This study contributes to practical discussions on the composition of dynamic music for video games from the composer’s perspective. Creating greater levels of immersion in players is used as a justification for the proposals of the thesis. It lays down foundational aesthetic elements in order to proceed with a logical methodology. The aim of this paper is to build upon, and further hybridise, two techniques used by composers and by video game designers to increase further the reactive agility and memorability of the music for the player. Each chapter of this paper explores a different technique for joining two (possibly disparate) types of gameplay, or gamestates, with appropriate continuous music. In each, I discuss a particular musical engine capable of implementing continuous music. Chapter One will discuss a branching-music engine, which uses a precomposed musical mosaic (or musical pixels) to create a linear score with the potential to diverge at appropriate moments accompanying onscreen action. I use the case study of the Final Fantasy battle system to show how the implementation of a branching-music engine could assist in maintaining the continuity of gameplay experience that current disjointed scores, which appear in many games, create. To aid this argument I have implemented a branching-music engine, using the graphical object oriented programming environment MaxMSP, in the style of the battle music composed by Nobuo Uematsu, the composer of the early Final Fantasy series. The reader can find this in the accompanying demonstrations patch. In Chapter Two I consider how a generative-music engine can also implement a continuous music and also address some of the limitations of the branching-music engine. Further I describe a technique for an effective generative music for video games that creates musical ‘personalities’ that can mimic a particular style of music for a limited period of time. Crucially, this engine is able to transition between any two personalities to create musical coincidence with the game. GMGEn (<b>G</b>ame <b>M</b>usic <b>G</b>eneration <b>E</b>ngine) is a program I have created in MaxMSP to act as an example of this concept. GMGEn is available in the Demonstrations_Application. Chapter Three will discuss potential limitations of the branching music engine described in Chapter One and the generative music engine described in Chapter Two, and highlights how these issues can be solved by way of a third engine, which hybridises both. As this engine has an indeterminate musical state it is termed the intermittent-music engine. I go on to discuss the implementation of this engine in two different game scenarios and how emergent structures of this music will appear. The final outcome is to formulate a new compositional approach delivering dynamic music, which accompanies the onscreen action with greater agility than currently present in the field, increasing the memorability and therefore the immersive effect of the video-game music.

A popularização das redes de computadores, o aumento da capacidade computacional e sua utilização para produção musical despertam o interesse na utilização de computadores para comunicação síncrona de conteúdo musical. Esta comunicação pode permitir um novo nível de interatividade entre máquinas e pessoas nos processos de produção musical, incluindo a distribuição de atividades, pessoas e recursos em um ambiente computacional em rede. Neste contexto, este trabalho apresenta uma solução para comunicação síncrona de fluxos de áudio e MIDI em redes de computadores. Além de permitir a comunicação, a solução proposta simplifica a conexão de recursos musicais e permite a integração de sistemas heterogêneos, como diferentes sistemas operacionais, arquiteturas de áudio e formatos de codificação, de forma transparente em um ambiente distribuído. Como meio para alcançar esta solução, mapeamos requisitos e características desejáveis para este domínio de aplicação, a partir da interação com músicos e da análise de ferramentas relacionadas. Com base nestes requisitos e características projetamos uma arquitetura de sistema para o domínio específico de comunicação síncrona de conteúdo musical. Utilizando esta arquitetura como referência, implementamos uma biblioteca que compreende as funcionalidades essenciais para este domínio específico. A fim de integrar esta biblioteca com diferentes bibliotecas de áudio e MIDI, desenvolvemos um conjunto de ferramentas que correspondem aos requisitos propostos e que permite aos usuários a utilização de conexões de rede em diversas ferramentas musicais. / The popularization of computer networks, the growth in computational resources and their use in music production have raised the interest in using computers for synchronous communication of music content. This communication may allow a new level of interactivity between machines and people in music production processes, including the distribution of activities, resources and people within a networked music environment. In this context, this work presents a solution for synchronous communication of audio and MIDI streams in computer networks. Besides allowing communication, the proposed solution simplifies connections of music resources and allows the integration of heterogeneous systems, such as different operating systems, audio architecture and codification formats, transparently in a distributed environment. As a means for accomplishing this solution, we mapped requirements and desirable features for this application domain, from the interaction with musicians and the analysis of related software. Based on these requirements and features, we designed a system architecture for the specific domain of synchronous communication of music content. Using this architecture as reference, we implemented a library that comprises the essential functionalities for this specific domain. In order to integrate this library with different Audio and MIDI libraries, we developed a tool set that matches the proposed requirements and allows users to use network connections in several music tools.

