▼ The use of ingressive phonation (inward singing) in contemporary vocal music is becoming more frequent, yet there is limited research on the physiological demands, risks, and pedagogical requirements of the various ingressive phonation techniques. This paper will discuss ingressive phonation as it is used in contemporary vocal music. The research investigates the ways in which ingressive phonation differs acoustically, physiologically, and aesthetically from typical (egressive) phonation, and explores why and how composers and performers use the various ingressive vocal techniques. Using non-invasive methods, such as electroglottograph waveforms, aerodynamic (pressure, flow, flow resistance) measures, and acoustic analyses of recorded singing, specific data about ingressive phonation were obtained, and various categories of vocal techniques were distinguished. Results are presented for basic vocal exercises and tasks, as well as for specific excerpts from the repertoire, including temA by Helmut Lachenmann and Ursularia by Nicholas DeMaison. The findings of this study were applied to a discussion surrounding pedagogical and aesthetic applications of ingressive phonation in contemporary art music intended for concert performance. Topics of this discussion include physical differences in the production and performance of ingressive phonation, descriptive information regarding the various techniques, as well as notational and practical recommendations for composers. Advisors/Committee Members: Rodgers, Jane.

▼ In 2006, Ge Gan-ru wrote a melodrama Wrong, Wrong, Wrong! for Margaret Leng Tan. This melodrama, unlike any of his former works and any of the pre-existing contemporary repertoire for vocalizing pianist, is written for a performer self-accompanied by a toy orchestra. Wrong is based on ancient Chinese poet Lu You’s Phoenix Hairpin. This twelfth-century poem has as its subject the poet’s own tragic relationship with his cousin Tang Wan. The first stanza ends with the word cuo repeated three times, which is the Chinese word for “wrong,” hence the title of the melodrama. The author’s performance of Wrong, Wrong, Wrong! led to the commission of a sequel from Ge Gan-ru based on Tang Wan’s reply to Lu You’s poem. This companion piece, Hard, Hard, Hard!, uses a similar instrumentation: toy piano, toy harp, and toy glockenspiel, as well as other toys the author has collected. The document first takes a close look at the story of Lu You and Tang Wan, including a thorough analysis of their poems Phoenix Hairpin. The next two chapters contain biographical information about the composer Ge Gan-ru and about Margaret Leng Tan, the intended performer of Wrong. These two individuals contributed most of the source material for the document. Chapter Four presents a brief history of melodrama. The final two chapters focus on Ge Gan-ru’s two melodramas. Chapter Five deals with the collaborative process of Ge Gan-ru and Margaret Leng Tan in creating Wrong, Wrong, Wrong!, and discusses the problems the author faced as a subsequent performer. In Chapter Six the author describes the genesis of Hard, Hard, Hard! and shares her experiences collaborating with the composer. These emotional melodramas challenge not only the listeners but also the performers themselves. By looking at the origins, inspirations, and the creative process of Wrong, Wrong, Wrong! and Hard, Hard, Hard!, this study aims to provide a cultural understanding of this unusual set of pieces by Ge Gan-ru and enhances both the listeners’ and performers’ experience in reimagining the unforgettable story of Lu You and Tang Wan. Advisors/Committee Members: Satterlee, Robert.

