This treatise focuses on the evolution of percussion writing in the wind ensemble works of Karel Husa. Despite the prevailing method of composing for percussion in wind ensemble works being relegated to support roles, Husa treated percussion as a true unique section and tailored his compositions to their strengths. Through his masterworks for wind ensemble, Karel Husa helped expand the percussionist’s role from merely support for other sections of the ensemble to a section that presents primary motivic material representing a range of ideas and programmatic content including the invasion of Prague in the 1960’s to the condemnation of the treatment of our planet in the 1970’s. This treatise presents an introduction to the topic, a biographical overview of Karel Husa’s life, and finally an examination of Husa’s percussion writing in five of his works for wind ensemble. Score examples are used to demonstrate rhythmic and melodic motives, timbral support for wind instruments, and rhythmic demarcation of new sections. / A Treatise submitted to the College of Music in partial fulfillment of the Doctor of Music. / Summer Semester 2017. / July 14, 2017. / Band, Karel Husa, Music, Percussion, Wind Ensemble / Includes bibliographical references. / John W. Parks, IV, Professor Directing Treatise; Richard Clary, University Representative; Leon Anderson, Committee Member; Patrick Dunnigan, Committee Member.

Perhaps more than any other brass instrument, the tuba repertoire contains numerous unaccompanied pieces including extended techniques. Since the composition of Mauricio Kagel’s Mirum in 1965, unaccompanied works for solo tuba have regularly incorporated extended techniques. This document will examine the extended techniques included in unaccompanied works for solo tuba composed from 1965 to 1973 and 2002 to 2013, examining the similarities and differences in their usage. Brief biographical information about the composers and about those for whom the pieces are written will also be provided. / A Treatise submitted to the College of Music in partial fulfillment of the requirement for the degree of Doctor of Music. / Summer Semester 2017. / May 8, 2017. / Extended, Techniques, Tuba / Includes bibliographical references. / Paul Ebbers, Professor Directing Treatise; Steven Kelly, University Representative; John Drew, Committee Member; Christopher Moore, Committee Member.

The purpose of this treatise is to provide information about and introduce the art songs of American composer Timothy Hoekman (b. 1954) through an analysis and comparison of three song cycles: To Make a Prairie (for soprano and piano) with texts of Emily Dickinson, The Nash Menagerie (for countertenor or mezzo-soprano and piano) with texts of Ogden Nash, and Three Poems of William Butler Yeats (for soprano, violin, cello, and piano). Although well-known as a pianist and vocal coach, Hoekman deserves recognition for his compositions, listed in Appendix A, which includes several song cycles. His combination of idiomatic piano writing and expressive text setting has produced many pieces that stand out as profound examples of American art song. This document attempts to further spread awareness of Hoekman’s music. The first chapter is a biography of Timothy Hoekman with an overview of his musical catalogue. The second through fourth chapters introduce and analyze To Make a Prairie, The Nash Menagerie, and Three Poems of William Butler Yeats, respectively. The fifth chapter concludes the treatise with descriptions of Hoekman’s compositional style traits as determined from the previous song cycle analyses. / A Treatise submitted to the College of Music in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Music. / Summer Semester 2018. / May 4, 2018. / Cycle, Hoekman, Piano, Poetry, Song, Voice / Includes bibliographical references. / Timothy Hoekman, Professor Directing Treatise; Jane Piper Clendinning, University Representative; Deborah Bish, Committee Member; Valerie M. Trujillo, Committee Member.

