Music Doctoral Work

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Alternative Analyses of Three Multiple Percussion Works
(North Dakota State University, 2013) Woodmansee, Brett Eric
The goal of this research document is to provide a flexible analysis that is directly applicable to multiple percussion performance and will inform a performer about the nature of decisions in specific circumstances without discouraging new explorations or interpretations. These analyses attempt to organize music components into four groups: dynamics, timbre, note density, and articulations and ornaments. Each of these groups can change in levels of importance within a hierarchy for each phrase, which provides information for performance practice. This information can theoretically reveal the most important components of a phrase, including the most significant mistakes of composers and performers. Emphasizing certain groups during a performance can mean the difference between a phrase enhancement and a confusing effect. These analyses ignore complicated mathematics, complex compositional features, metaphysics, historic performance practice, and the intentions of composers in favor of basic repetition patterns, unexpected changes, and deductive reasoning. The multiple percussion works selected for analysis are Cold Pressed (1990, revised 1994) by Dave Hollinden, Rebonds (1987-1989) by Iannis Xenakis, and Bone Alphabet (1991-1992) by Brian Ferneyhough. Results indicate that Cold Pressed utilizes a variety of complementary hierarchy types with a minor number of discrepancies; however, this often deviates with the phrasing indicated in the score. Rebonds utilizes a more consistent set of hierarchies without significant support from dynamics. Bone Alphabet utilizes complex detail with clear phrases that match the analysis in a variety of hierarchies; however, the rhythmic tension lacks the drive found in the other works. Performance suggestions are presented for each work.
American Folk Traditions in Piano Concert Music
(North Dakota State University, 2013) Lopez, Edwin Gerardo Aybar
This paper describes concert music for the piano that is heavily influenced by or entirely based on folk music traditions from the Americas. First, the term folk music and problems arising from its use are explained. The three main groups of people from which most of the folk music of the Americas originated are also briefly described. The main music covered will be by the composers Samuel Barber (United States), Juan Morel Campos (Puerto Rico), Heitor Villa-Lobos (Brazil), and Louis Moreau Gottschalk (United States). Each composer is represented by one or two pieces. Each piece is analyzed in terms of form and the folk tradition that influenced it. The histories and characteristics of blues, boogie-woogie, cowboy ballads, plena, and banjo music are all considered and related to the pieces discussed.
Art Songs by French Composers on Subjects Related to Venice, with Particular Emphasis on Reynaldo Hahn’s (1874-1947) Venezia (1901)
(North Dakota State University, 2019) Raad, Tyler
Venice, Italy has received a considerable amount of attention throughout the centuries from French poets, painters, and composers. However, little scholarship exists to date that has drawn any definitive connection between Venetian culture and the French humanities and even less regarding art song. In this disquisition, I concentrate on how French art song composers treated cultural themes of Venice in their music. I establish a field of study by selecting art songs for voice and piano written by French composers from Hippolyte Monpou (1804-1841) to Jacques Leguerney (1906-1997). From this selection, I discuss several composers that demonstrate contrasting approaches to using cultural themes in their songs. I then choose to emphasize Reynaldo Hahn’s (1874-1947) Venezia (1901) because of its deep connection with Venetian culture. Hahn’s Venezia exemplifies Venetian culture. This is evident through the composers’ use of the Venetian dialect and Venetian street-song forms. The lighthearted and charming character in Hahn’s six musical settings reflects the composer’s positive outlook on his stay in Venice, and historical documents confirm that he had a deep admiration for the city’s culture. The musical analysis I perform on Venezia, together with the analysis of its respective texts and authors, provides evidence that Venetian culture had significant effects on Hahn. By extending my analysis to other songs from my selection, I establish that there exists a strong connection between Venetian culture and French composers’ art songs.
