Music
Recent Submissions
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A Descriptive Analysis Of Yakutat Tlingit Musical Style.Ninety-nine songs from Yakutat, Alaska were analyzed in an effort to determine a musical style of the Gulf Coast Tlingit. Songs were grouped into seven categories from which general trends of style were deduced. Analysis, which was based on the transcriptions of David P. McAllester, included interval distribution, range, tone systems, weighted scales, melodic contour, tempo, duration and rest values, drumming patterns, formal structure, and song length. The transcriptions and data for drumming patterns, formal structure and song length were provided by McAllester in "Under Mount Saint Elias: The History and Culture of the Yakutat Tlingit," by Frederica de Laguna, 1972, Smithsonian Contributions to Anthropology, Volume 7, Washington, D.C: Smithsonian Institution Press. Stylistic differences in the areas of interval distribution, range, tone systems, weighted scales, melodic contour, and tempo were discovered between the two largest categories, the traditional Sib Potlatch songs and the songs of more recent composition called Haida Mouth songs. <p>
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Examples of program music in piano literature: storm, ocean, devil, ghostsThe purpose of this paper is to present background information on the author's graduate piano recital program, namely extended program notes on the music performed. It should be mentioned that, although not intended, the whole recital is, in a way or another, program music. It is divided in two parts: the first is about Storms and Water (with "The Tempest" by Beethoven and Une barque sur l' ocean by Ravel), and the second about Spirits (with Faust Waltz by Liszt and the Three Ghost Rags by William Bolcom). Alborada del gracioso by Ravel falls somehow in between these two parts - a gracioso (jester) is a character, thus a spirit; an entertaining one. In this paper, I will attempt to explain what inspired composers to add titles to their music - this extramusical aspect has always been very intriguing to me. In the case of Beethoven, the title was most probably given by someone else, therefore the "Tempest" is not intended to be programmatic. In the case of Liszt, the piece is a transcription of an opera, which can be considered a programmatic genre. Ravel's and Bolcom's compositions are undoubtedly program music, since the composers gave them descriptive titles and were inspired certainly by extramusical factors.
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Functionality and history of electronics in regards to the performance practice of the following works: Temazcal (1984), Javier Álvarez, and Memory Palace (2012), Christopher CerroneThe Electroacoustic pieces; Temazcal (1984), by Javier Alvarez (b.1956), and Memory Palace (2012) by Christopher Cerrone (b.1984), each employ different types of electronic technologies in their realization through performance. This paper will discuss the origin and history of the technology applied respectively in the works. I will examine the role of percussion within the works, specifically in regards to learning and problem solving through technological challenges in order to effectively perform the compositions. By looking at Temazcal and Memory Palace through the context of their historical significance as electroacoustic works, the inherent functionality of the technology employed in each, and the resultant performance practices that have subsequently developed, a greater musical appreciation and understanding of electroacoustic works, in general, is possible.
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The influence of Paul Hindemith on trumpet repertoireThe volume of quality trumpet repertoire available today is miniscule in comparison to the amount accessible for other instruments such as flute or violin. One significant reason for this disparity in repertoire is due to the vast developmental change that the trumpet has undergone since the turn of the 19th-Century. As a result, few well-known composers wrote for the instrument. This paper will discuss the impact of Paul Hindemith and his student Harald Genzmer on repertoire that features the trumpet as a solo instrument as well as the influence of jazz, and the 12-tone technique on Hindemith's compositional style. Additionally, the merit of the works of Hindemith's pupil will be discussed as well as the similarities found in the style of composition between student and teacher. Another issue that will be covered is to identify the difficulty of each work. To assess the difficulty o f the pieces I will analyze the range, technical ability required as well as the level of endurance needed to successfully perform each piece.
