Academic literature on the topic 'Degree Name: Master of Musical Arts'

The importance of forming primary school children’s musical perception is justified by the introduction of the new version of the educational standard and educational programs as well as by teaching Arts on the basis of an integrative methodological approach. The purpose of the article is to scientifically ground the system of didactic influences on musical perceptual processes of younger school children focusing on the following research tasks: a) to define sensory ability as a unit of functioning of musical perception; b) to characterize the levels of pupils’ musical sensory skills formed in the mass experience of primary education; c) to disclose the specifics of variable experimental effects which differ in the degree of intensity of intermodal connections of sensory channels; d) to compare the quality dynamics of musical sensory skills formation in different versions of the pedagogical experiment. Musical sensory ability is defined as the performance of a system of auditory interiorized perceptual familiarizing and cognitive actions based on the mastered standards of music sounds and skills of applying these standards in the examination of musical phenomena. It has been found that in the mass experience of primary education pupils master musical sensory skills at elementary, intermediate and sufficient quality levels where the intermediate one prevails. The system of exercises and game tasks has been developed on the basis of intermodality with coordination of musical and phonemic auditory, musical auditory and color visual, musical auditory and spatial visual sensory processes. The system is aimed at expanding and systematizing pupils' reference ideas about music sounds as well as forming rational ways of their examining musical phenomena. The effectiveness of the introduced didactic influences has been proved: in comparison with the control group the participants of experimental groups, especially the first one, have demonstrated both the highest efficiency of distinguishing and systematizing music sounds and a variety of skills to reproduce them in singing, spatial modelling and instrumental game. The following changes have taken place in the structure of experimental groups: the respondents with an elementary level of musical perception development have not been identified, but a level gradation with intermediate, sufficient, high and consistently high levels of mastery of musical sensory processes. Key words: musical sensory ability, standards of musical sounds, methods of examination of musical sounds, game tasks, exercises, younger students.

The aim of this paper is to identify the intonation attributes of traditional singing and recitation in Suzhou musical drama, which is embodied in the melodic organization of melody, rhythmic pattern, signs of syncretism with speech and gestures of singers-actors, which add semantic certainty and artistic expression to images. Research methodology. The study investigates this issue by examining the basic methods and principles of musicology. Results. Suzhou drama is based on traditional folk songs of the northern regions of Jiangsu province, “labor cries”, such as urging bulls when ploughing, woman crying, jumping on horses etc. The melody of the Lahongqiang is characterized by the transitions of the female falsetto into high octaves, which are balanced by the inclusion of a recitative that affects the feelings of the listener. The realization of works of Suzhou musical drama, in particular vocal-declamatory methods of performance, requires singers-actors to master the skills of improvisation in the process of creating a stage action. The intonation attributes of melody and declamatory speech, which are based on dialects of oral language, folk songs of the northern regions of Jiangsu province, due to the traditions of the population of this area. The fricative basis of singing is pentatonic, the structure of the “jumping” rhythm with frequent “turns” evokes in the listener a sense of novelty, energetic free movement. The properties of the declamatory pattern of “da-shetou” is one of the outstanding features of Suzhou musical drama. Novelty: the concept of “Lahongqiang” can be used in a number of meanings: in a broad sense — if we talk about the traditional nature of one of the types of songwriting; in the narrow sense — to use as the name of the music genre and performing arts. Practical significance. The properties of the declamatory pattern of “da-shetou” is one of the outstanding features of Suzhou musical drama. Importantly, it enriches the area of cognitive ability to understand the communicative “axis” of the East-West artistic relationship.

