R-3 Repository :: Browsing by Author "Loewen, Peter"

Browsing by Author "Loewen, Peter"

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A Practical Guide to Guglielmo Quarenghi's Six Caprices
(2014-11-24) Yang, Clara; Lavenda, Richard; Fischer, Norman; Loewen, Peter; Regier, Alexander
Nineteenth-century Italian cellist, Guglielmo Quarenghi (1826-1882), was a virtuoso performer, pedagogue, and composer active in Milan, Italy. Despite his successful career, Quarenghi’s accomplishments as a cellist, as well as his contribution to the cello repertoire, are practically unknown today. Quarenghi’s merits may not be readily apparent based on the rather scant biographical information available, but once his work is explored in detail, his brilliance and the status of his works as a valuable asset to cello playing is clearly evident. This paper explores Quarenghi’s life and a selection of his works, and offers an in-depth pedagogical guide to his Six Caprices. Composed in 1863, Quarenghi’s Caprices is one of the more obscure works of the cello repertory, but it has much to offer the contemporary cellist. This paper consists of four parts: (1) a summary of historical and musical contexts surrounding Quarenghi’s life, (2) a study of Quarenghi’s selected concert works, (3) an exploration of Quarenghi’s pedagogical approach as revealed through his method book, and (4) a practical guide to Quarenghi’s Six Caprices. With a goal of promoting and defining the value of Quarenghi’s Caprices, the following discussion of the Caprices offers musical analysis and editorial commentary, as well as preparatory exercises, performance suggestions, and excerpts from related standard repertoires for further study. The edited version of the Six Caprices is included in Appendix 2.
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.
Beethoven's Double Bass Parts: The Viennese Violone and the Problem of Lower Compass
(2013-09-16) Buckley, Stephen; Loewen, Peter; Ellison, Paul; Lavenda, Richard; Blumenthal-Barby, Martin
This study addresses the discrepancy between the range of Beethoven's double bass parts and the instrument or instruments in use in Vienna in his day. Scholars and musicians have complained about Beethoven's apparent disregard for the instrument's capabilities since the middle of the nineteenth century. A systematic examination of Beethoven's orchestral writing for the double bass shows that this reputation is undeserved. In fact Beethoven paid close attention to the lower compass of the double bass throughout his orchestral writing: a clear boundary of F is observed up to op. 55, and thereafter E, though F still obtains in some late works. Beethoven's observance of the F boundary suggests that he was writing for the Viennese five-stringed violone, and not the modern form of the instrument, as has previously been assumed in scholarship. Other evidence pointing to the use of this instrument is presented. Some of Beethoven's bass parts between op. 55 and op. 125 do in fact descend to C (sounding C1); yet there is no evidence supporting the existence of a double bass instrument capable of C1 in Beethoven's day. Possible explanations for these violations of the compass of the double bass are discussed. These focus on the possibility of simple proofreading error, and on evidence for the unwritten practice of reinforcing the double bass with one or more contrabassoons. The contrabassoon in Beethoven's day had a lower compass of C1, and Vienna was an early center for its production and use. Analysis of the bulk of Beethoven's double bass parts for their range is given. Emphasis in this analysis is given to instances where Beethoven demonstrates a clear awareness of the compass of the instrument. Out-of-range pitches are compiled in table form.
Grand Variations for large orchestra
(2012-09-05) Zajicek, Daniel; Gottschalk, Arthur W.; Jalbert, Pierre; Loewen, Peter; Sperandio, Christopher
Grand Variations is a work for large orchestra built on an original theme and six variations. My primary concerns when composing were communication, continuity, and distortion. To musically communicate an idea repetition is essential, and the type of repetition presented in theme and variations provided what I was looking for. In addition, the fact that the theme will be repeated over and over leads to a built in continuity. The final concern, distortion, may be achieved by pulling away from a more straightforward presentation of the thematic material. Two additional elements played a large role in the work—cyclic forms, and quantum physics. The composition Déserts by Edgard Varese, and the jazz work Nefertiti by Wayne Shorter, both contain strong cyclic features. Nefertiti uses the same melody repeated over and over, while Déserts, on the other hand, repeatedly presents the same musical gestures, and sound objects, but with slight changes to achieve its own cyclic sound world. These two works framed the way that I approached variations, yet are at odds with each other. Through my reading of quantum physics, I found a way to join the two into a working structure, and the book, The Grand Design, by Stephen Hawking and Leonard Mlodinow, helped me to do it. Because of this, I decided early on to honor that influence, and the title Grand Variations reflect that.
