UMD Theses and Dissertations
Permanent URI for this collectionhttp://hdl.handle.net/1903/3
New submissions to the thesis/dissertation collections are added automatically as they are received from the Graduate School. Currently, the Graduate School deposits all theses and dissertations from a given semester after the official graduation date. This means that there may be up to a 4 month delay in the appearance of a given thesis/dissertation in DRUM.
More information is available at Theses and Dissertations at University of Maryland Libraries.
Browse
3 results
Search Results
Item Consolidation, Revolution and Reflection: Music for Trumpet from Three Decades- 1950s, 1970s and 1990s(2017) Muller, Aaron Douglas; Gekker, Chris; Music; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)This dissertation is a repertoire-driven and instrument-specific study of the stylistic trends in trumpet music in the latter half of the twentieth century. Beginning with the 1950s, works were collected in various settings and a framework was developed for each decade that would fit into a full recital. The framework consisted of one multi-movement work for trumpet and piano, one unaccompanied piece, one composition for three trumpets, one composition for trumpet within a mixed chamber ensemble and one brass quintet. Using this framework from each of the three decades, evolutionary trends, stylistic changes and similarities begin to emerge. The Recitals: Based on the repertoire chosen, I titled the three recitals Consolidation, Revolution and Reflection. In the 1950s the surviving trumpet repertoire shows a consolidation of musical ideas from the 1920s through the 1950s. Largely absent from this repertoire are the experimental threads that have long made the 1950s stand out in twentieth century music history. Most of the pieces that have survived and have retained relevance are neoclassical in style. The combination of social and artistic upheaval through the 1960s made the music from the 1970s unique. The pieces presented are all sonically, harmonically and formally unique, from the Stravinsky-esque, neoclassical language of the Allen Molineux’s Sonata, to the sonic exploration of David Cope’s FMS, to the rhythmic complexity and serial technique of Elliott Carter’s Canon a 3. The pieces represent a cross section of the prevailing stylistic tendencies in the trumpet repertoire throughout the decade. The 1990s were cast as a decade of Reflection, with pieces that seem inspired by a variety of musical ideas and genres, from minimalism to jazz to the music of Beethoven and even to pop music. The works often use traditional forms with non-traditional harmonic language, or vice versa. The Sources: Beyond the scores, biographical studies of the composers, and music history texts focusing on the post-World War II era, I use the composers as primary sources. Whenever possible, I contacted the composers and interviewed them about these works and working in these time periods in general.Item An Examination of Style in the Development of the Sonata for Trumpet and Piano (1903-2010)(2015) Jakuboski, Edward; Gekker, Chris; Music; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)Beginning in the early twentieth century, many composers decided to showcase the trumpet as a vehicle for melodic expression. Through my selection of representative works, I explore the correlations between each composer, their musical influences and how their compositional ideas contribute to the development of the sonata for trumpet and piano. Traditionally, the instrumental sonata represents a chamber work for a soloist with piano in three movements, with at least one composed in sonata-allegro form. Often the outer movements are played at a faster tempo, while the middle movement is typically slow. The tradition of the sonata usually implies that both instruments are treated equally with a true musical dialogue occurring between them. My dissertation focuses on major works composed during the development of the sonata for trumpet and piano and how the stylistic components of the music are linked to Classical and Romantic music, in addition to jazz and modern music of the twentieth century. The organization of my recitals is loosely chronological with each piece representing trends in trumpet writing and pedagogy from composers representing Denmark, France, Austria, Germany, Russia and the United States. The works include seven sonatas for trumpet and piano (two performed on rotary trumpet), one for cornet and piano, and one for cornet or bugle and piano (performed on flugelhorn). In addition to performing these works, a complete analysis of the music confirms certain compositional, formal and style trends also present in works from the Classical and Romantic eras. Ironically, these periods of music history were times of relative dryness for solo trumpet repertoire. American sonatas, in particular, uncovered trends by composers that utilize components of jazz and modern harmony combined with both neo-Classical and neo-Romantic elements. Composers also continued to employ unique rhythmic structures and angular melodic writing while retaining the historical use of the trumpet by including heroic calls and exciting fanfare motifs. Experimentation with new timbres included the incorporation of various types of mutes and higher pitched trumpets that became commonplace in much of the modern trumpet repertoire. As a result, students of the instrument benefit from studying these solos.Item A Century of American Solo Trumpet Music(2014) McNamara, Anne Kovarik; Gekker, Chris; Music; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)As a perpetual student of the trumpet's history, pedagogy, and literature, I always try to find new resources and pieces to learn in order to effectively perform and teach at a high level. My dissertation focuses on major American works for the instrument. Through my selection of characteristic repertoire, I explore pieces that provide landmark examples of the evolution of American trumpet music. The organization of my recitals is chronological. My first recital features music from the early twentieth century (1912-1951), the second features music from the middle of the twentieth century (1956-1988), and the third features music from the late twentieth century to the present (1992-2013). My dissertation includes music other than pieces for solo trumpet and piano. While six of my pieces are for this instrumentation, one is for cornet and piano (originally for cornet and band), one is for flugelhorn and piano, five are chamber works involving various instrument combinations including strings and percussion, one is for unaccompanied trumpet and one is for unaccompanied flugelhorn. Performance and careful analysis of these works reveal certain trends in American trumpet music of the past century. Many of the pieces included here contain elements of jazz such as ragtime rhythms, wa wa effects, and stylistic inflections. Other pieces show a strong influence from Aaron Copland's compositional style. His penchant for quartal and quintal harmony has become synonymous with the American sound; other composers such as Halsey Stevens, Kent Kennan, Eric Ewazen, and Jim Stephenson have used similar musical material in the works I have selected.