This treatise focuses on the percussion music of pioneering performer, pedagogue, and composer Michael Udow, Professor Emeritus at the University of Michigan from 1982 to 2011. Michael Udow occupied a unique position as performer, teacher, and composer. His access to a vast personal and academic instrument inventory coupled with dedicated students allowed for high-quality workshops and performances of his compositions, producing numerous examples of new/unique sound sources and instrument setups/combinations. Areas of focus include a brief biography of Professor Udow, performance analyses of three works selected as examples of his eclectic compositional style, and finally a comprehensive list of Dr. Udow’s works for solo percussion and chamber percussion ensembles. Pedagogical and performance issues are addressed at the conclusion of each analysis to encourage compelling interpretations of Udow’s music. / A Treatise submitted to the College of Music in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Music. / Fall Semester 2017. / November 2, 2017. / Blackearth, Equilibrium, Michael Udow, Percussion, Percussion Ensemble / Includes bibliographical references. / John Will Parks, Professor Directing Treatise; Frank Gunderson, University Representative; Christopher Moore, Committee Member; Patrick Dunnigan, Committee Member.

In its early years, composers often treated the clarinet as if it were a brass instrument, particularly a trumpet, by writing bugle-like lines for the instrument. By the end of the 18th century, the word ‘clarinet’ was used to denote a woodwind instrument played with a single reed and included a bell attachment. As advancements were made by instrument-makers, the clarinet developed into an instrument that was no longer compared strictly to the trumpet. D clarinets were used by many composers between approximately 1710 and 1750. However, a few composers continued to write for the instrument after 1750. Some of the most well-known orchestral excerpts for E-flat clarinet were originally written for the D clarinet, including: Strauss’s Till Eulenspiegel, Stravinsky’s Rite of Spring and Firebird, Bartok’s Miraculous Mandarin, and Mahler’s fifth and sixth symphonies. The D clarinet has steadily declined in popularity after its peak in the middle of the eighteenth century, possibly due to the rise in popularity of the military band, which used the E-flat clarinet. However, some orchestral works are still being performed regularly that utilize the D clarinet, including those previously mentioned. Most orchestras will substitute the E-flat clarinet for these performances even though the score was written for D clarinet. Often times, the parts are in a more challenging key due to transposition and would be better suited for the D clarinet. The instrument blends particularly well with the strings in the orchestra, and has a darker sound than its E-flat counterpart. Major orchestras spend a large amount of money locating specific instruments to fulfill the needs of the original score, yet the E-flat clarinet is still allowed to substitute for the instrument the scores were originally intended for. While D clarinets are no longer regularly produced in most countries, it is still possible to acquire one. The focus is to provide a detailed history of the D clarinet, including its appearances and development throughout the world. Because there is limited material dedicated to the D clarinet, the treatise aims to provide a list of solo, chamber and orchestral repertoire utilizing the instrument. In combining the collection of repertoire, historical research and interviews with D clarinet specialists, it is my hope to highlight the repertoire of an instrument that rarely receives attention in lesson and performance settings and articulate a practical application of the D clarinet in current music. / A Treatise submitted to the College of Music in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Music. / Fall Semester 2017. / November 3, 2017. / Clarinet, D Clarinet, Molter / Includes bibliographical references. / Deborah Bish, Professor Directing Treatise; William Fredrickson, University Representative; Anne R. Hodges, Committee Member; Jonathan Holden, Committee Member.

<p> The Italian noble Carlo Gesualdo (1566&ndash;1613), Prince of Venosa and Count of Conza, is remembered in history just as much for his eventful and tormented life as he is for the richly expressive music he composed. His vengeful slaying of his first wife Donna Maria D&rsquo;Avalos and her lover Fabriozo Carafa Duke of Andria is widely regarded to be one of the great murder stories of Renaissance Europe, and from it stemmed wild folklore and superstition regarding the Prince. His famously melancholic disposition, numerous romantic affairs (including one with a practicing witch), brutally masochistic behaviors, and turbulent relationship with his Catholic faith only helped solidify his place as among the most notorious and fascinating nobles of his day. As for his music, his six books of Madrigals and other assorted religious works brought Renaissance compositional styles to their ultimate finale with their groundbreaking use of chromaticism, highly complex counterpoint, and expressive figures. But another part of this extraordinary life is all too often overlooked&mdash;his encounters with the hidden mysteries of the occult. The historical evidence for such involvement is well-documented on a number of fronts. However, any connections or influence this may have had regarding his music have gone largely unexplored. </p><p> The goal of this project report is to explore direct relations between Gesualdo&rsquo;s music and the occult, specifically relating to Tarot, Hermeticism, and Catholic theology. This can be achieved through analysis of his choices in counterpoint, melodic structure, modulations, and text setting, all relating directly to the symbolism contained in an altarpiece in his personal chapel, <i> Il Perdono di Gesualdo</i>. By doing so one may divulge the esoteric mysteries connected in the mind responsible for, arguably, among the most revolutionary western music of the time.</p><p>

