If America wishes to see the day when good music drama shall become her best and at the same time her most popular form of entertainment she must investigate the condition of music-drama as it is at present and then decide upon a future method of action to improve that condition. In a small way, that may be blazing the trail, I have set about to follow the above suggestions. l have made an investigation of music-drama in America, with particular emphasis on music-drama in the colleges and the universities and, as a result, have a definite suggestion to make for a future method or action -- namely: the addition of a good course in applied music-drama to the curriculum of every four-year liberal arts college and university (there are some six hundred and forty-six of them) in the United States.

Foreword to Aria Da Capo The libretto of the opera is a verbatim setting of Edna St. Vincent Millay's one act play "Aria da Capo." World events, especially World War II and the current Korean War influenced the choice of this timely, yet timeless play. Miss Millay's death occurred during the composition of the opera. She never knew, therefore, of the composition or performance of her play as an opera. The form of the opera is that of the "da capo" aria. he form, of course, was determined by the play which ends exactly as it started. Thematic material consists mainly of two themes: the opening theme or Scene I (Pierrot and Columbine's scene) and the opening theme of Scene II (the Shepherd's scene). All of the significant motivic material used in Scene I is derived from the opening theme of that scene. In the shepherd's scene, material derived from both of the above mentioned themes is used. The musical style of the two scenes is intentionally contrasting. In Pierrot and Columbine's scene an attempt was made to express their characters by means of a pseudo-popular music style which is rhythmic and lively but has no real depth of emotional feeling. In the shepherd's scene an attempt was made to express their changing characters by means of a very simple style eventually evolving into a more complex style. In order to make the score more easily understood all the orchestrated parts are written in concert. For the same reason all directions to the musicians are given in English instead of the usual Italian. The opera was produced under the direction of Dr. Lucas Underwood. Thomas Haynes, musical assistant to Dr. Underwood, deserves special recognition, not only for his excellent job of conducting the opera, but also for designing the set and staging the opera and for his untiring efforts in rehearsing the cast and the orchestra.

No description available.

No description available.

The German Protestant church composer and organist, Gottfried August Homilius (1714-1785), is recognized primarily for his sacred compositions written during his time as cantor at the Kreuzkirche and the director of music at the three main churches in Dresden. The forerunner of Homilius research, Uwe Wolf, together with Carus-Verlag, brought forth Gottfried August Homilius: Studien zu Leben und Werk mit Werkverzeichnis (2008) and his thematic catalogue (2014) as products of the public’s renewed interest and research in the composer and his music. Homilius’ oratorio passion, Johannespassion, represents one of the valuable discoveries of this recent revival of Homilius research. While musicologists celebrate such an exciting expansion of the music library of the mid-eighteenth century, a bigger task ensues before us: the equal sharing of joy with the performers. Indeed, the resonance of Homilius’ music in the concert halls and churches beyond the bounds of the research papers and music p / Music Performance

No description available.

The great novelist and poet Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (1749 – 1832) arguably made his most significant contribution to the artistic world with his literary masterpiece Faust I. Goethe’s love of music and melody is evident throughout all of Faust, particularly in the expressive poetry of the character of Gretchen, whose meaningful words gave inspiration to a variety of musical manifestations, especially in German Lied. This document serves as a performance guide for vocalists. It provides vital information on the setting and arrangement of the poetry within the musical settings, the background and significance of the composer and his works, and the organization of the music. The examination of each piece will involve assessment of musical phrasing, tessitura, and overall vocal complexity in eight German Lieder settings of Gretchen’s soliloquy “Ach neige, du Schmerzenreiche” from Goethe’s Faust. The suggestions within the investigations are based on examination of pedagogical practices as well as personal experience and discoveries made while singing and performing these pieces. Through an investigation of each piece, the singer will be able to attain a successful understanding of the framework and approach to the music and poetry, and thereby achieve awareness of accurate performance practice. This document examines in order of composition, the settings by Bettina von Arnim, Franz Schubert (including the completed fragment as arranged by Benjamin Britten), Conrad Kreutzer, Bernhard Klein, Johann Loewe, Robert Schumann, Hugo Wolf, and Fredric Joseph Kroll. Because this document serves to investigate only German Lieder settings, it will not examine the choral works of Hans Pfitzner, Antoni Radziwill, Julius Röntgen, Giuseppe Verdi’s Italian setting “Deh, pietoso, oh Addolorata,” nor Richard Wagner’s Melodram. This document will also very briefly discuss the lost and inaccessible settings of Gretchen’s prayer, including those of Carl Debrois van Bruyck, Edmund von Freyhold, Moritz Hauptmann, Justus Lecerf, Leopold Lenz, Louis Schlottmann, and Hans Sommer.

