Korean Cultural and Musical Influences in Younghi Pagh-Paan's Man-Nam I (open access)

Korean Cultural and Musical Influences in Younghi Pagh-Paan's Man-Nam I

Younghi Pagh-Paan is an internationally renowned contemporary Korean-German composer. While her music has been strongly influenced by German contemporary musical aesthetics, her compositions also possess Korean musical and cultural influences. In her works, Pagh-Paan employs Western instruments and musical languages that incorporate contemporary techniques such as vibratos, flatter tonguing, pitch bends, and legato glissandi. These effects are thought to imitate the sounds created by traditional Korean instruments. Man-Nam I, for clarinet and string trio, was the second work that Pagh-Paan composed following her move from Korea to Germany. The piece includes many sounds representative of traditional Korean instruments, along with significant symbolism of the sociological background, culture and history of Korean people. The study of Man-Nam I focuses on unraveling hidden elements of Korean traditional music and culture, and addresses the need for the performers to understand its rich Korean influences in order to reach a deeper interpretation of Pagh-Paan's work.
Date: August 2016
Creator: Jung, Hyejin
System: The UNT Digital Library
The Historical Importance and Resulting Arrangement of Artie Shaw's Third Stream Composition Interlude in B-flat (open access)

The Historical Importance and Resulting Arrangement of Artie Shaw's Third Stream Composition Interlude in B-flat

Artie Shaw's Interlude in B-flat is unknown to many in the classical clarinet world and remains unperformed by clarinetists, despite its historical importance as one of the earliest Third Stream compositions, the earliest composition of its type in the clarinet repertoire. This prompts the question, why? This document explores four possible reasons for the marginalization of Interlude in B-flat. First, Shaw's historical narrative typically places him within the jazz world and not the classical world. Classical clarinetists may assume a Shaw composition will require a jazz background and experience beyond their abilities, namely improvisation. Second, the instrumentation, string quartet plus jazz combo, is atypical, making it difficult to program. Third, jazz and classical educational worlds do not necessarily overlap or interact, and neither has taken ownership of this Third Stream composition. Lastly, manuscripts, recordings, and other materials for Interlude in B-flat are limited and not readily available. Because Artie Shaw is not only a significant American clarinetist but also an important composer within the Third Stream narrative, Interlude in B-flat should be known and performed. This project aimed to promote the understanding and accessibility of this important and unknown composition to the classical clarinet world by providing an accessible arrangement …
Date: August 2016
Creator: Ringe, Gerald
System: The UNT Digital Library
A Comparative Analysis of Haydn's Horn Concerto and Trumpet Concerto (open access)

A Comparative Analysis of Haydn's Horn Concerto and Trumpet Concerto

Among the existing solo instrumental concertos of Joseph Haydn's oeuvre are two concertos for brass instruments. These are the Horn Concerto in D Major (Hob. VIId: 3) and Trumpet Concerto in E-flat Major (Hob. VIIe: 1). In addition to their standing as the only two concertos for solo brass instruments written by Haydn in existence, the two concertos provide a unique opportunity for insight into the history of the concerto genre and Haydn's change in compositional style. This is because of their chronological position within Haydn's oeuvre; the Horn Concerto was composed in 1762 during the early years of Haydn's employment with the Esterházy family and the Trumpet Concerto in 1796 as the last known concerto written by Haydn. Significant changes had occurred during that thirty four year time-span, not only in Haydn's life, but also within the field of music. This dissertation examines some of these changes and provides a comparative analysis of these two pieces. More specifically, it employs Schenkerian analysis of the voice-leading and structure of both concertos to examine the transformation in Haydn's compositional style and show the evolution of concerto form. This evolution in style between the Horn Concerto and Trumpet Concerto is most prominently …
Date: August 2016
Creator: Adamson, Daniel
System: The UNT Digital Library
Confronting the Enemy Within: An In-Depth Study on Psychological Self-Handicapping among Collegiate Musicians (open access)

Confronting the Enemy Within: An In-Depth Study on Psychological Self-Handicapping among Collegiate Musicians