The purpose of this treatise is to provide information about and introduce the art songs of American composer Timothy Hoekman (b. 1954) through an analysis and comparison of three song cycles: To Make a Prairie (for soprano and piano) with texts of Emily Dickinson, The Nash Menagerie (for countertenor or mezzo-soprano and piano) with texts of Ogden Nash, and Three Poems of William Butler Yeats (for soprano, violin, cello, and piano). Although well-known as a pianist and vocal coach, Hoekman deserves recognition for his compositions, listed in Appendix A, which includes several song cycles. His combination of idiomatic piano writing and expressive text setting has produced many pieces that stand out as profound examples of American art song. This document attempts to further spread awareness of Hoekman’s music. The first chapter is a biography of Timothy Hoekman with an overview of his musical catalogue. The second through fourth chapters introduce and analyze To Make a Prairie, The Nash Menagerie, and Three Poems of William Butler Yeats, respectively. The fifth chapter concludes the treatise with descriptions of Hoekman’s compositional style traits as determined from the previous song cycle analyses. / A Treatise submitted to the College of Music in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Music. / Summer Semester 2018. / May 4, 2018. / Cycle, Hoekman, Piano, Poetry, Song, Voice / Includes bibliographical references. / Timothy Hoekman, Professor Directing Treatise; Jane Piper Clendinning, University Representative; Deborah Bish, Committee Member; Valerie M. Trujillo, Committee Member.

This work focuses on social and artistic performance in seventeenth-century French salons, and the representation of this aristocratic culture through performance. It seeks to understand how polite amateurs regarded professional performers, and vice versa. I use the study of performance to reveal distinctive constraints and liberties of early modern aristocratic culture, to identify and compare its aesthetic and moral values, to uncover forgotten practices specific to the salon, and to elucidate the rapport between the sexes in this social setting. Finally, I consider the salon as a subject of dramatic representation in order to interrogate the distinctions and reflections between aristocratic performance and professional performance in the seventeenth century. The art of conversation practiced in the salon was a performance that hid itself between interlocutors under a guise of refined "naturalness." It was integral to aristocratic culture, as were the polite arts of singing, poetic recitation, acting, voiced reading, and impersonation. However, all of these performances presented certain risks for salonniers, for through them the performer could possibly appear affected, duplicitous, immodest, undignified, or malicious, the same vices commonly attributed to lowly stage performers. My study proposes answers to the following two questions: How did salonniers endeavor to reconcile performance artistry with the aristocratic ideals of naturalness and civility? How did salon performance practices in turn influence stage practice, notably the staging of salon conversation?

This treatise provides an annotated catalogue of solo piano repertoire by currently living women composers who were born in the second half of the twentieth century and are from mainland China, Hong Kong, and Taiwan. It serves as a practical reference source and guide to this literature. The first chapter discusses the current situation for Asian women composers and the significance of this study. The second chapter is a catalogue of the composers and their solo piano works that I collected for this study. Biographical information and descriptive summaries of the pieces allow performers, teachers, and scholars to easily survey this particular repertoire, choose pieces for study and performance, and discover new works. The final chapter provides critical commentary and offers my observations on sources of inspiration and elements of musical style in the collected repertoire. The appendix includes a table of composers and works for readers to locate pieces quickly based on the origin of the composer or the level of difficulty and duration of the piece. This project contributes to a growing body of recent scholarship on new music by Asian composers. It aims to introduce more of this repertoire into the general piano literature so that the music of Asian women composers can be discussed and performed more regularly. / A Treatise submitted to the College of Music in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Music. / Spring Semester 2019. / April 16, 2019. / Asian Women Composer, China, Hong Kong, Solo Piano Repertoire, Taiwan / Includes bibliographical references. / Read Gainsford, Professor Directing Treatise; Jane Piper Clendinning, University Representative; Diana Dumlavwalla, Committee Member; David Kalhous, Committee Member.

