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Manuel M. Ponce: A critical study of his Concierto Romántico for piano and orchestra. (open access)

Manuel M. Ponce: A critical study of his Concierto Romántico for piano and orchestra.

The Concierto Romántico for Piano and Orchestra is one of Manuel M. Ponce's outstanding compositional accomplishments from his Romantic period, reflecting both the state of Mexican music at the turn of the 20th century, and his early nationalist tendencies. However, it remains the only concerto in Ponce's output in need of a more comprehensive analysis. This treatise focuses on a global investigative that examines descriptive and analytic references to the work, as well as a comparison and clarification of the existing score sources. An analytical and stylistic musical study using conventional theoretical techniques leads to a musicological interpretation of the work's extra-musical meaning, based on close assessments of Ponce's compositional practice and social principles.
Date: August 2007
Creator: Vázquez, Carlos Balam
System: The UNT Digital Library
Presencing Absence (open access)

Presencing Absence

This thesis is a 'big-picture' look at the course of Western philosophy and its eventual arrival at ideas that look remarkably similar to the revelations of Guatama Buddha 2500 years ago. I look at the roots of how the West has understood itself and understood "being" through the centuries and at the revolutions in thought that took place in the 20th century. I look more closely at 20th century thinkers to demonstrate how their thinking begins to align with the ancient insights of Eastern philosophy, particularly the notions of a prevailing emptiness as "ground" of Being and of the fallacy of the individual subject. I also look at how some 20th century artists have engaged with these new ideas. I see generally two responses to the postmodern (post-subject) position: that of a play of surfaces, such as in the work of Andy Warhol and the philosophy of Jean Baudrillard; and that of an embracing of absence, presented in the philosophy of Martin Heidegger and the works of such artists as John Cage, George Brecht, Pauline Oliveros, Bill Wegman, David Hammons and others.
Date: August 2003
Creator: McMullen, Tracy
System: The UNT Digital Library
A Financial Resource Guide for the Beginning Secondary Choral Music Director (open access)

A Financial Resource Guide for the Beginning Secondary Choral Music Director

The purpose of this study was to confirm the necessity of a financial resource guide for beginning secondary choral directors in Texas. Budgetary information was gathered through an on-line survey addressing the financial knowledge of 25 participants made up of choral directors, college professors, fine arts directors and student teachers. Further information was gathered from college course guides, music periodicals and college textbooks. From the gathered survey data, a definite need for better financial education was identified. Collected data also demonstrated the necessity for additional courses to be added to the college curriculum with expanded literature on budgeting. Recommended college courses, as well as a calendar time line, Web sites for on-line music software, fundraising tips and budget proposals are also included resources.
Date: August 2006
Creator: Devous, Donald Michael
System: The UNT Digital Library
Exploring the Private Music Studio: Problems Faced by Teachers in Attempting to Quantify the Success of Teaching Theory in Private Lessons through One Method as Opposed to Another (open access)

Exploring the Private Music Studio: Problems Faced by Teachers in Attempting to Quantify the Success of Teaching Theory in Private Lessons through One Method as Opposed to Another

I present strategies and methods for teaching fundamentals of music theory in the context of the private music studio through a variety of techniques and research. Beginning with a background in educational psychology, examples of behaviorist and cognitive teaching models are presented, and how each applies to teaching music is explained. Two detailed examples of actual lessons are presented, coupled with musical examples, to describe both the process and the concepts that can be presented. A qualitative experiment based upon the learning styles of three music students and the effect of different teaching styles when teaching the same concept is presented and discussed in detail.
Date: August 2006
Creator: McKnight, Michael
System: The UNT Digital Library
The Castrato Sacrifice: Was it Justified? (open access)

The Castrato Sacrifice: Was it Justified?

One of the greatest mysteries in the history of music is the castrato singers of the Baroque era. Castration has existed for many thousands of years, but for the first time in history, it was used for artistic purposes. Who were these men who seemingly gave up their masculinity for the sake of music? By examining the time period and circumstances in which these musicians lived, an answer may be found. Exploring the economic, social, and political structure of the 17th and 18th centuries may reveal the mindset behind such a strange yet accepted practice. The in-depth study of their lives and careers will help lift the veil of mystery that surrounds them. Was their physical sacrifice a blessing or a curse? Was it worth it?
Date: August 2006
Creator: Sowle, Jennifer
System: The UNT Digital Library

