This study is a comparison of the opening movements of three works (Requiem, Gloria and Symphony of Psalms) with regard to their harmonic languages. Advisors/Committee Members: Turek, Ralph.

▼ Michael Daugherty is a postmodern composer with a unique style that blends contemporary “classical” music idioms with popular music idioms. This study is an analysis of one of Daugherty’s compositions, Le Tombeau de Liberace for piano and orchestra, to determine style characteristics of the composer, such as his harmonic language, creation of texture, and usage of popular music idioms. Research and analysis were conducted on the musical elements of melody, harmony, rhythm, orchestration, texture, and technique that comprise Le Tombeau de Liberace. The results conclude that Daugherty’s harmonic language is created, in part, through harmonic layering and the combination of diatonic and chromatic elements, and his polyphonic texture is created, in part, through a stratification of rhythmic layers. Advisors/Committee Members: McCarthy, Dr. Daniel.

▼ Libby Larsen's Seven Ghosts is a five-movement work premiered in 1995 inspired by the lives of people who overcame severe obstacles to achieve their lifelong goals. Each movement begs to be analyzed differently as the styles and harmonic languages used in each differ drastically. Even with drastic textural and tonal differences, Larsen's work is united by the interval of an octave, chords with augmented or diminished fifths, ostinato figures and gestural motives. This not only reinforces several prior analyses, but provides new examples of Larsen's motivic and gestural accessibility. Larsen's tonalities are, in general, built around modes, synthetic and traditional scales. Her vocal lines are conceived melodically, and when combined vertically, create harmonies in much the same way as Palestrina or de Victoria. Larsen's linear vocal melodies combine to make interesting and compelling vertical harmonies. The formal analyses indicate Larsen follows cues in the poetic form and text; she often uses simple binary and ternary forms. This work is united by augmented chords, metric obscurity, downbeat rests, ascending octaves and gestural motives. Contained in the text is a full stylistic and textual analysis and an interview with composer Libby Larsen. Advisors/Committee Members: McCarthy, Daniel.

▼ The purpose of this Thesis is to explore and compare four works by two recognized leaders of the Tin Pan Alley style. This includes the songs “They Say It’s Wonderful” and “A Pretty Girl is Like a Melody” by Irving Berlin, and “You’re a Bad Influence on Me” and “Wunderbar” written by Cole Porter. Through comparison and analysis I will attempt to pinpoint characteristics that made their music more appealing to the performers, the public, and everyone considered. These characteristics include aspects of rhythm, phrase structures, harmonic analysis, and performance practices.The phrase ‘Tin Pan Alley’ was supposedly first used by Monroe Rosenfeld in 1903, in his series of articles about the area around 28th street in New York City. The sounds of the composers pounding away on cheap pianos all day were said to resemble the sound of beating on old tin pans. Tin Pan Alley actually came into being in the 1880’s, when music publishers and writers began moving to a central location in New York City. 1 The location of Tin Pan Alley changed over the years, originating around East 14th St. near Union Square, shifting to West 28th St. around the turn of the 20th century. Later, after World War I, it moved further uptown to around West 50th St. and Broadway.2 1 Ewen, David, All The Years of American Popular Music (Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall, Inc., 1977) 152-3. 2 Ewen, David, The Life and Death of Tin Pan Alley (New York, NY: Funk and Wagnalls Co., 1964) 294-5. Advisors/Committee Members: Resanovic, Nikola.