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An overview on the author's graduate recital programThe following project paper consists of three chapters, examining the works in my Graduate Recital Program. The first chapter analyzes the form, structure and particular interesting elements that Aram Khachaturian uses in his Sonata for Piano. The second chapter gives a brief historical information of the term Fantasy and examines two examples of the genre, Chopin's Fantasy in F minor op. 49 and Carl Vine's Sonata no. 3 "Fantasia". The third chapter covers some biographical information of Elliott Carter and examines the form and structure of his work for solo piano, 90+.
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Performance Practice and Compositional Structure in Relation to Recital PreparationThis paper examines the author's graduate percussion recital program; ?Corporel(1985) by Vinko Globokar (b. 1934), Child of Tree (1975) by John Cage (1912-1992) Rebonds b. (1989) by Iannis Xenakis (1992-2001) Ilijas (1996) by Nebojša Jovan Živković (b. 1962), Mourning Dove Sonnet (1983) by Christopher Deane (b. 1957) and e-home (2015/2017) by Elisabet Curbelo (b. 1984). The author offers an examination of performance practice and compositional structure as it relates to the author's performance of the material.
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Program notes of graduate recitalThis paper discusses the four pieces of the graduate recital of student Evanthia Maniatopoulou; Johann Sebastian Bach's Prelude and Fugue in F minor, Well-Tempered Clavier Book II, BWV 881; Ludwig van Beethoven's Piano Sonata No. 30, Op. 109; Frederic Chopin's Scherzo No. 3, Op. 39; and Sergei Prokofiev's Piano Sonata No. 7, Op. 83. It is divided into four chapters, with one chapter dedicated to each piece. In each chapter there is a discussion about the composer's background, then some comments about his compositional style in general, then some information about the genre in which every piece falls into, and finally a brief analysis and discussion about the specific piece that was in the graduate recital.
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Discussion and analysis of a graduate recital: an examination of Gary Burton's "Chega De Saudade," Steve Reich's "Marimba Phase," Michael Gordon's "XY," John Cage's "In a Landscape," Minoru Miki's "Time for Marimba," and Milton Babbitt's "Homily"This paper discusses some of the many facets of percussion music through the examination and analysis of the following works: Gary Burton's Chega De Saudade for solo vibraphone; Steve Reich's Marimba Phase for two marimbas; Michael Gordon's XY for five drums; the author's own arrangement for multiple-percussion setup of John Cage's In a Landscape; Minoru Miki's Time for Marimba for solo marimba; and Milton Babbitt's Homily for solo snare drum. As the repertoire and performance practices of percussion continue to develop, there are many issues of note to the studying percussionist. These range from technical concerns, to issues of interpretation. Each work exemplifies certain of these issues, and this paper seeks to glean better understanding of those through analysis and study of the works.
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An examination of the keyboard technique of Bach, Haydn, Chopin, Scriabin and ProkofievIn this research paper, I will explore the keyboard technique of each composer presented in my recital: J.S. Bach, Franz Joseph Haydn, Frederic Chopin, Alexander Scriabin and Sergei Prokofiev. I hope to elucidate the physical approach used by each composer, and show in turn how that same approach influenced the music of each composer by analyzing the pieces performed in my recital. To understand the distinct technique of the composers, it is important to know some context. The instrument each composer wrote for necessarily influenced their technique and resulting composition. However, the instrument cannot explain every facet of technique, and it becomes necessary to understand the underlying aesthetics of technique. Moving chronologically from Bach to Prokofiev, a general trend of expansion in the use of the hand and arm will be seen throughout. Keyboards became louder and heavier in touch and the hand faced greater reaches in every generation. The technique of Bach and Haydn was largely focused on compact and relaxed hands with distinct finger movements, while Scriabin and Prokofiev at the other end require sweeping gestures that occupy the entire arm. However, it would be too easy to present this progression as a story that technique is only getting better and better, implying that the older composers were inferior to the later. That is simply false. Instead, extended study of each composer shows that many technical principles are universal. The baroque keyboardists were likely playing with more weight than popularly imagined and one cannot play Scriabin with mittens on the hands.