Register Unification in Light of Twentieth-Century Vocal Pedagogy

Access: Use of this item is restricted to the UNT Community
The registers of the singing voice, as commonly understood by singers, refer to the different vocal qualities induced by adjustments at the level of the larynx and of the vocal tract. This explains why register unification can be approached either one or a combination of the following procedures: (1) resonance alignment through vowel modification, (2) register alignment through intensity exercises. The wide-spread acceptance of vowel modification has made singers reluctant in exploring other avenues of register development. If registers are laryngeally derived, there should be another way of register unification, which directly addresses the coordination of the laryngeal muscles. In support of this argument, this thesis investigates the teaching practices of a group of twentieth-century American voice teachers, who rely on intensity manipulation as the primary means for enhancing the register adjustments. Intensity exercises such as the messa di voce has long been practiced in historical pedagogy, but it is not until now that voice science confirmed its significance in register coordination.
Date: August 2003
Creator: Tan, Haidee Lynn C.
System: The UNT Digital Library

A Study of Breath Management as Treated by Four Major American Vocal Pedagogues: Appelman, Reid, Vennard, and Miller

Access: Use of this item is restricted to the UNT Community
Trained musicians cannot use the same breath process in daily living as for singing. Also, the normal breath cycle applied to speech is not efficient. Therefore, students who are learning to sing need to know proper breathing techniques. In this thesis, I will describe the breathing process and the correct way to breathe while singing, based on studies of four American pedagogues; Appleman, Reid, Vennard and Miller. To understand the breathing process for singing, it is necessary to study and understand the anatomical system and the mechanics of the respiratory system. Therefore, the first chapter contains anatomical system of breath management. Then, in the second chapter, the specific breath management techniques of four American pedagogues will be examined and compared. Three of them, Appelman, Vennard, and Miller, suggested some exercises in order to develop correct and efficient breathing habits.
Date: August 2005
Creator: Kim, Jisuk
System: The UNT Digital Library
A Stylistic Analysis of the Iberia Suite for Piano by Isaac Albéñiz (open access)

A Stylistic Analysis of the Iberia Suite for Piano by Isaac Albéñiz

This study attempt to analyze the style Albéniz, especially as expressed in Iberia Suite. As with all composers, his particular style is created out of his own combining and recombining the principal elements of music, arranging them in a certain way to suit his needs and taste. The musical elements are: rhythm, melody, and harmony. The study is organized in ten chapters.
Date: August 1943
Creator: Criswell, Elnora Rousseau
System: The UNT Digital Library
An Analysis of the Works for Solo Trumpet by Alan Hovhaness (open access)

An Analysis of the Works for Solo Trumpet by Alan Hovhaness

The purpose of this study is to determine the general style characteristics of the works for solo trumpet by Alan Hovhaness, viz., Khrimian Hairig, Overture to Avak, Prayer of Saint Gregory, and Haroutiun. The musical elements of form, melody, harmony, tonality, rhythm, texture, and counterpoint are examined objectively in order to determine the essential features of the music. Further consideration is given to the idiomatic use of the solo trumpet in these compositions. Each composition is examined separately, the conclusions and generalizations of the style features being reserved for the final chapter.
Date: August 1957
Creator: Tull, Fisher Aubrey
System: The UNT Digital Library
The Musical Value of Ten Band Class Methods for Junior High School Level (open access)

The Musical Value of Ten Band Class Methods for Junior High School Level

The purpose of this thesis is to present a detailed evaluation of the musical value in ten leading class band methods suitable for use in the junior high school. Presentation of tone production, mechanics of the instruments, and placement of beginning tones are discussed only when the value of the music is directly involved.
Date: August 1950
Creator: Dorsey, Harold B.
System: The UNT Digital Library
The Seville Cancionero: Transcription and Commentary (open access)

The Seville Cancionero: Transcription and Commentary

The Seville Cancionero is a manuscript collection of songs from late fiftennth-century Spain and is preserved today in the Biblioteca Colombina of Seville with the number 7-1-28. This dissertation describes the document and provides commentary and transcriptions of the Seville Cancionero.
Date: August 1960
Creator: Lawes, Robert Clement
System: The UNT Digital Library
An Experimental Study of Intonation Factors of the Cornet and Trumpet (open access)

An Experimental Study of Intonation Factors of the Cornet and Trumpet

Many musicians have theorized that intonation would be improved if all players in a band or orchestral section used instruments of identical dimensions and material. This study consists of a test taken under experimental conditions comparing the Conn 38A cornets used in the North Texas State University Concert Band with a random selection of trumpets, using the same performers for both sets of instruments.
Date: August 1971
Creator: McMahon, Ann E. (Ann Elizabeth)
System: The UNT Digital Library
Circumfusion: a Composition for Real-Time Computer Music Spatialization System (open access)