The article deals with the problem of future vocal teachers training in performance activity. The author has focused on the psychological readiness for public performance, which is subjectively perceived as a stressful situation requiring psychological, emotional strain, maximum concentration of attention and volitional effort. A significant role of the psychological state for the singer caused by his/her reflection on the phonation-singing aspects; the degree of emotional brightness, artistic perfection in the creation of musical images has been specified. The author has analysed the works of musical psychologists and representatives of theatrical and musical arts in relation to the factors of the performers’ unsatisfactory psychological state. Some features of productive and creative as well as excessive unproductive unrest alongside with its causes have been described. Three groups of determinants of the future professional’s personal psychological state have been considered: functional; motivational-characterological and operational. A special attention was paid to the types of the future vocal coaches’ performance activity such as performances in the form of academic reporting, contests, concerts and other educational events, pedagogical-illustrative methods as well as students’ entertainment. The participation in these activities is significantly different in the extent of responsibility for the performance quality and its possible consequences. It has been pointed out how significant it is to choose the repertoire for the performance in accordance with vocalist’s real abilities, to hold auto trainings, to create «situations of success», role play and vocal-improvisation games in order to improve students’ performing-psychological state. Keywords: vocal performance; future vocal teacher (coach); stage-psychological barriers, training, master students, stage-performing activity.

The article discusses actual problem of musician’s psychophysical self-regulation in the modern world. The increase in the “degree of extreme” in musician’s profession puts forward increased requirements to his health and psychophysical stability, which is comparable to the requirements in combat sports and martial arts. The answer to these challenges is a “body-oriented” system of psychophysical self-regulation based on warrior yoga adapted for musicians. This system is being developped in the Problem laboratory of the Moscow Conservatory by the author professionally educated in music, sports and martial arts. The essence of the approach is described in the sections of the article, where yogic origins of modern bodyoriented systems, phenomenon and resources of warrior yoga are considered and conceptual guidelines are given, providing “navigation” in the content of adapted “warrior” methods and practices of psychophysical self-regulation.The latter are specified through links to the author’s publications and other sources. In conclusion, we touched upon the conduct of pilot master classes on the adapted complex of warrior yoga in the regions of Russia. It shows the relevance of such practices of psychophysical self-regulation in the musical and pedagogical community. It opens up prospects for their use in targeted consulting programs for teachers and students.

At the close of Margaret Atwood's The Handmaid's Tale (1985), a novel which exploits the conventions of slave narrative to dramatize gendered rather than racial oppressions, a set of “Historical Notes,” the partial transcript of a lecture in 2195 by Professor Pieixoto, the editor of the text, provides a wicked satire on academic commodification. Professor Pieixoto, a major scholar from Cambridge, who is slumming it at the University of Denay, Nunavit, is introduced obsequiously by the fawning Professor Maryann Crescent Moon, and proceeds to patronize his chairperson, his audience and his eponymous subject, demonstrating that patriarchal prejudice remains almost unchanged over the centuries. Pieixoto analyses the technology of the tapes on which a story was recorded, considers the possibility of forgery, earnestly discusses the possibility of using musical traces as dating devices, attempts to trace the history of the house where the tapes were found and offers a great deal of information about each of the two men who might have been the handmaid's master, but discovers absolutely nothing about the handmaid herself: not her name, not her origins, not even whether she escaped from bondage. Pieixoto is sharing the conference podium with Professor Sieglinda Van Buren from the Department of Military History at the University of San Antonio, Republic of Texas. Clearly, despite the presence at the conference of women professors and ethnic minority speakers (Professor Johnny Running Dog, for example), not much has changed, and the supposed admission of women and minorities to the academic mainstream is merely a smokescreen for their continued domination.