Lou Harrison's "Old Granddad": A Composer's Guide
(2019-04-17) Spitz, Brady Joseph; Loewen, Peter
American composer Lou Harrison was known for his activity in blending the music of the world’s cultures and, later in life, building instruments. An example of this is the creation of his “American Gamelan” in the late 1960s and early 1970s. He and William Colvig created a set of tuned pipes and aluminum slabs that were fixed to a single key; and, because the instruments were highly resonant metallophones, they became known as the “American Gamelan” (even though Harrison’s own compositional practice with them bore little resemblance to the music of Indonesia at this point). The music of these instruments (which came to be known as “Old Granddad”) are a truly significant achievement in the history of Western music. The first three chapters of this document include a history of the Old Granddad instruments, technical diagrams and descriptions, and a discussion of their tuning. Their purpose is to help future musicians build a replica. The following three chapters analyze Harrison’s three major works for Old Granddad: the opera Young Caesar (1971); the oratorio La Koro Sutro (1972); and the Suite for Violin and American Gamelan (1974). Their purpose is to provide a model for composers who wish to write more works for the instrument. A synthesis of this historical, technical, and theoretical information offers practical details that may be of use to future composers. The document concludes with Laurel—a commissioned piece by Shane Monds that tests the conclusions of the research.
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.
Rudepoêma: Masterpiece of Modernism, or Latent Sonata Form? An Analytical Study of Heitor Villa-Lobos's Greatest Piano Masterpiece
(2016-04-25) Staupe, Andrew P; Loewen, Peter
Rudepoêma is Heitor Villa-Lobos’s paramount masterpiece for solo piano, and one of the most impressive and difficult compositions in the entire piano literature. It was completed while Villa-Lobos was in Paris in the 1920s, during his second journey to Europe to promote his music abroad. During his maturation as a composer, Villa-Lobos was inspired by the music and aesthetic of many composers, including the ballets of Igor Stravinsky, at the time one of the most prestigious composers in Europe. Villa-Lobos was particularly inspired by Stravinsky’s rebellious attitude towards musical form and function, on view in his seminal work Le Sacre du Printemps (1913), and sought to emulate this aesthetic while creating Rudepoêma. Villa-Lobos used many musical features from both Stravinsky's Le Sacre du Printemps and Petrushka (1911), including a tableau structure that openly resists traditional aspects of musical form and development. Yet, despite sharing in Stravinsky’s own style—as a post-Romantic or Modernist rebel—this study will demonstrate that while Rudepoêma appears to embody the avant-garde, and reject musical tradition, the opposite is in fact true: he adds many traditional elements to the piece, including tonal function, motivic unification, and harmonic progression. Chapter 1 discusses the historical context in which Rudepoêma was composed, including Villa-Lobos’s own development as a composer in Brazil. It traces his two journeys to Paris in 1923–24, and more importantly in 1927–30, and considers what effect this European environment had on the creation of the piece. The various external influences on Villa-Lobos’s style while in Paris will be discussed, as well as Villa-Lobos’s own reasons for creating Rudepoêma: to be a significant composer in Paris, and to cater to the Parisian public’s fascination with and demand for exotic art. He also sought to earn publishing rights at the distinguished publishing house of Max Eschig in Paris. Chapter 2 provides an overview of the primary musical components of Rudepoêma that are discussed fully in subsequent chapters. Although Villa-Lobos seems to eschew traditional forms and functions, upon closer inspection it is clear that he worked systematically using a variety of musical processes. Each of the main musical devices associated with Rudepoêma is discussed: localized tonal centers, motivic unity, tableau structure, black and white superimposition, the Momentum Formula, and rhythmic or melodic ostinatos. The final five sections of chapter 3 place the elements described in the previous chapter in their musical context, and are divided according to the formal organization of Rudepoêma. Each tableau is fully analyzed, showing Villa-Lobos’s unification procedures. This will challenge Villa-Lobos's representation of himself as a composer who rejected traditional compositional techniques in the 1920s. The extensive analysis of the musical landscape of Rudepoêma will prove that even in Villa-Lobos’s most extreme and rebellious compositions, he is firmly rooted in tradition. Rudepoêma is, at a deeper musical level, a highly controlled matrix of musical material that echoes the Western classical tradition from which he publicly sought to distance himself.
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.