Space, in the post-World War context, was the new frontier of ‘global’ dominion. Space Race of the 1950s was a competition to signal technological capability and military strength. The objective of War of the Moon is to unpack the motivation for Moon race in 1950s. What did countries have to gain politically, economically, socially and technologically by conquering space and landing on the moon. At what cost? Who financed it, and where did the labor, land, and raw materials sourced come from. And how it was used to accomplish said landing. Space security is a massive aspect of all current space programs, but this is not a new feature, in fact, its beginnings are in the Cold War era. The second objective of this thesis and exhibition is to understand through rhetoric analysis the language of “defense” as an ‘offensive’ strategy. The artwork uses computer technologies to interrogate media and archives mimicking the state’s methods to suppress information. The work examines through archives the erasure of minority groups from cultural depositories or archives, thereby writing them out of history as the meta themes of exploration of space, and deliberate and chronicled. It is important that this work is not viewed as reactionary, but engaged in a direct dialogue: these pieces exist within the public sphere, in exhibition and projection spaces vetted by governmental, private and non-profit agencies. What is required of the work is to be subversive — to be flexible, to remain able to move freely anywhere and everywhere, and to cross barriers when necessary.

Different music performances of the same piece may significantly differ from each other. Not only the composer and the score defines the listener’s music experience, but the music performance itself is an integral part of this experience. Four parameter classes can be used to describe a performance objectively: tempo and timing, loudness (dynamics), timbre, and pitch. Each of the individual parameters or their combination can generate a unique characteristic performance. The extraction of such objective parameters is one of the difficulties in the field of Music Performance Analysis and Music Information Retrieval. The submitted work summarizes knowledge and methods from both of the fields. The system is applied to extract data from 31 string quartet performances of 2. movement Lento of String Quartet no. 12 F major (1893) by czech romantic composer Antonín Dvořák (1841–1904).

Abdullah Shah (1680-1757) was the birth name of the boy who would later become one of the most eminent Sufi poets of South Asia, and the master of Sufi lyrics in Punjabi—Bulleh Shah. Living during times of strife and major conflict between the Sikhs and the crumbling Mughal Empire, Bulleh Shah wrote poetry with an underlying humanist and tolerant philosophy that challenged the turmoil of his times. Blind to the bounds of religion and caste in an increasingly divided India, Bullah’s spiritual philosophy and his message of equality found voice in his kafis—a genre of poetry indigenous to the Indian subcontinent that can be seen as a form of folk ballad. This project offers translations of 15 kafis from his identifiable corpus, preceded by a substantial introductionFurthermore, the project is accompanied. Each kafi is presented in three translations—literal, functional, and oral. The selected kafis draw on the three dominant themes in his work—Ishq, rebellion, and freedom. Scans of the original kafis in Shahmuki script Punjabi have been provided. Furthermore, the project is accompanied by an interpretive composition of the translated kafi “What Times, What Strange Times,” which was a collaboration between the author of the thesis, Akshaya Tucker, and Jacob Scharfman.

In The Souls of Black Folk (1903), W.E.B. Du Bois theorized that black peoples were viewed behind a metaphorical “veil” that consisted of three interrelated aspects: the skin as an indication of African Americans’ difference from their white counterparts, white people’s lack of capacity to see African Americans as Americans, and African Americans’ lack of capacity to see themselves outside of the labels white America has given them. This, according to Du Bois, resulted in the gift and curse of “double consciousness,” the feeling that one’s identity is divided. As African Americans fought for socio-political equality, the reconciliation of these halves became essential in creating a new identity in America by creating a distinct voice in the age of modernity. Intellectuals and artists of the Harlem Renaissance began to create new art forms with progressive messages that strove to uplift the race and ultimately lift the veil. William Grant Still (1895–1978), an American composer of African descent, accomplished this goal in his opera Blue Steel (1934) by changing how blackness—defined here as characteristics attributed to and intended to indicate the otherness of people of African or African-American descent—was portrayed on the operatic stage. Still exemplifies what Houston A. Baker called “mastery of form” by presenting double consciousness in the interactions of three characters, Blue Steel, Venable, and Neola, in order to offer a new and complex reading of blackness.

No description available.

