Matching Items (7)
Description
The teaching of singing remained remarkably stable until, at the end of the twentieth century, advances in the understanding of voice science stimulated dramatic changes in approach to vocal pedagogy. Previously, the technology needed to accurately measure physiologic change within the larynx and breath-support musculature during the process of singing simply did not exist. Any prior application of scientific study to the voice was based primarily upon auditory evaluation, rather than objective data accumulation and assessment. After a centuries-long history, within a span of twenty years, vocal pedagogy evolved from an approach solely derived from subjective, auditory evidence to an application grounded in scientific data. By means of analysis of significant publications by Richard Miller, Robert Sataloff, and Ingo Titze, as well as articles from The Journal of Singing and The Journal of Voice, I establish a baseline of scientific knowledge and pedagogic practice ca. 1980. Analysis and comparison of a timeline of advancement in scientific insight and the discussion of science in pedagogical texts, 1980-2000, reveal the extent to which voice teachers have dramatically changed their method of instruction. I posit that voice pedagogy has undergone a fundamental change, from telling the student only what to do, via auditory demonstration and visual imagery, to validating with scientific data how and why students should change their vocal approach. The consequence of this dramatic pedagogic evolution has produced singers who comprehend more fully the science of their art.
ContributorsVelarde, Rachel (Author) / Doan, Jerry (Thesis advisor) / Campbell, Andrew (Committee member) / Solis, Theodore (Committee member) / Elgar Kopta, Anne (Committee member) / Britton, David (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2013
Description
Even in the most despondent situations, the arts find a way to flourish. This research document examines the vocal music that Viktor Ullmann composed in the concentration camp-ghetto of Theresienstadt in German-occupied Czechoslovakia, and the notable aspects of his compositional writing style. Although his opera Der Kaiser von Atlantis has been performed globally, the remainder of his oeuvre has rarely been recorded or performed. Singers often shy away from twentieth-century composers such as Ullmann, with claims that the music is not lyrical or relatable. Perhaps the irregularity of the meter, rhythms, or intervals seem too daunting for many to consider attempting a performance. With Confined, But Not Silenced: Vocal Music of Viktor Ullmann from the Theresienstadt Ghetto, I hope to open the door to music that is both accessible and uniquely beautiful. Not intended as a performance guide, this document aims instead at unearthing the appeal of music that is often perceived as unusual and difficult to perform through analysis that emphasizes relatable aspects of the compositions. By exposing colleagues to relatable music by a composer such as Ullmann, that has not normally been integrated in the canon, the boundaries of standard vocal repertoire can be expanded to include unconventional contemporary compositions. In addition to highlighting specific musical examples, Confined, But Not Silenced focuses on music’s positive effects for World War II prisoners in Theresienstadt.
ContributorsGoglia, Adrienne Ruth (Author) / FitzPatrick, Carole (Thesis advisor) / Feisst, Sabine (Committee member) / Ryan, Russell (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2018
Description
This work explores the blurring and eradication of boundaries – whether the boundaries are musical, social, cultural, linguistical, or political. I wanted to create a work that would explore the boundaries of my own dual identities, such as Mexican or American, or masculine or feminine, and that of my varied interests, such as popular, jazz, and European art music. After half a year of work, Sueño-Vibrant is the dazzling, whirlwind of a result (“vibrant” is pronounced just as it is in English).
I worked with poet Marco Piña because we share many similarities in our artistic philosophies, owing to our mutual identities as bilingual Chicanxs. Considering the poems themselves, for me, “Bastardized Spanglish Translations” reveals an individual recovering from the end of a romantic relationship, whereas “Night Song” is about the self-discovery of one’s identity. By pairing these two poems, I create a polarity between the texts themselves, to highlight that the shaping of identity is both an internal and external process.
In the cantata, we travel from the mourning and mysterious “Do My Eyes Lie” to the Mexican folk-styled “Ya me voy;” the arduous and painful “Ban Me From Balancing;” the indie- and jazz-inspired “Soon I’ll Be Home;” the introspective choral work “Night Song;” and the dissonant and disoriented “This Song Keeps Skipping.” I complete the work with “Adiós, Amor,” where these seemingly disparate feelings, genres, ideas, and identities are tied together and explored to fruition through a variety of styles and genres, from the salsa, to the opera chorus. With this work, I invite audiences to consider their own identities and those of others, and to embrace the social dissonances that happen both within us and around us.
I worked with poet Marco Piña because we share many similarities in our artistic philosophies, owing to our mutual identities as bilingual Chicanxs. Considering the poems themselves, for me, “Bastardized Spanglish Translations” reveals an individual recovering from the end of a romantic relationship, whereas “Night Song” is about the self-discovery of one’s identity. By pairing these two poems, I create a polarity between the texts themselves, to highlight that the shaping of identity is both an internal and external process.
