Master of Music / Department of Music / Joshua Oppenheim / Julie Yu Oppenheim / The Te Deum chant began in the Roman Catholic Church in prayer, and like many other psalms used in the Mass, it has evolved into a concert piece with settings composed for coronations, military victories, and other festive occasions. This author has identified two significant settings of this text by Joseph Franz Haydn and Antonín Leopold Dvořák for this discussion to study how common factors (primarily a common text) influence their compositions. Chapter I provides the purpose of the study, a brief description of related research, description of the appendices, and analytical criteria for examining the Te Deum settings. Chapter II presents a study of the ancient Te Deum psalm and its text. Topics for discussion include a brief overview of the history of chant. In regards to the Te Deum, further studies are included on its history, uses within prayer, the text, melody, and other uses of the Te Deum. Chapter III contains an in-depth analysis of the Haydn Te Deum (HXXIIIc:2) and the Dvořák Te Deum (Op. 103, B176, [Op. 93, Op. 98]). Analytical criteria for examining these settings consist of: a brief biographical sketch along with each composers compositional characteristics and reasons for commissioning this piece; discussions on general characteristics, structural and formal design, themes, melodic/harmonic characteristics, rhythmic/metrical/tempo characteristics, articulations, dynamics, texture, performance, pedagogical, and conducting considerations. Chapter IV summarizes general trends in the usage of the text of Te Deum. Information for this final chapter is derived from the in-depth analysis, the ancient history of the Te Deum, and other settings of the Te Deum text examined in sources similar to this document. The findings contain summaries of the musical elements listed above as well as general and specific commonalities of textual influence between the selected Te Deum settings. Appendix A provides the complete text of the Te Deum psalm with English translations and melody. Appendix B provides a score analysis of Te Deum (HXXIIIc:2). Appendix C provides a score analysis of Te Deum (Op. 103, B176, [Op. 93, Op. 98]).

Master of Music / Department of Music, Theatre, and Dance / Amy Underwood / The following report is extended program notes that focus on the expression of love in various ways. These songs were presented on a graduate recital March 31, 2015 in All Faiths Chapel at Kansas State University. It is in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Master of Music degree in vocal performance. The works included are by Bellini, Bernstein, Hahn, Koechlin, Obradors, Saint-Saëns, Schumann, and Sullivan. Below is a detailed description explaining the focus of the report. Many musicians discuss the musical elements including key signatures, time signatures, harmony, rhythm, and melody. They may also discuss the understanding of the music through the viewpoint of the vocal text. The musical elements and how the subject matter connects the two together is important to understand when giving a recital. It makes the music come alive for the audience and it is a true interpretation of how it should be performed. Love is a topic which many composers explore because of the natural emotion people feel about its perception. Different feelings and emotions conjured in the hearts and minds of humankind. Love is a personal feeling, and after studying the poetry and music, I assigned an adjective or verb to each song that describes a more specific facet of love’s emotional spectrum. These adjectives and their portrayal by various composers will comprise the focus of this paper.

Master of Music / Department of Music / Frank C. Tracz / This document is comprised of research and analysis of the comprehensive examination of the graduate conducting recital of Shawn Michael Knopp. This recital was performed by the Smoky Valley High School Concert Band, on February 27, 2009, at the Century II Concert Hall in Wichita, Kansas. The examined repertoire for the recital includes Dance Sinfonia, by Dennis W. Fisher, Linden Lea, by Ralph Vaughan Williams, arranged by John W. Stout, Strawflower, by Ralph Hermann, Emperata Overture by Claude T. Smith, and Foshay Tower Washington Memorial March by John Philip Sousa, edited by Daniel Dorff. This document contains theoretical and historical analysis and outlines the method of planning and preparing a graduate conducting recital according to the Blocher, Miles and Tracz formats.

Master of Music / Department of Music / Frank C. Tracz / This document was constructed on the comprehensive examination questions based on the Graduate Conducting Recital of Kyle D. Hopkins. The theoretical and historical analysis includes The Star-Spangled Banner by Jack Stamp, Tharsos by Jeff Jordan, Americans We by Henry Fillmore, and Cajun Folk Songs by Frank Ticheli. Along with the analysis, this document contains rehearsal plans and procedures used in the preparation of the literature. The recital was performed in two parts by the McPherson High School Band on February 5, 2009 in the McPherson High School Roundhouse at 7:30 pm and April 30, 2009 in the McPherson High School Auditorium at 7:30 pm.