Self-handicapping is a psychological behavior people engage in to protect their self-image, project a desired image to others, and to augment feelings of success and achievement. Self-handicapping occurs when individuals have a positive but uncertain self-image about their competence in an arena of life fundamental to their self-identity. Musicians have been underrepresented in self-handicapping studies; yet the very competitive nature of their education and craft, the strong identification musicians have as musicians, and the frequent challenges during all phases of development to their abilities would suggest they are extremely vulnerable to developing self-handicaps. This dissertation discusses the theoretical components of self-handicapping, the personality traits typically exhibited by high self-handicappers, causes, types, and possible motivations for self-handicapping, short and long term effects of the behavior, and the implications these concepts have to the musician community. In addition, it contains the results of an extensive survey of musicians which examines self-handicapping tendencies, depression, imposter phenomenon, and self-esteem ratings to determine 1) if musicians self-handicap, 2) how the four constructs are related to each other within the musician population, 3) if other factors concerning musicians and self-handicapping are related, 4) areas for future research. Several significant relationships involving the four constructs tested, as …
Date: August 2016
Creator: Flowers, Michelle C.
System: The UNT Digital Library
A Survey of Selected, Original Chamber Music for Saxophone with Diverse Instruments by Marilyn Shrude (open access)

A Survey of Selected, Original Chamber Music for Saxophone with Diverse Instruments by Marilyn Shrude

Marilyn Shrude is a champion for contemporary concert music. Throughout her career, she has written multiple works including the saxophone that utilize its unique timbre. Atonality is a chief characteristic of her compositional style. Her contributions to the saxophone repertoire include solos, duos with piano, chamber works, quartets and larger works with band. This study surveys five chamber pieces that include saxophone with diverse instruments written by Marilyn Shrude. The pieces includes are Splintered Visions (1985), Notturno: In Memorium Toru Takemitsu (1996), Transparent Eyes (2000), Face of the Moon (2000) and Within Silence (2012). The analysis of each work includes information pertaining to the creation of cohesion and atonality throughout the piece.
Date: August 2016
Creator: Wright, Andrew (Saxophonist)
System: The UNT Digital Library
Two Harpsichord Sonatas by Antonio Soler: Analysis and Transcription for Solo Guitar (open access)

Two Harpsichord Sonatas by Antonio Soler: Analysis and Transcription for Solo Guitar

There is a puacity of original works from the Baroque Era for the guitar. Transcriptions, especially music originally for harpsichord, complement the guitarist's repertoire. Dominating the priviledged space in the guitar canon, represented by Baroque transcriptions, are the composers Johann Sebastian Bach, George Frideric Handel and Domenico Scarlatti. Underrepresented in the Baroque guitar canon is the music of Spanish composers, most noteworthy, the harpsichordist Padre Antonio Soler, who composed more than 120 sonatas for his instrument. Music is culturally defined and it is clear, through an analysis of the keyboard works of Soler, that his music was imbued with the salient features of his place and time. There is an implicit connection between the guitar and the non-guitar music produced in Spain as guitar gestures are part of the national emblem; this study makes an explicit connection between the harpsichord music of Soler and the modern guitar. The Spanish Baroque style, epitomized by the works of Soler, provide a clear objective for transcription. The current study produces a transcription of Padre Antonio Soler's Sonata No. R.27 and Sonata No. R.100, as well as an analysis of the sonatas to facilitate interpretation for performance and an explanation of the transcription process. …
Date: August 2016
Creator: Daniel, Andrew
System: The UNT Digital Library
Comparison of the Méthode Pour La Guitare by Fernando Sor with the Méthode Complète Pour La Guitare Par Ferdinand Sor, Rédigée Et Augmentée De Nombreux Exemples Et Leçons Suivis D'une Notice Sur La 7e Corde by Napoléon Coste (open access)

Comparison of the Méthode Pour La Guitare by Fernando Sor with the Méthode Complète Pour La Guitare Par Ferdinand Sor, Rédigée Et Augmentée De Nombreux Exemples Et Leçons Suivis D'une Notice Sur La 7e Corde by Napoléon Coste