▼ In 1987, Morton Subotnick completed his groundbreaking composition In Two Worlds.This pioneering work was a milestone for interactive computer music with its early use of the Yamaha WX7 Wind Controller, the electronic Air Drum, and Subotnick’s unique orchestration featuring solo alto saxophone, wind controller, full orchestra, and interactive computer. As a result, In Two Worlds contributed to rapid advancements in computer technology during the late 20th century as our contemporary society grew to anticipate and expect constant technological change. The instability in this environment spawned many innovations as well as rapid turnover in technology, thus forcing Subotnick to create several revisions of In Two Worlds between 1987 and 1992. Since the mid-1990s, the original hardware, software, and operating systems have become obsolete and unavailable; consequently, In Two Worlds has not been actively performed for the past decade. This study seeks to consider the following problems: 1) Should Subotnick’s In Two Worlds be preserved for future performers? 2) If so, should one replicate the exact electronic parameters used in the original work, thus producing a time capsule from 1987? 3) Should performers expect continuous updates of the interactive computer patch for In Two Worlds as technology advances in the future? 4) Is there a correct or preferred version of Subotnick’s multiple revisions of this work? 5) Finally, what biographical events led Subotnick to the creation of In Two Worlds and what cultural and technological environments influenced his development? This research will consider the evolution of performance, technology, and musical meaning in Morton Subotnick’s In Two Worlds by examining its conception, structural revisions, and changes in technology and orchestration. With the consent of the composer, the author and Mark Bunce1 have re-created a new version of the composition by updating and replicating the interactive computer patch to Max/MSP, thus making In Two Worlds performable again. This research will also address the problems of re-constructing past electronic works for performance with modern technology as well as proposing rationale behind the extensive revisions of In Two Worlds. Most importantly, this project will prepare the work for a new life in the saxophone repertoire by re-introducing In Two Worlds to saxophonists for performance with modern interactive computer technology. Advisors/Committee Members: Sampen, John.

▼ Since the inception of Bang On a Can in 1987, David Lang has become one of the most successful American composers of his generation. Along with fellow Bang On a Can founders Michael Gordon and Julia Wolfe, Lang has built a strong career composing minimalist influenced music in a postminimalist world. His resultant style features music that, like early minimalist works, is highly repetitive and limited in musical means. However, Lang's work lacks an emphasis on transparency in process and compositional method, an imperative quality in early minimalist music. David Lang's compositional output has been substantial in many areas; he is particularly well known for his works for percussion, various chamber groups, and vocal works. While these compositions are often played and highly regarded, his piano works have not been given the same attention. Beginning with 1983's While Nailing at Random up until 2012's Hard Hit, Lang has published seven single movement piano works as well as Memory Pieces, a set of seven pieces completed in 1992. David Lang's solo piano oeuvre is among the most substantial in the minimalist catalogue. This study was first to explore Lang's solo piano repertoire as a whole, both comparing it to other minimalist solo piano works as well as to one another in order to better understand Lang's development as a composer. This information was gathered through an analytical study of David Lang's solo piano music, an interview with the composer, and a study of the solo piano genre within the minimalist music movement as a whole. Upon completing an interview with David Lang, an analysis of his works for solo piano, and an overview of minimalist solo piano music, it is clear that David Lang, while influenced by the music of earlier minimalists, has developed his own compositional voice. While Lang consistently uses process in his music, his application of process is meant to limit his access to musical material rather than place an emphasis on observable patterns. Unlike earlier minimalists who strove for transparency of process in their compositions, Lang keeps his processes hidden beneath the surface of the music. Advisors/Committee Members: Melton, Laura.

▼ The art of traditional music has diminished in significance in educational and cultural institutions in Taiwan and has been gradually replaced by Western music in schools and concerts. Some artists in Taiwan have observed the potential impact of the loss of this vibrant art form and have tried new ways to regain the public's attention. Taiwanese composer Chien-Hui Hung and the Ju Percussion Group have done numerous cross-cultural productions incorporating traditional arts with Western concert music as an effort to preserve and regain attention for Taiwanese culture. The aim of this study is to examine one of these endeavors to combine traditional arts and modern Western percussion music in Chien-Hui Hung's Mu Kuei-Yin In Percussion. This doctoral document is the first to discuss Chien-Hui Hung's music and her working relationship with Ju Percussion Group. Chapter One of this document consists of the author's interview with the composer discussing her musical background, education, relationship with Ju Percussion Group, and her view of the current development of music in Taiwan - both Western and traditional. Chapter Two is a brief introduction to Peking Opera. Chapter Three is a study of the traditional Peking Opera play, Mu Kuei-Yin Takes Command, from which the composer draw inspirations for her work Mu Kuei-Yin In Percussion. Chapter Four is an analysis of Mu Kuei-Yin In Percussion, both individually and in relation to Mu Kuei-Yin Takes Command. Advisors/Committee Members: Schupp, Roger.

