The title of this composition "Christopher in the Desert" was stipulated after the nickname of the student residence of the University of Arizona, "Christopher City," where I have stayed during my study at the school. It also represents the geographical environments of the city of Tucson, Arizona. The orchestration for this composition is considerably conventional which is consist of paired winds with solo English horn and tuba, five part strings, and timpani. Frequently, solos and solo ensembles are employed intentionally to build a differentiated atmosphere from the forceful orchestra, The characteristically effective instrumentation of Claude Debussy (1862--1918), and Bela Bartok's (1881--1945) interest informal dimensions and developmental procedures of his own compositional style influenced this work. To organize this three movement composition in a symmetrical attitude, the first and third movement share several common components, especially pitch layouts, while the second movement keeps the most independent and distinctive flowing demeanor. The pitch materials interact both in horizontal and vertical orientations, and the directions and contours of the melodic lines are cautiously controlled to develop and extend the possibilities in the circumstance of unity of the entire piece. Harmonically, quintal and quartal chords are frequently employed in several points to slacken the tensions which have been built, while pentatonic scale-oriented harmonies dominate the harmonic realms of the composition.

Significant similarities can be found in the origins of the music of the bebop style of jazz of the 1940s and '50s and the music of Chopin. Chopin's music, like that of the beboppers, has an improvisatory quality. And many of the bebopper's complex embellishment figures have significant corollaries in the music of Chopin. In comparing bebop embellishments with those in the music of Chopin, the author has selected Charlie Parker, Dizzy Gillespie, and Clifford Brown as exponents of the bebop style. This study finds similarities between Chopin's use of embellishments and that of Parker, Gillespie, and Brown which include the use of delayed passing motion, the use of consecutive embellishing tones, the use of figures which converge on a note from both sides, and the frequent use of changing tone figures of all types.

This study examines a technique of applying sentic analysis (established by Dr. Manfred Clynes) to selected piano works by Claude Debussy: La fille aux cheveux de lin and Des pas sur la neige. Sentograms for anger, grief, hate, joy, and love were visually compared to line graphs of the melodies and melody inversions to discover similar shapes within the line graph, further referred to as musical sentograms. Analysis results were based on (1) the relationship between melodic direction and sentogram structure and (2) the degree to which musical support was provided for those musical sentograms through phrase structure, dynamic intensity, and texture change. Very few musical sentograms were found to have support within the phrase structure or correspondence between melodic direction, dynamic intensity, and texture intensity. The results question the application technique and the validity of sentic analysis as a useful method of musical analysis for these, and other, works.

This thesis examines the program of Symphony No. 3 (The Palo Duro Canyon) by Dr. Samuel Jones. A single-movement work in four large sections, The Palo Duro Canyon Symphony is a programmatic symphony in sonata form. The program involves the literal visual images of the Palo Duro Canyon, located in the Texas panhandle, as well as a descriptive story of the history of man and his struggles with nature. Also depicted is the struggle between two cultures that have occupied the canyon: natives and settlers. The analysis within this paper shows the use of motives, harmonic relationships, and formal structure within this program. Jones' deft use of all of these musical elements in establishing the program makes The Palo Duro Canyon Symphony a strong example of late twentieth-century tonal symphonic music.

<p>"Indirect Reflections" is a four-channel electro-acoustic composition. I explore in it the advantages that electronic composition offers to the music for dance. Specifically, I have been focusing on the possibility of "fixed freedom" in the treatment of meter and rhythm, and on the use of sound spatialization. With respect to the latter, I have employed the gradual shift of location of individual sound sources as well as relocation between discrete points.</p><p>The reference score presented here was prepared after the piece was complete. It reflects the music events, but does not define them. The audio version is the primary source. Due to the nature of electronic composition, and to the flexible treatment of the meter and rhythm, standard notation would not be adequate. I chose notational style appropriate for each movement. Rhythmic values are sometimes unspecified, in other cases there may be approximate and not to scale.</p> / Dissertation