The nineteenth century presents a great increase in publications of guitar methods. Most authors of the time published several versions of their works. Fernando Sor, perhaps the most prominent guitar composers of the time—whose Méthode is regarded today as the most important of the period—only published one edition. However, Napoleon Coste took on the task to do a second account. The literature reviewed shows substantial existing information regarding background, type of text, tone, and contents of Sor's work, but comparisons to date are not substantial. Therefore, there is a need to compare these two texts side by side to yield a complete view of their pairing. The existing negative views of Coste's edition hinder the importance of Coste's work as reference to Segovia's publication of Sor studies, and as a clearer pedagogical application of many of Sor's concepts which are sidetracked by his response to criticism and his elaborations in matters beyond his main subject matter. I provide a comprehensive review of Sor's method, an outline and a consideration of his concepts. Then I offer a complete English translation of Coste's method which is inexistent until now. The comparison follows pointing at differences and similarities. Results show that Coste clarifies …
Date: August 2017
Creator: Rodriguez, Sergio (Guitarist)
System: The UNT Digital Library
The Influence of Chinese Instruments on the Violin: A Practice Guide of Three Violin Techniques (open access)

The Influence of Chinese Instruments on the Violin: A Practice Guide of Three Violin Techniques

Contemporary professional violinists face constant exposure to multicultural compositions. For best results, they should be able to understand, capture, and express the subtleties of different styles. The violin and its repertoire spread to China through European missionaries during the late seventeenth century and continued to be developed by Chinese scientists and musicians who studied abroad. During the twentieth and twenty-first centuries, Chinese composers wrote many violin pieces inspired by the unique sounds of Chinese instruments. Additionally, Chinese music scholars wrote numerous essays to discuss the new Chinese style. However, much of this research has been focused on the composers and the structures of the compositions rather than on the details of violin techniques necessary to play the repertoire. The techniques in Chinese violin compositions are unique and are influenced by the traditional instruments including string, wind, and percussion instruments. Furthermore, the style of such compositions is affected by the elements of Chinese culture, such as the language, the elite society and its poetic tradition, and historical legends and events. This dissertation provides examples of Chinese violin repertoire which demonstrate the principles of three main violin techniques in the Chinese style: slides, chords, and pizzicati. In order to help professional violinists …
Date: August 2017
Creator: Gao, Jie (Violinist)
System: The UNT Digital Library
Extended String Techniques and Special Effects in Arnold Schoenberg's String Quartet No. 1 and Its Significance in Chamber Music Literature (open access)

Extended String Techniques and Special Effects in Arnold Schoenberg's String Quartet No. 1 and Its Significance in Chamber Music Literature

Arnold Schoenberg's String Quartet No. 1, Op. 7 stands out as being the first chamber music piece to use a vast number and variety of extended string techniques within one composition. This paper examines a brief history of extended string techniques in chamber music, analyses the unique ways in which Schoenberg applied extended string techniques to manipulate motives in his Op. 7 quartet, and ultimately shows that Schoenberg's use of extended string techniques influenced future composers to employ even more extended techniques and special effects in their own twentieth-century chamber music.
Date: August 2017
Creator: Greenfield, Leah
System: The UNT Digital Library
A Comprehensive Performance Guide for the Use of Advanced Technology in Euphonium Repertoire with Electronic Media through Analyses of Works by D. Edward Davis, Neal Corwell, and Lucy Pankhurst (open access)

A Comprehensive Performance Guide for the Use of Advanced Technology in Euphonium Repertoire with Electronic Media through Analyses of Works by D. Edward Davis, Neal Corwell, and Lucy Pankhurst

Solos for euphonium with electronic media present the unique challenge of incorporating an active, physical involvement in the live accompaniment through sound-altering technology such as guitar pedals or digital processors. Instructions for this solo genre are often vague and demand a general knowledge of how to use non-traditional devices. Due to the lack of information available on newly-composed pieces for this medium, students and professionals easily overlook the artistic merit of electroacoustic music. This dissertation provides a comprehensive performance guide that aids in the set-up and operation of advanced technology and presents a methodical approach to performing common musical and technical challenges found in modern euphonium repertoire with electronic media. Included in this dissertation are tables of common audio vocabulary and images of connectors, safety precautions, equipment recommendations with performance settings, a list of required connectors, adapters, cables, speakers, and amplifiers, performance set up diagrams, background information, and analyses of both the technical and musical aspects of each piece. In the appendices are signal flow charts, visual illustrations of polar recording patterns, and an updated catalog of published and unpublished original, adapted, and arranged euphonium solos with live electronics and electronic media accompaniment between 1970 and 2017.
Date: August 2017
Creator: Ray, Irving
System: The UNT Digital Library
Selected Works by Female Composers of the Nineteenth and Twentieth Centuries for Advanced Suzuki Violin Students (open access)

