Fractures for Clarinet and Computer is a piece for live interactive performance using custom software designed in Max/MSP. the work explores musical borrowing and transformation of music from works such as Tchaikovsky’s Fifth Symphony, Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue, and several fragments from synthesizer recordings of the late 1960’s and early 1970’s. the dissertation focuses on both the musical aesthetics that informed the creation of the work and the software programming that enables live sampling and harmonization systems as well as flexible control of global parameters.

relent is a sacred work within the genre of interactive electronic music. the 20-minute composition is a multi-movement piece for four instrumentalists (saxophone, double bass, and two percussion) and computer that is inspired by the gospel message. relent is specifically about the gospel message that Christ died for man’s sins, rose from the dead, and through faith in him man can be reconciled to God. This project was an experiment in creating a work with a programmatic extramusical structure. in preparation for writing a piece based on Christian programmatic content, this paper presents an overview of research conducted on the intersection between art and Christianity referencing authors such as Harold Best, Nikolai Berdyaev, Hans Rookmaaker, Calvin Seerveld, Daniel Seidell, A. W. Tozer, Steve Turner, and Cornelius Van Til. This work was an experiment in trying to make very direct and specific musical ties to the narrative of the Gospel. Another highly experimental aspect of relent was in the way interactive electronics were used. Each acoustic instrument in the work has its own input and module within the Max patch, extending each acoustic instrument rather than adding an electronic accompaniment component. Additionally, non-traditional notation, both codified and real-time computer generated, improvisation, …

Erwin Schulhoff (1894–1942) was a Czechoslovakian musician born in Prague, to a German-Jewish family, and whose life came to a premature end in 1942 at the Wülzburg concentration camp, near Weißenburg, Bavaria. Schulhoff’s life, compositional style, and two of his flute works are addressed in this dissertation: Sonata for flute and pianoforte, WV 86, and Concertino for Flute, Viola, and Double Bass, WV 75. Each work is considered as a discrete entity, and insight provided into the structure of the music; stylistic and compositional influences, form, phrase structure, and other aspects are discussed. The intended audience is the flutist seeking knowledge regarding the historical significance and performance of each piece. The analysis and summary of Schulhoff’s life and primary flute works will contribute to the understanding of performance scholarship of his music and provide a deeper understanding of the composer, from the perspective of musical and compositional style.

George Philipp Telemann is often thought of an experimenter with many nationalistic styles during the course of his career. His Corellian Sonatas demonstrate this facet of his work in their employment of Corelli's manner, and the cultivation of the Italian style. Telemann's Corellian sonatas are stylistically close to those of Corelli, and they do not appear to vary widely from the church and chamber sonatas of Corelli; Telemann fused the two sonata types in that dance elements are found in the church sonatas and the abstract elements of the church sonatas are inserted into the chamber sonatas. In addition to the amalgamation of internal elements, Telemann also experimented with the external features, such as the alternation of tempo and the four movement stereotype.

Designs is an algorithmic composition for small orchestra. The main compositional process used involves the realization and implementation of various musical algorithms discussed in the book Composition with Pitch-Classes by theorist/composer Robert Morris.

Volumes one and two of Annees de Pelerinage contain travel impressions. The pieces in volume three serve as a means of expressing a religious pilgrimage. The religiousmeaning is implied by the titles and by letters Liszt wrote concerning specific pieces. For the pieces to have programmatic significance, the music must support the verbal clues. This dissertation maintains that selected pieces in Annees de Pelerinage III are programmatic and that Liszt provided musical clues that have not been discovered or, if noticed, have not been analyzed in detail. Also, the dissertation explores similarities between selected pieces of Annees de Pelerinage III and other programmatic or texted works by Liszt sharing the same subject. The findings reinforce the premise that Liszt deliberately intended to express certain extra-musical ideas within the music itself. The paper briefly analyzes the musical reasons for labeling Annees de Pelerinaae III a cycle. Different sources call these pieces cyclic, citing the shared common religious theme as the reason. This dissertation discusses musical reasons that reinforce the idea of a cycle. Chapter II discusses Liszt's views on program music. Chapter III identifies common themes in Liszt's programmatic works and discusses the symbolic significance of thematic transformation. Chapter IV suggests …

Ernst Krenek is noted and often criticized for the diversity of his overall output. However, one finds that his entire output is held together by a unique temperament regardless of stylistic changes. It is significant to compare the piano works to one another as the piano was the instrument he repeatedly turned to while testing new stylistic ideas. In writing about Krenek's music, Glenn Gould states eloquently and concisely that three qualities prevail in all of Krenek's mature output: the lyric, elegiac, and euphonic. These qualities are present in the early Toccata und Chaconne uber den Chorale, "Ja, ich glaub an Jesum Christum," Op. 13. It is lyrical in that melody is of utmost importance. One finds that melodic writing prevails in the other piano works as well regardless of when they were written. The elegiac also permeates the work. The Toccata and Chaconne shares with other later works this quality of seriousness, repose, and deep meaning. The Toccata and Chaconne is also euphonic. Krenek's overall style is one which does not shock or offend an audience. In a detailed comparison of the Toccata and Chaconne to later piano works, one may clearly see what Krenek specifically does musically to …

