Multiple articulation is a technique that is becoming commonplace in the saxophone literature. This study provides a detailed explanation of how produce the technique. Its application to saxophone literature is explored with musical examples and commentary by the author. A compilation of pedagogical viewpoints regarding multiple articulation from educators spanning the last century is provided.

Violin repertoire composed in the late twentieth and early twenty-first centuries placed new demands on performers. While numerous pedagogues have written etudes and treatises analyzing traditional techniques, far fewer have thoroughly examined contemporary techniques. Many of the existing etudes and exercises inspired by contemporary violin repertoire are of a very high difficulty level and may seem unapproachable to students with little to no experience performing the music of recent decades. As a result, many violin students are unacquainted with the language of new music. This dissertation is intended to help fill a gap in the pedagogical literature by serving as a resource that familiarizes advanced students with the notation and proper execution of the non-traditional techniques commonly found in contemporary violin music. This document includes a survey of violin repertoire written since 1970, an analysis of the non-traditional techniques used most often in the works examined, methods for approaching specific technical problems that arise in them, and nine etudes originally composed by this author. The etudes focus on nine contemporary techniques, ranging from contact point variations to changing subdivisions, and are intended for study by advanced violinists interested in performing contemporary music.

François Couperin (1668-1733) was one of the earliest French Baroque composers to merge the Italian style into the French tradition. He had great influence on the development of French Baroque music from the end of the seventeenth century until his death. Couperin's four Concerts Royaux and the ten Concerts Nouveaux (published in 1722 and 1724) were written for the enjoyment of Louis XIV. Those suites were popular in the court before they were published, as they were requested to be performed every Sunday during the years 1714 and 1715 to give pleasure to the king. Rittrato dell'amore is the ninth suite out of the fourteen suites. The purpose of this study is to provide a performance guide and a practical edition of François Couperin's Neuvième Concert Ritratto dell' amore. It also contrasts Italian style and French tradition in the Baroque period, and how Couperin blended both styles together in his Neuvième Concert. In addition, this dissertation summarizes the general principles of Baroque performance practice that one may encounter in Neuviéme Concert, including notes inégales (unequal notes), ornamentation, over-dotting, and other issues. It is especially important for one to understand the performance style of French Baroque music in order to perform …

This document examines current practices and opportunities in the music performance field related to artistic citizenship, community engagement, and the field of teaching artistry. The relationship of musicians to their audiences and communities has shifted significantly in the twenty-first century, and there is an increasing need to redefine the essential skills of the professional musician. Derived from the field of teaching artistry, the concept of "activating artistry" suggests that our greatest strength and power as artists lies in drawing out individual artistic expression in other people, and it is with this power that artists as a workforce can create meaningful change in society. This intention could be manifested in many different contexts during the course of a given music career, however, developing the tool kit necessary for engaging in such work is not widely emphasized in the training of musicians. What tools can be provided for students and professionals to help them navigate both traditional and evolving career paths in music? How are bassoonists doing as a field in addressing the imperative of community engagement and artistic citizenship? How might we explore more collaborative ways to engage with our diverse communities – ways that value their perspectives? These questions guide …

The ability to sight-read well is held as a highly regarded and important skill in music performance and education. Over the past 90 years, researchers have investigated several aspects of music sight-reading, especially those attributes possessed by skilled sight-readers. A significant and recurrent finding from this body of research is the relationship between sight-reading and rhythm recognition. Though these studies have found positive effects and correlations between rhythm recognition and sight-reading, they have been limited and indirect. The aim of this dissertation was to investigate the effects of (a) practicing rhythms on a single pitch and (b) practicing rhythms with full-range scales and their direct effects on sight-reading ability in saxophonists at the college level. The primary objective in this research was to determine if one method was more effective than another in developing sight-reading skills. The participants (N = 74) consisted of college students who were enrolled in saxophone lessons at a university in the southwestern United States. Participants were administered a sight-reading pre-test at the beginning of an 8-week treatment period. After pre-testing, students were blocked into two groups. The first treatment group was assigned to practice rhythms on a single pitch and the second treatment group was …