Championing the Lives and Works of American Women Artists: a Performance Guide to Libby Larsen’s Song Cycle Mary Cassatt (1844-1926): Seven Songs for Mezzo-soprano, Solo Trombone, and Orchestra (With 15 Projections of Cassatt’s Paintings) (1994)
(North Dakota State University, 2022) Tlusty, Catherine
Libby Larsen (b. 1950), one of America’s leading composers, has written in nearly every genre of classical music. Among her catalogue of vocal music are choral works, operas, art song, and song cycles. Larsen’s song cycles are known for their texts that portray strong women and are written by female writers. Larsen’s declamatory text settings, which are influence by her training in Gregorian chant, capture the struggles and triumphs of these strong female figures. Her recitative-like melodies bring to life these women such as the artist Mary Cassatt (1844-1926) in Larsen’s song cycle Mary Cassatt (1844-1926): Seven songs for mezzo-soprano, solo trombone, and orchestra (with 15 projections of Cassatt’s paintings) (1994). In addition to her plainchant-influenced vocal melodies, Larsen utilizes the solo trombone to communicate Cassatt’s inner voice and projections of Cassatt’s paintings to demonstrate the artist’s evolution. The use of the trombone in this song cycle arose from the terms of the commission. The Grand Rapids Symphony Orchestra and The Keller Foundation commissioned Mary Cassatt to be premiered by Fred P. Keller’s (b. 1944) wife, Linn Maxwell Keller (1943-2016). Fred Keller chose the trombone as the solo instrument because he thought it would be an interesting combination with mezzo-soprano and orchestra. Transcribed interviews published in journals, newspapers, and dissertations, my personal interview with Larsen, a review of biographical information about the composer, and my own analysis of the score will provide a thorough background of Larsen’s use of this ensemble in this song cycle. Few song cycles in modern repertoire are accompanied by a full orchestra and utilize a solo instrument as an equal partner to the voice. This dissertation will bring to the forefront an awareness of Mary Cassatt and will provide thorough background information about the composer and the artist and an analysis of the score to support performances of this song cycle.
A Choral Conductor's Analysis and Performance Practice Recommendations for Selected Psalm Settings by German Baroque Composers
(North Dakota State University, 2020) Rolf, Kathryn Anita
Psalm settings by German Baroque composers are comprised of meaningful texts illuminated by expressive music and have much to offer today’s choir. The composers of these settings were inspired by the Old Testament psalm texts and wrote choral works that incorporated both historical techniques adapted from types of psalmody and the expressive techniques of their day. Despite the significance of psalm settings, no detailed study exists on this music as a body of work. Additionally, Baroque music provides challenges to the conductor regarding performance practice choices. Both of these problems are addressed in this study. First, I establish a lineage of compositional development from Medieval chanted psalms to Baroque psalm settings and analyze the techniques composers used to express the text in specific examples. Then, I use the insights gleaned to make performance practice recommendations for each piece. By drawing on primary sources by Michael Praetorius (ca. 1571-1621) and Heinrich Schütz (1585-1672) and secondary sources by contemporary scholars Dennis Schrock, Helmuth Rilling, and Robert Donington, I provide an overview of German Baroque performance practices that includes instrumentation, tempo, dynamics, articulation, and ornamentation. Special emphasis is given to performance principles that are applicable to the psalm settings explored in subsequent chapters. I also draw on dissertations, books, and articles by Baroque scholars to provide highlights of the composers’ careers and details about the pieces studied. The six pieces included in this disquisition are “Wie lieblich sind deine Wohnungen,” SWV 29 from Psalmen Davids (1619) by Heinrich Schütz (1585-1672), Alleluja! Lobet den Herrn in seinem Heiligtum (1620) by Johann Hermann Schein (1586-1630), “Schaffe in mir Gott ein reines Herz” from Fest- und Zeit-Andachten (1671) by Andreas Hammerschmidt (1611-1675), Der Herr ist mit mir, BuxWV 15 (ca. 1687) by Dieterich Buxtehude (ca. 1637-1707), Gott, sei mir gnädig (1705) by Johann Kuhnau (1660-1722), and Lobet den Herrn, alle Heiden (n.d.), BWV 230 by Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750).
