Theses (M.S.)--Marshall University, 2006. / Title from document title page. Includes abstract. Document formatted into pages: contains xiii, 82 p. including col. illustrations and maps. Bibliography: p. 66-76.

Moment Variations is a three-movement composition for chamber orchestra and chamber choir of approximately 21 minutes duration. The basis of this piece is compositional unity through variations technique, where the retained element of the theme is its structure or fixed-structure variations.The fixed-structure is a succession of six musical events, called moments, in the order: I II III II IV V III V VI, where moments II, III, and V are internally repeated and I, IV, and VI occur only once.

This study presents and describes the events which comprise the history of the Tucson Arizona Boys Chorus from its organizaton in 1939, through 1979, the completion of its fourth decade of service. The document provides the reader with detailed information on how the group originated, its development as a community, non-profit, educational organization, and its rise to prominence, in its first forty years, as a nationally and internationally recognized performing choir. This dissertation is based on oral history as recorded by former chorus members, directors, parents and officials of the organization as well as from historical records in the archives of the Boys Chorus. The scope of this study includes an investigation and description of the events associated with the founding of the organization with specific attention given to each of the first four decades. Also included is a discussion of the three directors, Eduardo Caso (1939-1965), Jeffrey R. Haskell (1965-1975), John Stuart Davis (1975-1979), and other aspects of the Chorus. A general historical overview of boy choirs is included to establish a framework for placing the Tucson Arizona Boys Chorus in an appropriate context. The reader will find events summarized in chart form in an appendix. Other appendices detail documents associated with the organization, forms used in the research, Chorus repertoire, and a roster of assistant directors and accompanists.

In the beginning of the 21st century, the development of the technology and the transportation makes cultural exchange and musical activities more active. Choral composers also seek new ways to express themselves through their brilliant works. Bob Chilcott is a comtemporary composer and choral conductor from England. His musical works are full of passion and lyric melodies and has become very popular in the past ten years. A Little Jazz Mass was commissioned by Cheryl Dupont, the conductor of the New Orleans Children¡¦s Chorus, and first performed in the 2004 Crescent City Choral Festival. This work is a fusion of Jazz and Classical music. This 12-minutes long mass includes five short sections: Kyrie, Gioria, Sanctus, Benedictus and Agnus Dei. Chilcott blended the Blues and the Swing into a traditional mass frame, and made A Little Jazz Mass different to the traditional mass works. The thesis consists of five chapters. The chapter one is the introduction. Chapter two discusses the background of this work: Chilicot¡¦s life, the development of Missa Brevis and the style of Jazz. Chapter three analyzes A Little Jazz Mass, including the background and the details in this musical work. Chapter four focuses on the interpretation of this work and the rehearsal technique of approaching this piece. Chapter five is the conclusion.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Texas at Austin, 2007. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references.

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The most urgent amphibian conservation issue in the Upper Midwest has been Blanchard's cricket frog (Acris crepitans blanchardi) declines over much of their northern range. Several causes have been proposed to explain these declines, including pesticide applications, disease, habitat loss, and habitat modification. My goal was to explore these proposed causes. Using a combination of field and laboratory analyses, including population analyses, gross inspections for malformations, and a histopathological analysis for indicators of fungus, disease and parasites, I found evidence for disease (a viral infection) and stress (fluctuating asymmetry, malformations and parasitism). Interestingly, the population most affected by these factors was also the one that contained the most animals and was located south of the presumed decline front (i.e., was assumed to be healthy). / Department of Biology

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Hungary has a splendid achievement in the choral development in the 20th century. Because the deep influence of Nationalism and the rising of musicology, the elements of folk music are widely used in the choral compositions. Lajos Bárdos followed the concept of Béla Bartók and Zoltán Kodály, using local folk songs as the fundamental material to compose music which can be sung and taught for school and community choirs. Bárdos was one of the choral musicians who had significant positions in the early 20th century in Hungary. He wrote 34 a cappella choral pieces, as well as one accompanied female secular choral work. These pieces are in simple musical form, modal, clearly rhythmic, and displays enriching harmonic color and penetrating style of music. They are appropriate choices for modern choral educators to use. This thesis contains five chapters. The first chapter is the introduction. The second chapter focuses on the background of Hungary: Part One is the brief introduction of the national conditions of Hungary; Part Two is a chronicle of the Hungarian music development, from the very beginning to the 20th century; Part Three briefly discusses composers who made great contribution to choral development and their important compositions. Chapter Three consists of two parts. Part one is a biographic sketch of Bárdos¡¦ life. Part Two introduces the musical characteristic and style of Bárdos¡¦ choral works. Chapter Four analyzes five pieces for women¡¦s chorus-- ¡§High is the Rue Tree¡¨ (Magos a rutafa), ¡§Peak in the Plain¡¨ (Bérc a rónán), ¡§Blow the Pipe¡¨ (Fújd a sípot!), ¡§Sing!¡¨ (Cantemus!), and ¡§the Bride¡¨ (Menyecske). Rehearsal techniques and teaching suggestions are also included in this chapter. Chapter Five draws conclusions from the study. Three appendix are included in this thesis. Appendix A is the phonetic alphabets and phonics rules of Hungarian. Appendix B contains the translation and Hungarian pronunciation of the lyrics of the five analyzed pieces. Different versions of scores, phonographic recordings, and lyrics of Bárdos¡¦ female secular choral works are included in Appendix C.