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Themes of Social Justice in the Choral Music of Jake Runestad

Description: With his thought-provoking and socially relevant music, American composer Jake Runestad has quickly become one of the most performed choral composers of the 21st century. Although music and social justice have been tied together for centuries, there is a new movement bringing social justice to American choral music in a noticeably increased manor, and Jake Runestad is a leading composer in this movement. In this paper, I provide a detailed analysis into the social justice themes employed by Run… more
Date: August 2018
Creator: Hathaway, Christopher M.
Partner: UNT Libraries
open access

A Conductor's Guide to Un-Yung La's Choral Music as Reflected in Easter Cantata

Description: Un-Yung La was one of the first Korean composers of Western style choral music who used Korean folk elements in his composers. According to Un-Yung La's musical theory, which he demonstrated in Easter Cantata. Korean-style melody and rhythm were created based on Korean traditional scales and he also used Western-style harmonization. He attempted a new Korean style of expression through Sikimsae technique in Korean traditional vocal music genres: Pansori and Sijo. The purpose of this paepr is to… more
Date: August 2016
Creator: Ryu, Hanpil
Partner: UNT Libraries
open access

The Re-Unification of Dr. Edwin Fissinger's Prairie Scenes: A Choral Cycle

Description: Edwin Fissinger (1920-1990) was a conductor and prolific choral composer. His compositional techniques, settings of text, jazz-influenced harmonies, and melodic propulsion fulfill an important role in each of his compositions. In the eight choral cycles he composed, Fissinger unified each cycle through thematic and textual elements. Although this resulted in a logical progression of poetry and music, Fissinger's final choral cycle, Prairie Scenes, was not published as he intended. Rather, indiv… more
Date: August 2016
Creator: Jilek, Dean
Partner: UNT Libraries
open access

Sven-David Sandström's Matthäuspassion: Examining J.S. Bach's Influence and Sandström's Compositional Language, Use of Symbolism, and Religious and Spiritual Motivations

Description: Beginning with his High Mass written in 1994, popular Swedish composer Sven-David Sandström modeled multiple compositions after famous canonical works using the same texts and/or instrumentation. Sandström wants to be compared to the greatest, specifically in how a twenty-first century composer responds to a text set , in the case of J.S. Bach's , over 250 years ago. His setting of Matthäuspassion (MP), which uses the same libretto as J.S. Bach, is his most extensive non-operatic work, one he c… more
Date: August 2016
Creator: Jilek, Dwight
Partner: UNT Libraries
open access

Passion Settings of the 20th- and 21st- Centuries Focusing on Craig Hella Johnson's Considering Matthew Shepard

Description: Craig Hella Johnson (b. 1963) has emerged as a leader in choral music over the last 20 years. As the conductor of the Austin, TX based chorus Conspirare Johnson implemented the European model of bringing singers together from all over the country to assemble for concerts and recordings over a short period of time. He is known for his collage programs which bring together many styles of music bound by a central theme. Through these programs he has written and arranged many pieces which are now p… more
Date: August 2016
Creator: Ward, Robert (Robert Clark)
Partner: UNT Libraries
open access

Michael Daugherty's Mount Rushmore: Analysis and Conductor's Guide

Description: According to the American League of Orchestras' most recent report, Michael Daugherty is one of the ten most performed American composers of concert music in modern times. He has received six GRAMMY awards, including awards for Best Contemporary Classical Composition in 2011 and 2017. Characteristics of Daugherty's music are diverse: colliding tonalities and blocks of sound, driving polyrhythmic counterpoint, and jazz and pop elements. His music can be minimalistic at times and at others, stirr… more
Date: August 2019
Creator: Deignan, Ryan
Partner: UNT Libraries
open access

A Conductor's Guide to Harrison Birtwistle's Entr'actes and Sappho Fragments

Description: Entr'actes and Sappho Fragments (1964) by English Composer Harrison Birtwistle represent extended notation, complex meters, and extended instrumental techniques. After World War II, the style and techniques of musical composition evolved considerably and musical trends began to continuously change. Conducting contemporary compositions requires new approaches in conducting methods. This paper examines a) introduce important elements of Birtwistle's compositions in the 1960, b) include an updated… more
Date: August 2019
Creator: Jang, Hyeyoun
Partner: UNT Libraries
open access

Social Consciousness in Wind Band Music of the Early 21st Century, Represented through a Study of Three Wind Band Works: Symphony No. 2-Migration by Adam Schoenberg, Silver Lining-Concerto for Flute and Wind Ensemble by Frank Ticheli, and Of Our New Day Begun by Omar Thomas

Description: The wind band provides an outlet for composers to use their platform to reach performers, enlighten audiences, and heal communities. This document is an analysis of three composers' approach to incorporate social consciousness in their wind band music. Adam Schoenberg, Omar Thomas, and Frank Ticheli work with specific social justice issues to respond to specific events, allowing them to reach and empower performers and audiences, to heal, thrive and build past these events. The chapters contain… more
Date: August 2019
Creator: Eaddy, Jack A., Jr.
Partner: UNT Libraries
open access

New TEKS Health Standards: Awareness, Perceived Knowledge, and Perceived Competency among Choral Music Educators in Texas

Description: In this study, I examined the awareness, perceptions of required knowledge, and perceived competency of Texas secondary choral music educators concerning the new musician health objectives included in the revised Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills standards (TEKS). A secondary purpose of this study was to identify the activities and variables that promote the development of these characteristics and prepare educators to address the standards in their instruction. Using a researcher-designed w… more
Date: August 2021
Creator: Burrows, Gideon C.
Partner: UNT Libraries
open access

William Byrd's Motet "Tristitia et anxietas" through Elizabethan Eyes: Performance Practice based on an Examination of Sixteenth-Century Sources

Description: By considering sixteenth-century English chorister training, modern singers of Renaissance vocal music are informed of the practical and academic demands unique to Elizabethan musicians and audiences. Clauses in relevant choirmaster contracts provide an insight into pedagogical expectations of teachers and their choristers. Studies included plainchant, grammar, Latin, rhetoric, improvisation, poetry, morality, instrumental instruction on organ and viols, and composition. For those not associate… more
Date: August 2016
Creator: Irving, John (John Wells)
Partner: UNT Libraries
open access

Visual Music: The Use of Film Composition Devices to Develop Form in the Wind Band Music of Bruce Broughton

Description: As a film composer, Bruce Broughton uses themes, motives, gestures, tropes, and other film composition devices; however, he is also able to develop them into compelling formal structures through the use of film composition techniques in his concert music. Traditional musical form is not necessarily applicable to film music. The film dictates the pacing and structure, whereas concert music allows for the creation of form and more complex musical development. Through his extensive experience comp… more
Date: August 2018
Creator: Blasko, Benjamen
Partner: UNT Libraries
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