In 2003, Jan Bach completed his monumental Concerto for Tuba and Chamber Orchestra. This concerto requires unique performance techniques and technical skills unlike the majority of available tuba repertoire. In addition to these techniques, the guide explores the influence of popular songs, jazz/rock/funk styles, implied humor, and personal experience through an interview with the composer.

abstract: This research paper will examine William Bolcom’s compositional style and performance challenges related to Three Popular Rags (1967-1968), Knockout: A Rag (2008), Estela: Rag Latino (2010), and Contentment - A Rag (2015). The aim is to reveal some of his contributions to the revival and expansion of ragtime. The paper includes a brief background on William Bolcom and a history of ragtime music. Differences between the compositional styles of Scott Joplin and Bolcom are discussed through descriptive analysis, focusing on musical forms, rhythms, harmonies, and textures. The performance suggestions include elements of dynamics, articulation, extended piano techniques, and pedal use. The author hopes that this stylistic analysis and performance guide will further interest in Bolcom’s piano ragtime music. / Dissertation/Thesis / Doctoral Dissertation Music 2020

abstract: Concert bands as we know them today started in the nineteenth century. The repertoire at that time consisted primarily of orchestral transcriptions penned almost exclusively by people who identified as white male. In the twentieth century, even as the creation of original works for concert band became common place, the rate of compositions written by someone other than a white male was minimal. Composers from other communities were seldom played or introduced into the canon. Today, the instances of concerts including only white male composers are increasingly rare. Diverse and innovative programming have become much more the norm and the opportunities for composers from underrepresented communities have never been greater. This project describes the commissioning and recording process of six new compositions for concert band from composers of traditionally underrepresented communities and backgrounds. And since several of the pieces are playable by public school bands, it also includes a pedagogically-based performance guide for each work. / Dissertation/Thesis / Bahay Kubo for Wind Ensemble by Francisco Javier de Alba / !? (interrobang) by Janet Song Kim / Shearwater for Wind Ensemble by Emily McPherson / Reflections for Concert Band by Cait Nishimura / Allied with Pride for Concert Band by Cody Ray / Incendio for Concert Band by Kristian Rodriguez / Doctoral Dissertation Music 2020

Korean Canadian composer Serra Miyeun Hwang (1962-) has written three compositions for cello- Beckoning, Presence, and Hundredth View- inspired by Korean culture and traditional music. She infuses each piece with Korean elements, including special rhythmic patterns, text, and tone color, which are influenced and motivated by traditional Korean percussion music, religions, culture, combined with techniques of Western instrumental performance. The purpose of this study is to introduce Hwang’s music to other cellists and help them incorporate the historical and cultural aspects of Korean traditional music to their performance practices. By analyzing Hwang’s compositions in greater detail, this essay will provide cellists practice guidelines to achieve the desired tone and interpretive gestures of new cello repertoire. This essay contains Hwang’s biography and her philosophy of music and a description of the Korean influences on her music, including the genres of traditional music in Korea, their cultural background, music in Shaman ceremonies, Buddhist music, and p’ungmul (folk drumming and dance). There is also a performance guide of Beckoning for Cello and two Korean Drums; Presence for Soprano, Cello, and Piano; and Hundredth View for Solo Cello with my own interpretation. Learning Hwang’s pieces will bring cellists new experiences that are a mixture of music, culture, thoughts, and methods from Western and Eastern influences.

