Music Theses and Dissertations
Permanent URI for this collectionhttp://hdl.handle.net/1903/2796
Browse
3 results
Search Results
Item A REVISIONIST HISTORY OF INDEPENDENT CLASSICAL PERCUSSION SOLOISTS OF THE TWENTIETH CENTURY(2024) Rocheteau, Robert Alexandre; Votta, Michael; Music; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)This dissertation examines the marimbists, multi-percussionists, and solo-percussionists who were independent classical soloists in the twentieth century. Traditionally, scholarship has seen the histories of these percussion soloists as separate from one another. By proposing new frameworks and contexts, this revisionist history shows how marimbists, multi-percussionists, and solo-percussionists form a continuum. These frameworks mark pivotal shifts in history and include percussion practices, eras of percussion soloists, and generations. The “percussion practices” framework shows how composers have used percussion in classical music. The “eras of percussion soloists” framework shows what percussionists did and what percussion instruments they performed on. The “generations” framework shows how each particular solo art form evolved.Item The Noble Snare: A Collection of Works Exposing and Progressing the Performance Capabilities of the Unaccompanied Snare Drum(2019) Armbruster, Curt Joseph; DeLio, Thomas; Hinkle, Lee; Music; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)The Noble Snare is a collection of solos for unaccompanied snare drum that were commissioned and edited by Sylvia Smith, editor and owner of Smith Publications. Smith Publications is a publishing house that specializes in 20th century American music, with a particular emphasis on music for percussion. Smith released four volumes of solo compositions for the snare drum: Volume I (1988), Volume II (1988), Volume III (1990) and Volume IV (1990). When completed, the collection considerably advanced the size and quality of the genre of the snare drum solo. The solos that emerged from the commissioning project reflect a great deal of experimentation and creativity from leading classical composers. In a few short years the project literally created a repertoire for an important instrument that had received relatively little attention up to that point in the history of music. Upon initiating this project, Smith’s stated goal was to create a collection of significant pieces that would “elevate the snare drum to the status of a solo concert instrument.” Smith had two criteria for choosing composers for the collection: composers who could bring a new perspective to the snare drum as a serious solo concert instrument and composers who could contribute to the project through stylistic diversity. In 2014, a second edition of the complete collection was published. At that time, Smith says that a new printing order of the collection was imminent; and since there would be a new printing, she decided it would be nice to “get some new blood” in the collection. The new edition includes the addition of ten new solos and the removal of eight solos from the original edition. This performance dissertation consists of three recitals comprised entirely of snare drum solos drawn from the second edition of The Noble Snare series. The goal of this project is to display the diversity of experimentation and approach to snare drum composition that was revealed by The Noble Snare through the work of its participating composers. It is my hope that this dissertation will demonstrate the importance of this collection of solos both from a historical perspective and for the creation of a repertoire for this instrument.Item BROTHERS IN ARMS AND ART: AN EXPLORATION OF THE HISTORICAL RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN TRUMPET AND PERCUSSION, FROM THE BATTLEFIELD TO THE RECITAL HALL(2014) Madsen, Brent; Gekker, Chris; Music; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)My dissertation recitals focus on music written or arranged for trumpet and percussion instruments. The three programs are conceived in such a way that each recital stands on its own as a successful concert. Each program begins with a piece of early music, the oldest of which is from the 13th century. In an attempt to highlight the rich history of music for the trumpet and kettledrum, I have included fanfare works for each recital. The fanfares I have selected are written by some of the most notable composers in history, such as Richard Wagner, Claudio Monteverdi, and Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach. In contrast to these brilliant fanfares, the first half of each recital includes a song, originally written for voice and piano, arranged for muted trumpet and marimba. It is my hope that the inclusion of these songs in my programs will help expand the recital repertoire for trumpeters to include these and other such works. The first half of each recital ends with a lengthy modern work for trumpet and percussion. My programs include two premieres, one of which is a work for trumpet and programmed drums composed by myself. The modern works featured on my programs often emphasize the wide range of tonal colors available to both percussionists and trumpeters. Each recital will end with a jazz-oriented piece that will include improvisation. The diversity presented in these programs is a testament to how deep and broad the relationship is that exists between trumpet and percussion. Another goal in this type of programming, in addition to creating an interesting and enjoyable set of music, is to showcase my own versatility as a performer of a wide variety of genres.