Given the diversity found in today's Japanese culture and the size of the country's population, it is easy to see why the understanding of Japanese wind band repertoire must be multi-faceted. Alongside Western elements, many Japanese composers have intentionally sought to maintain their cultural identity through the addition of Japanese musical elements or concepts. These added elements provide a historical and cultural context from which to frame a composition or, in some cases, a composer's compositional output. The employment of these elements serve as a means to categorize the Japanese wind band repertoire. In his studies on cultural identities found in Japanese music, Gordon Matthews suggests there are three genres found within Japanese culture. He explains these as "senses of 'Japaneseness' among Japanese musicians." They include Fence, Flavor, and Phantasm. Bringing a new perspective to the idea of Japanese influence, I trace the implementation of these facets of Japanese music through the wind band music of Japanese composers. I demonstrate that Japanese wind band genres are the result of a combination of Japanese musical elements and Western influence and argue that the varying levels of this combination, balanced with historical and cultural context, create three distinct genres within the Japanese …

"Orchestral Excerpts for Conductors" is a compilation of sixty-five full score excerpts from the orchestral repertory arranged for string quartet and piano. The purpose of this collection is to provide conducting students with a pedagogical resource for learning how to handle technically challenging excerpts in orchestral music. This dissertation serves as a plan for the final publication of the excerpts book; while it includes the full score excerpts, it does not include the arrangements for string quartet and piano.

Since the 18th century, composers have utilized the symphony to communicate thoughts and ideas through the vehicle of a large ensemble composed of a variety of instrumental colors. Though the structure of the symphony has understandably been subject to the varied interpretations of composers over the past 300 years, several characteristics of the traditional symphony do seem to have stood the test of time. In this document, the recent developments of the American symphony for wind band is discussed, focusing on the ways in which recent works both adhere to and divert from the traditional understanding of the classical symphonic form and highlighting the resurgence of the form by wind band composers. For the purposes of this study, David Dzubay's Symphony No. 2: Through a Glass Darkly, James Stephenson's Symphony No. 2: Voices, Donald Grantham's Symphony No. 2: After Hafiz, and Kevin Walczyk's Symphony No. 4: Unforsaken are used to demonstrate how each composer writes in their own unique style using contemporary techniques, while still appearing to maintain traditional aspects of the symphonic form, whether consciously or subconsciously. For each of the four works, a structural analysis is conducted using a rubric of standard symphonic norms. Additionally, interviews were conducted …

Se Enkhbayar (b. 1956) is one of the most important contemporary Mongolian composers in China. His choral tone poem, Önchin Botog, integrates the traditional Mongolian musical elements Urtiin Duu (long song) and Khöömii (throat singing) with modern choral music and is one of the most representative works in the genre of modern Mongolian choral music. The purpose of this study is to provide a performance guidance for non-Mongolian musicians on Se Enkhbayar's work, Önchin Botog, by presenting his biographical and cultural backgrounds, discussing the use of traditional Mongolian singing styles, special rhythmic patterns (horse-step rhythm) and Chinese pentatonic scales. For conductors, this guide can shorten preparation time by providing musical analysis for artistic interpretation and practical points for sound effect creation. For solo singers, this guide will enable a Bel Canto singer to sing Urtiin Duu in Mongolian singing style. For Khöömii singers, this guide provides supplementary practical suggestions.