Browsing by Author "Brandt, Anthony K."
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Item A concert of works by guest composer DAVID COLSON and by KARIM AL-ZAND WILLIAM BOLCOM ANTHONY BRANDT RICHARD LAVENDA Thursday, December 2, 2004 8:00 p.m. Lillian H. Duncan Recital Hall(Shepherd School of Music, Rice University, 2004-12-02) Bolcom, William; Lavenda, Richard; Brandt, Anthony K.; Colson, David; Al-Zand, Karim, 1970-; Colson, David (composer and vibraphone); Al-Zand, Karim (composer); Bolcom, William (composer); Brandt, Anthony (composer); Lavenda, Richard (composer); Luca, Sergiu (violin); Archibald, Susan (piano); Landon, Elizabeth (flute); Masterson, Nicholas (oboe); DeMartino, Louis (clarinet); Trussell, Adam (bassoon); VanDyke, Jonas (horn); Bennett, Karol (soprano); Nelson, Maureen (violin); Stanislav, Tereza (violin); Brophy, Robert (viola); Belcher, Richard (cello); King, Stephen (baritone); Benson, Beau (guitar); Buyse, Leone (alto flute); Ellison, Paul (double bass); Kamins, Benjamin (bassoon); Enso String QuartetProgram: Second Sonata for Violin and Piano / William Balcom (b. 1938) -- Mandala / David Colson (b.1957) -- The Dragon and the Undying / Anthony Brandt (b. 1964) -- Leila / Karim Al-Zand (b.1970) -- Chiaroscuro / Richard Lavenda (b. 1955).Item Anticipating the Unknown: Applications of Expectation Theory to Rhythm in Barber's Sonata for Piano(2014-04-24) Oliver, Jennifer Eileen; Brandt, Anthony K.; Roux, Robert; Loewen, Peter; Logan, Jessica M.The music of American composer Samuel Barber (1910-1981) emerged from a transformative era in which the rise of modernism systematically dismantled the musical traditions of previous centuries and revolutionized the musical experience of its audience by challenging their established expectations--the collective experiences and cognitive associations that predispose individuals to anticipate certain musical events over others. While the thorough application of modernism overturned the familiar expectations used by listeners to process their musical experiences, Barber’s music moderates the perceptual challenges of more rigorous modernism by embracing various aspects of modernism but doing so in a manner that consciously incorporates rather than subverts the core elements of traditional composition, thereby gradually transitioning the listeners’ expectations from the familiarity of the traditional vernacular to a more modern rhetoric. Drawing on an understanding of the cognitive process behind creating and applying musical expectations, this study demonstrates how Barber's Sonata for Piano, Op. 26 supports, departs from, or disguises the basic principles of expectation in the area of rhythm, a compelling topic since rhythm is one of the most readily accessible fundamentals of music and one that generates equally powerful expectations. The cumulative result of this study illustrates how Barber merges the contrasting norms of classicism and modernism, skillfully interweaving these two dialects while alternately supporting or challenging traditional rhythmic expectations.Item Contrasting Debussy and Ravel: A stylistic analysis of selected piano works and "Ondine"(2008) Shibatani, Naomi; Brandt, Anthony K.Claude Debussy and Maurice Ravel were the two most important and influential French composers of the early 20th century. They shared similar backgrounds and influences as both resided in Paris during an epoch of rich cultural confluence. As a result, they are often categorized together as "Impressionist" composers. However, a closer examination of their music shows that their works actually have very distinctive characteristics. The purpose of this study is to investigate the differences between Debussy's and Ravel's compositional styles. This will be done in two parts. The first part will focus on the composers' common background as well as influences they had on each other. Each composer was at times accused of stealing or borrowing from the other. The works that gave rise to these controversies will be introduced, and superficial similarities will be highlighted. Then, a comparative analysis of these same works will be offered, illustrating how they in fact show very distinct styles from a structural point of view. Differences in compositional approach by Debussy and Ravel will be elaborated on in the second part of the study, a comparative analysis of their piano works based on the same material, namely the Ondine legend. A detailed stylistic analysis of the two works shows how differently each composer approached the same