The internal unity of the themes in a sonata-allegro movement and the external unity of the movements in a sonata cycle are crucial elements of Beethoven's compositional aesthetic. Numerous theorists have explored these aspects in Beethoven's sonatas, symphonies, quartets, and concertos. Similar research into the independent variation sets for piano, excluding Opus 120, has been largely neglected as the result of three misconceptions: that the variation sets, many of which were based on popular melodies of Beethoven's time, are not as worthy of study as his other works; that the type of hidden internal relationships which pervade the sonata cycle are not relevant to the variation set since all variations are, by definition, related to the theme; and that variations were composed "additively," that is, one after another, without any particular regard for their order or relationship to one another. The purpose of this study is to refute all three of these incorrect assumptions. Beethoven was concerned with the order of variations and their relationship to one another, and he was able to transcend the additive tendency in a number of ways. Some of his methods included registral connection, registral expansion, rhythmic acceleration, textural expansion, dynamics, articulation, and motivic similarities. …

The study's purpose was to describe selected laryngeal activity of brass-wind players during the performance of selected musical exercises. Research problems included the observation and description of three internal areas of activity of ten trumpeters as they performed each exercise. Specific areas of observation were 1) movement of the epiglottis during the performance of each exercise, 2) movement of the vocal folds/arytenoid cartilage which includes changes in the size of the glottis during the performance of each prescribed exercise, and 3) movement of the thyroid cartilage during the performance of each prescribed exercise. Musical exercises performed by each of the subjects included a sound volume change, use of vibrato, single-tonguing, step-wise descending and ascending slurs, descending and ascending lip slurs, register change, and a descending chromatic scale. In addition, each subject performed an excerpt from the second movement of the Haydn Trumpet Concerto. Data were collected through direct observation of subject performances and then described using three different means. Data analyses revealed a prominent amount of highly individual, non-patterned laryngeal activity which played an integral role in the performance of each subject. Individuals including Law (1960), Cramer (1955), Jacobs (Stewart, 1987), and Noble (1964) have advocated an unrestricted airway during …

The lecture was given on September 25, 1989. The discussion dealt with the stylistic characteristics of music for clarinet by Ernesto Cavallini and included a performance of four romanzas: La Calma, Un Pensiero, L'Incudine, and Lontano dalla Patria. Cavallini was the foremost clarinet virtuoso of the nineteenth century as well as a prolific composer of music for his instrument. The works presented in the lecture represent Cavallini's proclivity for a performance style combining virtuosity with lyrical expression. Copies of the original publications of Cavallini's romanzas were obtained from the Biblioteca del Conservatory, "Giuseppi Verdi," Milan, Italy. In addition to the lecture recital, three other recitals for solo clarinet were given. The first recital was given on October 29, 1984, and included works by Carl Maria von Weber, Leslie Bassett, Halsey Stevens, and Carl Reinecke. The second recital was given on July 29, 1985, and included works by Bernard Heinrich Crusell, Halsey Stevens, and Johannes Brahms. The third recital was given on October 3, 1988, and included works by Saviero Mercadante, Eugene Bozza, and John Ireland. All four recitals were recorded on magnetic tape and are filed, along with the written version of the lecture materials, as a part of the …

Arnold Schoenberg's atonal monodrama, Erwartune. Op. 17 (1909). has been viewed as an unanalyzable athematic aberration, without any discernible form. Recognizing Erwartune's forward-looking aspect, this dissertation also explores the melodrama and the Lied, a connection with the past which forges a new understanding of its form and structure.

The research problems of this dissertation were: 1) A description of the perceived value of music in light of political undercurrents in Boston prior to and during the years under investigation, and 2) the profile of the constituency of the Boston School Committee and Committee on Music in 1837 and 1845. Questions addressed the effect of religious and moral concerns of the day on the decision by the School Committee in 1837 to try music in the curriculum, and the possible effect of religious politics on Lowell Mason's dismissal from the schools in 1845. In the minds of mid-nineteenth century Bostonians, religious and moral values were intrinsic to the very nature of music. Key members on the School Committee portrayed music as being spiritual yet nonsectarian in its influence. Therefore, the findings suggest that music was believed to provide common ground between opposing and diverse religious sects. Reasons given for Mason's dismissal by John Sargent, a member of the Committee on Music, showed parallels to H. W. Day's accusations in the press a year earlier that Mason had managed his position in a sectarian manner. Sargent's background supports the theory that religious politics were at work in Mason's dismissal. Although …

