Music
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Item TONES IN BLACK: A HISTORY OF AFRICAN AMERICAN BASS/BARITONES IN CLASSICAL MUSIC: IN THE ECHOES OF ANCESTORS, A PIONEER’S VOICE(2024) McIlwain-Lightfoot, VaShawn Savoy; Short, Kevin C.; Music; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)This dissertation project has three major foci: a) to trace the history of classically trained African American Bass/Baritone vocalists through performance, recordings, and narrative; b) to recognize the historical performances of African American Bass/Baritone vocal pioneers and the significant contributions they made to the accessibility of opportunities for other African Americans within these voice types; and c) to discuss how Bass/Baritone community performances can promote social connectedness and DEI in opera. In addressing these foci, the paper will emphasize how the performances of Bass/Baritone vocal artists, past and present, have a) made African Americans, in general, more acceptable to White audiences and b) changed the perceptions of White Americans about who African Americans are and what they are capable of. Methodology involved securing physical/digital historical data from newspapers, journals, and books; collecting photos, programs, and articles from the private library of a former University of Maryland professor; conducted oral history interviews of students and progeny of the first African American Baritone to sing with a major opera company in the U.S. (Todd Duncan); delivered community performances domestically and internationally as a current example of the legacy of African American classical vocal artists, specifically Bass/Baritones. This project’s accounting of historical performances can serve to recognize unknown or forgotten contemporaries and predecessors.Item TRAILBLAZERS, INNOVATORS, AND FUTURISTS: 350 YEARS OF THE SOLO VIOLIN(2024) Whitley, Christopher; Salness, David; Music; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)The purpose of this dissertation is to outline a three-concert performance project, entitled Trailblazers, Innovators, and Futurists, by Christopher Whitley that examines the rich and varied repertoire of the solo violin from the seventeenth century to the present. Each concert program centers on a specific theme or topic related to the history of the solo violin repertoire. This dissertation seeks to accomplish three main objectives. The first is to demonstrate specific thematic, compositional, and artistic through lines that have their foundations in the Baroque period and continue to exist in contemporary works for violin. The second is to present three highly curated and immersive concert experiences that include multimedia, dramatic lighting, and a variety of performance practices. The third objective is to draw historical connections concerning the role of technology in the development of violin repertory, along with the role of the composer-performer in violin literature. Finally, this project will offer a contemporary approach to the programming and performance of Western art music that reflects on the potential impact of technological integration and creative plurality within the field. Each performance features four works for solo violin, two of which include an element of technology (playback track, live processing, accompanying visuals, etc.). Each performance is dedicated to a single, overarching thematic focus that links each work and includes a demonstrated historical example of a “trailblazer,” “innovator,” and “futurist.” Finally, each program features one of my own original compositions created for each concert.Item EXPLORING THE GUATEMALAN PIANISTIC LEGACY: REVEALING THE HIDDEN GEMS OF THE 20TH AND 21ST CENTURY(2024) Hernandez Mendoza, Francisco Alfonso; Dedova, Larissa; Music; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)In the 20th and 21st centuries, the country of Guatemala produced an extraordinary amount of excellent music written for the piano. Composers Manuel Martínez-Sobral, Ricardo Castillo, Jesús Castillo, Jorge Sarmientos, and more contemporary figures such as Joaquín Marroquín, Enrique Solares, and Xavier Beteta all contributed to the evolution of piano compositions. In this performance dissertation, I will perform selected works from this legacy. I will also provide an in-depth analysis of the selected works and historical context, educational influences, and cultural exchanges that have shaped this musical tradition. The repertoire will be explored with a particular emphasis on pointing out various composer’s stylistic characteristics.The selected dissertation repertoire includes my two-piano arrangement of Jorge Sarmientos’ “Concierto para Piano No. 1 Op. 10” for its academic value and to aid in studying and performing this pivotal Guatemalan piano concerto. This DMA dissertation project includes two solo recitals and a two-piano recital, showcasing my arrangement of Sarmiento’s concerto. The written portion of the dissertation also presents the score of this arrangement. All recitals were held in the Gildenhorn Recital Hall at the University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland. The live audio recordings of these recitals can be found in the University of Maryland's Digital Repository.Item Resonance of Change: An Exploration of Repertoire Programming Shifts in Choral Conducting Graduate