<p> This project report analyzes Eric Whitacre&rsquo;s choral piece <i> When David Heard</i>, a work about grieving the loss of a son, alongside psychologist Elizabeth K&uuml;bler-Ross&rsquo;s five stages of grief. The paper serves to better understand the lamentation of King David in Whitacre&rsquo;s piece by seeing where each of the five stages fit into the process of grief throughout the piece. </p><p> The analysis observes Whitacre&rsquo;s variety of musical devices such as tonal clusters, intermittent silences, and polyrhythms, as a means to describe the stages of grief that David is experiencing. By understanding these different stages of grief within the piece, one can conduct or sing the performance of this piece with better understanding of this grief.</p><p>

<p> This doctoral document and accompanying lecture recital seek to illuminate and bring clarity to <i>aura</i> (2011) for three percussionists and <i>AURA</i> (2015) for four percussionists by Icelandic composer Anna Thorvaldsd&oacute;ttir. This composition is examined through a thorough musical and formal analysis to show that there is a guiding force to be found behind the sustained drones and complex bell themes of the piece. A performance guide to reduce the composition&rsquo;s logistical and musical challenges is included in the hopes that it will shorten the learning curve for a new ensemble as they learn the piece. It is this author&rsquo;s aim that this resource will make this composition accessible to a wider range of ensembles and thereby bring more exposure to the music of Anna Thorvaldsd&oacute;ttir. </p><p> In addition, biographical information and a survey of the composer&rsquo;s compositional process and style is included to increase the limited amount of scholarly research that currently exists on Dr. Thorvaldsd&oacute;ttir and her works.</p><p>

<p> The aim of this study is to provide insight into the percussion music of Dave Maric through an analysis of a trilogy of pieces with backing track, <i> Trilogy</i> (2000), <i>Sense &amp; Innocence</i> (2002/2014), and <i>Thrice Into Flames</i> (2017). The present study examines Maric&rsquo;s influences, analyzes his compositional style, and provides a performance guide. Brief biographical information is provided to introduce Maric. His compositional style is examined by analyzing tonal language and formal structures. The tonal language of these pieces combines octatonic scales and diatonic scales. In terms of form, Maric uses mathematical sequences to determine proportions between sections, including the Fibonacci sequence. The performance guide includes sticking suggestions, transcriptions of backing track cues, and additional comments.</p><p>

<p>Viator, Landon Bachelor of Music, University of Louisiana at Lafayette, Fall 2015; Master of Music, University of Louisiana at Lafayette, Spring 2017 Major: Music Title of Thesis: Thanatos Thesis Director: Dr. Quincy Hilliard Pages in Thesis: 68; Words in Abstract: 94 Abstract The purpose of this thesis is to provide a theoretical analysis of my composition as well as demonstrate the techniques used to compose and compile electroacoustic music in the digital realm using a DAW software. I have demonstrated how to use MIDI instruments to compose music, how equalization was used to digitally change the timbre of the guitar and drums, how compression was used to control the dynamic range of the drums and add fullness to their sound, and I have demonstrated how to create MIDI notes to be played by the software instruments.

<p> Throughout his career, Alexander Scriabin created a bridge between traditional romantic harmony and modernistic, chromatic tendencies that ultimately led to the post-tonal era. Scriabin&rsquo;s middle period after Opus 32 displays several examples of his progressive harmony. However, Scriabin&rsquo;s transition into harmonic exploration is quite apparent in his <i>Fantasy in B minor </i>, which was written three years before his middle period is observed. This may demonstrate that Scriabin was developing his harmonic techniques much earlier in his career. </p><p> Furthermore, the thorough documentation of Scriabin&rsquo;s color associations shows that Scriabin conceived his music with a strong integration of sound-color awareness. Many moments in the <i>Fantasy</i> appear to possess relationships between sound and color, which can be found in expanded harmonic techniques and multi-timbral textures within the pianistic writing. This essay will first discuss the existing research completed on Scriabin&rsquo;s harmonic tendencies within earlier works, and then analyze the similar techniques used in the <i>Fantasy</i>. Using previous knowledge gathered about synesthesia, this essay will then examine the connections between Scriabin&rsquo;s perspective on composition and his connection to synesthesia. </p><p> In summary, Scriabin&rsquo;s unconventional voice leading, chromatic harmonic progressions, and altered tertian voicing, will be analyzed in Opus 28. Afterwards, synesthetic and multi-textural analysis will be demonstrated for the purposes of observing Scriabin&rsquo;s exploration of the pianistic soundscape and synesthetic-inspired compositional techniques.</p><p>