Background. Among the music-performing professions, the conductor is perhaps the most difficult. It requires not only special musical abilities, temperament, fantasy and artistic thinking, erudition and technique, but also the ability to lead a large creative team. All these features are characteristic of Anatoliy Vasylyovych Kalabukhin. In the context of the contemporary music art of Ukraine, his name is famous, first, as a symphonic and opera conductor, and later – as the founder of one of the first opera studios at Kharkiv National University of Arts named after I. P. Kotlyarevsky. Therefore, the resonance of the 80-year history of the leading music institution of Slobozhanshchyna region, which is inseparably linked with the biography of this amazing man, an outstanding conductor and a leader who has brought up several generations of opera singers, is getting its actual sounding. The subject of the study is the life-and-work of Anatoliy Vasylyovych Kalabukhin as a prominent representative of Ukrainian musical art of the second half of the 20th–21st centuries. The purpose of the article is to give an estimation of A. V. Kalabukhin’s multi-vector activity in the aspect of the phenomenon of his personality. Analysis of recent publications on the topic. Based on the interview with A. V. Kalabukhin, other sources and information about the famous musician [research made by O. Volovnyk, T. Volovnyk, A. Mizitova, L. Kucher] the author develops a phenomenological approach to studying the master’s life-and-work in the light of his multi-vector activity, and this approach has not been used by the previous researchers. Methods. In order to understand the phenomenon of this creative personality we have involved historical-biographical (revealing the stages of the becoming and of the creative maturity of the master) and cultural (explaining the contexts of artistic life in Kharkiv and the cultural settings with which he was associated). Results. Anatoliy Vasylyovych Kalabukhin was born on June 21, 1930 in the city of Lugansk, in the family of a worker. The grandfather and father worked in the boiler department of the steam-generating plant, the mother Clavdiya Leontiyivna – in the bakery. The grandfather’s name, Kalabukha (it is the name of the boat that was turned upside down, a Cossack-scout went under it and sailed, looking for the enemy on the shore) was changed when his father served in the Red Army. Emphasizing the role of the biographical method in the study of the phenomenon of the personality of the master, it is necessary to point out the circumstances of the professional education. Anatoliy Vasylyovych had good teachers, so he not only inherited the high criteria of classical art, but also developed its foundations in the new socio-cultural realities (from the 70’s to the present days). And already on the basis of the continuity of the conducting profession, as a kind of a tradition, innovative searches were carried out in the conditions of certain challenges of the time (music theatre, educational audience or opera studio at Kharkiv Institute of Arts). The stages of A. V. Kalabukhin’s creative biography as the conductor and organizer of the artistic life of Kharkiv, in particular, the opera studio, have been revealed. The conductor’s memoirs highlight the most iconic figures and performances that reveal his professional principle and qualities. His conductor style is distinguished by the perfect sense of style and form, rhythmic harmony, sound balance of the orchestra groups, and the skilful distribution of orchestral colours. A. V. Kalabukhin is a conductor of a wide profile; he is rightly called a universalist: the activity of the maestro was large-scale and distinguished, both in the symphonic genre and the opera-symphonic one. This synthesis, in his opinion, helps to expand the artistic range of the creator, and enriches his thinking. The conclusions formulate those qualities that have ensured Kalabukhin’s leadership status and success in all areas of activity. First, the enormous inner life force – charisma. All those who spoke with A. V. Kalabukhin during the rehearsal on stage or in the classroom, note that he seems to radiate enormous energy to the creative process in the team. Secondly, his credo – the individual approach to each performer – always remains the same. During his lifetime this credo allowed him to give birth to various creative ideas, to embody his projects, to uphold his own vision of the concept of a piece of music or a play. The third factor in the creative mind is the understanding of the organics of the vocal and stage image. A. V. Kalabukhin knows the laws of human psychology, feels exactly the psycho-type of the musician. With his experience, he helps the singer to increase consciousness, to improve vocal and stage skills. Thus, the “three whales” of the master’s professional activity – conductor, teacher, and organizer – make up the phenomenon of the personality. The figure of the master is a valuable guideline for the young generation of Ukrainian musical culture. The phenomenon of Kalabukhin lies in the vital force and ability to creatively and steadily extend the traditions of classical art on the basis of the education of its carriers here, in Ukraine. The relationship with performers and the professional vision of how to open up their talent on stage are the key to the success of the educator of the young generation of the Ukrainian vocal art.