The Choral Music of Frederick Delius (1862-1934) and its Influence on the Choral Music of Early Twentieth-Century British Composers
(North Dakota State University, 2015) Strommen Campbell, Jonathan Daniel
The composer Frederick Delius wrote a large body of choral music including choral/orchestral works and part songs. This body of choral music had an important influence on the younger generation of British choral composers, including Philip Heseltine (Peter Warlock) (1894-1930), E. J. Moeran (1894-1950), Constant Lambert (1905-1951), and Patrick Hadley (1899-1973). To date, only one dissertation in the United States has been devoted to the choral music of Delius. While several books have been published on Heseltine (Warlock), the others—Moeran, Lambert, and Hadley—are underrepresented in scholarly choral literature. In his book Delius: Portrait of a Cosmopolitan (1976), Christopher Palmer details the extent to which Delius influenced this younger generation of composers. While Palmer examines some of the choral music of Delius and his followers in varying degrees of detail, other important choral works of Delius and his followers are absent from his discussion. Besides Donald Caldwell’s dissertation (1975), there is no recent study of Delius’s complete body of choral music. Moreover, the larger extent to which Delius influenced the next generation of British choral composers has not been satisfactorily researched. This thesis seeks to address this paucity. Some works, such as Moeran’s Nocturne (1935), show an explicit imprint of Delius. Others, such as Hadley’s The Hills (1944) and Lambert’s The Rio Grande (1927), show a more complex convergence of influences, including those of Delius. This study critically examines every choral work of Delius in an effort to make his music better understood and more accessible. In addition to investigating the influence of Delius on the choral music of Moeran, Lambert, and Hadley, this thesis also provides exposure to choral works which merit broader representation in the performing repertoire. By examining the music and composers whom Delius influenced most, it is hoped that more of this choral repertoire will be performed and shared with audiences.
Composer, Conductor, Cornetist: A Biography of Jean-Baptiste Schiltz (fl.1831-1868) and a Survey of his Works for Cornet and Piano
(North Dakota State University, 2016) Jimenez, Kenneth Leroy Jr.
In its heyday, the cornet was a popular instrument and the brass instrument of choice for virtuosi worldwide. Cornet soloists such as Jean-Baptiste Arban (1825–1889) and Herbert Lincoln Clarke (1867–1945) impressed audiences with their technical prowess, and the solos they composed for cornet are in wide use today. However, the story of the cornet did not start with Arban or Clarke; an entire generation of cornetists had come before them, and they too wrote their own solos. This generation of cornetists was crucial in the development of the instrument. As performers, they helped to refine the cornet from a musical experiment to an immensely popular instrument, and as composers, their solos helped to propel the cornet on this popular path and inspired later virtuosi like Arban and Clarke. This disquisition addresses the limited information on early cornetists and their solos by providing new information about composer-cornetist Jean-Baptiste Schiltz (fl.1831-1868). Though Schiltz was an important figure in Paris during the first half of the nineteenth century, little has been written about him or his compositions. By consulting contemporary periodicals and modern scholarship, I am able to provide new biographical information on Schiltz, who was a pioneering performer on cornet, trumpet, and trombone. Additionally, I conduct a survey of Schiltz’s many works for cornet and piano. By thoroughly examining some of the surveyed works I demonstrate that Schiltz had a clear understanding of the capabilities of early cornets and cornetists, and that he chose particular melodies, keys, and even the length of the cornet itself in order to work around limitations. I also describe the historical value of the surveyed works and their possible uses today. Ultimately, this disquisition demonstrates that Schiltz was an important historical figure, and that his works for cornet and piano are valuable additions to the trumpet repertoire and ideal for trumpet instructors to use with students.
The Compositional Style of Horatio Parker as Demonstrated in Selected Cantatas
(North Dakota State University, 2013) Saari, Eric Michael
Few musicians are familiar with the works of American composer, Horatio Parker (1863-1919), and those who know him likely are familiar only with his church music. This dissertation aims to bring attention to Parker and his secular choral output, specifically his cantatas. The author has chosen three representative examples of his dramatic secular works for choir and orchestra in order to examine the development of Parker's compositional style. They are The Ballad of a Knight and His Daughter (1884), Dream-King and His Love (1891), and A Star Song (1901). After a brief biography, the author pays particular attention to Parker's increasing use of thematic elements as well as the harmonic language and formal construction of the selected works. A course of development is demonstrated highlighting Parker's increasingly sophisticated use of themes and more chromatic harmonic language.