<p> Joseph Ahrens (1904-97) was a twentieth-century German composer, virtuoso organist, and teacher. He was a professor of church music at the Berlin Academy of Music (Berlin Hochschule f&uuml;r Musik), organist at the Cathedral of St. Hedwig, and choir director and organist at the Salvator Church in Berlin. He contributed to twentieth-century church music, especially of the Roman Catholic Church, and composed many works for organ and various choral forces. His organ pieces comprise chorale-based pieces, free (non-chorale) works, liturgical pieces, and serial compositions. He was strongly influenced by twentieth-century German music trends such as the organ reform movement, neo-baroque style, and, in his late period, serial techniques.</p><p> This document examines one freely composed work and two serial compositions by Joseph Ahrens: <i>Canzone in cis</i> (1944), <i>Fantasie und Ricercare</i> (1967), and <i>Trilogia Dodekaphonica</i> (1978). The purpose is to demonstrate that Ahrens's style developed throughout his career, from a post-Wagnerian harmonic language to one that adopted twentieth-century techniques, including serialism, while retaining the use of developed thematic material and a connection to neo-baroque characteristics in terms of forms and textures.</p>

Close analyses of two works by Gottschalk demonstrate, not just his consummate skill in evoking and sustaining extra-musical imagery, but also his firm control of harmony, motivic development, and form. In Printemps d'amour (1855), a mazurka inspired by Gottschalk's love for Ada McElhenney, a romance develops between two distinct theme-actors, both of whom grow ever more entwined. Comparison with Chopin's mazurka op. 50, no. 2, points out general similarities and profound differences. Analysis of L'Union (1862) follows, presenting a pasticcio rife with narrative and irony. The former manifests as a battaglia; the latter, as denial of listeners' expectations. Comparison with models for "The Star Spangled Banner," "Hail, Columbia," and "Yankee Doodle" shows why listeners will recognize each air, and how Gottschalk creates an artistic paraphrase.

The purpose of this paper is to bring attention to Nadine Dana Suesse, a gifted composer who gained particular acclaim during the 1930s and 40s. Suesse was among the composers of Tin Pan Alley who captured the tone and atmosphere of this important period in American music through their popular songs and instrumental works. In this predominantly male setting, a handful of female composers also made significant contributions. These women are often left in the shadows and are not known as well, even though many of their works are noteworthy and their dedication to the arts inspirational. Among them was Nadine Dana Suesse, who composed popular songs, orchestral works, and short pieces for solo piano. Although she made quite a name for herself during this period, today her compositions are often overlooked. Suesse was described as being an unusual composer for her time. She gained notoriety with her contributions to the popular genre and at a young age performed her more serious compositions on stage with Paul Whiteman. It did not take long before she was known as the Girl Gershwin for her exceptional pianistic abilities and success in composing. Her contributions to this era are worthy of recognition and renewed attention. This paper will discuss her life and several of her early compositions for solo piano.

The main purpose of this study was to determine the effectiveness of pitch tracking and correction (auto-tuning) on the intonation performed by high school clarinet (n = 30) and trumpet (n = 30) players with at least three years of experience in the large ensemble setting. Participants (N = 60) were assigned to one of three treatment groups, each differentiated by means of intonation evaluation. An aural group (n = 20) used Real Time Pitch Tracking and Correction (RTPTC) software; a visual group (n = 20) used an electronic tuner; and a control group (n = 20) played in-tune to the best of your ability. All three groups played target pitches documented as unstable from an intonation standpoint (clarinet A4 and trumpet D4) in single-pitch, melodic, and ensemble contexts. All performances were evaluated for cent deviation through the RTPTC software. The 2-way interactions of instrument x lessons (p = .05), context x group (p < .05), and instrument x context (p < .05) were found to be significant. Clarinet participants with private lesson experience performed with more accurate but overall sharper intonation than their trumpet counterparts. Aural and visual groups were able to perform below the threshold of the just noticeable difference in the single pitch context and improved from out-of-tune to in-tune across treatments, while results for these groups in the melodic and ensemble contexts were mixed and may have been affected by the constraints of time. The control group showed improvement across the melodic treatment, but those improvements have questionable musical significance as they are not below the threshold of the just noticeable difference. Clarinets performed significantly more in-tune than trumpets in the single pitch context, while the opposite was true in the melodic and ensemble contexts. The main effects of group, instrument, context and lessons were not statistically significant (p > .05). Responses to student questionnaires reflected knowledge of tuning strategies among a portion of participants including instrument tendencies, beat elimination techniques, and methods for correction. Time may have been a confounding factor related to comfort with included technology, based on student questionnaire responses. Director responses yielded themes related to fostering student independence with intonation, and daily use of methods for teaching intonation including the above mentioned tendencies, beat elimination, and correction strategies.

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