This thesis adduces the benefits in teaching undergraduate theatre majors the competency to create a cabaret. It expostulates that doing so during college gives students an advantage in marketing themselves professionally. It substantiates the general lack of cohesive undergraduate training in this area. The results of a survey of casting directors, assessing the worth of implementing the study of cabaret into theatre curricula, are incorporated. Those that responded agreed that performing cabarets can play a role in a performer’s career, even if the opinions varied as to what that specific role is. There was general agreement that the study of cabaret could benefit students in ways which potentially go beyond securing immediate employment. I have included a sample syllabus for a course focusing on the construction, and performance of a cabaret. It is anticipated this would serve for a performance class taught during a student’s fourth year of undergraduate study.

Many collegiate saxophone performance degree programs are overwhelmingly classical, adopting from other performance programs in the Western music tradition. However, there is a growing number of saxophone compositions that are “crossover” in nature. Crossover is a term used to describe the fusion of popular music styles in a classical setting. There is also evidence that collegiate music education as a whole is moving towards a more diverse curriculum, which emphasizes ethnomusicology. Due to this trend in composition and education, it is becoming increasingly important that saxophonists have the training of both classical and jazz disciplines. The problem is that while many colleges have saxophone majors, there is a strong divide between classical and jazz education. This leaves students in a Bachelor of Music in Saxophone Performance degree track without the ability to accurately perform crossover music or have the opportunity to perform jazz and other genres of music. The purpose of this study is to develop a crossover degree in saxophone performance by highlighting aspects of crossover saxophone repertoire and reviewing current university degree catalogs. The research in this study is meant to diagnose omissions in performance degree programs as far as crossover development and to create a new degree track for saxophonists in an effort to promote diverse performance ability.

The Music Industry we knew 20 years ago has evolved into a completely different business. Major labels are scrambling to adapt to a new market created by digital streaming and the heavily dominated mobile environment. The purpose of this study is to explore the choice of remaining independent as a musician, and develop a systematic process that any aspiring artist or band manager can confidently follow to ensure their project has the best chance of success. Most of the published writings on this subject are either too broad, or too business-minded for the typical musician. This thesis provides a creative approach with the organization of the information. I present the process of band management in five chapters named after the five movements of traditional sonata form: The Introduction (Chapter 1) presents the various themes that are covered throughout the study, and describes the reasoning for using sonata form for organization and also elaborates on the author’s background. The Exposition (Chapter 2) describes the beginning stages of creating a band and establishing a creative project in the local music scene. This includes the initial formation of the band and its members, the process of networking within the local music scene, and an in depth explanation of how to effectively utilize all the “Essential Websites.” The Development (Chapter 3) describes the process of developing a band into a consistently gigging1 project. The main topics covered are booking shows, performing shows, recording and releasing an album, and what to focus on after it is released. The Recapitulation (Chapter 4) condenses the main topics of the thesis into a more palatable checklist of essential steps that musicians can easily reference throughout the process of managing their project. The Coda (Chapter 5) looks towards the future of the music industry, and serves as a prediction of how the previously effective methods apply to new technologies and website. / Includes bibliography. / Thesis (M.S.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2015. / FAU Electronic Theses and Dissertations Collection