<p>Professor Beata Dąbrowska – a conductor, teacher, and organizer of musical life, highly merited for Lublin’s musical culture and Maria Curie-Skłodowska University (UMCS) – died on 14^th March 2016. She was born on 5^th January 1960 in Lublin, She attended the Karol Lipiński Music School in Lublin, and then studied at the Frederic Chopin Music Academy in Warsaw, from which she graduated in 1982 and received a Master of Music Degree in Choral Conducting. From 1982 until the end of her life she worked at the Institute of Music, Maria Curie-Skłodowska University (until 2000 it was the Institute of Arts Education). In 1992 she received the first-grade qualification (today – a PhD equivalent) in the artistic discipline of <em>conducting vocal and vocal-instrumental groups</em>; in 1999 she received her second-grade qualification (now – a postdoctoral degree: Habilitated Doctor). In 2003 she was appointed Associate Professor of UMCS. In 2005 she became Head of the Institute of Music. She held this function till her death, combining it with multiple academic activities. At the same time she pursued her artistic activity. In 1987, together with her husband Dariusz Dąbrowski, she founded the Chamber Choir of the Henryk Wieniawski Music Society of Lublin, whose conductor she was for almost 30 years. She and the Choir gave several dozen vocal-instrumental concerts and over 300 concerts a cappella; they took part in many festivals and competitions in other countries and won awards and honors. Most often she performed in Lublin at religious and official state ceremonies, various jubilees, or anniversaries; many times she took part in Lublin concert series (inter alia Ars Chori, Spotkania Chórów Akademickich [Meetings of Academic Choirs]), she also gave concerts in other towns ( e.g. in Gdańsk, Grudziądz, Olsztyn, Toruń, Wrocław). She was engaged in many initiatives of Lublin’s music culture and, at the same time, she improved her skills (in 1990 she completed Podyplomowe Studium Chórmistrzowskie [Postgraduate Choirmaster Training Program at the Feliks Nowowiejski Academy of Music in Bydgoszcz]). In 1995 she initiated in Lublin Międzynarodowe Dni Muzyki Chóralnej (International Days of Choir Music). She organized concerts in Lublin for many years. She was awarded many times for her dedicated and invaluable work, the formation of Lublin’s cultural image, and for the promotion of Polish culture in Poland and abroad.</p>

Rubashov — Honored Artist of Ukraine, Member of the National Union of Artists in Ukraine, Associ- ate Professor of the Department of Drawing the National Academy of Fine Arts and Architecture.Yurii Rubashov was born in Kyiv in 1947. After the end of the RCSU with the name of T. Shevchenko in 1965, he joined KSAI and till 1971 he studied in prominent Ukrainian graphists: V. Kasyana, I. Selivanov, V. Chebanyk.The artist turns to historical subjects and initiates graphic cycle, dedicated to the history of Kiev Rus and the activities of the kings who influenced the historical passing of events of that time.First of this thesis topic was a series of lithographs "Yaroslav the Wise" (1971), later — a series of graphic com- positions "Kiev Rus" (1979), a series of colored prints "Prince of Kiev", "Princess Olga, Svyatoslav, Vladimir, and Yaroslav the Wise (1992).The artist shows the greatest creative interest in landscape painting (cycles "On the Spain" (1982), "On the Sweden" (1985), "On the Jordan" (1983), "On the Armenia" (1983), "Roads of the Ukraine" (1996) and still life (Sweden Series, 2012–2013).It can be argued that Yu. Rubashov’s works absorbed the lyrics of landscapes with characteristic features of both southern and northern colors, and his still life is characterized by precise organization, a variety of styl- ized forms, which show confidence in the possession of the material and a balanced sense of compositional harmony. In the process of forming the author’s technique, he chooses the path of innovation and experiment, which in turn causes a peculiar interpretation of different technical means — a combination of materials and technologies of different nature. The artist exploits and applies multicolored pigments, oil pastels, watercolors and acrylic paints and the like, mixing everything with different solvents, which gives the opportunity to original express and crystallize a peculiar, author’s style.Drawing on the foundations of academic education, the artist experiments, seeks creative ideas and success- fully incorporates contemporary artistic problems into new imaginative solutions. This is a valuable example of growing skill and formation creative personality.In 2000 and 2015 he received first-degree diplomas All-Ukrainian Triennial of Graphic Arts, in 2012 — Di- ploma of the third stage of the exhibition-competition named G.Yakutovich.Yu. Rubashov fruitfully combines creative work with teaching. In the process of teaching his students, Yu. Rubashov not only lays the foundations of academic drawing, but also encourages to analyze creative material, to study and master the various drawing techniques and opportunities inherent in them.In the general process of contemporary search for an art, together with the academic pragmatism of the cur- riculum, the teacher, especially in the first courses of the Faculty of Fine Arts and Restoration, draws attention of the students in different artistic trends, teaches analytical and creative perception of natural objects and consciously approach the transformation of three-dimensional forms on a two-dimensional work plane of a paper sheet. These methodological principles meet the needs of modern times.The stylistic language of his works is recognizable and special. Not dwelling on what he has achieved, he im- parts his experience to the students, demonstrating the inexhaustible possibilities of drawing and the technical means of its implementation, including pastels. The high level of his works makes it possible to claim that Yu. Rubashov is a master of pastels and his contribution to the development of Ukrainian art is indisputable.