Doctor of Philosophy / Curriculum and Instruction Programs / Jana R. Fallin / This qualitative study sought to inquire into, identify and examine elements of musical expression as exemplified in jazz performance from a phenomenological approach. The purpose was to identify the various elements utilized by expert performers and listeners in perceiving musical expression, to determine whether or not these elements are held in common between performer and listener, and to explore the relation of personal experiences of the phenomenon with aesthetic philosophy and educational practice. Aesthetic concepts were drawn from the writings of Stephen Davies and Peter Kivy while jazz principles and foundations were drawn from Ted Gioia and Gunther Schuller. Ten subjects, five world-class jazz artists and five nationally recognized jazz critics, were selected based upon reputation and professional standing and interviewed in naturalistic settings of their own choosing (home, office, studio). Each subject listened to six recordings of the jazz standard My Funny Valentine as recorded by established jazz icons: Miles Davis, Paul Desmond, Gerry Mulligan, Bill Evans with Jim Hall, Sarah Vaughan, and Keith Jarrett. All were encouraged to comment in a stream-of-consciousness manner while listening to the examples. Additionally, fifteen statements drawn from the literature were read for subjects to rate on a five-point Lykert scale ranging from “totally agree” to “totally disagree”. Interviews were transcribed and coded into themes. Lykert responses were analyzed within group using means and ranges and between groups utilizing difference of means. Results, as interpreted by this researcher, reflect seven themes identified by performers (Sound, Individuality, Virtuosity and Intellect, Communication, Specific Musical Elements, Mood or Character, and Originality and Innovation) and six themes enumerated by critics Individuality, Virtuosity and Intellect, Communication, Specific Musical Elements, Mood or Character, and Originality and Innovation). No attempt was made at stratification of themes, as this was exploratory research. While both groups used the concept of sound, context placed it under the concept of individuality for critics while performers used it more specifically towards the establishment of mood. Lykert responses confirmed strong similarity of thought between the two groups.

The academic analysis of drama often tends to privilege the written word over those sensory elements that are such critical aspects of live theatre. Rhythm, music, dialect, and silence – all these auditory features contribute significantly to the impact and meaning of a play, and they allow playwrights – together with the actors and stage directors who realize their dramatic visions – to convey political messages and address specific political issues without having to necessarily state them overtly within the dialogue. As Augusto Boal stated in his Theatre of the Oppressed, drama is a weapon to fight against oppressive regimes. Thus this dissertation analyzes the role of the senses – especially those related to hearing – in developing the themes and intentions of political plays from Latin America and Spain. The aim is to explore how this has – or has not – changed throughout the centuries, with the ultimate objective of finding common musical and sensory elements, as well as possible affinities in the use of auditory features, to further enable a deeper understanding of how theatre is different from other literary genres. To facilitate the analysis, this dissertation explores a total of six dramas: three Latin American political plays written in the second half of the 20th century and three Early Modern Spanish comedias that depict political scenes or themes. These plays are treated by pairs in each chapter and analyzed according to their use of auditory features in concert with written stage directions and dialogue as a means to reflect or denounce social problems pertaining to the different historical periods in which the plays were initially staged. Specifically, the dramatic pairings are as follows: Chapter 1: Death and the Maiden by Ariel Dorfman (1991) The Mayor of Zalamea by Pedro Calderón de la Barca (ca.1640) Chapter 2: Information for Foreigners, by Griselda Gambaro (1971) Fuenteovejuna, by Lope de Vega (ca.1610) Chapter 3: The Extentionist, by Felipe Santander (1978) Cruelty for Honour, by Juan Ruiz de Alarcón (ca.1621-22). Each play is analyzed according to the theoretical frames that better serve its specific needs and particularities. However, the theories of Giorgio Agamben, Augusto Boal, José Antonio Maravall, Angel Rama, Walter Ong, and especially Bertolt Brecht, form the spinal chord that sustain this study and tie the three chapters to one another. The attention given to each one of these critics and their theories is explained in each chapter’s introduction. As the conclusions show, these plays rely on sensory, linguistic and musical elements to denounce social and political problems of their time, and to try to move their different audiences towards reflection or action, in order to improve the society in which they lived.