subject. By comparing and contrasting two works with identical titles based on the same inspirational source, each composer's unique compositional style will be further illuminated.Item Defining Creativity: A View from the Arts(Taylor & Francis, 2021) Brandt, Anthony K.Over several decades, novel-and-appropriate has become established as the standard definition of creativity; while allowing for variations in the exact wording, the requirement that creativity requires external validation of value, utility, etc. is largely unchallenged. This functions well in high consensus fields in which value can be empirically verified. However, in low consensus fields such as the arts, value judgments are subjective, controversies abound, and it can take a long time to reach agreement. As a result, novel-and-appropriate needs to be revisited as a generalized definition. In its place, a successful definition should take into account that bringing something novel to life often requires taking the initiative long before there is external judgment of value or utility and, in low consensus fields, those external judgments can be a poor barometer. Synthesizing arguments by Simonton and Weisberg, the solution is to conduct separate analyses for personal production and public reception, and to remove utility from the definition of creativity. Advantages, risks, and implications of the recommended framework are discussed.Item Diptychon(2013-12-05) Gillespie, Kenya; Al-Zand, Karim; Brandt, Anthony K.; Gottschalk, Arthur W."Diptychon" is a visual and musical exploration of the effects of the commodification of identity on one’s soul. The video begins with symbolic images of the psychological world. This leads into the heart of the piece, which depicts images of storefronts and merchandise to represent the process of the commodification of identity. These images repeat themselves and break apart into increasingly smaller split screens, resulting in an image of a man covered in plastic and money. The underlying basis, the soul, of the music is the harmony from Bach’s “Chaconne” from his "Violin Partita No. 2." The string orchestra and electronics gradually disrupt the harmony and the solo melodic violin line, adding various layers—a four-part canon, pitch and rhythmic layers, layers of voice recordings—that escalate into a climactic twelve tone chord. This recedes into a coda that captures the essential musical identity of the piece.Item Dwelling in the secret: Andre Jolivet's "Asceses" in the context of his life and philosophy(2006) Cheramy, Michelle A.; Brandt, Anthony K.This document presents a case for viewing Asceses (1967) for solo flute/clarinet as a paradigmatic work in the compositional output of Andre Jolivet, reflective of his aesthetic and philosophical ideals as they had developed by the 1960s. As such, the work serves as a touchstone for a deeper understanding of the aesthetic and philosophical stance from which Jolivet was working during the last decade of his life. Many aspects of Asceses suggest this interpretation of the work. The piece bears many striking similarities to one of Jolivet's self-identified paradigmatic works of the 1930s, the Cinq Incantations for solo flute. In addition, the unaccompanied monophonic medium is one in which Jolivet did not work for thirty years, making his return to it in the 1960s particularly striking. The document positions Asceses within the biographical context of the final fifteen years of Jolivet's life and suggests that Jolivet's activities of this time in his life and career support a reading of Asceses as a defining composition. The document also thoroughly explores the state of Jolivet's aesthetics and philosophy by the 1960s, presenting a unified model of Jolivet's philosophy from which Asceses can be seen to have sprung, and suggesting ways in which Asceses reveals the strength of certain later influences on Jolivet's thought. The extra-musical materials of the work are considered for the ways in which they confirm and expand the understanding of Jolivet's worldview as presented. The document concludes with a detailed consideration of the ways in which Jolivet translates his late aesthetic ideals into compositional practice, and the ways in which Asceses reflects, at a deep structural level, the most important of them.Item Everest(2009) Alon, Aaron; Brandt, Anthony K.Everest is a six-minute work for orchestra. The piece is a reflection on the nature of the so-called "Romantic sublime," as represented by an ascent of Mount Everest. The sublime was a Romantic