Drawing from scholarship on play, ritual, and performance, I propose that Czech bluegrass thrives – as does my fieldwork – in a state of in-betweenness, in a territory that is between work, play, here and there, self and other. Being comfortable with this kind of in-between state is important for fieldwork, and for music-making – play, I find, is both a central activity and metaphor in both. The bluegrass play I discuss in this essay can become a response to the encroachment of Americanization in economic and cultural globalization, but also a way of being “Americanist” – and entirely Czech.

This presentation is the premiere performance of a new musical composition for solo oboe, bluegrass band, and narrator. This new work combines the diverse musical traditions of Western classical music and Bluegrass with storytelling to reflect the unique cultural heritage of Appalachia. Appalachia is home to a rich and diverse cultural heritage that reflects its history of immigration. The modern oboe is a double reed instrument of French lineage that has served an important role in the development of the modern symphony orchestra. Bluegrass music also has European roots, but is a uniquely American genre reflecting the region’s rich history of immigration and integration of cultures. Bluegrass and Western classical music each have respective traditions in the method of music performance, composition, and dissemination. This performance is the premiere of a new musical composition commissioned for oboe soloist, bluegrass band and narrator. Incorporating a newly written narrative that reflects Appalachian storytelling and literary traditions, the piece incorporates the instruments, methods of performance, and musical style of the two musical genres. Re-imagining Faust’s tragic tale for this unique instrumental ensemble, this innovative work incorporates the dramatic tale of a desperate man who makes a deal with the devil to win the heart of an enchanting oboist.

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Songs performed: "Dixie Breakdown" "Country Boy Rock 'n Roll" Blue Moon Of Kentucky" "Hallelujah We Shall Rise".

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Agustin Barrios's guitar music has become increasingly popular over the last forty years. After his death, a revival of interest in his compositions began in the 1970s, motivated by a series of publications and recordings of his music by important guitar performers at that time. The most important of these recordings came from the Australian guitar performer John Williams, who was interviewed in 1976 by ABC Television Australia for a film about the Paraguayan composer. The next year, Williams recorded a collection of fifteen works in his album John Williams-Barrios: John Williams Plays the Music of Agustín Barrios Mangoré. After this, the published editions of Barrios's works have proliferated, many of these transcriptions of the composer's own recordings. However, the publication of differing transcriptions has led to a lack of authoritative editions, creating a confusing situation for performers. Therefore, this research intends to highlight the importance of making critical editions of Barrios's works based on folk music, using the Cueca as an example. This research offers an analysis and comparison of Chilean cuecas from the first half of the twentieth-century--the timeframe in which Barrios was in contact with this genre--to Barrios's Cueca. Second, it proposes a critical/performance edition of Barrios's work taking into account both the performance practice of traditional Chilean cuecas, and the two primary sources of this work: a handwritten manuscript and the composer's own recording. This research does not analyze nor compares the Argentinian and Bolivian versions of the cueca.

Thesis (D. Mus. Arts)--University of Washington, 1998. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves [55]-58).

Student musicians were recruited to participate in an experimental repeated measures research design study to identify effects of heart rate variability (HRV) biofeedback training and emotional self-regulation techniques, as recommended by HeartMath® Institute, on music performance anxiety (MPA) and music performance. Fourteen students were randomly assigned to a treatment or control group following a 5 minute unaccompanied baseline performance. Treatment group participants received 4-5 HRV training sessions of 30-50 minutes each. Training included bibliotherapy, using the computerized Freeze-Framer® 2.0 interactive training software, instruction in the Freeze-Frame® and Quick Coherence® techniques of emotional regulation, and also use of an emWave® portable heart rate variability training device for home training. Measures included the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI), Performance Anxiety Inventory (PAI), Flow State Scale (FSS), average heart rate (HR), and heart rate variability (HRV). Quade's rank transformed ANCOVA was used to evaluate treatment and no-treatment group comparisons. Combined MPA scores showed statistical significance at p=.05 level with large effect size of eta2=.320. Individual measurements of trait anxiety showed a small effect size of eta2=.001. State anxiety measurement showed statistical significance at the p=.10 level with a large effect size eta2=.291. FSS showed no statistical or effect size difference. PAI showed no statistical significance and a large effect size eta2=.149. HR showed no statistical significance and a large effect size eta2=.143. HRV showed statistical significance at p=.000 level and a large effect size eta2=.698. This study demonstrated practical/clinical significance of a relatively quick and inexpensive biofeedback training that had large effect at decreasing mental, emotional, and physiological symptoms of MPA for university students.

Performances of multimedia works are hampered by the difficulty of controlling large numbers of incandescent lamps rapidly and accurately. The instrument described in this document is aimed at alleviating this problem. Chapter I describes the design and operation of the voltage-controlled dimmer unit and the DC controller. Chapter II describes step-by-step procedures for building the instrument. Schematics, wiring diagrams, and illustrative photographs are included. Chapter III discusses some of the aesthetics and philosophy of multimedia composition, and then describes various scenarios which utilize the instrument. Included are the connection of peripheral control equipment, audio/Video interfacing, and the potential for constructing prepared tapes which will automatically drive the dimmers. The prototype was built at the NTSU Electronic Music Center.

published_or_final_version / Environmental Management / Master / Master of Science in Environmental Management