Lionel Daunais was an eminent and beloved 20th-century Québécois musician who contributed greatly to the performing arts in Canada. Through his work with the Trio Lyrique, Les Variétés Lyriques, and his numerous compositions, he wielded a potent sphere of influence on the Canadian musical landscape. Lionel Daunais's compositions constitute a significant oeuvre, comprising solo vocal works, song cycles, folksong arrangements, individual choral works, and multi-movement choral works. Marked by irresistible wit, the melodicism of French mélodie, and the absolute eminence of the text, Figures de danse is his most well-known multi-movement choral work. Daunais penned the earliest extant version of Figures de danse in 1947, however, the work emerged into Québec's choral scene in the mid-1970s via the establishment of the Alliance des Chorales du Québec. This set of tragicomic caricatures, which sets beautiful choral and piano writing to clever—and sometimes hilariously nonsensical—texts by Daunais himself, is accessible for performance by youth choirs, community choirs, university choirs, and professional choirs alike. Unfortunately, various factors (e.g. the separation of the choral and piano scores, local references, and score errors) often stymie its performance. The purpose of this dissertation is to ameliorate these challenges via a conductor's guide and to advocate for the performance of Daunais's chef-d'oeuvre.

Rattachés à la tradition musicale occidentale savante, les travaux présentés dans cette thèse portent sur l’analyse de l’interprétation des œuvres de la période baroque (1600-1750) au piano. L’interprétation a été étudiée en lien avec deux compositions pour clavier seul : un extrait du dernier mouvement de la Partita en do mineur BWV 826 de J. S. Bach (1685-1750) et le Passepied GWV 325 de C. Graupner (1683-1760). Ces œuvres ont été jouées et enregistrées selon trois styles d’interprétation contrastants (romantique, moderne et rhétorique) dans le contexte de deux études expérimentales. Une étude auto-ethnographique a visé le développement d’un protocole d’analyse qualitative et quantitative de l’interprétation d’une œuvre de Bach selon les principes des trois styles. Une étude de cas a permis d’explorer la mise en pratique d’une méthode de travail pour le développement d’une démarche artistique informée et exploratoire en interprétation. Une approche mixte d’analyses qualitatives et quantitatives a été utilisée dans les deux études pour révéler les rapports entre différents types de paramètres d’exécution (dont les variations de tempo, l’articulation, la dynamique, la pédale ou l’expression) et les descriptions stylistiques (dont l’auto- explicitation des participants). En s’appuyant sur une étude de l’interprétation de la musique baroque au 20e siècle, un pianiste (l’auteur de la thèse) a enregistré un extrait de la Partita en do mineur (BWV 826) selon trois esthétiques contrastantes (romantique, moderne, rhétorique). Le jeu du pianiste a été capté en format de données MIDI sur un piano Yamaha Disklavier DC7X. Une description verbale de chaque style a été obtenue suivant la technique de l’auto-explicitation réalisée par le pianiste. Les captations sonores de chaque extrait ont ensuite été présentées à une auditrice experte, spécialiste en enregistrement du piano, ce qui a permis d’obtenir une perspective externe sur les interprétations. Les analyses de l’étude auto- ethnographique ont montré une cohérence entre les descriptions stylistiques, l’auto-explicitation du pianiste, les évaluations qualitatives par l’auditrice externe et les données quantitatives relatives aux paramètres d’interprétation. Ces résultats suggèrent qu’une compréhension des principes d’interprétation aiderait à construire une interprétation dont les attributs paramétriques sont cohérents et conformes avec les postulats stylistiques de départ. Ce protocole de recherche a été approfondi dans une étude de cas réalisée avec une pianiste titulaire d’un doctorat de la Faculté de musique de l’Université de Montréal. Des consignes écrites ont été envoyées à la participante et l’étude s’est déroulée en cinq étapes : interprétation de référence, analyse de la partition par accents immanents, analyse stylistique, interprétation selon les trois styles et interprétation idéale. Les analyses ont confirmé la cohérence entre les règles stylistiques, les propos de la participante