Rhythm in early Western polyphonic music.

Pieter C. van den Toorn has shown that one can label sections of Igor Stravinsky's Russian-period music based on two types of melodic-line (block) interactions: Type I and Type II. This paper analyzes Stravinsky's Rite of Spring and proposes the further classification of Type II sections of music into three categories. Organizing the music into these three categories depends on two aspects:1) the type of texture of the interacting blocks: melody and accompaniment or contrapuntal, and 2) the overall alignment of the interacting blocks' group-level rhythmic accents, which create either a unified or disunified metric accent. Furthermore, these three categories of Type II block structure also occur in other Stravinsky works, as well as works of minimalist composers. / School of Music

Zugl.: Tel Aviv, University, Diss., 1999 u.d.T.: Abravaya, Ido: Studies of rhythm and tempo in the music of J.S. Bach.

Title from PDF of title page (University of Missouri--Columbia, viewed on March 1, 2010). The entire thesis text is included in the research.pdf file; the official abstract appears in the short.pdf file; a non-technical public abstract appears in the public.pdf file. Dissertation advisor: Dr. Wendy Sims. Vita. Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis supervisor: Robert C. Cook. Includes bibliographic references (p. 139-140).

Thesis (Ph.D.)--City University of New York, 2005. / Includes abstract and glossary. Includes bibliographical references (p. 482-526).

Thesis--University of Florida. / Description based on print version record. Typescript. Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 103-106).

The general purpose of this paper is the discussion of the interpretation and performance of rhythm within the context of Paul Creston's five rhythmic structures. Specific objectives are to bring to light Creston's unique rhythmic terminology, theories, and structures; and to interpret rhythm at the piano with an emphasis on accent, pedaling, articulation, balance of textures, and pace.

The ability to sight-read well is held as a highly regarded and important skill in music performance and education. Over the past 90 years, researchers have investigated several aspects of music sight-reading, especially those attributes possessed by skilled sight-readers. A significant and recurrent finding from this body of research is the relationship between sight-reading and rhythm recognition. Though these studies have found positive effects and correlations between rhythm recognition and sight-reading, they have been limited and indirect. The aim of this dissertation was to investigate the effects of (a) practicing rhythms on a single pitch and (b) practicing rhythms with full-range scales and their direct effects on sight-reading ability in saxophonists at the college level. The primary objective in this research was to determine if one method was more effective than another in developing sight-reading skills. The participants (N = 74) consisted of college students who were enrolled in saxophone lessons at a university in the southwestern United States. Participants were administered a sight-reading pre-test at the beginning of an 8-week treatment period. After pre-testing, students were blocked into two groups. The first treatment group was assigned to practice rhythms on a single pitch and the second treatment group was assigned to practice rhythms combined with full-range major scales. After the treatment period, participants were administered a sight-reading post-test. A 2-way mixed ANOVA was used to determine if there were differences between treatment groups, differences from pre-test to post-test, and if there was a significant interaction between treatment and time. There was no significant difference between treatment groups, F (1, 72) = .035, p = .852, partial η2 = .000028. There was a significant effect for time, indicating that both treatment groups improved from pre-to post test, F (1, 72) = 83.499, p < .001, partial η2 = .537. There was no significant interaction between treatment and time, F (1, 72) = .322, p = .572, partial η2 = .004.

The purposes of this study were (1) to develop and evaluate a self-instructional program designed to assist choral conducting students in improving their ability to detect rhythmic errors during rehearsal, (2) to analyze the data acquired from a pre-test, a mid-test, and a post-test given in connection with the evaluation of the program, and (3) to determine the relationship of initial error detection ability, and gains in error detection ability, and each of several variables representing prior conditions which might be expected to affect an individuals error detection ability.