The article explains the role of extra-musical factors in the creation of the compositions, caused by the action of the art synthesis as a cross-cutting theme of the composer’s creativity in the European tradition. In the academic art, this phenomenon has acquired the status of the program method, which to some extent has directed the listeners’ perceptions. The actualization of the present topic and its predetermined task is to determine the degree of the correlation of the semantics of a new composition to its artistic original, since it is precisely on the “artistic type translation” that both the programmability and the ways of its implementation by means of the performing interpretation depend. The object of the article is the programmability as a condition of the composer’s idea; the subject is the author’s concept of “The Ancient Kiev Frescoes” by A. Stashevsky for the accordion, implemented in the genre-stylistic system of the individual and national-musical thinking. The purpose of the article is to identify the genre-stylistic factors of the author’s conception of the selected composition, which reflects the sound-poetic ideas about the ancient history of the native land, while forming the national memory of the modern Ukrainian. Analysis of the recent publications on the research topic. Among the fundamental works devoted to programmability, we should point out the works by V. Konen, which trace the tendency to expand the limits of programmability in music at the expense of non-musical influences, as well as those by M. Lobanova, who characterizes the synthetic genres (opera, theatre music, ballet, program symphony) in the historical dimension. G. Khutorskaya owing to the introduction of the category “interspecific translation” into the scientific circulation explains the means of the synthesis of arts in vocal compositions [5]. The interspecific interaction of the theatre, painting, dance, poetry and literature contributes to the reproduction of the complete picture of the world in music. The material for the development of the problem is the composition for the accordion called “The Ancient Kiev Frescoes” by A. Stashevsky, one of the bright representatives of the modern accordion school of Ukraine. Observing the author’s premieres (in particular, the accordion compositions) in the quality of a professional listener, one can state that his creativity has become an important part of the musical culture of the Slobozhanska Ukraine. As a multifaceted personality – an accordion performer, teacher, composer, and scientist – he embodies new ideas, genre-style models and corresponding techniques of the performing skills in his activities. A comprehensive analysis of the genre stylistics and a personal view of the performance dramaturgy of the interpretation of the program cycle have been given. “The Ancient Kiev Frescoes” by A. Stashevsky (2005), besides the program name, have a genre refinement of the “suite-notebook”, which contains the key to understanding the essence of the stated program. First, the notebook (the album) is holistic, and contains information about interrelated events of a certain era, arranged in a timeline (the linear sequence). Secondly, the pages of the notebook can be represented as the planes where the images are located – the frescoes of St. Sophia Cathedral in Kiev. The most valuable decoration of the cathedral is the mural, which has been preserved for centuries and is an example of the skill and artistic taste of ancient Ukrainians. In general, St. Sophia Cathedral embodies the philosophical credo of the era with its national idea, the expression of the spirituality of the Christian worldview. There are nine parts in the suite-notebook, each with a program title. The author’s idea is realized, on the one hand, through the programmability of the picture type, when the parts of the suite cycle constitute a single composition that is associated with a multi-figured mural (with its mosaic, stained glass). It is impossible to capture it at one glance, so getting acquainted with it implies a consistent arrangement of the fragments of the whole in time. On the other hand, there is a pervasive narrative throughout the cycle: all the parts sound attacca. The pages of the chronicle seem to be expanded in the temporal axis; there is also a general logic of changing the various musical