recueillis durant des entretiens semi-dirigés et les paramètres quantitatifs extraits de sa performance. Les mesures et les proportions des différents paramètres de l’interprétation ont été établies à l’aide d’une nouvelle technique de « quantification de la perception ». L’analyse qualitative a révélé un sentiment de liberté et de contrôle que la participante a éprouvé en créant son interprétation dans des conditions déterminées et fondées sur des règles. En s’appuyant sur le modèle proposé par l’étude auto-ethnographique, l’étude de cas aura permis à la pianiste de créer un style hybride, original et idiosyncrasique. Ce modèle de développement de l’interprétation peut s’appliquer dans un contexte de formation des musiciens et musiciennes où la connaissance des styles et du contexte historique et esthétique constituera les bases de la création artistique individuelle. / In the context of the Western musical tradition, the research presented in this thesis centres on the analysis of the interpretation of works from the Baroque period (1600–1750) at the piano. The interpretation was studied in relation to two compositions for solo keyboard: an excerpt from the last movement of the Partita in C minor BWV 826 by J.S. Bach (1685–1750) and the Passepied GWV 325 by C. Graupner (1683–1760). These works were performed and recorded in three contrasting styles (romantic, modern, and rhetorical) in the context of two experimental studies. An auto-ethnographic study aimed to develop a protocol for qualitative and quantitative analysis of the performance of a work by Bach according to the principles of each of the three styles. A case study tested the application of a practical method for the development of an informed and exploratory artistic approach in performance. A mixed approach of qualitative and quantitative analysis was used in both studies to reveal relationships between different types of performance parameters (including tempo variations, articulation, dynamics, pedalling, or expression) and stylistic descriptions (including participants’ commentaries). Based on a study of baroque music performance in the 20th century, a pianist (the author of this thesis) recorded an excerpt of Bach’s Partita in C minor (BWV 826) according to three contrasting styles (romantic, modern, and rhetorical). The pianist’s performance was captured in MIDI data format using a Yamaha Disklavier DC7X piano. A verbal description of each style has been provided by the pianist through a self-explicitation exercise. Each audio recording was then presented to an expert auditor, a specialist in piano recordings, who provided an external perspective on the interpretation. The analysis of the auto-ethnographic study showed consistency between the stylistic descriptions, the self-assessment of the pianist/participant, the qualitative evaluations by an expert listener, and the quantitative data pertaining to musical parameters. These results suggest that an understanding of the principles of interpretation may help shape an interpretation whose parametric attributes are consistent with the original stylistic postulates. This research protocol was further developed in a case study carried out with a pianist who had completed her doctorate at the Faculty of Music of the University of Montreal. Based on written instructions sent to the participant, the study unfolded in five stages: a baseline or control performance, a score analysis by immanent accents, a stylistic analysis, a performance according to three styles, and an ideal interpretation. The analysis confirmed the consistency between the stylistic rules, the pianist’s verbal output collected in interviews, and the quantitative parameters extracted from her performance. The measures and proportions of various performance parameters were established using a new technique of “perceptual quantification.” Qualitative analysis revealed a sense of freedom and control experienced by the participant as she developed her interpretation under predetermined, rule-based conditions. Building on the model proposed by the auto-ethnographic study, the case study allowed the pianist to create a hybrid, original and idiosyncratic style. This model for the development of interpretation can be applied to musician training in which knowledge of style as well as historical and aesthetic context provides the foundation of individual artistic creation.

