Thesis (D.M.A.)--Ohio State University, 2007. / Title from first page of PDF file. Includes bibliographical references (p. 90-91).

Thesis (D.M.A.)--University of North Texas, 2005. / System requirements: Adobe Acrobat Reader. Accompanied by 4 recitals, recorded Dec. 2, 2001, Nov. 24, 2002, Apr. 14, 2003, and Aug. 4, 2005. Includes bibliographical references (p. 43-44).

Award-winning composer John Musto stands at the forefront of modern American art-song composition. Many of his songs, such as "Litany" from Shadow of the Blues, have already achieved a place in the standard contemporary repertory for singers. His compositional technique weaves influences of jazz, blues, ragtime, and popular music with classical technique to make music that is decidedly modern but accessible and well liked both by critics and audiences. Unfortunately, though he is still actively composing, very little has been written about Musto and there is a lack of information available about his more recent compositions. This performance guide addresses one of Musto's acclaimed song cycles, Penelope, (a cycle of seven songs for soprano and piano) commissioned and premiered in 2000. The story of the cycle is an updated version of the character Penelope from Homer's The Odyssey and was a collaboration between Musto and poet Denise Lanctot. Including interviews with Musto, and his wife, soprano Amy Burton, who premiered the cycle and for whom it was written, the document provides background information on how the cycle was conceived and gives in-depth performance information on each of the seven songs of Penelope. In addition to musical examples and poetry from the songs, this study also contains a catalogue of Musto's compositions listing premiere dates, performers, and information about the commission of each work.

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John Musto (b. 1954) is a composer of many genres for voice including song, opera and chamber music. Influences of jazz, ragtime, blues, and popular music have strongly influenced Musto's unique compositional style, which often incorporates contemporary genres with formal classical techniques. Held in high esteem by his colleagues of fellow composers and performers, Musto is often commissioned to compose new works for specific artists and events. This document focuses on two of these compositions, River Songs (2002) and The Brief Light (2010). Examination of these two chamber cycles displays the composer's unique compositional style and lends insight into the choices made by Musto during the composing process. Performers can use this document to better understand Musto's use of harmony, poetry, and instrumentation to inform performances of these songs.