murals that is subordinate to the latent programmability: from “Intrada” to the climax in Part 8 and Part 9 an associate connection (a story line) is established. Programmability-driven musical stylistic contains repetitive segments of the author’s language focused on archaic styling. Because of the singing type of thematism, the ostinato nature and variability of the means of its development, the expanded fret and tonal nature, the mosaic principle of the stringing of the motives, and their combining. In the conclusions it is emphasized that in the program composition for the accordion A. Stashevsky skillfully realized his plan as a projection on historical, musical-performing and picture-everyday images-echo. The incarnation of the ancient history of Kievan Rus by means of the fret-harmonious, texture-timbre and compositional-dramatic means fully presents the author’s conception of the composition – the harmony of a man and history, the updating of the Past, in order to understand one’s own mental foundations, self-awareness in the national cosmos and logo.

Background. Choral work of American composers of the second half of the XX century is characterized by new qualities that have appeared because of not only musical but also non-musical factors generated by the system of cultural, historical and social conditions. Despite of a serious amount of scientific literature on the history of American music, the choral layer of American music remains partially unexplored, especially, in Ukrainian musical science, that bespeaks the science and practical novelty of the research results. The purpose of this study is to discover and to analyze the peculiarities of the historical formation and identity of American choral art of the second half of the twentieth century using the the works of famous American artists as examples. The research methodology is based on theoretical, historical and analytical methods, generalization and specification. Results. The general picture of the development of American composers’ practice in the genre of choral music is characterized by genre and style diversity. In our research we present portraits of iconic figures of American choral music in the period under consideration. So, the choral works of William Dawson (1899–1990), one of the most famous African-American composers, are characterized by the richness of the choral texture, intense sonority and demonstration of his great understanding of the vocal potential of the choir. Dawson was remembered, especially, for the numerous arrangements of spirituals, which do not lose their popularity. Aaron Copland (1899–1990), which was called “the Dean of American Composers”, was one of the founder of American music “classical” style, whose name associated with the America image in music. Despite the fact that the composer tends to atonalism, impressionism, jazz, constantly uses in his choral opuses sharp dissonant sounds and timbre contrasts, his choral works associated with folk traditions, written in a style that the composer himself called “vernacular”, which is characterized by a clearer and more melodic language. Among Copland’s famous choral works are “At The River”, “Four Motets”, “In the Beginning”, “Lark”, “The Promise of Living”; “Stomp Your Foot” (from “The Tender Land”), “Simple Gifts”, “Zion’s Walls” and others. Dominick Argento’s (1927–2019) style is close to the style of an Italian composer G. C. Menotti. Argento’s musical style, first of all, distinguishes the dominance of melody, so he is a leading composer in the genre of lyrical opera. Argento’s choral works are distinguished by a variety of performers’ stuff: from a cappella choral pieces – “A Nation of Cowslips”, “Easter Day” for mixed choir – to large-scale works accompanied by various instruments: “Apollo in Cambridge”, “Odi et Amo”, “Jonah and the Whale”, “Peter Quince at the Clavier”, “Te Deum”, “Tria Carmina Paschalia”, “Walden Pond”. For the choir and percussion, Argento created “Odi et Amo” (“I Hate and I Love”), 1981, based on the texts of the ancient Roman poet Catullus, which testifies to the sophistication of the composer’s literary taste and his skill in reproducing complex psychological states. The most famous from Argento’s spiritual compositions is “Te Deum” (1988), where the Latin text is combined with medieval English folk poetry, was recorded and