In Romanian, the word lăutari refers to highly skilled professional Romani (Gypsy) musicians. By interacting with Romanian culture and tradition, the lăutari settled down in the country and developed a unique musical tradition. Their music is characterized by intricate, elaborate, and refined ornamentation; its execution requires a highly level of technique. George Enescu, regarded as Romania's most influential musician, was affected by lăutari music. He created a unique musical language that recreates Romanian character by using lăutari elements. This dissertation examines how to approach Enescu's Violin Sonata No. 3 and perform it by understanding the characteristics of lăutari music as well as the work's use of such lăutari violin techniques as diverse expressive slides, vibrato, double stops, various ornaments, artificial harmonics, imitation of folk instruments, and a variety of bow strokes. Enescu's Violin Sonata No. 3 is regarded as a challenging work in the violin literature requiring a high level of violin technique. Although the standard violin repertoire is enormous, many violinists are looking to rediscover new and challenging repertoire, distinguish themselves from others, and promote themselves as professional performers. Therefore, this study should help violinists to approach the idiomatic violin writing of Enescu's sonata, especially its lăutari techniques and …

This dissertation examines a recent work for flute and piano, Here Everything Shines, by a living composer, Charlotte Bray, including a study, analysis and performance guide. The composition was largely inspired by the late Cape Verdean singer Cesária Évora and her song Petit Pays. My research explores the influence of Évora's song on Here Everything Shines, including the melodic development, tonal center, style and freedom of her singing and the impact the song has on a performer's interpretation of Here Everything Shines. The study examines the text of the song, the emotions evoked and reflects on the compositional elements in Here Everything Shines. Originally written for flute and guitar and commissioned by Tom Kerstens for International Guitar Foundation, Here Everything Shines was published in 2015. Bray transcribed it for violin and piano at request of Darragh Morgan and Mary Dullea and subsequently for flute and piano at my request. This dissertation compares the three versions for flute and guitar, violin and piano, and flute and piano and examines the variations between flute and violin as well as guitar and piano parts. The performance guide includes the composer's input on both interpretation and implementation of her ideas throughout the work.

In 1964, Benjamin Britten met the multi-instrumentalist twins Zoltán and Gábor Jeney while traveling in Budapest. At their behest, Britten composed Gemini Variations: Twelve Variations and Fugue on an Epigram by Kodály, a work which exploited the brothers' abilities on multiple instruments: Zoltán on flute and piano, and Gábor on violin and piano. In foreseeing the difficulties of programming this work, Britten simultaneously arranged a version for four players: flute, violin, and four-hand piano, eliminating the need for switching instruments. Despite this arrangement, as well as a very public and highly anticipated premiere at the Aldeburgh Festival in 1965, Gemini Variations has remained neglected by performers and scholars alike. This document serves to 1) promote a work that can justifiably be considered as part of the chamber music repertoire involving flute; 2) advocate for its musical merit and appropriateness for chamber music concerts made up of more traditional groups of players; 3) compare the two-player and four-player versions Britten wrote; and 4) explore the likely reasons why a piece by one of the most celebrated composers of the twentieth century has remained largely ignored for over fifty years.

A comparative analysis of the musical transcriptions of Dorothy Ashby with those of her predecessors proves that Ashby was a uniquely powerful and innovative influence on the genre of jazz harp. This dissertation begins with a summative biography of Ashby, following her education in both jazz and classical music through to her career highlights as a performer, arranger and composer. An analysis of Ashby's recordings reveals the development of her groundbreaking musical style throughout her life. This paper also examines Ashby's social activism through musical theatre, especially with regards to combating racism. Next, a brief biography of jazz harp forerunners Casper Reardon and Adele Girard precedes a comparative analysis of Reardon's "Aint' Misbehavin" with Ashby's "Soft Winds" and a comparative analysis of Girard's "Harp Boogie" with Ashby's "Blues for Mr. K." Finally, myriad examples of current musicians covering and sampling her work confirm the paramount and lasting influence of Dorothy Ashby's music.

This dissertation aims to address the pedagogical gap in introductory material for contemporary clarinet instruction. Through examining the most prominent contemporary methods for the clarinet, the pedagogical gap is highlighted, particularly regarding material aimed at newcomers and early undergraduate students. To address these needs, a new collection of etudes is proposed, introducing extended techniques and contemporary notation for newcomers to modern music.