Selected Works by Female Composers of the Nineteenth and Twentieth Centuries for Advanced Suzuki Violin Students

The intent of this dissertation is to identify and analyze several pieces by female composers that are technically suitable for the specific development of an advanced Suzuki violin student studying in Suzuki books 7 or 8. The selected pieces can then be used by trained Suzuki teachers, in conjunction with the male-composer-dominated Suzuki repertoire, to enhance students' technical development while also increasing their well-rounded musicianship by exposing them to female composers. The development of off-the-string bow strokes, string crossings, shifting, left-hand articulation and musical expression will be traced through the first six volumes of the Suzuki repertoire in order to understand a Suzuki student's expected abilities pertaining to these technical elements when beginning the repertoire in books 7 and 8. Pieces by female composers highlighting and enhancing the referenced techniques will be identified and analyzed in a similar manner. These pieces will be compiled into a document for Suzuki students and teachers to use, along with appropriate editorial markings and biographies of the composers. This document can be an inspirational supplement to Suzuki students' musical development and help develop an awareness of female composers.
Date: August 2017
Creator: Edelman, Rhea
System: The UNT Digital Library
A Selective Lineage of Mexican Bassoonists (open access)

A Selective Lineage of Mexican Bassoonists

Spanish settlers brought the precursor to the bassoon, el bajón, to Mexico in the late sixteenth century. Documentation of the bassoon was intermittently from the sixteenth century on, the current playing traditions were not established until the second half of the twentieth century. Bassoon education in Mexico flourished in the 1970's because several bassoonists became expatriates, and chose to live and work in Mexico for the entirety of their careers. Two major pedagogues, Lazar Stoychev and Jerzy Lemiszka paved the way for the current Mexican bassoon community. This dissertation presents a selective lineage of bassoonists who have held positions in major Mexican orchestras and universities since the mid-twentieth century. The purpose of this study is to recognize the contributions these players and teachers have given to the bassoon world. In recent years, Mexican bassoonists have commissioned hundreds of works for the bassoon and this significant achievement has placed the Mexican bassoon community in an upward trajectory. To place these players in proper historical context, a brief history of classical music institutions in Mexico since the sixteenth century is given. This dissertation documents the history and pedagogy of recent bassoonists in Mexico via a cohesive family tree.
Date: August 2017
Creator: Cruz, Jorge, Jr.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Drum Music: A Performance Guide and Discussion of John Mackey's Influential Concerto for the Modern Percussionist (open access)

Drum Music: A Performance Guide and Discussion of John Mackey's Influential Concerto for the Modern Percussionist

John Mackey is an influential and prolific composer of wind band literature. His focus on and exploration of the percussion section are defining characteristics of his compositional voice. Mackey's concerto for percussion and wind band, "Drum Music," is a perfect example of his exploitation of the myriad timbres available within the percussion family, and also serves to showcase the versatility required of a modern percussionist. This dissertation and accompanying lecture recital provide a comprehensive guide for performers of the work. Major aspects of Mackey's compositional approach are discussed with emphasis placed on his use of percussion throughout his works. Analysis and performance concerns are discussed for each of the concertos three movements, and information is provided on the reduced version of the work prepared as part of this study.
Date: August 2017
Creator: McWilliams, Chris
System: The UNT Digital Library
John Playford's The Division Violin: Improvisation and Variation Practice in English Violin Music of the Seventeenth Century (open access)

John Playford's The Division Violin: Improvisation and Variation Practice in English Violin Music of the Seventeenth Century