Circumfusion: a Composition for Real-Time Computer Music Spatialization System

Two of the leading methodologies for spatializing audio over multiple channels include non-real-time multi-track tape and variations of real-time systems that often involve complex configurations of hardware. Of the latter, composers relying on MIDI as a control source have used pairs of sound modules, effects units and automation capable mixers to achieve spatialization over four loudspeakers. These systems typically employ intensity panning, Doppler shifts and reverberation. The present research details the development of a compact spatialization system using a MAX patch controlling a Kurzweil K2500 sampler. This system supports real-time diffusion of up to six simultaneous sound files over eight loudspeakers while incorporating intensity panning, Doppler shifts, delays and filtering. The MAX patch allows composers to choose from several automatic sound spatialization trajectories or to use the mouse to draw and store their own trajectories for later playback. The piece, Circumfusion, is an eighteen-minute composition of electroacoustic music utilizing this spatialization system.
Date: August 1998
Creator: Morgan, Christopher R. (Christopher Robert)
System: The UNT Digital Library
A Study of Idiomatic Piano Compositions During the Cultural Revolution in the People's Republic of China (open access)

A Study of Idiomatic Piano Compositions During the Cultural Revolution in the People's Republic of China

This study demonstrated that the piano, a typical Western instrument, became the Chinese composer's tool for expressing the sound ideals and tone qualities that are intrinsic to Chinese music. A new musical idiom was created in these piano compositions, an idiom that combined Western compositional techniques and traditionally-based Chinese ideals.
Date: August 1991
Creator: Fan-Long, Grace (Chun Grace)
System: The UNT Digital Library
Comparative Study of the Bel Canto Teaching Styles and their Effects on Vocal Agility (open access)

Comparative Study of the Bel Canto Teaching Styles and their Effects on Vocal Agility

This thesis examines the historical significance of the vocal methods employed from the middle of the seventeenth century to the beginning of the nineteenth century in what became known as the bel canto era. It provides further exploration into the pedagogical procedures of the bel canto technique through a study of the premier instructors and singers from this period. The resurgence of interest in this tradition is addressed along with its impact on current vocal pedagogy. The vital role that vocal agility played as one of its most distinguishing traits is the primary factor under investigation. A discussion of the bel canto teaching styles in relation to their approach to agility is a major point of inquiry. By maintaining a link between present artists and pedagogues and the old Italian school, it helps the singer understand the historical implications of vocal agility as an integral part of healthy vocal development.
Date: August 1996
Creator: Harper, Portia
System: The UNT Digital Library
A Comparative Analysis of the "Dies Irae" in Mozart's Requiem and Cherubini's Requiem in D Minor (open access)

A Comparative Analysis of the "Dies Irae" in Mozart's Requiem and Cherubini's Requiem in D Minor

The thesis speculates on the possible influence of Mozart's Requiem on Cherubini's Requiem in D Minor, concluding that Cherubini's setting of the Sequence ("Dies irae") was indeed influenced by Mozart's setting of this liturgical text both on the micro and macro levels.
Date: August 1997
Creator: Leong, Jeremy
System: The UNT Digital Library
Three Motivic Topics in Beethoven's Piano Quintet, Op. 16 (open access)

Three Motivic Topics in Beethoven's Piano Quintet, Op. 16

The first movement of the Piano Quintet, Op. 16 of Ludwig van Beethoven works out three significant motivic "topics": a chromatically filled-in second, appearing first as 5 - #5 - 6 (Bb - B - C in Eb major); the emphasis om the submediant, both as vi in Eb major and as the tonal region of C minor; and the melodic interval of the sixth, which, when inverted to become a descending third, determines the structure of tonal regions at crucial points in the movement. These three motivic topics are introduced in the opening measures of the piece and are subsequently unfolded throughout the movement; the focus of the thesis will be to trace the unfolding of these three topics.
Date: August 1995
Creator: Gratton, J. Brian (John Brian)
System: The UNT Digital Library
The Horn at the Paris Conservatoire and its Morceaux de Concours to 1996 (open access)

The Horn at the Paris Conservatoire and its Morceaux de Concours to 1996

A work concerning the history of the Paris Conservatoire and music education in France. Follows the development of the horn and its correlation with the French school of horn playing. Includes biographic information on the horn professors of the Conservatoire through 1997, as well as a comprehensive list of the morceaux de concours for horn, 1795-1996.
Date: August 1997
Creator: Rekward, Susan J.
System: The UNT Digital Library
The Flute: the Mechanical Improvements on the Body of the Orchestral Instrument since 1847 (open access)

The Flute: the Mechanical Improvements on the Body of the Orchestral Instrument since 1847

This thesis uniquely explains the mechanical improvements which have occurred to the flute over the last 147 years. Theobald Boehm revolutionized the flute by changing many of its components culminating with the 1847 model flute. Since that time other improvements have been made which enhance the flute's capabilities in terms of pitch, tone, timbre, and simplification offingeringpassages. Among those improvements which are discussed in the following pages are the Dorus G-sharp key, the gizmo key, the Cooper scale, and The Brogger Mekanik as well as the makers behind the various improvements including Vincent Dorus, George Barrere, and Albert Cooper.
Date: August 1994
Creator: Nussbaum, Carolyn
System: The UNT Digital Library
Expectation as Narrative Strategy in Richard Wagner's Parsifal (open access)