Programs in the Wake of the COVID-19 Pandemic and George Floyd Protests(2024) Helms, Mark; Ferdinand, Jason M; Music; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)Few decisions made by a choral conductor are as important as the selection of repertoire. This study seeks to uncover the ways repertoire selection practices may have shifted in choral conducting graduate programs following two major concurrent disruptive events: the COVID-19 pandemic and the George Floyd protests. The study also seeks to fill a gap in the literature by examining repertoire trends in standard concerts on university campuses rather than in concerts occurring exclusively in festival settings (such as ACDA conferences). Complete repertoire data for four academic years (2017–2019 and 2021–2023) were collected from sixteen research universities with choral conducting graduate programs. The design of the study was guided by four major questions, which concerned: (1) the overall characteristics of the body of repertoire performed, (2) changes in the characteristics of performed repertoire between the two-year time periods studied, (3) similarities and differences in programming practices among the sixteen participating schools, and (4) whether the trends found in the present study echo those found in previous studies of repertoire trends in festival settings. The data were also analyzed with two hypotheses in mind: (1) that composer and composition diversity and representation would increase (in part in response to the George Floyd protests), and (2) that composition difficulty would generally decrease (due in part to the COVID-19 pandemic). Findings reveal high variation in the works and composers performed by the sixteen schools in the study, with few specific composers and works seeing broad performance across a majority of the schools. Demographically, performed composers were overwhelmingly White and male, though the percentage of non-White- and non-male-composed works performed at each school increased significantly between 2017–2019 and 2021–2023. It was found that much of this increase could be attributed to non-idiomatic works by Black composers, though this increase did not come at the expense of idiomatic works by the same. The data further suggest that conductors may often select a single piece to fill both race- and gender-based diversity goals. Performed compositions skewed significantly toward newly-composed works, though to what extent varied substantially between schools; the data suggest these variations are largely attributable to the programming practices of individual faculty members. A high level of variation among the schools was seen for sacred/secular status and accompaniment status. No conclusive result was found concerning the average difficulty of performed works, but English- language works were found to be inversely related to composition difficulty; the percentage of English-language works increased significantly between 2017–2019 and 2021–2023, suggesting a corresponding decrease in average difficulty.Item “CHARACTERS” IN DIVERSE WORKS FOR PIANO, 1720-1944(2024) Chan, Ham; Dedova, Larissa; Music; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)The main aim of this research project is to gain a thorough comprehension of piano music classified as “Character Pieces,” as well as music that exhibits similar musical traits but is not officially categorized as such. In a narrative context, a character is typically defined as a person depicted within a story, either through description or direct speech. In the realm of music, characters are often linked to the mood or atmosphere. Expanding on this, characters in music should assist performers and listeners in creating a musical scene through their individual imaginations. The fundamental essence of “Character Pieces” can be distilled to compositions imbued with distinctive musical qualities. While there exists no unanimous consensus regarding the precise criteria for characterizing a piece as such, there is a general consensus that compositions bearing evocative titles such as Ballade, Fantasy, Nocturne, and Mazurka are commonly regarded as character pieces. In a more scholarly context, the Harvard Dictionary of Music aptly defines the term “Character Piece” as a convenient designation encompassing a substantial body of short compositions from the 19th century, designed to express a definite mood or programmatic idea. Most of these compositions are written in ternary form, a structure that proves especially suitable for depicting two contrasting moods, such as the dramatic section A and the lyrical section B.A notable feature of the genre is its freedom from a fixed naming convention, enabling compositions to encompass a wide array of titles. This stands in stark contrast to other genres such as Sonatas and Variations, which are inherently defined by predetermined names and structural elements. However, influences on “Character Pieces” in terms of structure and musicality can be found in some of these genres. Several of these works will also be highlighted in the program. “Character pieces” can be viewed as a genre conceptualized by scholars to encompass the majority of piano music from the 19th century that may not adhere to conventional notions of “serious” music. Given the flexibility of this classification, the three planned recitals have been