notion describing a powerful experience in which nature or the arts elevated man to the highest level of feeling, one where awe and terror coexist. The work is based on a four-note motive and a single chord progression, both presented in the opening of the piece. The fate of this basic musical material is bound up in the experience of the climber, especially as (s)he reaches the summit. The beginning of the piece presents two melodic versions of the main motive: one ultimately ascending and one ultimately descending. While the form of the piece is largely built upon an ascent through the four notes of the motive---each indicated by reaching a high, sustained note in the strings---it is the first and final notes of the piece that tell the fate of the journey. Rather than outlining the ascending form of the motive, suggesting man's conquest of the impossible, the interval outlines an ultimate descent, leaving only the mountain and the realization that the impossible is eternal, while man, alas, is not.Item Everyone dance: An analysis of Calvin Hampton's Five Dances for Organ(2005) Walters, Elaine Evans; Brandt, Anthony K.Calvin Hampton is an important figure in American music of the mid-to-late twentieth century. He was a composer of many genres, but was noted by his contemporaries as an organist and composer of hymn tunes and anthems. However, since his death in 1984, his organ works---particularly the Five Dances for Organ---have become well-known through recordings and artist recitals. This detailed analysis of the dances begins with scenario interpretations for the titled dances. The following chapters analyze the elements that characterize these scenarios according to harmony, ostinato, development of ostinato material, and rhythmic devices. Concluding chapters explore Hampton's wide use of symmetry and the non-symmetrical programmatic significance of the final dance, Everyone Dance. This document highlights Calvin Hampton's genius in combining artistic and intellectual craftsmanship with musicianship and personality in the Five Dances for Organ. With these delightful and virtuosic dances, he has bequeathed a fine twentieth century organ work to future generations.Item FACULTY RECITAL THE WEBSTER TRIO LEONE BUYSE, flute MICHAEL WEBSTER, clarinet ROBERT MOELING, piano Friday, September 19, 2003 8:00 p.m. Lillian H. Duncan Recital Hall(Shepherd School of Music, Rice University, 2003-09-19) Lutosławski, Witold, 1913-1994; Fauré, Gabriel, 1845-1924; Stallmann, Kurt, 1964-; Husa, Karel, 1921-2016; Brandt, Anthony K.; Toensing, Richard, 1940-2014; Webster Trio; Buyse, Leone (flute); Webster, Michael (clarinet); Moeling, Robert (piano)Program: Dance Preludes / Witold Lutoslawski (1913-1994) -- Dolly, Op. 56 / Gabriel Faure (1845-1924) -- Children of Light / Richard Toensing (1940-) -- Round Top Trio / Anthony Brandt (b. 1961) -- Lumina II / Kurt Stallmann (1964-) -- Eight Czech Sketches / Karel Husa (1921-).Item Morton Feldman's clarinet works: A study through the words of the note man(2010) Nelson, Matthew Phillip; Brandt, Anthony K.Morton Feldman's writings, lectures, and interviews reveal a unified and consistent compositional drive towards a static musical rhetoric, or, to use his term, Time Undisturbed. Essential to his outlook was the notion of orchestration as the primary compositional determinant: Feldman's starting point was not a theme in the conventional sense, but the sound of a particular instrument playing a particular note. His works for clarinet--- Two Pieces for Clarinet and String Quartet (1961), Three Clarinets, Cello, and Piano (1971), Bass Clarinet and Percussion (1981), and Clarinet and String Quartet (1983) cover the major periods of Feldman's career. As such, they are touchstone works for studying the evolution of Feldman's methods; because they share the clarinet in common, they provide an ideal means for studying Feldman's abiding pre-occupation with timbre as his primary material. Feldman's unique notational styles vary considerably from piece to piece, but he strategically orients each in such a way as to pursue his fundamental goal of Time Undisturbed. Feldman is the rare composer where verbal intention and musical means form an unshakable and poetic bond. Drawing on Feldman's writings and close analyses of the scores, this paper will demonstrate how all of these works reflect Feldman's central concerns, drawing on the potentials of their respective orchestrations to articulate Feldman's unique musical vision.Item Music to My Ears: Neural modularity and flexibility