The songs of Hugo Wolf represent the culmination of the Romantic German Lied tradition. Wolf developed a personal chromatic harmonic style that allowed him to respond to every nuance of a poetic text, thereby stretching tonality to its limits. He was convinced, however, that despite its novel nature his music could be explained through the traditional theory of harmony. This study determines the degree to which Wolf's belief is true, and begins with an evaluation of the current state of research into Wolf's harmonic practice. An explanation of my analytical method and its underlying philosophy follows; historical perspective is provided by tracing the development of three major elements of traditional theory from their inception to the present day: fundamental bass, fundamental chords, and tonal function. The analytical method is then applied to the works of Wolf's predecessors in order to allow comparison with Wolf. In the investigation of Wolf's harmonic practice the individual elements of traditional functional tonality are examined, focusing on Wolf's use of traditional harmonic functions in both traditional and innovative ways. This is followed by an investigation of the manner in which Wolf assembles these traditional elements into larger harmonic units. Tonal instability, rapid key shifts, progressive …

Holland's theory of vocational personalities and work environments incorporates four theoretical constructs (congruence, consistency, differentiation and identity) which attempt to explain sources in variability of achievement and satisfaction among employed adults and college students. This study sought to: (1) investigate the relationship of Holland's constructs to academic achievement and educational satisfaction of undergraduate music majors; (2) investigate differences in all variables according to gender and degree major. Data were collected from undergraduate music majors (N = 100) enrolled at the University of North Texas using the Vocational Preference Inventory. Mv Vocational Situation. and the Music Major Satisfaction Questionnaire. Reliability for the Music Major Satisfaction Questionnaire was estimated at .92 using Cronbach's coefficient alpha. Pearson product-moment correlation coefficients indicated that: (1) congruence was significantly related to academic achievement and educational satisfaction; (2) identity was significantly related to academic achievement and educational satisfaction; (3) consistency was significantly related to academic achievement, but not to educational satisfaction; (4) differentiation was significantly related to academic achievement, but not to educational satisfaction. Multiple regression using a stepwise entry method indicated that: (1) the identity construct was the best predictor of educational satisfaction scores; (2) identity was the best predictor of academic achievement scores. The results …

This work largely concerns the roles of Matthew Locke and Henry Purcell in the history of English keyboard music as reflected in their keyboard suites. Both, as composers of the Restoration period, integrated the French style with the more traditional English techniques--especially, in the case of Purcell, the virginalist heritage-- in their keyboard music. Through a detailed examination of their suites, I reveal differences in their individual styles and set forth unique characteristics of each composer. Both composers used the then traditional almain-corant-saraband pattern as the basis of the suite, to which they added a variety of English country dances. At the same time they modified the traditional dances with a variety of French and Italian idioms, thereby making distinctive individual contributions to the genre.

Klangfarbenmelodien is a term first mentioned by Schoenberg in his Harmonielehre (1911) in a discussion suggesting the idea of tone colors as a structural element equal to other musical components such as harmony, rhythm, pitch, and dynamics. The intent of this study is to investigate significant influences that led to Webern's adoption and application of Klangrfarben techniques in the Symphony, op. 21, first movement. Webern's expression of Klangfarbenmelodien was his method of dispersing melodic lines and the manipulation of a wide gamut of varying tone colors. A brief biography is included in the paper and Webern's professional career as a conductor is viewed and considered as to its affect on the creation of the Symphony with emphasis on his relationship with Schoenberg and the Society for Private Musical Performance. The genesis of the Symphony and its early performance history is examined, as well as the structure of op. 21 with specific examples of Klangrfarbenmelodien. These techniques include the presentation of melodic lines in terms of octave register, timbre, dynamics, articulation, durations, rhythm, and instrumentation.

The thesis presents annotated transcriptions and detailed analyses of four improvised solos by jazz saxophonist Ornette Coleman, a leading figure within the free jazz movement. The four solos, all of which were recorded in 1959, are: "Ramblin', " "Lonely Woman," "Congeniality," and "Free." -The focus of the analyses is upon Coleman's techniques for creating melodic continuity and development. Introductory chapters survey Coleman's career and examine his original theoretical system, "Harmolodics. " The thesis concludes with an annotated bibliography and discography.

This study deals with trombone soloists and music of nineteenth-century Germany. Much of the discussion is based on the influence of two trombone virtuosos, Carl Traugott Queisser (1800-1846) and Friedrich August Belcke (1795- 1874) . Finally, a style and form analysis is given of several representative trombone compositions of the period. These include Ferdinand David's Concertino. Op. 4, Friedebald Grafe's Concerto. and Josef Serafin Alschausky's Concerto No. I.