▼ Chen Yi, a prominent composer of the twentieth and twenty-first centuries, has been the subject of considerable musical study; however, her orchestral piece, Si Ji (Four Seasons) for Orchestra, has yet to be inspected with a great deal of scrutiny. The aim of this study is to provide a musical and cultural analysis of Si Ji (Four Seasons) for Orchestra, comparing the composition to the traditional Chinese concept (si ji) after which the piece is named. Si ji is a cyclical form used as an analogy in many of the schools of thought throughout Chinese history. According to traditional Daoist philosophy, the seasons are the result of the interaction between yin and yang, polar opposites that provoke each other into a continuous cycle of motion. Si Ji (Four Seasons) for Orchestra relies on these polar opposites not only for the overall structure of the piece, but also to control the flow of intensity from one section of the composition to the next. In the analytical section of this document, I compare flow of energy in the traditional cycle to flow of intensity in Chen Yi's Si Ji (Four Seasons) for Orchestra. To measure musical intensity, I created a graph in which the x-axis represents time as measured in beats, and the y-axis contains the name of every staff used in the score. On each beat and for every sounding instrument, I inputted the given dynamic as a numeric value. After inputting these values, all lines were summed for a total intensity measurement for that given beat. I used this data to create charts, allowing one to easily see the flow of intensity over the course of a section, season, or the composition as a whole. The final data shows that Chen Yi remained remarkably true to the philosophical concept. In most instances, the flow of musical intensity in Si Ji (Four Seasons) for Orchestra closely mirrors the flow of energy in the traditional cycle. Chen Yi successfully reaches back to her cultural heritage while using twenty-first century compositional techniques to create a truly cross-cultural masterpiece. Advisors/Committee Members: Shrude, Marilyn.

▼ Since the early history of piano music the etude has played an important role in the instrument’s repertoire. The genre has grown from technical exercises to virtuosic concert pieces. During the twentieth century, new movements in music were reflected in the etudes of Debussy, Stravinsky and Messiaen, to mention a few. In the past fifty years, Bolcom and Ligeti have continued this trend, taking the piano etude to yet another level. Their etudes reflect the aesthetics and process of modernist and postmodernist composition, featuring complex rhythms, new techniques in pitch and harmonic organization, a variety of new extended techniques, and an often-unprecedented level of difficulty. David Rakowski is a prolific composer of contemporary piano etudes, having completed a cycle of one hundred piano etudes during the past twenty-two years. By mixing his own modernist aesthetic with jazz, rock, and pop-culture influences,Rakowski has created a set of etudes that are both challenging to the pianist and approachable for the audience. The etudes have drawn the attention of several leading pianists in the contemporary field, most notably Marilyn Nonken and Amy Briggs, who are currently recording the entire set. Because of pianistic difficulty, approachability for the listener, and interest of noted pianists, Rakowski’s etudes seem destined for recognition in the contemporary standard repertoire. This doctoral document is the first to focus on the completed set of etudes and also provides the first method of categorization for the etudes. In his etudes, Rakowski explored both traditional pianistic problems as well as the challenges of new music. The purpose of this study is to explore the relationship between Rakowski’s piano etudes, other contemporary etudes, and the traditional etude of past historical periods. The first chapter of this document consists of a historical and musical overview of the most important piano etudes in the standard repertory. The rest of the document consists of a more focused look at Rakowski’s etudes, providing an overview of styles, techniques, influences, and difficulties in the music. I have described the aesthetic and technical challenge of each etude and have placed them into categories based on their technical challenges. While the categories were my own invention, my decisions concerning the categorical placement of specific etudes were based on information gathered through secondary sources, interviews with Dr. Rakowski, and personal analysis and performances of the etudes. Advisors/Committee Members: Melton, Laura.