carefully curated to showcase music relate to this genre, spanning from works of Bach to Prokofiev composed between 1720 and 1944. Each recital will revolve around a central theme, with the initial installment titled “Fantasies and Ballades,” followed by “Humanity” in the second recital, and concluding with “Literary Inspirations” in the final recital.Item A CONDUCTOR’S GUIDE TO BÉLA BARTÓK’S CANTATA PROFANA(2024) Lofton, Nathan; Ferdinand, Jason M; Music; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)Béla Bartók composed Cantata Profana in 1930, at the height of his interwar European career. Bartók’s only major choral-orchestral work, the cantata is a synthesis of Bartók’s immersion in Eastern European folk music and his mature compositional aesthetic. Cantata Profana is a work of modest scale, approximately twenty minutes in duration, though it is also one that makes considerable musical demands of a double chorus, tenor and baritone soloists, and a full orchestra. Above all, it is a work that is considered by many prominent Bartók scholars to be among the composer’s finest creations. Despite all of this, Cantata Profana is so infrequently performed that most musicians know it only by reputation or through one of the handful of existing recordings, if they know it at all. This dissertation gathers the resources a choral conductor needs when preparing to perform Cantata Profana. These resources include a brief history of the cantata’s genesis and analyses of the work’s structure and musical elements. The dissertation examines the required performing forces, choral divisi, Hungarian diction, rehearsal strategies, and programming considerations, and provides possible solutions to these as some of the challenges inherent in the work. The last section of the dissertation considers the interpretation and meaning of the cantata. Appendices are devoted to a literal English translation and International Phonetic Alphabet transliteration of Cantata Profana’s Hungarian text; a selected performance history of the work; and an annotated discography of the available recordings. The ultimate goal of this dissertation is to make Cantata Profana a more approachable work, and to encourage more conductors, choruses, and orchestras to undertake its performance.Item 21st CENTURY AMERICAN TRUMPET SONATAS: THE PERFORMANCE PRACTICE AND PEDAGOGICAL INFLUENCES OF FOUR SONATAS(2024) Rudy, Brennan; Gekker, Paul C; Music; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)Sonatas for trumpet and piano have played an impactful role in the development of the trumpet as a recital instrument. Thorvald Hansen’s 1903 sonata for cornet and piano was the earliest sonata for our instrument, later leading to the first two sonatas for the Bb trumpet and piano in 1939 by German composer Paul Hindemith and Soviet composer Boris Asafiev. The first American sonata for trumpet and piano was written by Harold Shapero in 1940 and was dedicated to his teacher, Aaron Copland. These early sonatas led to other prominent 20th Century trumpet sonatas that were written by American composers Kent Kennan, Halsey Stevens, and Eric Ewazen. As a modern solo instrument, performance and pedagogical practices for the trumpet are strongly based on compositions of the 20th Century or earlier. As we are now almost 25 years into the 21st Century, trumpet sonatas and their composers have continued to evolve and create a lasting impact on the use of the trumpet and its pedagogy. This dissertation will discuss the pedagogical impacts and musical developments of several 21st Century sonatas for trumpet and piano. Accompanying this dissertation are four recordings of some of the most recently published trumpet sonatas from 2015-2023, each by American composers of diverse backgrounds. The four recorded sonatas previously had very few or no professional recordings and exemplify modern developments on traits originally established by composers of early trumpet sonatas. Through this dissertation and accompanying recordings, I hope to encourage the use of modern trumpet sonatas for application in pedagogical instruction, performances, and college and university juries and entrance auditions.Item THE VIRTUOSO PIANIST AS COMPOSER: AN ANALYSIS OF CLARA WIECK-SCHUMANN’S COMPOSITIONS AS INFLUENCED BY HER CONCERT REPERTOIRE(2023) Kim, SooJung Diana; Sloan, Rita; Music; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)Clara Schumann, born Wieck (1819-1896), demonstrated exceptional promise as a pioneering nineteenth-century pianist and composer. Trained by her father, Friedrich Wieck, she became a distinguished pianist of the Romantic era and gained public admiration for her compositions. The dissertation divides her musical life into three periods: early, middle, and late, analyzing her concert repertoire and compositions during each phase. It explores the correlation between her performances and contemporary compositions, revealing shifts in style and focus. It also contextualizes her within the broader history of women composers, highlighting her impact on classical music.The document investigates Clara’s unique position as a woman pianist and composer in the nineteenth century, especially as the wife of Robert Schumann. It explores the intertwining of her personal history with her artistic expression, shedding light on the challenges she faced in a male-dominated profession. The