differ in response to real-world music stimuli(Elsevier, 2022) Bonomo, Melia E.; Brandt, Anthony K.; Frazier, J. Todd; Karmonik, ChristofMusic listening involves many simultaneous neural operations, including auditory processing, working memory, temporal sequencing, pitch tracking, anticipation, reward, and emotion, and thus, a full investigation of music cognition would benefit from whole-brain analyses. Here, we quantify whole-brain activity while participants listen to a variety of music and speech auditory pieces using two network measures that are grounded in complex systems theory: modularity, which measures the degree to which brain regions are interacting in communities, and flexibility, which measures the rate that brain regions switch the communities to which they belong. In a music and brain connectivity study that is part of a larger clinical investigation into music listening and stroke recovery at Houston Methodist Hospital’s Center for Performing Arts Medicine, functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) was performed on healthy participants while they listened to self-selected music to which they felt a positive emotional attachment, as well as culturally familiar music (J.S. Bach), culturally unfamiliar music (Gagaku court music of medieval Japan), and several excerpts of speech. There was a marked contrast among the whole-brain networks during the different types of auditory pieces, in particular for the unfamiliar music. During the self-selected and Bach tracks, participants’ whole-brain networks exhibited modular organization that was significantly coordinated with the network flexibility. Meanwhile, when the Gagaku music was played, this relationship between brain network modularity and flexibility largely disappeared. In addition, while the auditory cortex’s flexibility during the self-selected piece was equivalent to that during Bach, it was more flexible during Gagaku. The results suggest that the modularity and flexibility measures of whole-brain activity have the potential to lead to new insights into the complex neural function that occurs during music perception of real-world songs.Item Musical tributes to LUCIANO BERIO and LOU HARRISON new works by RICHARD LAVENDA and ANTHONY BRANDT Tuesday, October 28, 2003 8:00 p.m. Lillian H. Duncan Recital Hall(Shepherd School of Music, Rice University, 2003-10-28) Berio, Luciano, 1925-2003; Bernstein, Leonard, 1918-1990; Beath, Betty; Brandt, Anthony K.; Gordon, Ricky Ian; Lavenda, Richard; Harrison, Lou, 1917-2003; McCombe, Christine, 1967-; Cook, Nathan (cello); Gibson-Lane, Mok-Hyun (cello); Zacharias, Leanne (cello); Bock, Marieve (cello); Bass, Victoria (cello); Dudzik, Matthew (cello); Pittenger, Elise (cello); Joo, Yeon-Sun (cello); Dunn, Susan Lorette (soprano); Kierman, Jeanne (piano); Fischer, Norman (cello); Ver Meulen, William (horn); Parker, Jon Kimura (piano); Buyse, Leone (flute); Webster, Michael (clarinet); Moeling, Robert (piano); The Webster Trio; Winkler, Kathleen (violin); Doty, Spencer (percussion); Gould, Daniel (percussion); Rowoldt, Seth (percussion); Bell, Brandon (percussion); Brown, Richard (conductor)Program: Korot / Luciano Berio (1925-2003) -- Yunggamurra / Betty Beath (b.1932) -- The Loneliness of A Lover's Arms / Christine McCombe (b. 1967) -- Dream With Me / Leonard Bernstein (1918-1990) -- Joy / Ricky Ian Gordon (b. 1956) -- Flight of Fancy / Richard Lavenda (b.1955) -- Round Top Trio / Anthony Brandt (b.1961) -- Concerto for Violin with Percussion Orchestra / Lou Harrison (1917-2003).Item Paul Cooper's Sinfonia: An analysis(2002) Lee, Minyoung; Brandt, Anthony K.The piano music of Paul Cooper (1926--1996) has recently become more recognized through two newly released compact discs, Paul Cooper: The Complete Piano Works by pianist John Hendrickson, and New American Masterworks for Solo Piano by pianist John Perry. Cooper's piano music truly deserves more attention. Apart from its extraordinary beauty and expressiveness, it is immediately accessible and communicative. Among Cooper's piano works, Sinfonia (1989), the largest work written in the late period of his compositional career, can be considered a landmark piece. This paper will examine how Cooper successfully integrates classical values with a contemporary language and how such synthesis makes the music more accessible and challenging. More specifically, this paper will discuss Cooper's use of already existing compositional tools such as cyclic form, traditional formal structures, including sonata and ternary form, and a