M.M. - Music

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    Mythic Fox : a composition for mixed ensemble of East Asian and Western instruments
    ([Honolulu] : [University of Hawaii at Manoa], [December 2013], 2013-12) Watson, William Matthew
    Mythic Fox is a composition for large mixed ensemble of 15 players, consisting of traditional instruments from Korea, Japan, China, and Western instruments. The purpose of this paper is to offer a more in-depth view of the musical work. The paper is comprised of two parts. The first part deals with reasons for the choice of instrumentation, compositional techniques, precedents for the ensemble, the purpose of the piece, what challenges were encountered during the compositional process, the anticipated challenges during the performance, and the extra-musical idea (the fox folklore). The second part focuses on the analysis of the composition: form, timbre, texture, pitch and rhythm, performance techniques, and the cultural aesthetics involved. The ultimate reason for composing a piece of music is to create music that is accessible to the audience, providing a sonic world that draws in the listener with a balance of the new and the familiar. The piece is designed to be as exciting for the performers as it is for their audience. For performers, the piece provides an unusual opportunity to play alongside instruments they may have yet to encounter in a performance setting, and be part of creating a unique combination of cultures; not just the familiar and overused "East meets West", but "East meets East meets West." Japanese, Korean and Chinese instruments would not normally be found within the same ensemble. Though their origins are intertwined, each culture's traditions developed the instruments, sonorities, techniques, and styles with distinct differences.
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    Description and analysis of two ensemble pieces : Guilt and Cataclysm in Kailua
    ([Honolulu] : [University of Hawaii at Manoa], [December 2013], 2013-12) Sweeney Ching, Katelyn Mikiala
    Cataclysm in Kailua and Guilt reflect emotional dialogue. The topic of industrial growth, progress and respect for the environment is complex. Both pieces entertain contrasting material representing conflicting opinions. In Guilt, the opinions are more transparent because of the text. My goal was to present multiple perspectives on this issue, prompting dialogue as a result. Writing two adjunct pieces that can be performed either apart or together gave me opportunity to diversify instrumentation and present alternate approaches to the related theme. In addition to presenting my ability to write works for a variety of instruments, the purpose of this master's thesis is to shed light on socio-economic issues. To highlight a variety of perspectives, I wrote two contrasting music compositions, each hoping to spark conversations about our purpose, responsibilities and relationship to the unique place that is Hawaiʻi.
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    The highwayman : composition and analysis of a symphonic poem
    ([Honolulu] : [University of Hawaii at Manoa], [May 2013], 2013-05) Rucci, Peter John
    For centuries now, music composers have found literary works to be great inspiration for compositions as small as piano solos or as large as symphonies. Such renowned composers as Beethoven, Haydn, Mendelssohn, Tchaikovsky, Rimsky-Korsakov, Schoenberg, and Wagner used literary works from authors such as Byron, Dante, Goethe, Hugo, Poe, Schiller, and of course Shakespeare, to derive inspiration for their music. For example, Liszt's Hamlet, Tchaikovsky's Romeo and Juliet, Dvorak's Othello, and R. Strauss' MacBeth are just a few symphonic pieces based on works by Shakespeare alone. However, after the first few decades of the 20th century, especially during the advent of serialism, indeterminancy, and minimalism, program music fell out of favor as a compositional genre. So it was with some trepidation that I elected to write my thesis using a seemingly outdated technique. That being said, there is the constantly recurring dilemma of composing new music without using old techniques such as functional tonal harmony or 12-tone rows, or without using such forms as sonata or rondo. The orchestral work submitted in this thesis is through-composed and reflects the chronology of events in an epic poem. While it is not an original form, it is certainly one that not only allows the composer a great deal of freedom, but is also relevant to any portrayal of events. One would not want to first tell the end of a story and work randomly backwards, correct? Thus the form used in my work would have to be deemed relevant. The harmonic or rhythmic structure, however, must be an attempt to be new and unique. This attempt has to be tempered with hope that the listener will enjoy or at least appreciate the work. There lies the quandary--to compose music in an advanced style while still remaining accessible to the listener. Hopefully my work will meet these expectations. In the chapters below, I will share a brief history of program music and present various methods composers have used to shape their music to reflect the literary sources that inspired their compositions. Additionally, I will introduce the various themes I used to represent the key players of "The Highwayman," and will discuss how I manipulated and transformed those themes throughout my composition. I will also discuss the harmonic and extensive rhythmic language used in the piece to make a century-old poem relevant to a 21st-century music composition.