varied nature of her concert repertoire across all three periods is examined, providing insights into representative works and their significance. Examples from her programs are discussed in relation to her period and connections to her husband's compositions and those of other contemporaneous artists. Furthermore, the dissertation addresses the absence of published piano compositions in her later period, focusing on transcriptions and collaborations. In conclusion, the dissertation contributes to a greater understanding of her legacy, acknowledging her rightful place in the history of Western classical music and advocating for the continued recognition of women's contributions in the field. Accompanied by written document, I performed two recitals on May 6, 2022, at Seoul Arts Center and May 30, 2023, at Youngsan Arts Center in Seoul, South Korea. These recital programs include piano compositions not covered in this dissertation, aiming to introduce more of her repertoire. Both live recordings of these recitals can be found in the Digital Repository (DRUM) at the University of Maryland.Item Conducting Classicism: Theory and Practice in Late Nineteenth-Century Orchestral Performances of Beethoven's Symphonies(2023) Szwarcman, Gregory; Haldey, Olga; Music; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)This thesis explores the orchestral performance practice of the late nineteenth century,specifically how it pertained to conductors’ interpretations of Beethoven’s symphonies. By this time, two competing conducting styles were widely perceived to have existed with respect to these works: a Classical and a Romantic aesthetic, each of which claimed to best fulfill the composer’s intentions. The former stressed the need for transparency with the performer maintaining steady tempi with little interference from the conductor, whereas the latter emphasized the active involvement of the conductor, particularly through wide ranging tempo modifications. While scholars have analyzed written nineteenth-century sources that describe these conducting styles, it is much less clear how they were manifested in actual performances. Likewise, studies of early orchestral recordings tend not to contextualize their findings with nineteenth-century aesthetic debates, preferring instead to contrast these performance styles with those practiced today. By comparing concert reviews to early recordings of Beethoven’s symphonies made by conductors born in the nineteenth century, I elucidate precisely how the descriptive language of observers of concerts during the late-Romantic era corresponded to the sounds they heard. I argue that a clear distinction can be made between the Classical and Romantic approaches to conducting an orchestra, while maintaining that the differences were often more nuanced than observers liked to admit.Item Programmatic Music in Violin Literature(2023) Zhong, Qian; Salness, David DS; Music; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)This dissertation explores programmatic music in the violin literature, highlighting how composers convey extra-musical meaning in their works, inspired from literature, stories, or even personal experience. The research is organized into three thematic recitals: "Love," "Nature," and "Legend," each showcasing a range of compositions unified by a common theme. The paper will explore each piece from a variety of perspectives: cultural influences, composers' style, and their life experiences. It aims to investigate how music can tell stories while emphasizing how composers use similar themes yet with their unique approaches create distinctly personalized works. These programmatic pieces often make a deep emotional connection with the audience all the while inspiring the imagination. The paper also addresses, with specific suggestions, the technical challenges of performing transcriptions of orchestral scores that have been arranged for much smaller instrumentation, such as solo violin with collaborative piano. The "Love" themed recital includes Poème, Op. 25, by Ernest Chausson (1896); Suite from Romeo and Juliet for Violin and Piano, by Sergei Prokofiev (1935) and arranged by Lidia Baich and Matthias Fletzberger; Three solos for Violin and Piano from Swan Lake, Op.20, by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (1875-1876) and arranged by Endre Granat; Suite from West Side Story for Violin and Piano, by Leonard Bernstein (1957), and arranged by Raimundo Penaforte. The "Nature" recital features Sonata Representiva for Violin and Continuo in A Major, by Heinrich Ignaz Franz Biber (1669); The Lark Ascending, by Ralph Vaughan Williams (1914); Concerto No. 2 in G minor, Op. 8, RV 315, "Summer" (L'estate), by Antonio Vivaldi (1718- 1720) and arranged by Christopher Hogwood; Verano Porteño Trio for Piano, Violin and Cello, by Astor Piazzolla (1965) and arranged by José Bragato; Summer Night, by Shanle Yang (1952); Summertime, by George Gershwin (1935) and arranged by Jascha Heifetz. The "Legend" themed recital presents Butterfly Lovers’ Violin Concerto, by He Zhanhao and Chen Gang (1959); Myths, Op.30, by Karol Maciej Szymanowski (1915); Red Violin Caprices, by John Corigliano (1999). This dissertation also contains three live recitals. The live audio recordings of these three recitals can be found in the Digital Repository of the University of Maryland (DRUM).