Conducting the Coded Message Songs of Slavery: Context, Connotation, and Performance Preparation
(North Dakota State University, 2018) Raber, Rebecca Lynn
The coded message songs of slavery are a mysterious and fascinating entity. Within the lyrics of these seemingly innocuous plantation songs are coded messages for escape, messages that provided secret information to enslaved workers on Antebellum plantations. Over the course of more than 250 years of slavery on American soil, countless enslaved Africans found freedom through the use of coded message songs and the Underground Railroad. What are these songs? Which lyrics provided this secret information? How can a study of this music provide a better musical experience for conductors, singers, and listeners? This disquisition offers answers to these important questions, as well as a presentation of this body of repertoire from the choral conductor’s perspective. First, I provide a brief historical context for the music of slavery. I analyze and interpret important historical collections of spirituals and examine them through the lens of their text. Period accounts (from newly freed slaves and by song collectors) as well as information from modern conductors and scholars provide insight into and support for my method. A discussion of textual interpretation and musical representation follows, including a valuable list of common themes used in coded message songs. In the main body of the document, I present nine spirituals that contain coded message. I focus on the lyrics of the coded songs, introducing the connotations of the messages within the music. I also offer insight to choral conductors considering this repertoire and some interpretive choices that may be made when performing this music. Finally, this study contributes appendices with concrete pedagogical resources to assist conductors in their teaching and presentation of coded message songs to their singers. Successful choral conductors are dynamic storytellers. As a conductor preparing, rehearsing, and performing this choral music, it is critical to both communicate the context and history of coded message songs during the learning process, and also make appropriate stylistic choices in the music. Revealing the historical context and rich textual interpretation of this body of repertoire allows conductors to tell this story more effectively through their informed pedagogy, ultimately enriching and inspiring both singers and listeners.
Cornets, Creativity, and Celebration: The Life and Works of Virtuoso Cornetist Alessandro Liberati (1847-1927)
(North Dakota State University, 2022) Ward, Byron
Alessandro Liberati (1847–1927) lived during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, when music for solo cornet was one of the most popular musical outlets in America. He and many performers of this instrument were virtuosos and traveled the world performing beautiful melodies and stylistic acrobatics on the instrument. They were the stars of their day and were often also conductors who led their own bands. Scholarly literature has only been written about a select few of these cornet soloists and band leaders. Names like Herbert L. Clarke (1867–1945), Jean Baptiste Arban (1825–1889), and John Phillip Sousa (1854–1932), are far more commonplace and receive more attention and performance. This leads to trumpet players playing their music and not the music of any of the other cornetists and band leaders of the past. Significant cornet music and band arrangements are overlooked, simply because trumpet teachers and performers do not know of the other cornetists and their music. In this dissertation, I address the life and works of virtuoso cornetist Alessandro Liberati to bring forth new evidence that Liberati deserves greater attention as an important cornetist and band leader, a musician on par with his contemporaries. Liberati was an active soloist, band leader, and notable composer in Italy, Canada, and the United States. Liberati’s generous output of compositions for both solo cornet and band is compiled in the appendix of this study. I rely on biographies, encyclopedias, dictionaries, method books, historical band books, newspaper articles, scholarly articles, and historical recordings of Liberati from Gold Moulded Records (1902). In addition, I consulted Liberati’s musical scores and other archival documents housed in his collection at the Library of Congress. These sources show his wide influence as a cornetist, band leader, and composer. To this end, I suggest that Alessandro Liberati was just as successful as his contemporaries, well-liked by the public, sought after in his time, and deserves the same attention and performance today as his more well-known contemporaries.