abstract: John Harbison is one of the most prominent composers of the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. He has made major contributions in all areas of classical music, including operas, symphonies, chamber music, choral works, and vocal pieces.Among his vast output is 'Four Songs of Solitude,' his only composition (to date) for solo violin. Though the piece is beautiful and reflective in nature, its inherent technical and musical difficulties present challenges to violinists preparing the piece. There is no published edition of 'Four Songs of Solitude' that includes bowings and fingerings, and violinists used to practicing and performing the études and repertoire of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries may have difficulty determining how to successfully navigate the music. This paper examines the piece in detail, providing an analytic description of the music and suggestions for practice. An interview with the composer yielded many insights into the structural and harmonic events of the songs, and the composer's interpretive suggestions are given alongside technical suggestions by the author. The solo violin has a centuries-long legacy, and some of the most performed repertoire exists in the medium. 'Four Songs of Solitude' is a demanding set of pieces that stands out in late twentieth-century violin music. Providing information about the piece directly from the composer and suggestions for practice and performance increases the accessibility of the work for violinists seeking to bring it to the concert stage. / Dissertation/Thesis / D.M.A. Music 2012

Judith Weir (b. 1954) composed King Harald’s Saga: Grand Opera in Three Acts for Unaccompanied Solo Soprano Singing Eight Rôles (1979) for radio broadcast. She wrote the libretto for the opera based on Snorri Sturluson’s book, King Harald’s Saga. This opera illustrates Weir’s remarkable compositional style, including her treatment of the libretto in narrative style and her representation of multiple characters by one singer. Despite Weir’s fame as an opera composer, King Harald’s Saga is rarely performed owing to three major musical and performing challenges. These challenges are performer’s ability to delineate eight separate characters (dramatic challenges), to sing wide leaps and long melismas (vocal challenges), and to perform a cappella with wide leaps and complex rhythms (musical challenges). This dissertation presents a performance guide for the soprano addressing these three challenges and suggesting possible solutions. Such a guide will assist the soprano in preparing and performing this grand opera, which thus far has not received the due attention and appreciation of either performers or audiences.

abstract: Throughout history composers have used music to depict their perception of the refugee experience. This project expands upon this idea through the commission and recording of four new works for saxophone. The compositions are Different Arks for solo alto saxophone by John Secunde, Rubble/Resolve for alto saxophone and piano by Jared Yackiw, Emerging Light for soprano saxophone and vibraphone by Alan Hankers, and Unam aeternam for solo alto saxophone and stereo playback by Ashlee Busch. For each work, this project provides performance guides, biographical contexts, program notes, and recordings. I hope to encourage artists to discover and facilitate creative ways to draw attention to migration around the world and contribute to the fight against racism and xenophobia. / Dissertation/Thesis / Doctoral Dissertation Music 2020

The intent of this dissertation is to provide a reference guide for any prospective performer of Alec Wilder's four works for marimba: Suite for Solo Guitar (1976), Suite for Trumpet and Marimba (1977), Suite for Flute and Marimba (1977), and Sextet for Marimba and Wind Quintet (1977). The first part of the dissertation provides background information pertaining to Wilder himself, the works for marimba, and theoretical aspects of Wilder's music. The second part addresses specific performance problems contained in the music. The dissertation culminates with the presentation of a performance edition of the marimba part of the previously unedited Sextet. This dissertation will facilitate and enhance future performances of these works. It is hoped that this document will serve to help perpetuate and sustain interest in these important compositions.

No description available.

As one of the few piano works with Tibetan folk characteristics, the piano suite Tibetan Sketches composed by Bingyuan Cui presents a vivid depiction of the Tibetan people with colorful sound and considerable imagination. As a Tibetan, I have been greatly honored to research and perform this work and incorporate my understanding into this dissertation. The composer took into account Western composition techniques as well as Eastern music, combining religious and folk musical elements of Chinese ethnic minorities with Western piano techniques to create a wonderful work. This dissertation introduces the characteristics of Tibetan music and analyzes the work, then explores the use of Tibetan elements and the varied styles in the three movements of Tibetan Sketches. Cui uses a large number of Tibetan elements in this work, closely related to the local Tibetan music style in melodies, decorations, harmonies, tone color changes, and performance techniques. Based on the historical background and influence of Western music on the development of Chinese music and some other aspects, a brief description is given of the Eastern and Western music styles in the work. This dissertation introduces my own performance and learning experience when I studied this work, communications and an interview with the composer are also taken into account.