Browsing by Author "Connelly, Brian"

Now showing 1 - 4 of 4
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    Beethoven's Triple Concerto: A New Perspective on a Neglected Work
    (2007) Hammer, Levi; Connelly, Brian; Lavenda, Richard; Goldsmith, Kenneth
    Beethoven's Triple Concerto for piano, violin, and violoncello, opus 56, is one of Beethoven's most neglected pieces, and is performed far less than any of his other works of similar scope. It has been disparaged by scholars, critics, and performers, and it is in need of a re-evaluation. This paper will begin that re-evaluation. It will show the historical origins of the piece, investigate the criticism, and provide a defense. The bulk of the paper will focus on a descriptive analysis of the first movement, objectively demonstrating its quality. It will also discuss some matters of interpretive choice in performance. This thesis will show that, contrary to prevailing views, the Triple Concerto is a unique and significant masterpiece in Beethoven's output.
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    Lou Harrison's Concerto for Piano with Javanese Gamelan
    (2015-03-27) Angkasa, Linda; Loewen, Peter; Connelly, Brian; Brandt, Anthony; Englebretson, Robert
    Lou Harrison’s compositions for Indonesian gamelan and Western instruments have served as representations of Harrison’s distinctive transcultural voice. His Concerto for Piano with Javanese Gamelan represents a fascinating musical synthesis between two great classical traditions. More than blending Eastern and Western instruments within a single composition, hidden beneath this juxtaposition lies a Harrison’s complex creative method. The purpose of this study is to examine Harrison’s method of forging Western and Javanese idioms within a single work. In order to gain a better understanding through musical analysis, I include chapters concerning the development of exoticism in twentieth-century Western music, with brief historical background on traditional Javanese gamelan, and Harrison’s compositional trajectory toward his Concerto for Piano with Javanese Gamelan. In this concerto, I provide critical understanding of his compositional process using both in Eastern and Western elements. The analysis covers both the macrocosmic and microcosmic structures of the musical form in each movement, pitch-class sets, and rhythmic complexity. Through this method, one can see how Lou Harrison synthesizes the piano successfully with the gamelan idiom by blending two distinct musical cultures, while also emphasizing and reconciling their idiosyncrasies.
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    SHEPHERD SCHOOL PERCUSSION ENSEMBLE Tuesday, April 11, 2000 8:00 p.m. Stude Concert Hall
    (Shepherd School of Music, Rice University, 2000-04-11) Shepherd School Percussion Ensemble; Brown, Richard (director); Wilkinson, Tobie (conductor); Kelly, Patrick (soloist); LeDoux, Heather (soloist); Connelly, Brian; Hardink, Jason; Johnson, Lura; Kawashima, Kimi (pianists); Fink, Simon (sound technician
    PROGRAM: Gainsborough / Thomas Gauger -- Credo in US / John Cage -- Ragtime Robin / George Hamilton Green -- Concerto for Violin with Percussion Orchestra / Lou Harrison -- Musique de Tables (Table Music) / Thierry de Mey -- Ballet Mecanique / George Antheil
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    The Jesuits and the Japanese: A Musical Journey to Renaissance Europe
    (2014-12-17) Kawashima, Kimi Pauline; Loewen, Peter; Connelly, Brian; Lavenda, Richard; Zammito, John H.
    This paper investigates the significance that music and musical ability held for the Japanese-Jesuit ambassadors who toured Portugal, Spain and Italy from 1584-1586. Specifically, I will demonstrate how the Jesuits used music as a critical means to reach and convert the Japanese in the seminarios, enabling them to read, sing, and play Western polyphonic and secular music. The Jesuits’ pedagogical use of music not only functioned as a significant missionary tool to transmit the liturgy, but ultimately, the Japanese converts’ ability to play western keyboard and string instruments and sing Latin polyphony signifies most directly the Jesuit’s success in conversion and enculturation.