English publisher John Playford (1623-1686/1687) first published his "The Division Violin: Containing a Collection of Divisions Upon Several Grounds for the Treble-Violin" in 1684. The first edition of this violin collection contains 26 written-out examples of improvisation, serving as a living snapshot of the performance practice of the time. This research is based on the second edition, which Playford had expanded into 30 pieces for the violin, published in 1685. The purpose of this study is to investigate the art of improvisation in England during the late 17th century, focusing on Playford's "The Division Violin." The dissertation first surveys the development of English violin music in the 17th century. Then, the dissertation traces eight selected 16th-century Italian diminution manuals. This will help readers understand the progression of the Italian diminution and improvisation practice in the 16th century and how it relates to the English division of the 17th century. Finally, based on a thorough research of the 17th-century improvisatory style and rhetorical approach, the author of this study provides performance suggestions on "Mr. Farinell's Ground," No. 5 from "The Division Violin."
Date: August 2017
Creator: Chan, Tzu-Ying
System: The UNT Digital Library
Performance Editions of Three Works for Winds by Gyorgy Druschetzky (open access)

Performance Editions of Three Works for Winds by Gyorgy Druschetzky

Gyorgy Druschetzky was a noted Czech composer of Harmoniemusik, who wrote more than 150 partitas and serenades, along with at least thirty-two other selections for larger wind groups. This is in addition to twenty-seven symphonies, eleven concertos (most for wind instruments), two fantasias, forty-seven string quartets, two operas, a ballet that is lost, and other miscellaneous chamber music for various combinations of wind/string instruments. Three of his works for winds have existed only in manuscript form since their composition: Concerto in E-flat pour 2 clarinett en B, 2 cors en E-flat, 2 fagott; Overture to Mozart's Die Zauberflöte; and Partitta a la camera a corno di bassetto primo, secondo, terzo, due corno di caccia, due fagotti. These works remain remarkably interesting to modern ears and deserve to be heard in the twenty-first century. Along with a brief examination of Druschetzky's life and how it figures into the history of Harmoniemusik, this work presents each piece edited into a modern performance edition.
Date: August 2018
Creator: McDannald, Brandon K.
System: The UNT Digital Library
The Saxophone in China: Historical Performance and Development (open access)

The Saxophone in China: Historical Performance and Development

The purpose of this document is to chronicle and describe the historical developments of saxophone performance in mainland China. Arguing against other published research, this document presents proof of the uninterrupted, large-scale use of the saxophone from its first introduction into Shanghai's nineteenth century amateur musical societies, continuously through to present day. In order to better describe the performance scene for saxophonists in China, each chapter presents historical and political context. Also described in this document is the changing importance of the saxophone in China's musical development and musical culture since its introduction in the nineteenth century. The nature of the saxophone as a symbol of modernity, western ideologies, political duality, progress, and freedom and the effects of those realities in the lives of musicians and audiences in China are briefly discussed in each chapter. These topics are included to contribute to a better, more thorough understanding of the performance history of saxophonists, both native and foreign, in China.
Date: August 2018
Creator: Pockrus, Jason
System: The UNT Digital Library
A National Idiom Universally Understood: Brazilian Tradition and Personal Evolution in Osvaldo Lacerda's "Variações e Fuga para quinteto de sopros" (open access)

A National Idiom Universally Understood: Brazilian Tradition and Personal Evolution in Osvaldo Lacerda's "Variações e Fuga para quinteto de sopros"

The career of Osvaldo Lacerda (1927-2011) spanned a critical time in the development of Brazilian nationalist music. Though he was an outspoken nationalist composer, he was also influenced by European trends and training. Even within his nationalist compositions, evidence of a shift in style that mirrors the European movements of Modernism and Postmodernism is found in his works. Among his thirty-six chamber works, three are wind quintets, written between 1962 and 1997. Although all three works warrant extended discussion, Variações e Fuga para quinteto de sopros is particularly valuable for studying Lacerda's musical language. It was originally written in 1962. However, Lacerda made significant revisions in 1994, completely rewriting and expanding it. Through comparing the 1962 and 1994 versions of Variações e Fuga and analyzing the significant differences between the two, this document aims show that even with his strong stance as a Brazilian nationalist composer, Lacerda was clearly influenced by the movements of the broader music world. Examples from his other two woodwind quintets, Quinteto de sopro and Suíte pra cinco, written in 1988 and 1997 respectively, help to support the idea that this change in his musical language was not an anomaly, but rather a true evolution of …
Date: August 2018
Creator: Leffler, Hannah
System: The UNT Digital Library
Depiction through Evocation, Representation, and Introspection: An Examination of David Maslanka's Unaccompanied Marimba Solos (open access)