The Development and Dissemination of the Collaborative Piano Program from the United States to China
(North Dakota State University, 2021) Wei, Xiang
For over 71 years, the collaborative piano major has been one of the most important music performance programs at American universities and conservatories, such as the University of Southern California, the Julliard School of Music, and the New England Conservatory. For over half a century, these collaborative piano programs have been successful in the United States, and they continue to influence the field of music world-wide. Therefore, the development of collaborative piano programs in the United States not only plays a significant role for students who want to have a career in this field, but it has also influenced universities and music conservatories in countries all over the world. Furthermore, because the demand for excellent collaborative piano programs by music students and music scholars is growing world-wide, in order to meet that growing demand, it is both logical and timely to study how successful collaborative piano programs in the United States were both established and developed. This analysis can provide information that is integral to the effective development of high-quality collaborative piano programs. The purpose of this disquisition is to analyze how collaborative piano programs have flourished in the United States. More specifically, I will document the history of collaborative piano programs, the curricula for collaborative piano programs, and the influence of the collaborative piano programs to China. I will draw on the following sources: Martin Katz’s 2007 Book, The Complete Collaborator, Pei-Shan Lee’s 2008 dissertation, The Collaborative Pianist: Balancing Roles in Partnership, interviews with program designers, and surveys of music schools chosen from university websites and the directory list from the National Association of Schools of Music (NASM). This disquisition will give a comprehensive understanding why these collaborative piano programs have become successful in the United States over the past 71 years.
The Development of Works for Choir and Brass: A Study of Four Representative Works
(North Dakota State University, 2012) Armendarez, Christina Marie
As brass instruments evolved from crude instruments limited to only a few notes into instruments that could play melodic passages within the vocal range, they began to be paired with the voice. The development traced in this paper will focus primarily on the addition of brass instruments with a choral ensemble from the late Renaissance period through the Modern period. Insight into the historical use of brass and the evolution of choral and brass music allows us to better understand the genre and how subject matter, text, and/or the occasion for which the compositions were composed often influenced the composer’s decision to add brass. Four representative pieces will be studied: In Ecclesiis by Giovanni Gabrieli (c.1554-1612); Herr, unser Herscher by Heinrich Schütz (1585-1672); Ecce Sacerdos by Anton Bruckner (1824- 1896); and Ode a la Musique by Frank Martin (1890-1974).
An Examination of Selected Chinese Ethnic Choral Music from Inner Mongolia, Yunnan Province, and Central Plains Area
(North Dakota State University, 2024) Cheng, Kewen
The landscape of choral music in modern China is characterized by a rich and varied repertoire, despite its relatively brief history within the nation. Diverging from the trajectories of traditionally Christian countries, the evolution of Chinese choral music has been shaped by unique historical, social, religious, and folk music traditions. This paper embarks on an examination of selected Chinese ethnic choral music, commencing with an overview of the development path of Chinese choral music in Chapter One. It then delves into an analysis of choral traditions across three distinct ethnic regions in the following three chapters. Each of them is dedicated to a specific ethnic region, namely Inner Mongolia, Yunnan province, and Central Plains area. The analysis starts with introducing the geographical, social, and folk music backgrounds. Subsequent sections explore the characteristic musical elements of each region, offering in-depth examinations of selected representative repertoire. Furthermore, this study aims to provide valuable insights into rehearsal suggestions and performance practices tailored for non-Chinese speaking choral groups. This disquisition draws upon primary sources, such as unpublished Chinese choral music scores, and a spectrum of secondary sources including scholarly works, dissertations, journal articles, encyclopedic entries, and online resources authored by both Chinese and non-Chinese scholars regarding this research topic.
