abstract: The purpose of this project is to examine the three Sonatas for Violin and Piano by Taiwanese composer Dr. Wen-Pin Hope Lee. The inspiration for these three sonatas comes from different aspects of the culture of Taiwan, and these influences occur so naturally within the music that one can neglect the beauty of them. In daily life, people tend to ignore those simple things that occur around them, but if they just pay close attention, there are always beautiful elements that can bring small miracles to their life. Lee's sonatas are the result of his careful consideration of the beautiful elements of his own culture. Through careful examination, the author has discovered that important musical ideas can be found in the artistic expression of one's native culture. Lee adapted the musical resources of Taiwan, including Taiwanese opera and the musical culture of the aboriginal people of Taiwan. In addition, he began infusing his compositions with Western musical elements due to his studies in the United States. The result is a series of three sonatas composed in a diverse array of styles. The three Sonatas for Violin and Piano by Lee are part of the genre of duo chamber music, a collaborative art demanding strong connections between the two performers. The process of ii rehearsing complicated pieces such as these poses a challenge that a solo performer does not encounter. While it is always beneficial to explore the background of the music before performing it, a deeper understanding of the music is achieved during the rehearsal process. The author has been invited by Lee to perform these three sonatas in 2011 with three distinguished violinists and, in preparation for these performances, has already recorded the three sonatas. Such an opportunity has created an examination of the collaborative process within the music and the challenges faced by both performers. In addition to an examination of the musical influences on the composition of these works and a biography of the composer, the author will also provide a performance guide to the works in the hopes of encouraging future performances. / Dissertation/Thesis / D.M.A. Music 2010

<p> This paper will serve as a practical performance guide for students and young pianists who wish to explore this sonata, and will provide knowledge that will help them shape their own interpretation. Interpretations vary from pianist to pianist and this paper will not propose a unique interpretation of Barber&rsquo;s Sonata Op. 26. Instead, I will analyze the piece step by step, so as to point out the harmonic and melodic material which should be followed in order to understand the structure of the music. With specific technical advice and aesthetic suggestions both from recordings and my own experience I will try to elucidate the very thick texture and give another perspective of the piece. </p><p> A brief sketch of the composer&rsquo;s biography will serve to establish an understanding of the historical background of the piece. Also, a stylistic analysis of the piece will be made through a study of the score. The original recording is the one by Vladimir Horowitz, whose relationship with Barber could absolutely be the subject of a whole new research project. </p>

<p> This project was intended to provide empirical data to determine if materials (e.g. Cocobolo, Mopane, Grenadilla, Delrin, and Purpleheart) used to make clarinet barrels have an effect on sound quality and response. The following questions were addressed in this study: For clarinet barrels, do different types of exotic hardwoods and plastics have a measurable effect on the sound qualities (timbre) of the clarinet? Do different materials used to manufacture clarinet barrels have a measurable effect on the response (immediacy of tone and vibration to the player) of the instrument? Do different materials have a measurable impact on the intensity (volume/projection) of the clarinet? Will participants have a preference for specific materials tested? Results indicated that 25% of participants chose Mopane, 25% of participants chose Grenadilla, 25% of participants chose Delrin, and 25% of participants chose Purpleheart, meaning no material was preferred by a majority of the participants. No participant chose Cocobolo. Though there were commonalities among recordings of each material, the findings were not substantial enough to determine true differences in timbre, response to articulation, or intensity.</p>

<p> I. Solo Recital: Sunday, April 28, 2013, 7:30 p.m., UNCG Recital Hall. <i> Sonata Concertante</i>, (Walter Hartley); <i>Romanza Appassionata </i>, (Carl Maria von Weber); <i>Ballade for Bass Clarinet</i>, (Eug&egrave;ne Bozza); <i>Sonatine</i>, pour Trombone et Piano (Jacques Cast&eacute;r&egrave;de); <i>Cinq melodies de Venise</i>, op. 58 (Gabriel Faur&eacute;). </p><p> II. Solo Recital: Sunday, March 2, 2014, 3:30 p.m., UNCG Recital Hall. <i> Red Dragonfly</i>, (Amy Riebs Mills); <i>Sieben fr&uuml;he Lieder </i>, (Alban Berg); <i>Capriccio da camera</i>, Op. 35 (Bernhard Krol). </p><p> III. Solo Recital: Sunday, November 16, 2014, 1:30 p.m., UNCG Recital Hall. <i>Fanfare</i>, (John Kenny); <i>Sonata</i>, for trombone and piano (Eric Ewazen); <i>F&uuml;nf Lieder</i>, (Witold Lutoslawski); <i>Fandango</i>, for trumpet, trombone and piano, (Joseph Turrin). </p><p> IV. Lecture Recital: Friday, February 27, 2015, 3:30 p.m., UNCG Organ Hall. <i>Drei Ges&auml;nge von Goethe</i>, "Mit einem gemalten Band," (Ludwig von Beethoven); <i>Sieben fr&uuml;he Lieder</i>, "Die Nachtigall," (Alban Berg); <i>F&uuml;nf Lieder</i>, "Dzwony cerkiewne," (Witold Lutoslawski). </p><p> V. D.M.A. Recital Document. SONG SETS BY BEETHOVEN, BERG, AND LUTOSLAWSKI: TRANSCRIPTIONS FOR TROMBONE AND PIANO WITHIN A LECTURE RECITAL. The purpose of this project was to transcribe and adapt idiomatic songs for the trombone and present the songs in a lecture recital that demonstrated the efficacy of the vocal works as literature for the trombone. The song sets chosen for this project represent three different periods of music composition, from Romantic to mid-twentieth century. The Romantic song set of <i>Drei Ges&auml;nge von Goethe</i> by Ludwig von Beethoven was chosen to best display the melodic and vocal quality of the trombone. <i>Sieben fr&uuml;he Lieder </i> by Alban Berg was chosen to demonstrate the chromatic capability of the trombone as a melodic instrument. The tonal and dynamic ranges of the trombone, as well as its rhythmic and articulation abilities were exercised in <i>F&uuml;nf Lieder</i> by Witold Lutoslawski.</p>

