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ContributorsWasbotten, Leia (Performer) / ASU Library. Music Library (Publisher)
Created2018-03-30
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Description
Libby Larsen is one of the most performed and acclaimed composers today. She is a spirited, compelling, and sensitive composer whose music enhances the poetry of America's most prominent authors. Notable among her works are song cycles for soprano based on the poetry of female writers, among them novelist and

Libby Larsen is one of the most performed and acclaimed composers today. She is a spirited, compelling, and sensitive composer whose music enhances the poetry of America's most prominent authors. Notable among her works are song cycles for soprano based on the poetry of female writers, among them novelist and poet Willa Cather (1873-1947). Larsen has produced two song cycles on works from Cather's substantial output of fiction: one based on Cather's short story, "Eric Hermannson's Soul," titled Margaret Songs: Three Songs from Willa Cather (1996); and later, My Antonia (2000), based on Cather's novel of the same title. In Margaret Songs, Cather's poetry and short stories--specifically the character of Margaret Elliot--combine with Larsen's unique compositional style to create a surprising collaboration. This study explores how Larsen in these songs delves into the emotional and psychological depths of Margaret's character, not fully formed by Cather. It is only through Larsen's music and Cather's poetry that Margaret's journey through self-discovery and love become fully realized. This song cycle is a glimpse through the eyes of two prominent female artists on the societal pressures placed upon Margaret's character, many of which still resonate with women in today's culture. This study examines the work Margaret Songs by discussing Willa Cather, her musical influences, and the conditions surrounding the writing of "Eric Hermannson's Soul." It looks also into Cather's influence on Libby Larsen and the commission leading to Margaret Songs. Finally, a description of the musical, dramatic, and textual content of the songs completes this interpretation of the interactions of Willa Cather, Libby Larsen, and the character of Margaret Elliot.
ContributorsMcLain, Christi Marie (Author) / FitzPatrick, Carole (Thesis advisor) / Dreyfoos, Dale (Committee member) / Holbrook, Amy (Committee member) / Ryan, Russell (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2013
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Description
Puerto Rico has produced many important composers who have contributed to the musical culture of the nation during the last 200 years. However, a considerable amount of their music has proven to be difficult to access and may contain numerous errors. This research project intends to contribute to the accessibility

Puerto Rico has produced many important composers who have contributed to the musical culture of the nation during the last 200 years. However, a considerable amount of their music has proven to be difficult to access and may contain numerous errors. This research project intends to contribute to the accessibility of such music and to encourage similar studies of Puerto Rican music. This study focuses on the music of Héctor Campos Parsi (1922-1998), one of the most prominent composers of the 20th century in Puerto Rico. After an overview of the historical background of music on the island and the biography of the composer, four works from his art song repertoire are given for detailed examination. A product of this study is the first corrected edition of his cycles Canciones de Cielo y Agua, Tres Poemas de Corretjer, Los Paréntesis, and the song Majestad Negra. These compositions date from 1947 to 1959, and reflect both the European and nationalistic writing styles of the composer during this time. Data for these corrections have been obtained from the composer's manuscripts, published and unpublished editions, and published recordings. The corrected scores are ready for publication and a compact disc of this repertoire, performed by soprano Melliangee Pérez and the author, has been recorded to bring to life these revisions. Despite the best intentions of the author, the various copyright issues have yet to be resolved. It is hoped that this document will provide the foundation for a resolution and that these important works will be available for public performance and study in the near future.
ContributorsRodríguez Morales, Luis F., 1980- (Author) / Campbell, Andrew (Thesis advisor) / Buck, Elizabeth (Committee member) / Holbrook, Amy (Committee member) / Kopta, Anne (Committee member) / Ryan, Russell (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2013
ContributorsYi, Joyce (Performer) / ASU Library. Music Library (Publisher)
Created2018-03-22
ContributorsCummiskey, Hannah (Performer) / Kim, Olga (Performer) / ASU Library. Music Library (Publisher)
Created2018-03-23
ContributorsGoglia, Adrienne (Performer)
Created2018-03-02
ContributorsEvans, Emily (Performer) / Sherrill, Amanda (Performer) / ASU Library. Music Library (Publisher)
Created2018-03-02
ContributorsMartorana, Gabrielle (Performer) / Olarte, Aida (Performer) / ASU Library. Music Library (Publisher)
Created2018-03-20
ContributorsBan, Banlingyu (Performer) / ASU Library. Music Library (Publisher)
Created2018-04-10
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Description
In 1937 Canadian neurosurgeon Wilder Penfield made the first to attempt to map the sensorimotor cortex of the human brain in his paper entitled Somatic Motor and Sensory Representation in the Cerebral Cortex of Man as Studied by Electrical Stimulation. While analogous experimentation had been carried out previously using animal

In 1937 Canadian neurosurgeon Wilder Penfield made the first to attempt to map the sensorimotor cortex of the human brain in his paper entitled Somatic Motor and Sensory Representation in the Cerebral Cortex of Man as Studied by Electrical Stimulation. While analogous experimentation had been carried out previously using animal subjects, Penfield sought to understand the delicate and complex neuronal pathways that served as the hidden control mechanisms for human activity. The motor homunculus that followed from his findings has been widely accepted as the standard model for the relative spatial representation of the functionality of the motor cortex, and has been virtually unaltered since its inception. While Penfield took measures to collect cortical data in a manner as accurately as scientifically possible for the time period, his original model is deserving of further analysis using modern techniques. This study uses functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to quantitatively determine motor function volumes and spatial relationships for four motor tasks: toe, finger, eyebrow, and tongue. Although Penfield's general representation of the superior-to-inferior spatial distribution of the motor cortex was replicated with reasonable accuracy, relative mean task volumes seem to differ from Penfield's original model. The data was first analyzed in each individual patient's native anatomical space for task comparison within a single subject. The volumes of the motor cortex devoted to the eyebrow and toe tasks, which comprise only small portions of the Penfield homunculus, are shown to be relatively large in their fMRI representation compared to finger and tongue. However, these tasks have large deviation values, indicating a lack of consistency in task volume size among patients. Behaviorally, toe movement may include whole foot movement in some individuals, and eyebrows may include face movement, causing distributions that are more widespread. The data was then analyzed in the Montreal Neurological Institute (MNI) space, which is mathematically normalized for task comparison between different subjects. Tongue and finger tasks were the largest in volume, much like Penfield's model. However, they also had substantial deviation, again indicating task volume size inconsistencies. Since the Penfield model is only a qualitative spatial evaluation of motor function along the precentral gyrus, numerical deviation from the model cannot necessarily be quantified. Hence, the results of this study can be interpreted standalone without a current comparison. While future research will serve to further validate these distances and volumes, this quantitative model of the functionality of the motor cortex will be of great utility for future neurological research and during preoperative evaluations of neurosurgical patients.
ContributorsOland, Gabriel Lee (Author) / Frakes, David (Thesis director) / Santello, Marco (Committee member) / Baxter, Leslie (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / Harrington Bioengineering Program (Contributor)
Created2013-05