Expectation as Narrative Strategy in Richard Wagner's Parsifal

The story of Parsifal is presented in two manners: through action and through narrative. Using the formalist theories of Vladimir Propp, the overall narrative is articulated in three narrative episodes. This thesis interprets the structure of narrative episodes in Parsifal on the basis of expectation. Propp's theory of functions provides labels for an interpretive analysis. Levi-Strauss' reconstruction of Propp's functions into paired structures identifies key points in the drama as moments of "functional" saturation. This "functional" saturation coincides with Wagner's practice of Leitmotivic saturation. The semiotic theories of Charles Sanders Peirce, specifically his notion of sign, clarify the dense accumulation of meanings accrued by the Leitmotifs. Finally, Parsifal, as a "quest" for the unobtainable object, fits into the matrix of desire as formulated in the theories of Jacques Lacan.
Date: August 1997
Creator: Straughn, Greg, 1972-
System: The UNT Digital Library
Contemporary Swedish Music for Solo Trumpet and Trumpet in Mixed Chamber Ensembles with a Performance Analysis of Selected Works of Bo Nilsson, Folke Rabe, and Tommy Zwedberg (open access)

Contemporary Swedish Music for Solo Trumpet and Trumpet in Mixed Chamber Ensembles with a Performance Analysis of Selected Works of Bo Nilsson, Folke Rabe, and Tommy Zwedberg

This study discusses how cultural and social aspects of contemporary Swedish society impact the musical arts. It contains biographical information on representative Swedish composers, and analyzes technical and structural elements of their compositional styles. Finally, it recommends performance practice considerations regarding technical and interpretive details in Tommy Zwedberg's Face the Music for trumpet and prepared audio tape, Folke Habe's Shazam for unaccompanied trumpet, and Bo Nilsson's Infrastruktur for brass quintet.
Date: August 1991
Creator: Engstrom, Larry M. (Larry Milton)
System: The UNT Digital Library
Autographs 1928 : Four Songs for Soprano and Chamber Ensemble (open access)

Autographs 1928 : Four Songs for Soprano and Chamber Ensemble

Autographs 1928: Four Songs for Soprano and Chamber Ensemble is a composition of approximately 16 minutes' duration and is scored for mezzo-soprano, flute, oboe, clarinet, horn in F, viola, violoncello, one keyboardist (piano and celesta), and two percussionists (marimba, xylophone, chimes, timpani, bass drum, temple blocks, triangle, and slapstick). The work consists of four songs and four readings with texts from Walls's maternal grandmother's autograph book. The composition opens with a reading and alternates between readings and songs. The music is intended to reflect the playful, tender and humorous nature of the lyrics.
Date: August 1995
Creator: Walls, Jay Alan
System: The UNT Digital Library
Evolution, Symmetrization, and Synthesis : The Piano Sonatas of Alberto Ginastera (open access)

Evolution, Symmetrization, and Synthesis : The Piano Sonatas of Alberto Ginastera

When Alberto Ginastera's oeuvre is viewed as a whole, an essential continuity between compositional ideas often appears in different works. This is especially apparent in the three piano sonatas, where each sonata represents an evolution and a condensation of ideas occurring in the previous one. The evolution of ideas throughout the three sonatas takes place through two primary processes. The first is a shift in cultural focus from reliance on Ibero-American material in the first sonata (1952) to Amerindian in the second (1981), to a synthesis of the two cultural elements in the third (1982). The second means of evolution from sonata to sonata is through a process of symmetrization. Along with constructions using symmetrical scales, material in each of the three sonatas is subjected to various symmetrical procedures which correspond musically to basic geometric symmetry types or operations (bilateral, rotational, and translatory, for instance). The decreasing number of movements evidences a negative dilatation of material, moving from four movements in the first sonata to three in the second, to one in the third. In each case, corresponding material from the previous sonata is integrated into the following sonata. Both independently and as a group the three piano sonatas exhibit …
Date: August 1991
Creator: Campbell, Grace M.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Harmony and Structure in Richard Strauss's Macbeth (open access)

Harmony and Structure in Richard Strauss's Macbeth

This study begins with a discussion of step theory. Included in this discussion is the basis of chord succession, the idea of fundamental representation, and the uses of reinterpretation technique. These concepts are then used to demonstrate the continuity and logic of the harmonic language found in Strauss's Macbeth.
Date: August 1996
Creator: Bills, Danny C.
System: The UNT Digital Library