The four-valve automatic compensating system as developed by David James Blaikley has become an integral part of the professional euphonium in use today. While the Blaikley system was designed to allow a euphonium to play chromatically down to the fundamental pitch of the instrument, it was hardly the only design to do so. Using a historical analysis of euphonium valve systems, the case is made for why Blaikley's design has been widely adopted in the face of criticism about the four-valve automatic compensating system. The analysis also clarifies the viability of Blaikley's, as well as others', euphonium valve system designs based upon the four factors of intonation, range, intuitiveness of use, and weight. These factors are further explored in a rubric in order to quantify the results of the analysis.

Auditions often require performance of orchestral excerpts as part of the screening process because orchestral literature contains a wealth of technical challenges at different levels of difficulty; however, many cello teachers still only use etudes, sonatas, and concertos for musical development and technical application and do not use orchestral excerpts as pedagogical tools or daily exercises. This dissertation, in an effort to standardize orchestral excerpts as part of common technical exercises, includes the ten most popular major excerpts selected from thirty audition lists from major orchestras in the United States. Analysis of each excerpt highlights different technical elements, provides short exercises to overcome these challenges, and discusses the aspects of cello playing that will benefit most from practicing orchestral excerpts. In this way, these selections can be played in preparation for auditions, as well as incorporated into daily practice routines.

Korean composer Young Jo Lee (b.1943) is considered a precursor of Korean fusion music. In his works, he interlaces elements of traditional Korean music with compositional styles and performances techniques from western musical traditions. This dissertation provides an analysis of Lee's Dodri for Cello and Janggo (1995), one of his most representative works of fusion music. As indicated by the title Dodri (which in Korean means a "movement back and forth"), Lee intended to showcase a friendly interplay of the janggo and the cello, with each instrument playing a leading role that helps bring out the essence of traditional Korean traditional music. In this piece, Lee writes a number of melodies and uses traditional Korean performance techniques for the cello intended to imitate the sound and sentiments of traditional Korean instruments, all while preserving its inherent nature. This kind of fusion, where different musical elements are merged with each other but remain separate enough to maintain their own uniqueness, is significant to Lee's philosophy. This dissertation also describes Lee's efforts to preserve the integrity of traditional Korean music within fusion music and lend new insights regarding traditional Korean musical practice to musicologists, composers, and audiences. Furthermore, this study is intended …

Johann Paul von Westhoff's (1656-1705) solo violin works, consisting of Suite pour le violon sans basse continue published in 1683 and Six Suites for Violin Solo in 1696, feature extensive use of multiple stops, which represents a German polyphonic style of the seventeenth-century instrumental music. However, the Six Suites had escaped the public's attention for nearly three hundred years until its rediscovery by the musicologist Peter Várnai in the late twentieth century. This project will focus on polyphonic writing featured in the solo violin works by von Westhoff. In order to fully understand the stylistic traits of this less well-known collection, a brief summary of the composer, Johann Paul Westhoff, and an overview of the historical background of his time will be included in this document. I will analyze these works, including a comparison between the works of Westhoff and those of other composers during his time, to prove that Westhoff's solo works establish multiple stops as a central factor of German violin playing of the time, and, thus, to promote Westhoff's works as a complement to the extant repertoire of unaccompanied violin music written in the Baroque era before Johann Sebastian Bach's solo violin works and Georg Philipp Telemann's …

In 1966, René Le Roy (1898-1985) and his student Claude Dorgeuille co-authored Traité de la flûte historique, technique et pedagogique. This treatise presents the culmination of Le Roy's career as a renowned performer and teacher in both Europe and North America. His approach to the study of music, as presented in the method, diverges from traditional French training, instructing teachers to compose exercises specific to the needs of the student and by using repertoire as source material. Claude Dorgeuille writes of the method, "...the Traité gives an outline analysis of the principal elements of technique, thus allowing exercises to be devised as appropriate to the needs of the individual." Using Le Roy's treatise, I demonstrate the application of his teaching to Jacques Ibert's Deux stèles orientées pour voix et flûte (1925), a work dedicated to and premiered by Le Roy, through the creation of individual exercises tailored to preparation of Ibert's work.

