three pedagogical hand postures. Following the CyberGloves® tasks, each subject completed a questionnaire about equipment, playing history, practice routines, health practices, and hand usage during computer and sports activities. CyberGlove® data were analyzed to find average hand/finger postures and differences for each pitch across subjects, subject variance in the performance task and differences in ascending and descending postures of the chromatic scale. The data were also analyzed to describe generalized finger posture characteristics based on hand size, whether right hand thumb position affects finger flexion, and whether professional clarinetists use similar finger/hand postures when performing on clarinet, holding a tennis ball, allowing hands to hang freely by the sides, or form a "C" shape. The findings of this study suggest an individual approach based on hand size is necessary for teaching clarinet hand posture.
ContributorsHarger, Stefanie (Author) / Spring, Robert (Thesis advisor) / Hill, Gary (Committee member) / Koonce, Frank (Committee member) / Norton, Kay (Committee member) / Stauffer, Sandy (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2011
Description
Owen Middleton (b. 1941) enjoys an established and growing reputation as a composer of classical guitar music, but his works for piano are comparatively little known. The close investigation offered here of Middleton's works for piano reveals the same impressive craftsmanship, compelling character, and innovative spirit found in his works for guitar. Indeed, the only significant thing Middleton's piano music currently lacks is the well-deserved attention of professional players and a wider audience. Middleton's piano music needs to be heard, not just discussed, so one of this document's purposes is to provide a recorded sample of his piano works. While the overall repertoire for solo piano is vast, and new works become established in that repertoire with increasing difficulty, Middleton's piano works have a significant potential to find their way into the concert hall as well as the private teaching studio. His solo piano music is highly effective, well suited to the instrument, and, perhaps most importantly, fresh sounding and truly original. His pedagogical works are of equal value. Middleton's piano music offers something for everyone: there one finds daring virtuosity, effusions of passion, intellectual force, colorful imagery, poetry, humor, and even a degree of idiomatic innovation. This study aims to reveal key aspects of the composer's musical style, especially his style of piano writing, and to provide pianists with helpful analytical, technical, and interpretive insights. These descriptions of the music are supported with recorded examples, selected from the works for solo piano written between 1962 and 1993: Sonata for Piano, Childhood Scenes, Katie's Collection, and Toccata for Piano. The complete scores of the recorded works are included in the appendix. A chapter briefly describing the piano pieces since 1993 concludes the study and invites the reader to further investigations of this unique and important body of work.
ContributorsMoreau, Barton Andrew (Author) / Hamilton, Robert (Thesis advisor) / Holbrook, Amy (Committee member) / Campbell, Andrew (Committee member) / Spring, Robert (Committee member) / Gardner, Joshua (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2011