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    Screaming at waterfalls : synthesis of culture, voice and purpose: sculpting statement through cross-cultural composition
    ([Honolulu] : [University of Hawaii at Manoa], [December 2010], 2010-12) McCulloch, Douglas Richard
    Screaming at Waterfalls is a programmatic instrumental piece that uses cross-cultural instrumentation and composition to address the use of children as soldiers in armed conflict. The aim of the piece is above all to bring awareness to this tragedy. Screaming at Waterfalls is a single-movement piece. The musical material used in its construction was composed solely with the issue of child soldiering in mind. My use of Korean music and instruments, as well as musical sources from the Bobwe of Northern Congo, the Soga in Uganda, and the Ewe of Ghana, all stems from the central goal of writing music that addresses the use of children in armed conflict. Because Screaming at Waterfalls integrates the music of more than two musical cultures, and does this in a variety of ways, it leaps beyond the cursory issues of cross-cultural interchange, such as Western society's fascination with the "exotic." This creates a much more compelling consideration of interchange across genres and cultures because it is musical integration for a purpose beyond integration: all compositional decisions served a higher artistic goal. The source materials from Korean and African music were not approached as novelties, but rather as valid resources fundamental to the craftsmanship of the music, just like counterpoint and voice leading. Screaming at Waterfalls integrates material foreign to the native culture of the composer as a compositional technique rather than merely a genre (or sub-genre) of music. It looks to not only re-contextualize the "borrowed" music (non-Western music in this case) but also to re-contextualize cross-cultural music as a whole. When these resources are looked at in the same light as any other compositional approach, the composer's creative palette is broadened. His or her musical language is likewise augmented so that broader musical ends can be met that may not have been considered otherwise.
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    Sunsets a composition for wind ensemble
    ([Honolulu] : [University of Hawaii at Manoa], [August 2014], 2014-08) Minton, James Isaac Templeton
    Sunsets is a 12-minute musical work scored for wind ensemble. The accompanying paper discusses topics related to the workʼs creation, compositional tools used to produce the work, and how the music may be perceived by audiences. Sunsets was inspired, in part, by Mark Rothkoʼs painting Orange and Yellow, 1956. The structure of both Sunsets and Rothkoʼs painting are based on proportional architectures. Within the form of Sunsets are various structural levels that explore musical parameters of texture, orchestration, and register. In addition to formal aspects of the piece, Sunsetsʼ musical narrative will be examined.
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    On The Influence Of 'place' In The Compositional Process Degree:M.M.
    ( 2005-05) Sato, Yoko
    I believe that the cultural origins of composers are unconsciously reflected in the compositional process. In this paper, the term "place" is used to mean a new environment, and that "place" can cause composers to view their origins from different perspectives. When one goes to a new place and experiences new influences, at some point one starts reflecting upon one's original cultural background. This marks the starting point of the reflective level. As one continues to become aware of and reflect on his/her cultural background, one moves to a deeper level of understanding which I call the "individual level." This stage is characterized by the assimilation of both native and foreign elements seamlessly into the composer's style. I will discuss how being in a different place can play the role of a mirror to more clearly reflect composers' origins and encourage them to rediscover their own cultural backgrounds through new perspectives. In addition, I will explain how the current work, Towards Light, was influenced by my experience of living in a different culture. Chapter one discusses two different levels of reaction to place. To explain these reactions, I will discuss three composers: Aaron Copland, Isang Yun and Steve Reich. Chapter two describes how my compositional process has changed over the past two years since 2003. Chapter three examines the structure of Towards Light and how its central idea is derived from Japanese traditional music. In chapter four, I discuss how I have come to approach Japanese traditional music in a different way as a result of the influence of place.