Le but de ce document est d’offrir une analyse détaillée de trois fugues et d’une pièce pour orchestre de chambre, pièces composées entre 2013 et 2014 et qui constituent le sommet d’une démarche compositionnelle visant la gradation de difficulté d’écriture et d’exécution. Leur analyse comprend : une explication détaillée de leur position dans l’album, une explication du ou des concepts qui les sous-tendent en plus d’une analyse des différentes sections de toutes les pièces. / The purpose of this document is to offer a detailed analysis of three fugues and a piece for orchestra, all of which were composed between 2013 and 2014, and who constitutes the summit of a compositionnal approach that was based on a gradation of difficulty in performance and writing. This analysis includes : A detailed explanation of the place these pieces occupy among the album, an explanation of the concept or concepts that underlayed these compositions and a detailed analyses of every section of every composition. / The purpose of this document is to offer a detailed analysis of three fugues and a piece for orchestra, all of which were composed between 2013 and 2014, and who constitutes the summit of a compositionnal approach that was based on a gradation of difficulty in performance and writing. This analysis includes : A detailed explanation of the place these pieces occupy among the album, an explanation of the concept or concepts that underlayed these compositions and a detailed analyses of every section of every composition.

Cette thèse examine l'impact de la collaboration avec des instrumentistes particuliers sur la composition de quatre œuvres électroacoustiques. Assumant un rôle plus important que celui de consultant ou conseiller, les interprètes ont influencé les décisions de l'auteur / compositeur dans le cadre de multiples ateliers et d'enregistrements de ceux-ci. Cette thèse examine ainsi comment les outils médiatiques de la musique électroacoustique affectent et enrichissent les relations personnelles : ces outils favorisent la transcription et la traduction, qui à la fois soulignent et transforment la spécificité du son. Le dialogue de la collaboration permet par la suite non seulement une réconciliation plus facile entre les éléments médiatisés et directs dans une oeuvre, mais aussi l'ouverture de son potentiel d'interprétation. En se servant d'une méthodologie qui fait appel à une pratique d'auto-réflexion et récursivité, cette thèse explore des sujets tels que : l'analyse du style personnel dans un cadre linguistique; l'importance du contact physique dans la collaboration et sa traduction incomplète sur support; et les défis de la préservation de la musique électroacoustique pour média ou interprète particulier. Des exemples de la création collaborative de quatre œuvres, racontés de manière personnelle, sont tressés parmi le récit plus théorique de cette thèse, imitant le va-et-vient de la recherche-création. / This dissertation examines the impact of collaboration with specific instrumental performers on the composition of four electroacoustic works. Acting as more than consultants or advisors, the performers influenced the author/composer's decision-making in multiple workshop situations and in the recordings of these meetings. This dissertation thus examines the ways in which the media tools of electroacoustic music affect and extend personal relationships: these tools encourage transcription and translation, activities that highlight and transform specificity. The dialogue of collaboration subsequently not only allows for an easier reconciliation between mediatized and live elements within a work, but also to an opening out of its interpretive potential. Using a methodology that involves recursive and self-reflexive practice, this dissertation explores topics such as: the analysis of personal style in the framework of language; the importance of eye-to-eye, physical contact in collaboration and its incomplete translation onto media; and the challenges of preserving performer- and media-specific electroacoustic music. Examples from the collaborative creation of four works, acting as personal accounts, are braided into the more theoretical narrative of this dissertation, reflecting mimetically the to and fro of research-creation.