Folk Song in the Wind Band Music of Haydn Wood: Mannin Veen and a New Performing Edition of the Seafarer
(North Dakota State University, 2015) Hollingsworth, Adam Charles
Nestled between England and Ireland, one can find a tiny island called the Isle of Man, or more simply, Mann. One of its most famous musical representatives is composer and violinist Haydn Wood. In an effort to preserve and promote the fine music and culture of the Isle of Man in general, and the work of Haydn Wood in particular, the author analyzed two wind band works written by the composer. Mannin Veen draws directly on the musical heritage of Mann. The Seafarer, which has been out of print for many years, does not use Manx musical traditions directly, but is inspired by songs of the sea. It should briefly be noted here that the word “Manx” is a reference to the linguistic and cultural traditions of Mann in the same way that “Welsh” refers to the language and culture of Wales. As an island, the sea is a constant presence and influence in the life of its people. As such, the songs used by sailors in their work form an important element of Manx culture and tradition. Haydn Wood incorporated several traditional sea songs in The Seafarer. Therefore, through these two works, one can see the influence of folk music on Haydn Wood’s body of work. Finally, as part of an effort to bring The Seafarer back to recognition, if not prominence, the author has created a new performing edition in the hopes that it might once again be published and made available to the repertoire of wind bands everywhere.
From Paintings to Opera: Discovering the Reimagination of William Hogarth's A Rake's Progress in Igor Stravinsky's The Rake's Progress
(North Dakota State University, 2022) Ng, Hong Liang
The Rake’s Progress (1951) is a well-known satirical opera in three acts with an epilogue by Igor Stravinsky (1882-1971), with a libretto written by Wystan Hugh Auden (1907-1973) and Chester Kallman (1921-1975). This opera is based on William Hogarth’s (1697-1764) series of eight paintings, A Rake’s Progress (1734), which inspired Stravinsky during his visit to the Art Institute of Chicago on May 2, 1947. Even though many scholars have conducted discussions on the opera itself, there is little scholarship on the influence of Hogarth’s paintings on Stravinsky’s opera. This dissertation considers how Stravinsky, Auden, and Kallman translated Hogarth’s series of satirical paintings into a period opera to which audiences in the mid-twentieth century could relate. As I am a collaborative pianist that works extensively with singers and opera projects, I aim for this document to be helpful as a guide for singers, vocal coaches, or other interested individuals who wish to have a fresh perspective on this opera. I have divided this dissertation into three parts. In the first part of my disquisition, I investigate Stravinsky’s motivation to write this opera by researching the societal culture, in both early-eighteenth-century London and the mid-twentieth-century United States. In the second part of this paper, I track the collaborators' creative decisions in altering the opera's narrative. I review the libretto of the opera and the iconography of Hogarth’s series of paintings which consists of religious and cultural symbols reflecting Hogarth’s perspective on morality during his time. I also consult modern scholarships in interpreting the narrative and proceed to establish the relationship between the libretto and Hogarth’s paintings. In the third part of this dissertation, I critically analyze selected arias of the opera to investigate how Stravinsky employs neoclassicism in bringing the libretto to life in the music. Ultimately, this dissertation provides a fresh perspective on Stravinsky’s opera by giving a better understanding of Hogarth’s views on morality and culture in eighteenth-century London through his series of engravings as well as how Stravinsky, Auden, and Kallman translated Hogarth’s intentions for their own purposes in this opera, The Rake’s Progress.
The Importance of Timpani in Today's Percussion Education and as a Solo Instrument
(North Dakota State University, 2014) Meyers, Nicholaus
This study investigated the attitudes and beliefs of college educators and professional percussionists about the importance of timpani instruction for percussion majors at the undergraduate level. The results of a survey, in addition to other sources, were analyzed and showed a need for more education in properly preparing percussion students in the area of timpani. The particular areas discussed further within this study consist of: timpani in terms of the different types of timpani and their place in percussion education; timpani set up; grips and strokes; the stool, mallet choice, and ear training. Additionally, part of this study was geared around developing a recommended list of timpani solos appropriate for instruction in technique.