The Concerto for Bassoon by Andrzej Panufnik is a valuable addition to bassoon literature. It provides a rare opportunity for the bassoon soloist to perform a piece which is strongly programmatic. The purpose of this document is to examine the historical and theoretical context of the Concerto for Bassoon with special emphasis drawn to Panufnik's understanding of religion in connection with Polish national identity and the national struggle for democratic independence galvanized by the murder of Father Jerzy Popieluszko in 1984. Panufnik's relationship with the Polish communist regime, both prior to and after his 1954 defection to England, is explored at length. Each of these aspects informed Panufnik's compositional approach and the expressive qualities inherent in the Concerto for Bassoon. The Concerto for Bassoon was commissioned by the Polanki Society of Milwaukee, Wisconsin and was premiered by the Milwaukee Chamber Players, with Robert Thompson as the soloist. While Panufnik intended the piece to serve as a protest against the repression of the Soviet government in Poland, the U. S. context of the commission and premiere is also examined. Additionally, the original manuscript and subsequent piano reduction are compared. Although the Concerto for Bassoon has been subject to formal analysis by …

As the bassoon has evolved over time, the music written for the instrument has evolved around it, and was many times the catalyst for its evolution. Bassoon music of the seventeenth through early twentieth centuries has defined much of the curricula for bassoon studies, and has established how we consider and experience the bassoon. We experience, write, and consume music in vastly different ways than just a generation ago. Humans use technology for the most basic of tasks. Composers are using the technology of our generation to compose music that is a reflection of our time. This is a significant aspect of art music today, and bassoonists are barely participating in the creation of this new repertoire. Performance practice often considers only the musical score; interactive electronic music regularly goes beyond that. The combination of technological challenges and inexperience can make approaching electroacoustic music a daunting and inaccessible type of music for bassoonists. These issues require a different language to the performance practice: one that addresses music, amplification, computer software, hardware, the collaboration between performer and technology, and often the performer and composer. The author discusses problems that performers face when rehearsing and performing interactive electroacoustic works for bassoon, and …

Diverse practicing methods are evidence of the importance of applying creativity in our practice regimes. Regardless of a player's technique - traditional or modern - it must be regularly practiced and then applied. One of the most common ways to do that is through practicing technical exercises, which generally means the practice of scales, arpeggios and etudes. These exercises generally function as a warm-up regime for all musicians, but this regime doesn't necessarily provide enough reference for the player in the learning process of a new piece. Adapting exercises to address technical difficulties in a newly learned piece can provide the player with a wide range of practice methods to use, to be creative, to be more aware while practicing, and to build a solid technical foundation for the newly learned piece. Two well-known pedagogues who applied this approach are German bassist Ludwig Streicher and Czech violinist Otakar Ševčik. By implementing analytical studies and composing exercises based on the standard repertoire, Ševčik and Streicher became highly influential teachers in the 20th century. Their work serves as a model in achieving the purposes of this dissertation: the assessment of technical difficulties and compilation of a technique booklet based on six unaccompanied …

The idea of reducing popular and musically satisfying operatic or orchestral works to smaller instrumental forces is not uncommon, but the idea of reducing large scores for the exclusive use of orchestral excerpt pedagogy is. Although there are a multitude of excellent resources detailing how select excerpts from both the clarinet and bass clarinet orchestral repertoire should be performed, no resources for clarinetists or bass clarinetists provide a piano reduction of orchestral scores. Through piano reduction of orchestral scores, bass clarinetists have access to a resource that simulates the experience of playing in an orchestra. Bass clarinetists using a piano reduction will learn the pitch tendencies of the instrument. Consequently, the performer will discover ways to study excerpts in-tune with other instruments that will not compromise for the shortcomings of the bass clarinet. Use of piano transcriptions will also aid with recognition of important moving lines, harmonic textures and rhythmic ostinatos that might otherwise be overlooked by score study and listening alone. Finally, many of the excerpt transcriptions provided are taken from several bars before the primary bass clarinet excerpt, unlike many excerpt books currently available. This provides bass clarinets a more contextual view of an excerpt by facilitating the …

Two important performance practices in the modern orchestral performance are discussed in this document: simplification and octavation. Due to the differing opinions and common practices which bass players have around these two performance practices, simplification and octavation have become two of the most complex issues faced by orchestral sections. The first part of the document will provide a brief history of simplification and octavation. The second part of the document will offer recommendation for double bass orchestral practice in the 21st century and examine key works of the bass repertoire in which simplification and octavation occur. The research and practice of leading pedagogues and major orchestral players and the solutions they have developed to reduce the discrepancy inherent within section playing will be discussed. This document will propose several empirical solutions to major excerpts in the bass repertoire, demonstrating how it is to achieve the most uniformed playing, and offer applicable and suggestive guidelines for contemporary orchestral double bass performers.