Transcriptions have long held significance in the solo euphonium repertoire; the first euphonium solos performed were transcriptions of trombone and cornet works from the turn of the 20th century. Despite the vast growth of this genre in the last thirty years, transcriptions have maintained their significance and continue to be a staple part of university studio curricula and solo recital programs. However, these curricula and programs utilize few transcribed works compared to the body of original compositions from which standard transcriptions are derived, largely the Baroque and Classical periods. There also exists no written guide to assist euphoniumists in crafting their own transcriptions. The value of transcriptions is in challenging the euphoniumist in the technical skills required by the music and exposing euphoniumists to new pieces of repertoire. The process of transcribing requires the transcriber to learn the notation of the music, performance practices of the time in which the music was written, and the composer’s biography and its influence on their compositions. The student will also educate themselves on the instruments utilized in the compositions and how these instruments differ from their modern versions, and materials and commentary from performers and pedagogues to which euphoniumists are rarely exposed. As such, the true value of a euphoniumist crafting their own transcription is in providing opportunities to improve their performing abilities, and in crafting a more consummate musician. When transcribing works from one instrument or voice to another, the transcriber must accept that the work will not be entirely the same in the transcription as it was previously in the original composition. In some works, like Beethoven’s Cello Sonata No. 1, Op. 5 No.1, the solo cello material is characteristic of idiomatic writing of the euphonium and few alterations will need to be made. However, most works, including the first movement of Franz Schubert’s Piano Sonata No. 21 in B-flat Major, D. 960, and Johann Sebastian Bach’s Partita for Violin in B Minor, No.1, BWV 1002, numerous alterations will need to be made in order to make the works achievable to a euphoniumist of moderately advanced ability. There are a great number of works for which a transcription for the euphonium is not feasible. Some works are so uniquely and characteristically composed for the original instrument that a transcription for the euphonium would be absurd. It is the responsibility of the transcriber to select works suitable to transcribing for the euphonium and to keep the works’ musical integrity as intact as possible. This means that the transcriber should only make changes to the original work when necessary, and the changes made should be as imperceptible as possible. The body of this treatise was derived from books, periodicals, theses, analysis and study of the musical scores, and the personal experiences of the author in applying transcriptive techniques in practice and performances. This treatise focuses on techniques and principles utilized in adapting non-wind instrumental works into transcriptions performable by a solo euphoniumist of moderately advanced ability. In the first chapter, Ludwig van Beethoven’s Cello Sonata No.1, Op. 5, No. 1 will be utilized to describe techniques required to transcribe cello solos with piano accompaniment. The focus of the second chapter will be transcribing an unaccompanied euphonium solo from unaccompanied stringed instrument repertoire using Johann Sebastian Bach’s Partita for Violin, No.1, BWV 1002. Finally, the third chapter will focus on transcribing a solo piano work into a solo euphonium with piano accompaniment format using Franz Schubert’s Piano Sonata No. 21 in B-flat Major, D. 960. The octave designation system used in this treatise is that of the International Standards Organization. In this system, middle C is notated as C4, an octave higher than middle C is C5, and an octave lower than middle C is C3. Each octave begins with C and ends with B such that the B below C4 is B3. / A Treatise submitted to the College of Music in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Music. / Spring Semester 2019. / April 8, 2019. / Includes bibliographical references. / Justin Benavidez, Professor Directing Treatise; Richard Clary, University Representative; John Drew, Committee Member; Christopher Moore, Committee Member.