Depiction through Evocation, Representation, and Introspection: An Examination of David Maslanka's Unaccompanied Marimba Solos

The primary purpose of this study is to provide connections between a formal motivic analysis and the programmatic content of David Maslanka's three works for unaccompanied marimba: Variations on Lost Love (1977), My Lady White (1980), and A Solemn Music (2013). A comparison of the compositional process of each of these works is proposed through terms of Maslanka's use of depiction. Depiction is the action or result of representing through drawing, painting, or other art form, in this case, music. In each work for unaccompanied marimba, Maslanka uses this process of depiction in a unique way. The depictive mediums are categorized as evocative, representative, and introspective and these distinct approaches to depiction lead to three drastically different musical works. The different methods of depicting source materials are the distinguishing characteristics that separate these three works for solo marimba. This document includes a motivic analysis and comparisons of compositional devices used in these three works. A brief overview of Maslanka's life and works as well as a listing of all of his works that feature percussion instruments are also included.
Date: August 2018
Creator: Robinson, Corey, 1990-
System: The UNT Digital Library
Interpretation and Execution of Chords on the Double Bass from Select Movements of the Bach Cello Suites (open access)

Interpretation and Execution of Chords on the Double Bass from Select Movements of the Bach Cello Suites

The Bach Cello Suites have become widely transcribed and studied on the double bass. They have also become essential teaching material as most US orchestra auditions demand solo Bach for bass auditions. Transcribing the chords in Bach Cello Suites presents many difficulties on the bass because of the different tuning of our instrument (cello in 5ths; double bass in 4ths). There is no unified solution to all the problems presented in chord playing at this time. The purpose of this project, therefore is to give bass players solutions to the problems by looking at historical interpretation of chords, technical execution of the chords on cello and bass, tonal and resonance considerations and fingering solutions. The chords chosen represent the most common and most difficult to transcribe to the double bass from the Cello Suites.
Date: August 2018
Creator: Chen, Der-Shiuan
System: The UNT Digital Library
The Art of Marimba Articulation: A Guide for Composers, Conductors, and Performers on the Expressive Capabilities of the Marimba (open access)

The Art of Marimba Articulation: A Guide for Composers, Conductors, and Performers on the Expressive Capabilities of the Marimba

Articulation is an element of musical performance that affects the attack, sustain, and the decay of each sound. Musical articulation facilitates the degree of clarity between successive notes and it is one of the most important elements of musical expression. Many believe that the expressive capabilities of percussion instruments, when it comes to musical articulation, are limited. Because the characteristic attack for most percussion instruments is sharp and clear, followed by a quick decay, the common misconception is that percussionists have little or no control over articulation. While the ability of percussionists to affect the sustain and decay of a sound is by all accounts limited, the ability of percussionists to change the attack of a sound with different implements is virtually limitless. In addition, where percussion articulation is limited, there are many techniques that allow performers to match articulation with other instruments. Still, percussion articulation is often a topic of little concern to many musicians. The problem is not that this issue has been completely ignored, but rather that a vast number of contradictory and conflicting viewpoints still permeate pedagogical methods and literature. This is most certainly the case with the marimba, where a review of method books reveals …
Date: August 2018
Creator: Davis, Adam Benjamin
System: The UNT Digital Library
Expanding the Violin's Possibilities in Chinese Music: A Case Study of Transcription and Performance Issues Related to Pipa Music Played on the Violin (open access)

Expanding the Violin's Possibilities in Chinese Music: A Case Study of Transcription and Performance Issues Related to Pipa Music Played on the Violin

In recent years, a large part of the erhu's repertoire has been arranged for performance on the violin and vice versa. Given the difficulties involved in transcribing the music of plucked or woodwind instruments for the violin, the erhu has been the most popular choice for transcribing Chinese music for the violin. However, the erhu and violin are radically dissimilar instruments based on different principles. Pipa music is an essential part of traditional Chinese music from as early as 202 BCE, and the instrument's repertoire represents a large portion of East Asian music aesthetics, and this context should be considered to successfully transcribe pipa music for violin. This dissertation talks briefly about Chinese music history and its categories and also focuses on the history and development of the pipa as well as its repertoire categories to provide context for the following musical examples. I use existing transcription examples from different categories of pipa music as an avenue to discuss how to transcribe pipa music for the violin. Even though the violin has some limitations for use as a plucked instrument, the instrument can still make use of several different kinds of techniques in order to play the music in a …
Date: August 2018
Creator: Wang, Tracy (Chun-Chia)
System: The UNT Digital Library
The Inspiration behind Compositions for Clarinetist Frederick Thurston (open access)

