CFA: School of Music: Scholarly Works

Permanent URI for this collection

Browse

Recent Submissions

Now showing 1 - 20 of 75
  • Item
    A clustering-based approach to automatic harmonic analysis: an exploratory study of harmony and form in Mozart’s piano sonatas
    (Ubiquity Press, Ltd., 2022-10-13) Yust, Jason; Lee, Jaeseong; Pinsky, Eugene
    We implement a novel approach to automatic harmonic analysis using a clustering method on pitch-class vectors (chroma vectors). The advantage of this method is its lack of top-down assumptions, allowing us to objectively validate the basic music theory premise of a chord lexicon consisting of triads and seventh chords, which is presumed by most research in automatic harmonic analysis. We use the discrete Fourier transform and hierarchical clustering to analyse features of the clustering solutions and illustrate associations between the features and the distribution of clusters over sections of the sonata forms. We also analyse the transition matrix, recovering elements of harmonic function theory.
  • Item
    Musical ritual and ritual music: music as a spiritual tool and religious ritual accompaniment
    (Peer-reviewed online journal, Musicological Annual, 2022-07-29) Heimarck, Brita
    Music as a ceremonial accompaniment creates a sacred time and space for musical rites of passage, and recitation of sacred text may be interpreted as a musical ritual. This article discusses music as a “tool” in religious or spiritual contexts, focusing on certain Hindu or yogic religious and spiritual practices.
  • Item
    Sonicization of gender in Tanzania kwaya congregational music
    (Institute for Promoting Research & Policy Development (IPRPD), 2022) Melchor-Barz, Gregory
    In this article, I introduce issues related to the embodiment of gendered sound in contemporary Tanzanian Christian choral communities (East Africa). By pulling back the layers of meaning that frequently veil congregational singing, I suggest that a focus on the routinely reiterated sounds produced by kwayas (KiSwahili for “choir”), that participate within that greater congregational space leads to a normalization of the performance of a localized gendering process—the sounding of sopranos, for example—that I label “sonic gendering.” This proposal confirms Judith Butler’s admonition that it is through rearticulation and repetition, such as when a kwaya continually affirms sonic gendering daily, that constitutive gender norms are reworked within a given cultural context (2011[1993], ix). I suggest that everyday singing in a kwaya facilitates the re-performing, re-consumption, and continuous re-embodiment of a process of gendering.
  • Item
    A student-centered approach to middle school chorus
    (2023-02-15) Debrot, Ruth A.
    [Students who enroll in middle school chorus have a wide range of previous knowledge about music. Popular music reflects the students’ interests and passions, but it does not fit into traditional pedagogies or prescribed curricula. For music educators, teaching chorus may be about teaching vocal and ensemble skills, but from an adolescent perspective it is primarily a “means of meeting new people and making new friends” (Campbell et al. 2007, p. 221). Regardless of context, music as a medium through which adolescents construct, negotiate, and modify aspects of their personal and social lives. Most research studies on popular music learning in schools have taken place in in general music classrooms and place emphasis on music learning with instruments. I explored informal learning and popular music learning in the choral classroom. In this article, I will share research-based choral strategies that emerged from an action research study I conducted in a middle school.]
  • Item
    Voice-leading transformation and generative theories of tonal structure
    (Society for Music Theory, 2015-12) Yust, Jason
    Numerous generative approaches to explaining tonal structure and/or Schenker’s theories have been proposed since Babbitt noted a resemblance between Schenker’s analytical method and Chomskian generative grammars in 1965. One of the more challenging features of Schenker’s theory to replicate in a generative system is the interaction of counterpoint and hierarchy. Many theorists, such as Lerdahl and Jackendoff, skirt the problem by developing non-contrapuntal systems, meaning ones that do not allow for layers with conflicting hierarchical descriptions. This article tackles the counterpoint problem by first proposing a dynamic model for tonal hierarchy, which matches the usage of basic Schenkerian symbols (slurs and beams), and differs from the representational model used by Lerdahl and Jackendoff and others. I then summarize Schenker’s argument for a contrapuntal theory of tonal structure and show that this implies a relativity of contrapuntal voices to structural level which necessitates a theory of voice-leading transformation. This concept of voice-leading transformation marks a crucial turning point in Schenker’s analytical practice leading directly to his theory of levels, and is fundamental to understanding his late theory. The article also operationalizes the idea of voice-leading transformations within a generative system, and illustrates it with short analyses of themes from Bach’sPartitasand an extended analysis of the Menuetto from Beethoven’s Op. 21 Piano Sonata. In the latter analysis the concept of voice-leading transformation facilitates the discovery of an exceptional feature in the deep middleground of the piece.
