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Item A Stylistic Analysis of Tom Flaherty’s (b. 1950) Works for Clarinet(North Dakota State University, 2018) Dizon, RachelleComposer Tom Flaherty (b. 1950) received a 2016 Grammy award nomination for his piece Airdancing for Toy Piano, Piano and Electronics (2013) in the category of Best Chamber Music/Small Ensemble Performance. He has also received numerous grants, prizes, awards, and residencies from organizations including the National Endowment for the Arts, the National Endowment for the Humanities, and the American Music Center. His most recognized work for clarinet is Three Pieces for Clarinet (1982), which won the Delius Composition Contest in 1985 and is included on Eric Mandat’s 1991 album, The Extended Clarinet. Even though Flaherty has received recognition for Three Pieces, his clarinet works as a whole are rarely performed today. His two works for clarinet and piano, Diversion (1985) and Scherzo (1995), remain unknown in the clarinet repertoire. Furthermore, Diversion has been available only in manuscript. Because very little information about Flaherty and his works for clarinet exists, this dissertation provides a stylistic analysis of Three Pieces, Diversion, and Scherzo, and discusses the performance implications of that analysis. Also included in the dissertation is a performance edition of Diversion and the transcription of my interview with the composer. Flaherty’s compositions for clarinet are technically and musically demanding. One of the most challenging aspects of these works is the way Flaherty manipulates pulse. Rhythmic complexity also tends to obscure the listener’s perception of steady pulse and metrical consistency. In each of these works for clarinet, three compositional elements work together to clarify form: melodic contour, intervallic emphasis, and rhythmic devices. This analysis identifies significant musical features that impact form and provides a methodological approach for musical interpretation. It also provides musicians with useful tools to perform these works with musical conviction, which in turn may bring recognition to Flaherty’s lesser-known works, hopefully making them a part of standard contemporary clarinet repertoire.Item A Performer's Analysis and Improvisational Guide to Jazz Sonata for Soprano Saxophone and Piano (1994), by Ramon Ricker (b. 1943)(North Dakota State University, 2017) Hanegan, Brian ScottIn the twentieth century, saxophonists are encountering compositions in the repertoire that contain musical elements from both the classical and the jazz idioms. As a result, saxophonists need more technical and improvisational skills to perform these works. Ramon Ricker’s (b. 1943) Jazz Sonata for Soprano Saxophone and Piano (1994) is an example from this repertoire that draws on both of these traditions. This disquisition presents a comprehensive performer’s analysis and improvisational guide to each of the three movements of Ricker’s Jazz Sonata. In chapters 2, 4, and 6, the analysis chapters, I discuss the specific technically challenging elements within each movement. These elements pertain to altered scales, articulations, accents, and polychord harmonies in the first movement (chapter 2); to tuning, interpretation of the melody, subtone, rapid note passages, and swing style in the second movement (chapter 4); and to pitch, technical passages, accents, syncopated melodies, and interpretation of the melody in the third movement (chapter 6). In addition, musical examples and performance suggestions are provided to elaborate on these specific areas of focus. In chapters 3, 5, and 7, the improvisational guide chapters, I address two improvisational techniques for each chapter that can be used in the solo sections of each movement. These improvisational techniques refer to pentatonic patterns and intervallic or triadpair patterns in the first movement (chapter 3); to the ii–V–I harmonic progression and rhythmicbased method of improvisation in the second movement (chapter 5); and to altered dominant chords and quartal patterns in the third movement (chapter 7). In addition, I have composed a solo for each movement using the two jazz concepts addressed in each chapter. I consulted recent literature by jazz scholars and performers to provide a new perspective on how to develop both the technical prowess and the jazz conceptual prowess needed to perform Ricker’s sonata. This study has also been informed by two interviews I conducted with the composer about this piece. This disquisition is intended as a guide for saxophonists to help them create their own improvised solos in Ricker’s sonata, and, by extension, in other jazzinfluenced works in the saxophone repertoire.Item Tracing the Development of Japanese Choral Tradition, and the Influence of Buddhism and Western Music(North Dakota State University, 2012) Kishimoto, MasashiThis research deals with the origin and development of Japanese choral music emphasizing Japanese folk tunes. The process of how modern styles of Japanese choral music evolved is rather complicated, and has been greatly influenced by the paralleled development of society, tradition, culture, language, politics, and religion. In order to truly understand the essence and evolution of traditional Japanese music, it is crucial to recognize the cultural influences that make up Japanese history. In the late fifth century, Japan started to absorb new music from mainland Asia into its own culture. This led to the development of new musical ideas, laying the groundwork for musical traditions that defined Japanese culture for years to come. Both mainland Asia and Europe introduced strong religious influences (Buddhism and Christianity, respectively). However, it was not until the radical influence of European music in the 19th century merged with traditional Japanese folk song and created the modern synthesis of the form. This research aims to discuss how the different aspects of both Eastern and Western music, more specifically their unique rhythms, scales, chords and harmonies, evolved and now coexist within Japanese culture and music. Choral works based on Japanese folk tunes are used to assess specific developmental influences.Item 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 DanielThe 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.Item 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 LiangThe 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.Item Selected Larger Choral Works of F. Melius Christiansen (1871-1955)(North Dakota State University, 2011) Toliver, Nicki LynnF. Melius Christiansen (1871-1955) composed four larger choral works between 1917 and 1925. The Reformation Cantata, composed in 1917, commemorates the 400th anniversary of Martin Luther’s Protestant Reformation and the merger of three church synods into the Norwegian Lutheran Church of America. The cantata is scored for baritone, tenor, and soprano soli, chorus, and orchestra. Christiansen’s oratorio, The Prodigal Son, was composed in 1918. The performing forces include SATB soli and SATB chorus with orchestra or keyboard accompaniment. In 1922, Christiansen composed a multi-movement a cappella work for the St. Olaf Choir entitled Psalm 50. The Norwegian-American Centennial Cantata was written in 1925 in commemoration of the Norwegian immigrants who sailed to America and established their homes. The cantata is scored for soprano and baritone soli, mixed chorus, and orchestra. A general analysis of these four larger choral works was performed. This document, with structural analysis and historical background of selected works, is intended to provide conductors with insights into Christiansen’s repertoire. The literature selected displays the composer’s diversity of genres and compositional techniques. For each work, the document includes the identification of melodic and thematic material, musical examples, text sources, vocal ranges, and details regarding form.Item A Choral Conductor's Analysis and Performance Practice Recommendations for Selected Psalm Settings by German Baroque Composers(North Dakota State University, 2020) Rolf, Kathryn AnitaPsalm 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).Item Cornets, Creativity, and Celebration: The Life and Works of Virtuoso Cornetist Alessandro Liberati (1847-1927)(North Dakota State University, 2022) Ward, ByronAlessandro 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.Item 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, CatherineLibby 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.Item 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 PatrickThis 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.