Gideon Gee Bum Kim is an internationally-acclaimed contemporary Korean-Canadian composer. Kim has utilized traditional Korean music with Western composition techniques in some of his works. Kim created his own style by incorporating traditional Korean musical elements such as the scale, rhythmic diversity, syncopation, variation, ornamentation, and the progression of melody into a body of music that is otherwise contemporary and Western. The purpose of this study is to develop a performance guide for Gideon Gee Bum Kim's Kangkangsullae for string trio. Kangkangsullae trio is based on Korean historical, cultural and musical influences. I give a detailed historical and cultural background for this work and demonstrate how Kim integrated Western compositional techniques with traditional Korean music. My emphasis is on defining specific characteristics of traditional Korean music which will provide several points toward understanding Kim's compositional style.

This dissertation presents an analysis of Akrodha (1998), a multiple percussion solo in two movements, composed by Kevin Volans. The analysis is focused on the motivic content and subsequent iterations written within the tempos that provide the structural form of the piece. The structural tempos are supported by the presence of various motifs that serve as the tempos' characteristic traits, thereby giving the tempos more tangibility. As the work develops, these motifs reappear either as note-for-note reiterations or as variations that still maintain the unique qualities of the motifs. For comparison, similar analyses of Mr. Volans' other multiple percussion solos, She Who Sleeps with a Small Blanket (1985) and Asanga (1997), are also presented to further explore Mr. Volans' use of motifs as they relate to structural tempos. In addition, a comprehensive performance practice of Akrodha is presented based on a synthesis of considerations and methods from individuals involved in the piece's development and early performances. These include Dr. Volans himself, Jonny Axelsson (for whom Akrodha was written), and Robyn Schulkowsky (for whom She Who Sleeps with a Small Blanket and Asanga were written), as well as the author's personal experiences. This dissertation provides a deeper understanding of Akrodha for …

My lecture serves as a critical examination of the Six Sonatas Op. 3, KV. 10-15 by W.A. Mozart. I will engage the variances between the first edition of Op. 3 and those by Joseph Bopp and Louis Moyse edited specifically for the flute in hopes of providing another perspective for students, performers, and pedagogues alike. This study will (1) provide background information regarding the creation of KV. 10-15, (2) include a brief analysis of each sonata, (3) compare adaptions between the first edition, according to NMA, and two modern flute transcriptions, and (4) produce two new transcriptions. My new transcriptions of Sonatas KV. 10 and 13 represent a closer interpretation to the first edition and alerts students and teachers to the differences between the editions by Joseph Bopp and Louis Moyse to that of the first and NMA editions. The goal is to stimulate performers to reappraise their approach to this particular repertoire and to encourage more authentic performances of these engaging sonatas.

This dissertation considers the use of orchestra bells as a solo instrument. I use three examples taken from chamber literature (Drumming by Steve Reich, Why Patterns? by Morton Feldman, and Ave by Franco Donatoni) to demonstrate uses of the instrument in an ensemble setting. I use six solo, unaccompanied orchestra bell pieces (Twelve Bell Canons by Robert Morris, Katarynka by Marta Ptaszyńska, Over by Stuart Saunders Smith, A Little Suite and an Encore Tango by Will Ogdon, Breaks Through by Lafayette Gilchrist, and Bells for New Orleans by Roscoe Mitchell) to illustrate the instrument’s expressive, communicative ability. In the discussion of each piece, I include brief background information, the composer’s musical language in the piece and performance considerations. I interviewed composers of these solo works to complete the research for this document to discuss their musical language and their thoughts on writing for solo orchestra bells.