O presente estudo visou investigar a qualidade da execução instrumental por meio do excerto orquestral do Prélude à l´après-midi d´um faune, de Claude Debussy e sua relação com a ansiedade de performance musical de estudantes de flauta. O pressuposto teórico utilizado para a avaliação da qualidade da execução instrumental encontra-se baseado no Modelo de Processo de Avaliação da Execução Musical, de McPherson & Thompson (1998), enquanto que a ansiedade de performance musical está subsidiada pelo modelo tríplice, desenvolvido por Wilson & Roland (2002) e Valentine (2002), além da Teoria Cognitiva da Ansiedade, de Beck & Clark (1997). Para a metodologia, utilizou-se a abordagem mista de caráter semi experimental, cujos sujeitos são estudantes de flauta dos cursos de Bacharelado em Música de Instituições de Ensino Superior do Brasil. O procedimento semi experimental consistiu na realização de uma tarefa musical gravada em áudio, em situações de performance musical distintas, precedido pela coleta de dados por meio de instrumentos de autoavaliação psicológica e aferição de medidas fisiológicas, conforme protocolo de coleta de dados. Cinco flautistas profissionais avaliaram a qualidade da execução instrumental a partir das gravações e por meio de uma Escala de Avaliação para a Execução na Flauta, proposta no presente estudo. A análise de dados ocorreu em duas etapas: na qualitativa, analisou-se o conteúdo dos comentários dos avaliadores diante da execução dos estudantes de flauta; e na quantitativa, analisou-se, por estatística descritiva e não paramétrica, as associações entre a qualidade da execução instrumental, por intermédio das competências técnicas e interpretativas da flauta, e a ansiedade de performance musical. Os resultados apontaram uma relação direta e não proporcional, apresentando melhora da qualidade na execução instrumental no estudo individual e redução dos sintomas de ansiedade na audição. A afinação e o timbre foram as competências técnicas e interpretativas mais influenciadas negativamente pela ansiedade. No entanto, foi na acurácia rítmica que a maioria dos estudantes de flauta se mostrou menos proficiente. Por fim, a expertise musical e o conhecimento prévio do solo de flauta demonstraram relevância tanto na proficiência técnica e interpretativa no instrumento quanto na redução da ansiedade de performance musical. / This study aimed at investigating the quality of instrumental performance through the orchestral excerpt of Prélude à l´après-midi d´un faune by Claude Debussy and its relationship to music performance anxiety experienced by flute students. The theoretical premise employed in the assessment of the quality of instrumental performance is based on the Process Model of Assessing Music Performance by McPherson & Thompson (1998). For music performance anxiety, we used the triple model developed by Wilson & Roland (2002) and Valentine (2002), as well as Beck & Clark´s Cognitive Theory of Anxiety (1997). The methodology consisted of a mixed approach and semi-experimental in character directed at flute students enrolled in courses of Bachelor of Music at Brazilian universities. The semi-experimental procedure comprised in a musical task recorded in audio in different situations of musical performance preceded by data collection through the psychological instruments of self-evaluation and physiological measures according to the protocol of data collection. Five Brazilian professional flute players assessed the quality of instrumental performance from the recordings by means a Flute Performance Rating Scale, proposed for this study. Data analysis occurred in two steps. While the qualitative part analyzed the content of the assessors' comments to flute students, and the quantitative examined the correlation between the quality of musical performance through the technical and interpretative skills of flute playing and music performance anxiety by descriptive and non-parametric statistics. The results indicate a direct and non-proportional relationship, presenting an improvement in the quality of instrumental performance in the individual practicing session and a reduction of the music performance anxiety in the audition. Intonation and timbre were the technical and interpretative skills most negatively influenced by anxiety. However, most of the flute students were considered non-proficient in rhythmic accuracy by the judges. Finally, the level of musical expertise and previously knowledge of the orchestral excerpt were shown to be relevant both in the proficiency of flute playing and in the reduction of the experienced music performance anxiety. / El objetivo de este estudio fue investigar la calidad de la ejecución instrumental a través del extracto orquestal de Prélude à l'après-midi d'un faune de Claude Debussy y su relación con la ansiedad de actuación musical de los estudiantes de flauta. La presuposición teórica empleada en la evaluación de la calidad de la ejecución instrumental se basa en el Modelo de Proceso de Evaluación de la Ejecución Musical de McPherson y Thompson (1998), mientras que para la ansiedad de la actuación musical en el modelo triple desarrollado por Wilson & Roland (2002) y Valentine (2002), y la Teoría Cognitiva de la Ansiedad de Beck y Clark (1997). La metodología consistió en un enfoque mixto y de carácter semi-experimental, cuyos sujetos son estudiantes de flauta matriculados en cursos de Licenciatura en Música en universidades brasileñas. El procedimiento semi experimental consistió en la realización de una tarea musical grabada de audio bajo distintas situaciones de actuación musical, precedido por la recolección de datos a través de instrumentos de autoevaluación psicológica y evaluación de medidas fisiológicas cumpliendo con protocolo de recolección de datos. Cinco flautistas profesionales evaluaron la calidad de la ejecución instrumental de las grabaciones por medio de una Escala de Evaluación para la Ejecución en la Flauta, propuesto para este estudio. El análisis de datos se produjo en dos etapas: en la cualitativa analizó el contenido de los comentarios de los evaluadores a los estudiantes de flauta y en la cuantitativa se analizó por estadística descriptiva y no paramétrica la correlación entre la calidad de la ejecución instrumental por medio de las habilidades técnicas e interpretativas de la flauta y la ansiedad de la actuación musical. Los resultados revelan una relación directa y no proporcional, que presenta una mejora en la calidad de la ejecución instrumental en el estudio individual y la reducción de los síntomas de ansiedad en la audición. La entonación y el timbre fueron las habilidades técnicas e interpretativas más influenciadas negativamente por la ansiedad. La mayoría de los estudiantes de flauta fueron considerados no-competentes en precisión rítmica por los jueces. Por último, el nivel de la pericia musical y el conocimiento previo del extracto orquestal demostraron pertinencia en la habilidad técnica e interpretativa en el instrumento y para reducir la ansiedad en la actuación musical.