unifying rhythmic motive, as well as his highly personal way of blending them with unconventional uses of atonality and rhythmic formation. In addition, the paper will discuss how Cooper balances the dichotomy of the general atonal scheme and tonal harmonic references through implied harmonic progression and tonal center. Finally, the paper will also explore the various pianistic aspects of Sinfonia, including its remarkable orchestral effects and challenging virtuosity.Item Piano performance and technique: A study of the modern grand piano(2010) Mimaki, Kana; Brandt, Anthony K.The study of how the modern grand piano functions from a construction standpoint has been overlooked by modern pianists. This dissertation explores how an understanding of the inner workings of the piano will lead to more healthy, efficient, and purposeful approach to the performance of the piano. It examines how the piano is constructed, how the piano functions, and how the pianist can apply this knowledge to better advance their overall understanding of piano performance.Item Piano Variations by Liszt, Lutoslawski, Brahms, and Rachmaninoff on a Theme by Paganini(2012) Zhou, Wenli; Brandt, Anthony K.Theme and Variations is arguably one of the oldest musical forms in music history. Composers have used certain themes repeatedly as thematic sources for variations. Among them, Paganini's Caprice No. 24 in A minor is certainly the best known, since the theme has inspired many composers for variations of their own. The purpose of this study is to analyze different sets of Variations on Paganini's theme by Franz Liszt, Witold Lutoslawbski, Johannes Brahms, and Sergei Rachmaninoff, in order to examine, identify, and trace how far an original idea can be stretched by using different variations techniques and their applications. Liszt transcribed Paganini's 24th Caprice for the piano, adding a multi-layered sound to the original Caprice. His treatment of the Paganini theme is the most literal. Lutoslawski's Paganini Variations is written for duo piano. This piece builds on Liszt's transcription technique: it stays close to the original Paganini Caprice, but at the same time overlays many 20 th century compositional devices such as atonality and complex rhythmic devices. Lutoslawski carries Liszt one step further away from Paganini's original theme. In his Variations on a Theme of Paganini, op. 35, Brahms keeps the clear structure and strong harmonic progression of the original theme, but carries his invention further away from the source than Liszt and Lutoslawski. His compositional technique includes adding new harmonies within the harmonic structure, marking different tempo indications and meter changes, playing with a variety of rhythm and motives, as well as accentuating the harmonic progression and the bass progression. Rachmaninoff's Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini, Op. 43 is the most personal. He places greater emphasis on the melodic and motivic elements of the theme, and nearly exhausts every option of transformation. Rachmaninoff's extensive development represents the furthest point away from Paganini's source.Item Recombined Forces(2013-09-16) Hahn, Joshua; Brandt, Anthony K.; Chen, Shih-Hui; Al-Zand, KarimRecombined Forces, for full orchestra, provides contrast by changing the inner divisions of the whole. These divisions include the gradual separation of the orchestra into different choirs, evolving rhythmic and contrapuntal roles, and the harmonic reordering of one central recurring chord into smaller chords with contrasting characters. The orchestra begins as a whole divided into the traditional choirs, grouped by their physical similarities, and ends as a whole grouped by timbral characteristics. Grouped instruments enter and cutoff together, and play the same contrapuntal lines. Harmonically, the piece progresses through four stages. The recurring total sonority, set class [01234578t], begins as three members of set class [013], becomes three of [016], three of [025], an finally three of [037]. The piece develops by recycling materials rather than by replacing materials, and reveals how subtle changes in organization can lead to vastly different results.Item Sarshaothar(2003) Patrick, Joseph Timothy; Brandt, Anthony K.Sarshaothar (pronounced sar-show-thar) is a Gaelic word meaning masterpiece. Music composition follows a long practiced tradition of the master-apprentice system. When an apprentice wished to become a practicing professional, a masterpiece was required. Sarshaothar is a