The Inception of Trumpet Performance in Brazil and Four Selected Solos for Trumpet and Piano, Including Modern Performance Editions: Fantasia for Trumpet (1854) by Henrique Alves de Mesquita (1830-1906); Vocalise-Etude (1929) by Heitor Villa-Lobos (1887-1959); Invocation and Point (1968) by Osvalda
(North Dakota State University, 2016) Miranda, Clayton Juliano Rodrigues
This disquisition provides a modern performance edition of four Brazilian compositions for trumpet and piano by Henrique Alves de Mesquita’ (1830–1906) Fantasia para Piston [Fantasy for trumpet, 1854], Heitor Villa-Lobos’s (1887–1959) Vocalise-Estudo [Vocalise-etude, 1929], Invocação e Ponto [Invocation and point] by Osvaldo Costa de Lacerda (1927-2011), and Edmundo Villani-Cortes’s (b. 1930) Concerto for Trumpet and Piano (2004). I include a biography of all of the composers, a descriptive analysis of the compositions, and tables of critical notes regarding the editions. This study also provides a historical account of trumpet in Brazil to contextualize these four compositions and their composers. By doing so, I make available to the international trumpet community a new and exciting addition to trumpet literature and raise awareness about the existence and quality of Brazilian music that is still largely unknown.
Jocelyn Hagen and Timothy Takach: An Introduction to their Choral Music and a Study of their Positions within a Lineage of Minnesota-Based Composers
(North Dakota State University, 2013) Culloton, Michael Patrick
This study serves as an introduction to the choral music of Jocelyn Hagen and Timothy Takach. It also examines their positions within a lineage that includes three generations of successful Minnesota-based composers. It begins with Dominick Argento as the key figure in the first generation. The second group includes Stephen Paulus, Libby Larsen, Carol Barnett, and Craig Carnahan. Hagen, Takach, and Abbie Betinis have emerged as leaders of the third generation, and are discussed in that context. Major similarities that link each generation include a high level of compositional craft and advocacy work on behalf of other composers and the artistic community in the Twin Cities. These similarities are explored as part of this thesis. Additionally, this study explores the link between the composers of this lineage and the thriving choral community found in Minnesota, especially in the Twin Cities region. Conductors Dale Warland and Philip Brunelle have been important figures in the musical and personal lives of nearly every composer in this lineage. Their careers and philosophies regarding the commissioning of new music are also studied.
John Field's Piano Concerto No. 1
(North Dakota State University, 2015) Walker, Mary Ermel
While there are recordings of all seven of John Field’s piano concertos, there are no two-piano versions published that include the transcribed orchestra in the second piano part, with the exception of the second concerto. This paper reviews the life and music of John Field with particular attention on his first concerto and on the creation of an orchestral reduction for performance on two pianos.
A Legacy of Hope in the Concert Spirituals of Robert Nathaniel Dett (1882–1943) and William Dawson (1899–1990)
(North Dakota State University, 2017) Stone, Jeffrey Carroll II
When the careers of the composers Robert Nathaniel Dett (1882-1943) and William Levi Dawson (1899-1990) began, the United States was a racially-divided society. Despite this division, both composers held a firm belief in the potential of spirituals to bring people together. Racial segregation severely limited the civil rights of people of color; however, Dett and Dawson were fueled by the hope for spirituals to bridge the racial divide in America. Both composers desired to achieve racial equality through their music. I argue that these aspirations are embodied within their concert spirituals. This disquisition examines the legacies of Dett and Dawson for the role of “hope” in their concert spirituals. The phrase “legacy of hope” frames a distinct perspective of Dett’s and Dawson’s aspirations for the function of spirituals in American music. I examined their choral music and provided evidence of their hope for concert spirituals. In addition, I draw on scholarly books, essays, interviews, and dissertations to consider Dett’s and Dawson’s legacy of hope within the context of their social environment. Historically, spirituals share an intimate bond to the social environment of the United States. The capacity of spirituals to provide hope appears frequently in the United States during periods of social change. To further strengthen my arguments for Dett’s and Dawson’s legacy of hope, my study relates the concept of hope to the performance of spirituals. The study is limited to the start of the concert tradition of spiritual in the late nineteenth century. Hope proves to be an inherent trait of spirituals throughout its history. As choral conductors, we can also contribute to the legacy of hope when we further our understanding of the value and meaning of spirituals. The more ways the conductor can foster and integrate a respect for spirituals into rehearsals and performances, the greater is the conductor’s contribution to the legacy of hope. Spirituals provide the choral conductor an avenue to explore meaningful social objectives for choral ensembles. The legacy of hope was significant for the generation of Dett and Dawson and it is still relevant for ours.

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