The Inspiration behind Compositions for Clarinetist Frederick Thurston

Frederick Thurston was a prominent British clarinet performer and teacher in the first half of the 20th century. Due to the brevity of his life and the impact of two world wars, Thurston's legacy is often overlooked among clarinetists in the United States. Thurston's playing inspired 19 composers to write 22 solo and chamber works for him, none of which he personally commissioned. The purpose of this document is to provide a comprehensive biography of Thurston's career as clarinet performer and teacher with a complete bibliography of compositions written for him. With biographical knowledge and access to the few extant recordings of Thurston's playing, clarinetists may gain a fuller understanding of Thurston's ideal clarinet sound and musical ideas. These resources are necessary in order to recognize the qualities about his playing that inspired composers to write for him and to perform these works with the composers' inspiration in mind. Despite the vast list of works written for and dedicated to Thurston, clarinet players in the United States are not familiar with many of these works, and available resources do not include a complete listing. Much of this repertoire remains unexplored and unrecorded yet is suitable for intermediate to advanced level …
Date: August 2018
Creator: Razey, Aileen
System: The UNT Digital Library
A Study of the Impact and Influence of the Recordings and Pedagogy of David Baldwin (open access)

A Study of the Impact and Influence of the Recordings and Pedagogy of David Baldwin

David Baldwin has been the trumpet professor at the University of Minnesota since 1974. His most celebrated accomplishment is his recording of the Charlier 36 Etudes de Transcendantes and the Marcel Bitsch Vingt Etudes. In addition to this recording Baldwin has made recordings of etude books by Small, St. Jacome, Arban, Caffarelli, Smith, and the 32 Etudes de Perfectionnement also by Charlier. The quality of performance on all of these makes them excellent reference recordings. The back cover of the Etudes 32 de Perfectionnement reveals that the two-CD album, with a total run time of 115:35, was recorded over a span of four days. Endurance is a topic that all brass players confront. Baldwin wrote an etude book titled Lips of Steel that also contains two previously published articles on the topic of endurance. His ideas on endurance reveal a unique approach. This study analyzes the pedagogical concepts in those articles and in Lips of Steel. In addition to his recording projects, Baldwin has had many successful students. Thomas Rolfs and Lynn Erickson are both members of full-time professional orchestras. Larry Griffin, Scott Hagarty, and many others built their careers as professors of trumpet. An investigation of Baldwin's influence on …
Date: August 2018
Creator: Adams, Richard (Richard James)
System: The UNT Digital Library
Raymond Crisara, A Trumpet Life: His Pedagogy, Philosophy and Legacy (open access)

Raymond Crisara, A Trumpet Life: His Pedagogy, Philosophy and Legacy

In this project I identify the pedagogical techniques, philosophy and legacy of Raymond Crisara. I examine how his pedagogical philosophy led to Crisara's personal success as a teacher and to his students' success in their performing and teaching careers. In much the same way that Ernest Williams's legacy has been passed on to his students, Crisara's legacy is now being handed down. I have examined Crisara's pedagogical concepts and philosophy through the eyes of four former students: Dr. Todd Hastings (Professor, Pittsburg State University), Billy Hunter (Principal Trumpet, Metropolitan Opera Orchestra), Dr. Gary Mortenson (Dean of the School of Music, Baylor University) and Keith Winking (Professor, Texas State University) as well as from transcripts of interviews Crisara gave. Crisara extended and modified William's pedagogy through the use of a multitude of étude methods. This modification and Crisara's experience as a leading New York freelance musician greatly influenced the teaching and success of the four subjects I interviewed. While these teachers have adopted Crisara's pedagogy and philosophy largely unchanged, I found that they modified his pedagogy slightly through the use of added teaching materials never used in Crisara's career or teaching studio.
Date: August 2018
Creator: McLaughlin, Paul E.
System: The UNT Digital Library