seven minute composition for full orchestra, and was written in Houston, Texas. The work uses an expanded octatonic pitch collection, and a thirteen chord progression. These two elements start independent, then are woven together to form a complex piece with a wild finish. The work is dedicated to Judith Patrick, the mother of the author.Item Society of Composers Region VI Conference - Concert 6 Friday, February 10, 2006 8:00 p.m. Duncan Recital Hall(Shepherd School of Music, Rice University, 2006-02-10) Kwo, Paul, 1980-; Lavenda, Richard; Smith, Rob; Brandt, Anthony K.; Smooke, David; Al-Zand, Karim, 1970-Program: Ancient Sacrament for the Organic Machine / Paul Kwo -- Heat of the Moment / richard Lavenda -- Juggernaut / Rob Smith -- Round Top Trio / Anthony Brandt -- Hazmat Sextet / David Smooke -- Imaginary Scenes / Karim Al-Zand.Item Symphony Concertante for two clarinets and orchestra by Ingolf Dahl: A critical edition(2008) Budelman, Carrie Ann; Brandt, Anthony K.Ingolf Dahl (1912-1970) was an American composer, conductor and pianist of German-Swedish parentage. Dahl emigrated to the United States in 1939 and was appointed to the faculty of the University of Southern California in 1949, a post he held until his death. Famed clarinetist Benny Goodman commissioned a double concerto from Dahl for performance by himself and English clarinetist Reginald Kell. The resulting work, Symphony Concertante for two clarinets and orchestra, was completed on December 6, 1952. Dahl's dissatisfaction with the final result led to a series of revisions to shorten the piece over the next eighteen years. Unfortunately, Dahl never heard Symphony Concertante performed in his lifetime. This dissertation centers around the creation of a new critical performance edition of Symphony Concertante. It begins with a brief look at the biography and compositional style of Ingolf Dahl, followed by the historical aspects of Symphony Concertante and other clarinet works by Dahl. The next portion of the paper focuses on the revisions made to the piece and the challenges they presented when making this edition. The process for dealing with these discrepancies is outlined in the Edition section, complete with examples of the main corrections found in this edition. A detailed analysis of each movement is given with particular emphasis placed on Dahl's usage of form and thematic material. The edition of the score itself is provided, with Appendixes describing the source material and a complete list of emendations to the score.Item The flute and piccolo music of Martin Amlin: An introduction, discussion, and analyses of the Sonata for Flute and Piano; "Trio Sonatina" for flute, clarinet, and piano; and Sonata for Piccolo and Piano(2000) Jelle, Lisa A.; Brandt, Anthony K.The compositional style of music for flute and piccolo by Martin Amlin is examined through formal and harmonic analyses and through interviews with the composer and the musicians most closely associated with the works, flutist Leone Buyse and piccoloist Zart Dombourian-Eby. Amlin's compositional style as represented in these pieces may be described as combining characteristic twentieth-century American driving rhythms and perpetual motion, symmetry on multiple levels, and a unique blend of French use of color and phrasing. Complex rhythms and constantly-shifting meters and timbres give the music a kaleidoscopic effect. The composer's fascination with symmetry is reflected both formally and harmonically, in both the often-used arch form and the frequent use of serialism based on symmetrical tone rows. Symmetrical division of meter often produces jazz rhythms, and major and minor 7th chords are featured due to their symmetrical sound. Amlin's style of serialism appeals to many because of its unusual, almost-tonal sound. This effect is due to the structure of the rows, in which half of the intervals are perfect 4ths; many major and minor 7th chords are produced internally. This is intentional on the part of the composer, who is not so much intent on abandoning all tonality as on producing music that finds favor with both the ear and the mind. All three pieces exhibit use of the full range of the instruments, a quality that both Buyse and Dombourian-Eby mentioned as appealing to them. Yet, as in the style of the best sonatas of the repertoire, the parts are balanced; lines interweave, rise, and fall in a balanced whole. As more flutists become aware of the quality of these works, they will become a strong and vibrant staple of the body of flute and piccolo literature.