This comprehensive study of Thea Musgrave's Orfeo I is the basis for a lecture-recital performed on March 20, 1989, at the University of North Texas, as part of DMA dissertation requirements. It includes: brief bio-background of Musgrave and Orfeo; historical background of both the Orpheus legend and some landmark dramatic works based on it; general development of Musgrave's dramatic language and specific ways in which she uses it in this composition; analysis of the work; performance guide; and annotated appendix listing Musgrave's published and recorded chamber works which include flute. Orfeo I is a major work for flute and electronic tape comprised entirely of manipulated flute sounds. It was commissioned by the British Broadcasting Corporation for James Galway, who recorded the taped material and was the featured performer in the 1976 London premier. An alternate version, Orfeo II, with fifteen strings in place of electronic tape, was premiered by David Shostac in 1976 in Los Angeles, and conducted by the composer. Orfeo's form is programmatically designed, divided into six sections based on Musgrave's "Scenario"of the Orpheus myth. Characters are dramatically depicted through means of "motifs"; that of Orpheus in solo flute, and all others in tape sounds. Musgrave uses quotations …

Sacred Symphony is a work for orchestra, chorus and 8 soloists. It is scored for three horns in F, three trumpets in B flat (1st doubling trumpet in C), tenor trombone, bass trombone, percussion, celesta, piano and strings. The percussion consists of suspended cymbal, glockenspiel, vibraphone, marimba, bass marimba, tenor drum, snare drum, bass drum, two slit drums (4 tom-toms if unavailable), small triangle, and finger cymbals. The work is in three movements: Sanctus, Beatitudes (Matt. 5: 3-12) and Gloria. The Sanctus primarily gives glory to God the Father while the Beatitudes are Christ's own words. The Gloria acts as a culmination of the previous two movements because it gives glory to both the Father and the Son.

In 1873, Brahms completed the two op. 51 quartets. These were not the first string quartets Brahms composed, hut they were the first that Brahms allowed to be published. He found the string quartet difficult; as he confided to his friend Alwin Cranz, he sketched out twenty string quartets before producing a pair he thought worthy of publishing. Questions arise: what aspect of the string quartet gave Brahms so much trouble, and what in the op. 51 quartets gave him the inclination to publish them for the first time in his career? The op. 51 quartets are essential to understanding the evolution of Brahms's compositional technique. Brahms had difficulty limiting his massive harmony and polyphony to four solo strings. This difficulty was compounded by his insistence on deriving even the accompaniment from the opening main motivic material. This study investigates the manner in which Brahms distributes the main motivic material to all four voices in these quartets, while at the same time highlighting each voice effectively in the dialogue.

The purpose of this study was to investigate selected landmark events in the historical development of the Texas Music Educators Association, 1938-1980, and the decisions which influenced their outcomes. A polling of twenty former presidents of TMEA selected the following landmark events that helped to shape the history of TMEA: (1) the change from a band organization to a music educators organization in 1938, (2) the University Interscholastic League takeover of contests in 1947, and (3) TMEA's separation from the Music Educators National Conference in 1976. In addition to developing a historical chronology from documentary sources, in-depth interviews were conducted with actual participants in these landmark events. The interviews utilized comparable questions, in order to identify decision-making patterns, while also capturing the atmosphere and visceral context of TMEA history. Literature from the social science disciplines on organizational decision—making was explored for help in understanding what happened, how, and why. In all three events the final decision was strongly influenced by factors external to the TMEA. The strong power position held by school administrators was evident in both the first and second events, while reinforcement from actively lobbying choral directors was also a factor in the first event only. The strong …

This dissertation consists of three solo recitals and one lecture recital. The repertoire of all programs is composed of music written specifically for the trombone plus two transcriptions of works for voice. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the use of selected vocal pedagogical material as a means of developing musicianship for the trombonist. The historical relationship of the voice and the trombone is traced through written documentation and musical composition. Similarities between the development of legato technique for the vocal student and the trombonist are examined. A brief history of the vocalise and its pedagogical function is presented. The development of expressive musical performance for the trombonist is explored through the use of examples from three different vocalises of Marco Bordogni.

This document identifies elements of a stylistic change which occurred in several of the pieces Rachmaninoff wrote during the last years of his life. These elements reflect a progressive trend in his music, which certainly maintained in spite of the change, its characteristic sound. The Variations on a Theme of Corelli, Op. 42 illustrate these new developments in their lean, angular unison sonorities, stripped of chordal padding and virtuosic display, in their percussive, staccato and incisive ostinato rhythmic figures, astringent chromatic harmony and modern air of detachment. The Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini, Op. 43 confirms this stylistic development in its remarkable similarity to the Corelli Variations. In the last twenty-six years of his life in exile from his homeland, making his way around the world as a concert pianist, Rachmaninoff wrote only six major works. Perhaps his increasing age, separation from homeland, and the musical revolutions surrounding him in the Western world produced this stylistic development.