Abstract not available

Thesis (D.M.A.)--University of North Carolina at Greensboro, 2005. / Title from PDF title page screen. Advisor: William P. Carroll; submitted to the School of Music. Includes bibliographical references (p. 113-119).

Thesis (Ph. D)--University of Rochester, 2009. / Includes abstract and vita. Includes bibliographical references. Digitized version available online via the Sibley Music Library, Eastman School of Music http://hdl.handle.net/1802/10968

In this treatise, I will examine musical theater as a pedagogical tool for adolescent singers who have just begun training in classical singing technique. In addition to being a viable performance outlet, musical theater offers the student repertoire options in English, and can be used as an exercise in song interpretation. An adolescent with a mediocre voice or limited range can find something within the repertory to accommodate their personal limitations without sacrificing their desire to sing. Musical theater repertoire is a valid teaching tool and, when addressed properly and taught with a strong technical foundation, can be an entertaining and worthwhile addition to the student's growing repertory of song. If approached with serious focus on proper vocal production, a show tune can do for an adolescent voice what an art song may not be able to: it allows the singer to practice their art, while serving as an exercise in interpretation, musicality, and emotional connection. It is my hope to provide insight into how to adapt a rudimentary classical technique to a young voice, in order to pursue this genre safely and efficiently. / text

Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 2004. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 225-229) ; chronological list of copyrighted songs, 1902-1915 (leaves 230-247) ; chronological list of shows, 1903-1915 (leaves 248-253) ; and "Additional illustrations" (leaves 254-342). Vita on leaf 343.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--State University of New York at Buffalo, 1994. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 578-607).

This dissertation argues for increased scholarly engagement with “vernacular musical knowledge,” or VMK, as a methodological possibility for the burgeoning music-theoretical study of musical theater. I define VMK as a generalist term: it exists for every type of music, both contemporary and historical, and is musical knowledge that is held by (and informally passes between) practitioners within a musical community. This project primarily engages with the VMK of musical theater practitioners in New York City, as part of the Broadway theater community. This study offers a route for musical theoretical inquiry of musical theater that avoids introducing the common problematics that emerge from applying conventional music theory and its analytical techniques to musical theater repertoire. A detailed look at extant music theory literature, both considering musical theater topics and also concerning the pedagogy of music theory for musical theater musicians-in-training, reveals assumptions that often undermine arguments or arrive at misguided conclusions due to a basic incompatibility with the compositional realities of music for musical theater. In particular, this project investigates the socalled “work concept” that pervades western (classical) musical thought and identifies the ways in which it is not entirely applicable to musical theater shows. The latter portion of the project both exhibits the VMK of a sample of musical theater practitioners from New York City and provides an example of the type of scholarship that can emerge from scholarly engagement with such VMK. Investigating how contemporary Broadway music arrangers have influenced modern audiences’ perceptions of the classic “Broadway sound” through their ongoing re-creative work, it becomes clear that (1) the “sound” of so-called “Golden-Era” Broadway music is often an ahistorical fabrication, and that (2) the analysis of this music benefits greatly from the elucidation of musical creatives’ goals and viewpoints, without which one would reach very different analytical conclusions. This project demands critical engagement with the normative methodologies in music theory, especially when those methodologies are applied to popular music styles (and, in particular, musical theater). I argue that the scholarly inclusion of vernacular musical knowledge offers an alternative approach for the next generation of theorists studying musical theater.

The work of a Broadway music director is complex and requires a wide range of musical and extra-musical skills. Using three research questions, this dissertation investigates (1) what it is that a music director does, (2) how they learn to do various components of the job while at the same time navigating the pathway that leads to Broadway and (3) what is needed to maintain a career on Broadway. A review of literature reveals that peer-reviewed publications are practically silent on the topic of Broadway music directors. Answers to the first question are found in published literature, but a consensus definition does not emerge. Meanwhile, answers to the second and third questions are only indirectly addressed by the literature. This lack of information is a primary argument in favor of this study. The answers to these questions are explored using qualitative research methods to examine what individuals with real-world experience have to say about working as a music director on Broadway. The findings include a description of the necessity for piano skills, the importance of networking, the invaluable learning experience that comes from “being in the room,” and a need for resilience to overcome the challenges of working as a freelancer. Using the framework of the Theory of Expertise, important milestones and stages that Broadway music directors have navigated in their careers are discussed. Finally, barriers to entry into the field are identified along with a description of pipelines that are being built to help the next generation of aspiring music directors achieve success.

A creative work and dissertation in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts (Research) Macquarie University, Division of Humanities, Dept. of Contemporary Music Studies. / Dissertation, libretto and score of the opera. / Thesis (MA)--Macquarie University (Division of Humanities, Dept. of Contemporary Music Studies), 2005. / Bibliography: p. 138-141. / Introduction -- Historical background and literature review -- Structural and philosophic changes -- Chamber opera: a genre in evolution -- Chamber opera: its potential for the future -- The personal experiment -- Conclusion.. / From its origins as chamber opera just over four hundred years ago, Opera developed through the 18th and 19th centuries, in length and complexity, to attain the status of 'grand', a term that most people associate with opera to this day ... At the beginning of the 20th century, radical innovations in the arts influenced by movements such as the Bauhaus phenomenon, added to the aftermath of a world war that shattered existing socio-political structures and artistic sentiments turned from extroverted displays of grandeur to the creation of more cerebral, introverted styles. ... On the threshold of a new millennium, small, often experimental companies, passionately convinced of the relevance of, and excited by the artistic potential inherent in this revitalized form of opera, formed a loose consortium of creative artists internationally, similar in spirit to the original Camerata of the 16th century, making use of current technologies. Whether these newer works may be styled 'chamber opera' or 'music theatre', they represent a form in evolution, capable of further development into a new genre, a vital nexus of traditional skills applied to current issues, peculiarly suited to integration with electronic modes such as television. / Mode of access: World Wide Web. / 141 leaves music

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of California, San Diego, 2006. / Title from first page of PDF file (viewed June 14, 2006). Available via ProQuest Digital Dissertations. Vita. Includes bibliographical references (p. 392-417).