  • Item
    Analysis of analysis: using machine learning to evaluate the importance of music parameters for Schenkerian analysis
    (TAYLOR & FRANCIS LTD, 2016-07-01) Kirlin, Phillip B.; Yust, Jason
    While criteria for Schenkerian analysis have been much discussed, such discussions have generally not been informed by data. Kirlin [Kirlin, Phillip B., 2014 “A Probabilistic Model of Hierarchical Music Analysis.” Ph.D. thesis, University of Massachusetts Amherst] has begun to fill this vacuum with a corpus of textbook Schenkerian analyses encoded using data structures suggested byYust [Yust, Jason, 2006 “Formal Models of Prolongation.” Ph.D. thesis, University of Washington] and a machine learning algorithm based on this dataset that can produce analyses with a reasonable degree of accuracy. In this work, we examine what musical features (scale degree, harmony, metrical weight) are most significant in the performance of Kirlin's algorithm.
  • Item
    Wreaths for Rahn, and valuable exchanges
    (Project Muse, 2019) Yust, Jason
  • Item
    Stylistic information in pitch-class distributions
    (Informa UK Limited, 2019-05-27) Yust, Jason
    This study examines pitch-class distributions in a large body of tonal music from the seventeenth, eighteenth and nineteenth centuries using the DFT on pitch-class sets. The DFT, applied over the pitch-class domain rather than a temporal domain, is able to isolate significant and salient qualities characteristic of tonal pitch-class distributions, such as diatonicity and triadicity. The data reveal distinct historical trends in tonal distributions, the most significant of these is a marked decrease in diatonicity in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. Comparing distributions for beginnings, endings, and whole pieces reveals a strong similarity between beginnings and whole pieces. Endings, by contrast, are more distinct in the properties of their distributions overall and show some historical trends not shared by beginnings and whole pieces, whose differences do not appear to interact with composer date.
  • Item
    Steve Reich’s signature rhythm and an introduction to rhythmic qualities
    (Oxford University Press (OUP), 2021-03-17) Yust, Jason
    The rhythm of Steve Reich’s Clapping Music (1972) features in so many of his pieces that it can be understood as a rhythmic signature. A theory of rhythmic qualities allows us to identify the signature rhythm’s significant features and relate it to other cyclic rhythms like the Central/West African “standard pattern,” from which it probably originates. Rhythmic qualities derive from the discrete Fourier transform, whose mathematical properties make the theory particularly robust. One property, described by the convolution theorem, predicts the effects of Reich’s diverse rhythmic canons. I apply the theory to Music for Pieces of Wood (1973) and Nagoya Marimbas (1994).
  • Item
    The self-directed learning of adult music students: a comparison of teacher approaches and student needs
    (SAGE Publications, 2021-08) Leahy, Kaitlyn; Smith, Tawnya
    Adult music learners may expect to be more independent and therefore more inclined to engage in self-directed learning than younger learners; however, adults may not feel encouraged or supported to self-direct. In this qualitative study, the relationships between six adult instrumentalists and their teachers were examined using Grow’s Staged Self-Directed Learning (SSDL) Model to determine if there was congruence or a mismatch between individual student learning needs and their teachers’ strategies. Teachers reported a willingness to accommodate the self-direction needs of their students. Even in cases of teacher–student mismatch, more direction from the teacher was welcomed when they encountered technical difficulty or an unfamiliar style. Students who reported that they had little experience playing were more inclined to have low to moderate levels of self-direction, whereas more advanced players reported intermediate to high levels of self-direction. Cultural expectations were found to play an important role in determining if students desire to be self-directed learners. The quality of the teacher–student relationship and communication were both found to be an important determinant of successful collaboration. These findings suggest that the theoretical application of the SSDL model could provide teachers a means to assess and discern their adult students’ learning needs.
  • Item
    Multileveled rhythmic structure of ragtime
    (Springer, 2021-07-01) Yust, Jason; Kirlin, Phillip B.