<p> The purpose of this study was to address performance practice, and develop a systematic approach to the preparation of three pieces composed for the <i> Morceaux de Concours</i> at the Paris Conservatory. The pieces were written by former students of the conservatory. Each composition features distinct musical and technical challenges for the trumpet. <i>Solo de Concours </i> written by Theo Charlier requires the performer to play musically in a variety of ranges, dynamics, and articulations. For this work, exercises were composed to address these demands. Morceau de Concours by Augustin Savard is technically less challenging but requires mastery of phrasing and lip flexibility. Finally, Legend requires the most preparation out of the three works examined. The composition requires a performer to have established solid trumpet fundamentals. For this piece, dynamic exercises, a chromatic etude and multiple tonguing exercises were developed to equip the trumpeter with the skills needed to excel in the performance of these works.</p><p>

Swedish art song is seldom performed in its original language by American singers, despite Sweden's long and notable history of internationally recognized native classical singers who have introduced Swedish song to American audiences. These songs appear to be deserving of consideration for several reasons. First, the works of many Swedish song composers have been acclaimed by both performers and scholars. Second, American musicians perform and study works composed by the mainstream European peers of numerous Swedish song composers. Third, Swedish song is performed in its original language in other European countries by non-Swedish singers. The preceding statements suggest that American singers should, at the very least, have access to resources that enable them to explore the Swedish art song repertory. One factor that may be responsible for the dearth of performances of Swedish song by American singers is the perceived inaccessibility of the Swedish language. Swedish lyric diction is taught at very few American universities and conservatories. Swedish language courses, while not quite as rare, are not offered at most institutions. Most notably, there is a near total omission of the Swedish language from lyric diction resources written in English. The present work will address this omission. The purpose of this project is to provide American singers with a diction resource that will allow them to formulate and pronounce IPA transcriptions of Swedish song texts. This resource should enable informed performances of Swedish vocal repertoire by American singers. This study may also be useful to choral conductors interested in performing Swedish choral works. / Music Performance

Master of Music / Department of Music / Julie Yu-Oppenheim / This report presents the biography of the composer Antonio Vivaldi, background of his composition Gloria, musical characteristics and analysis. Moreover, for a successful performance, rehearsal plans and techniques are also included. Antonio Vivaldi (1678-1741), one of the representative composers in Baroque period (1600-1750), wrote Gloria, in the early 18th century. The composition date is still disputed between scholars. He composed three settings of the Gloria text: RV 588, 589 and 590. Out of them RV 589 is the most performed setting. Gloria consists of twelve movements and orchestration of trumpet, oboe, strings, and continuo. Homophonic and polyphonic style is prevalent in this work. In addition, focus should be placed on the harmonic suspensions, the flow of chromatic melodic lines and melismas. For the recital, Chamber Singers consisted of 23 people who were the members of Concert Choir who have training focusing on clean and light tone with non-vibrato style.

Master of Music / Department of Music, Theater, and Dance / Craig Weston / Ralph Vaughan Williams, Igor Stravinsky, and Paul Hindemith, three prolific composers of the 20th century, wrote for the medium of the mass ordinary in different ways. This report comprises a survey of those composers’ styles using the Kyrie movement of the mass ordinary as the main vehicle of compositional exploration. The results of this compositional survey examine the form and various techniques the composers employ to garner the same emotional response from the listeners of the Kyrie text. The final portion of the report explores the author’s personal compositional contribution to the mass ordinary.

This project aims at preserving Haitian mythology music; it is conceptualized as having two components: • Digital Preservation Archive: The process generates equivalent notation of hardcopies as well as supplementary audio clip. The resulting artifacts are archived in a website. • Music Production Using Media Technologies: is an effort to stimulate interest in the music. Digital media technologies are applied toward arranging mythology songs for small Afro Western styled musical group. We design a workflow for notating, recording, and staging the music.

The Viola Concerto No. 1 was commissioned in 2010 by Xidi Shen, a viola professor at the Shanghai Conservatory of Music, and composed the same year by Zili Li (b. 1938), a Chinese composer and violinist. For musical, cultural, and technical reasons, this little-known Chinese viola concerto strongly aroused my interest, leading me to use it as the research subject for my doctoral dissertation and to also introduce this work to Western violists. This dissertation provides a performance guide to Zili Li's Viola Concerto No. 1. By analyzing the Mongolian music topics used in the work as well as addressing its typical Mongolian-style string performance techniques, the dissertation should provide a foundation for viola players who wish to play the work but are not familiar with this specific style. In addition, I hope that it can serve as an inspiration to other string players who are playing works based on Mongolian music.