To See Music in Your Mind's Eye: The Genesis of Memorization as a Piano Performance Practice
(2017-04-17) Hirata, Makiko; Loewen, Peter
This study examines the genesis of memorization as a piano performance practice, contextualizing it within the major technological, political, aesthetic, and philosophical movements of the 19th century. Its significance becomes apparent when considered with several other notable changes that coincided with the development of performance practice. These include the rise and fall of virtuosos, the emergence of non-composing performers and non-performing composers, the establishment of the musical canon, the ritualization of concerts and the disappearance of the art of improvisation. The first chapter “Innate Memory” considers memory as an inherent aspect of any musical experience, and surveys the general shift from oral culture (based on memory) to literal culture (based on writing). Next, “Virtuosic Memory” considers memorization as an enhancement to virtuosic acts as super-human and sublime. Finally, “Transcendental Memory” examines memorization as an ultimate manifestation of the Werktreue (true-to-work) spirit - a veneration of the canonized work reflecting the performer’s scrupulous study and internalization of the score. Traditional piano pedagogy has associated memorization with the notion of absolute music: entirely self-referential instrumental music with no extra-musical association. The piano was promoted as a “one-man orchestra.” The expectation that music should be performed from memory has been more strongly imposed on solo pianists than on any other musicians because the elimination of the score emphasized the pianist’s autonomy, even from the corporeal representation of music. It allowed piano virtuosos to be even more spectacular. Even more importantly, memorization cast pianists as “priests” of ritualized concerts: their memorized delivery enhanced the image of more direct communion with the canon. However, the “priesthood” also demoted performers as conduits to the canon. Thus, the socially marginalized, such as women and ethnic minorities, started to emerge as non-composing pianists as the practice was established. Memorization as a practice is a reflection of the nineteenth-century aesthetic philosophy and its social context. Our continuation of the practice to this day attests to the extent of its influence. Examining its historical background enables us to reevaluate our cultural inheritance, and reexamine our own musical identity and aesthetics.
Trio Webster: Toshi Ichiyanagi’s Fusion of Western and Eastern Music
(2012-09-05) Sasaki, Maiko; Loewen, Peter; Webster, Michael; Brandt, Anthony K.; Goetz, Rebecca A.
This document contains a synopsis of Toshi Ichiyanagi’s compositional style, a discussion of his musical philosophy, and an analysis of Trio Webster. Ichiyanagi is a renowned Japanese composer who studied in New York under John Cage’s mentorship. He is also the first composer to introduce Cage’s concept of chance operation to Japanese society. Trio Webster realizes the true exchange of Western and Eastern cultures, and it is accomplished because of Ichiyanagi’s unique experience and philosophy as an international composer. The concept of Japanese classical music and Japanese aesthetics are observed in Trio Webster which is the basis for the depth of the work. Eastern concepts, especially Japanese, can be ambiguous and may be difficult for Westerners to fully appreciate. This study shows the cosmos beyond the practical analysis of Trio Webster and is meant to serve as a guide for those who will perform the works of Ichiyanagi, especially Trio Webster, in the future. This study was facilitated through research and interviews with Ichiyanagi and members of the Webster Trio. Ichiyanagi’s interview is included as an appendix to this document.
When Persian Traditional Music meets Western Violin Tradition
(2023-04-21) Ghavi Helm, Kami; Loewen, Peter
While many cultures around the globe have a musical heritage that is both rich and unique, educational systems in the Western World rarely provide students with the tools needed to understand them, let alone perform them. In an attempt to remedy this problem, I shed light on the oral tradition of Persian Music and its Dastgâh modal system. The tuning, intervals, and performance practice found in this repertoire are unlike anything found in Western Art Music, which makes Persian traditional music seem foreign and inaccessible. With this study, my goal is to make Persian traditional music more accessible to Western violinists, by creating compositions that blend elements from Persian and Western music. This study begins with an ethnomusicological examination of the origins and evolution of the modern Dastgâh, including its forms of monophony, improvised melodic formulas and tetrachords, Pythagorean tuning, and microtonal features. Then follows a detailed study of performance practices among Persian masters on traditional instruments, noting their doubling and ornamentations, and more meditative style when compared to Western Art Music. To discover the methods of ornamentation and improvisation in the Dastgâh system, the thesis includes my analysis of two interpretations of the same mode. There follows a composition of my own making based on the Dastgâh-e Chahârgâh, informed by the elements I discovered in my study, alongside preparatory exercises designed to help the performer play the piece convincingly.

Browsing by Author "Loewen, Peter"

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