    Syncopation in ragtime music has been defined in multiple ways. In this study we propose a method using the Hadamard transform. We extract four-measure phrases from a corpus of ragtime pieces by Scott Joplin, James Scott, and Joseph Lamb, and convert them to 32-element binary onset vectors. The Hadamard transform converts this to another 32-element vector that can be interpreted as representing syncopation at various metrical levels. This method is closely related to a similar application of the discrete Fourier transform. Using the Hadamard representation, we show that syncopation is strongest at the quarter-note level, and that tresillo-like rhythms are especially characteristic of the genre. We identify a number of significant differences based on the position of a phrase in a sixteen-measure strain, the position of the strain in the rag, and the composer. The Hadamard representation also facilitates discovery of relationship between different levels of rhythmic organization.
  • Item
    Well-being in the post-pandemic general music classroom
    (The Massachusetts Music Educators Association, 2021-09-24) Debrot, Ruth A.
  • Item
    Autant de libertés que l'esprit prend avec la nature
    (BabelScores, 2021-12-02) Fineberg, Joshua
    Original composition for 6 instruments commissioned by Radio France and the Ensemble InterContemporain.
  • Item
    Jammin' the blues: experiencing the "good life"
    (Frontiers in Psychology) Debrot, Ruth A.; Silverman, M.
    The purpose of this study was to examine the characteristics, attitudes, and perceptions of older musicians who participated regularly in a local blues jam. Six core dimensions of eudaimonic well-being and their conceptual foundations provided a framework for examining the way that music-making contributes to subjective well-being during the lifespan of an individual. The following research questions guided this investigation: (1) In what ways do biographical factors and engagement with music influence the lives of older adult blues/rock musicians who participate in a local blues jam? (2) What implications for subjective well-being with regard to music learning might be used to inform music education practices? Interviews and observations over a 2-month period provided data for understanding how lived experiences impacted personal well-being, and musical growth and development over time. Findings suggested that eudaimonic well-being is the result of active engagement in human activities that are goal-directed and purposeful, and a good life involves the self-realization of individual dispositions and talents over a lifetime. Implications for music education include individualized pedagogical approaches that encourage learners to discover a sense of well-being in and through music.
  • Item
    Using online platforms to create community in the voice studio: lessons from the pandemic
    (nats.org, 2021-09-01) Eustis, Lynn
    Remote teaching has come a long way since the first panicked days back in March 2020. At the beginning of the pandemic many of us were scrambling to figure out how to move voice lessons to a fully remote format. We found ourselves in Zoom classrooms staring at frightened, displaced students. Eventually we learned how to share files and links in the chat, how to draw using the Whiteboard function, and how to say “You’re on mute” approximately 35 times a day without going insane. By the summer we were all settling into the dreaded new normal: our FaceBook feeds were full of posts about SoundJack, Cleanfeed, open-back headphones, and external microphones. The effectiveness of remote voice lessons and the range of available technologies for studio teaching have been discussed elsewhere. This article will not endeavor to offer technical instruction but rather to suggest ways we might use technology to create community for our students, with a particular focus on the voice studio class.
  • Item
    “Yeah, we all here Tryna Flourish”: a reflection on a symposium on eudaimonia and music learning
    (Open Journals in Education, 2020-10-11) Smith, Gareth
    This article presents reflections on a symposium on eudaimonia and music learning, from the perspective of one of the organizers. The symposium had been planned as a traditional, in person event in the United States, but was held online in response to the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic. Despite shortcomings, the video-conferencing format possibly created a more democratized liminal space that served to dissolve hierarchies and broaden participation.
  • Item
    Low-latency networked music collaborations: does “good enough” do enough good?
    (Academic Commons,, 2020-08-01) Smith, Gareth; Moir, Zack; Ferguson, Paul; Davies, Gill
    LoLa is a cutting-edge technology that enables low latency, real-time collaborations across vast distances using high-bandwidth, low-jitter networks. It has the capacity to transform how music is made and experienced. It has been utilized on a relatively small scale to date, primarily for teaching and performances associated with music colleges and concert halls. In this article we discuss various ways in which LoLa technology is “good enough” by describing examples of recent networked music performances “anchored” at Edinburgh Napier University, Scotland. We discuss the ways in which processes and outcomes were “good enough” for the sound engineer, participating musicians, and audiences. We then consider ways in which this work can be understood to have a social purpose and suggest further opportunities for putting this immensely powerful technology to use for the greater good. We argue that all who can utilize the potential of this technology have a responsibility to improve lives today and into the future.