In the cantata, we travel from the mourning and mysterious “Do My Eyes Lie” to the Mexican folk-styled “Ya me voy;” the arduous and painful “Ban Me From Balancing;” the indie- and jazz-inspired “Soon I’ll Be Home;” the introspective choral work “Night Song;” and the dissonant and disoriented “This Song Keeps Skipping.” I complete the work with “Adiós, Amor,” where these seemingly disparate feelings, genres, ideas, and identities are tied together and explored to fruition through a variety of styles and genres, from the salsa, to the opera chorus. With this work, I invite audiences to consider their own identities and those of others, and to embrace the social dissonances that happen both within us and around us.
ContributorsRodriguez, Kristian Silviano (Author) / Rockmaker, Jody (Thesis advisor) / Suzuki, Kotoka (Committee member) / Wells, Christopher (Committee member) / Schildkret, David (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2019
Description
Callithrix jacchus, also known as a common marmoset, is native to the new world. These marmosets possess a wide range of vocal repertoire that is interesting to observe for the purpose of understanding their group communication and their fight or flight responses to the environment around them. In this project, I am continuing with the project that a previous student, Jasmin, had done to find more data for her study. For the most part, my project entailed recording and labeling the marmoset’s calls into different types.
ContributorsTran, Anh (Author) / Zhou, Yi (Thesis director) / Berisha, Visar (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2021-05
Description
The Vocal Jazz ensemble, a uniquely American choral form, has grown and flourished in the past half century largely through the efforts of professionals and educators throughout the collegiate music community. This document provides historical data as presented through live and published interviews with key individuals involved in the early development of collegiate Vocal Jazz, as well as those who continue this effort currently. It also offers a study of the most influential creative forces that provided the spark for everyone else's fire. A frank discussion on the obstacles encountered and overcome is central to the overall theme of this research into a genre that has moved from a marginalized afterthought to a legitimate, more widely accepted art form. In addition to the perspective provided to future generations of educators in this field, this document also discusses the role of collegiate music academia in preserving and promoting the Vocal Jazz ensemble. The discussion relies on recent data showing the benefits of Vocal Jazz training and the need for authenticity towards its universal integration into college and university vocal performance and music education training.
ContributorsAmerind, Gregory (Author) / Kocour, Michael (Thesis advisor) / Carpenter, Ellon (Committee member) / Britton, David (Committee member) / Ryan, Russell (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2013
Description
In this paper, I propose that taking an embodied approach to music performance can allow for better gestural control over the live sound produced and greater connection between the performer and their audience. I examine the many possibilities of live electronic manipulation of the voice such as those employed by past and current vocalists who specialize in live electronic sound manipulation and improvisation. Through extensive research and instrument design, I have sought to produce something that will benefit me in my performances as a vocalist and help me step out from the boundaries of traditional music performance. I will discuss the techniques used for the creation of my gestural instrument through the lens of my experiences as a performer using these tools. I believe that, through use of movement and gesture in the creation and control of sound, it is more than possible to step away from conventional ideas of live vocal performance and create something new and unique, especially through the inclusion of improvisation.
ContributorsEstes, Isabel (Author) / Hayes, Lauren (Thesis director) / Thorn, Seth (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / Arts, Media and Engineering Sch T (Contributor)
Created2021-12
Description
The marmoset monkey (Callithrix jacchus) is a new-world primate species native to South America rainforests. Because they rely on vocal communication to navigate and survive, marmosets have evolved as a promising primate model to study vocal production, perception, cognition, and social interactions. The purpose of this project is to provide an initial assessment on the vocal repertoire of a marmoset colony raised at Arizona State University and call types they use in different social conditions. The vocal production of a colony of 16 marmoset monkeys was recorded in 3 different conditions with three repeats of each condition. The positive condition involves a caretaker distributing food, the negative condition involves an experimenter taking a marmoset out of his cage to a different room, and the control condition is the normal state of the colony with no human interference. A total of 5396 samples of calls were collected during a total of 256 minutes of audio recordings. Call types were analyzed in semi-automated computer programs developed in the Laboratory of Auditory Computation and Neurophysiology. A total of 5 major call types were identified and their variants in different social conditions were analyzed. The results showed that the total number of calls and the type of calls made differed in the three social conditions, suggesting that monkey vocalization signals and depends on the social context.
ContributorsFernandez, Jessmin Natalie (Author) / Zhou, Yi (Thesis director) / Berisha, Visar (Committee member) / School of International Letters and Cultures (Contributor) / Department of Psychology (Contributor) / School of Life Sciences (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2019-05