Ce mémoire porte sur le rôle du geste musical dans le développement de styles musicaux devenus syncrétiques. Il s’attarde à définir dans le détail le style de guitare populaire assiko propre aux Bassa du Cameroun du Sud lequel est représenté internationalement par le guitariste et percussionniste traditionnel Atna Njock. Grâce à une approche dialogique et participative, les techniques du jeu assiko sont explorées et comparées à des exemples de jeu de guitare européenne, afro-américaines et africaines. Les influences qui définissent le jeu d’Atna découlent de la culture Bassa et de son histoire marquée par l’influence coloniale et missionnaire, mais sont aussi alimentées par la «philosophie» (voire la spiritualité) et le passé musical de l’artiste. L’approche participative fournit une perspective émique, c’est-à-dire interne à la culture, de la gestuelle et de la structure du jeu assiko même si nous confrontons les propos du musicien à notre propre regard analytique. La comparaison avec divers instruments de percussion auxquels Atna a été initié montre comment ceux-ci ont forgé son jeu guitaristique. Son rôle de « garant » de la tradition musicale Bassa influence son approche et se manifeste par une préoccupation particulière pour l’« authenticité » dans la reproduction des rythmes d’un « langage » musical donné. Ses liens avec la culture Bassa, s’expriment notamment par le biais de sa reproduction du style de jeu de son maître, Jean Bikoko « Aladin ». La contribution particulière d’Atna à la technique de guitare de Bikoko est comprise comme un ajout à la lignée ancestrale. Une analyse d’un morceau du répertoire assiko issu du plus récent album d’Atna illustre d’ailleurs comment son incorporation de styles « modernes » reproduit les processus traditionnels en intégrant des éléments culturels étrangers. / This master’s thesis is concerned with the role of musical gesture in the development of musical styles that have become syncretic. It seeks to define in detail the popular guitar style of assiko, particular to the Bassa of Southern Cameroon, as represented internationally by the guitarist and traditionally initiated percussionist, Atna Njock. Through a dialogic and participative approach, the techniques that underlie assiko guitar playing are explored by comparison with European, African American, and African examples. The influences that define Atna’s playing are contextualized within Bassa culture, with its troubled history of colonial and missionary influence, and elaborated by an account of his particular musical philosophy (or spirituality) and background. The participatory approach provides an emic perspective, meaning internal to the culture, of assiko playing technique and structure while subjecting the musician’s statements to our own analytical scrutiny. The comparison with the various percussion instruments on which Atna was initiated demonstrates how these instruments shaped his guitar playing. His role as “guarantor” of Bassa musical tradition underlies his approach to music, which manifests as a particular concern for “authenticity” in the reproduction of the rhythms of a given musical “language”. His connection to Bassa culture is ultimately expressed through his reproduction of the playing style of his master, originator of modern assiko, Jean Bikoko “Aladin”. Atna’s particular contribution to Bikoko’s guitar technique is conceived as adding to the ancestral lineage. An analysis of a current assiko piece from Atna’s most recent album demonstrates how his incorporation of “modern” styles reflects traditional processes of incorporating foreign cultural elements.

La version intégrale de ce mémoire est disponible uniquement pour consultation individuelle à la Bibliothèque de musique de l’Université de Montréal (www.bib.umontreal.ca/MU). / Ce mémoire s’intéresse au langage musical du répertoire savant pour le piano de la Péninsule ibérique, des années 1886 à 1927, la composition pianistique ayant connu une effervescence sans précédent, dans l’histoire de la musique ibérique, entre la fin du XIXe et le début du XXe siècle. On trouve, dans le corpus d’oeuvres étudiées, une volonté d’expression du national et une recherche de modernité musicale. L’expression du national s’y réalise principalement par un ressourcement dans le matériel musical populaire et folklorique ibérique et par une évocation de la vie péninsulaire, tandis que la recherche de modernité musicale s’inspire d’éléments esthétiques et stylistiques du modernisme français, russe et centre-européen. Les oeuvres étudiées sont celles de trois compositeurs portugais, soient Luiz Costa (1879-1960), Francisco de Lacerda (1869-1934) et Fernando Lopes-Graça (1906-1994), et de quatre compositeurs espagnols, soient Isaac Albéniz (1860-1909), Enrique Granados (1867-1916), Manuel de Falla (1876-1946) et Federico Mompou (1893-1987). Le langage musical de ce corpus est principalement analysé au plan de la forme, de l’harmonie et de la texture, et des éléments biographiques et historiques permettent de replacer cette analyse en contexte. Chaque chapitre tente de mettre en relief une problématique ou un phénomène particulier, propre à l’oeuvre ou à l’ensemble d’oeuvres étudiées, et offre des pistes de réflexion sur les interrogations que suscite l’analyse musicale. / This essay targets the musical language of the art music piano repertoire of the Iberian Peninsula, covering the years 1886 to 1927, pianistic composition having known an unprecedented effervescence in Iberian music history between the end of the XIXth and the beginning of the XXth Century. One finds in the ensemble of works hereby studied a will for national expression and a concern for the research of a modern musical style. In these works, national expression materializes mainly through the borrowing of Iberian folk and popular musical material, as well as by the evocation of peninsular life. On the other hand, the quest for musical modernity draws its inspiration from aesthetic and stylistic elements of French, Russian and Central-European modernism. The works studied are those of three Portuguese composers: Luiz Costa (1879-1960), Francisco de Lacerda (1869-1934) and Fernando Lopes-Graça (1906-1994) and four Spanish composers: Isaac Albéniz (1860-1909), Enrique Granados (1867-1916), Manuel de Falla (1876-1946) and Federico Mompou (1893-1987). The musical language of these works is mainly analyzed in terms of form, harmony and texture, whereas historical and biographical information brings context to this analysis. Each chapter attempts to address a particular issue or phenomenon proper to the studied work (or group of works) and offers some elements of reflection concerning the interrogations raised by musical analysis.