nominated for a Grammy Award. Among the works of Samuel Barber’s (1910–1981) vocal and choral music were dominating. His cantata “Prayers of Kierkegaard”, based on the lyrics of four prayers by this Danish philosopher and theologian, for solo soprano, mixed choir and symphony orchestra is an example of an eclectic trend. Chapter I “Thou Who art unchangeable” traces the imitation of a traditional Gregorian male choral singing a cappella. Chapter II “Lord Jesus Christ, Who suffered all lifelong” for solo soprano accompanied by oboe solo is an example of minimalism. Chapter III “Father in Heaven, well we know that it is Thou” reflects the traditions of Russian choral writing. William Schumann (1910–1992) stands among the most honorable and prominent American composers. In 1943, he received the first Pulitzer Prize for Music for Cantata No 2 “A Free Song”, based on lyrics from the poems by Walt Whitman. In his choral works, Schumann emphasized the lyrics of American poetry. Norman Luboff (1917–1987), the founder and conductor of one of the leading American choirs in the 1950–1970s, is one of the great American musicians who dared to dedicate most of their lives to the popular media cultures of the time. Holiday albums of Christmas Songs with the Norman Luboff Choir have been bestselling for many years. In 1961, Norman Luboff Choir received the Grammy Award for Best Performance by a Chorus. Luboff’s productive work on folk song arrangements, which helped to preserve these popular melodies from generation to generation, is considered to be his main heritage. The choral work by Leonard Bernstein (1918–1990) – a great musician – composer, pianist, brilliant conductor – is represented by such works as “Chichester Psalms”, “Hashkiveinu”, “Kaddish” Symphony No 3)”,”The Lark (French & Latin Choruses)”, “Make Our Garden Grow (from Candide)”, “Mass”. “Chichester Psalms”, where the choir sings lyrics in Hebrew, became Bernstein’s most famous choral work and one of the most successfully performed choral masterpieces in America. An equally popular composition by Bernstein is “Mass: A Theater Piece for Singers, Players, and Dancers”, which was dedicated to the memory of John F. Kennedy, the stage drama written in the style of a musical about American youth in searching of the Lord. More than 200 singers, actors, dancers, musicians of two orchestras, three choirs are involved in the performance of “Mass”: a four-part mixed “street” choir, a four-part mixed academic choir and a two-part boys’ choir. The eclecticism of the music in the “Mass” shows the versatility of the composer’s work. The composer skillfully mixes Latin texts with English poetry, Broadway musical with rock, jazz and avant-garde music. Choral cycles by Conrad Susa (1935–2013), whose entire creative life was focused on vocal and dramatic music, are written along a story line or related thematically. Bright examples of his work are “Landscapes and Silly Songs” and “Hymns for the Amusement of Children”; the last cycle is an fascinating staging of Christopher Smart’s poetry (the18 century). The composer’s music is based on a synthesis of tonal basis, baroque counterpoint, polyphony and many modern techniques and idioms drawn from popular music. The cycle “Songs of Innocence and of Experience”, created by a composer and a pianist William Bolcom (b. 1938) on the similar-titled poems by W. Blake, represents musical styles from romantic to modern, from country to rock. More than 200 vocalists take part in the performance of this work, in academic choruses (mixed, children’s choirs) and as soloists; as well as country, rock and folk singers, and the orchestral musicians. This composition successfully synthesizes an impressive range of musical styles: reggae, classical music, western, rock, opera and other styles. Morten Lauridsen (b. 1943) was named “American Choral Master” by the National Endowment for the Arts (2006). The musical language of Lauridsen’s compositions is very diverse: in his Latin sacred works, such as “Lux Aeterna” and “Motets”, he often refers to Gregorian chant, polyphonic techniques of the Middle Ages and the Renaissance, and mixes them with modern sound. Lauridsen’s “Lux Aeterna” is a striking example of the organic synthesis of the old and the new traditions, or more precisely, the presentation of the old in a new way. At the same time, his other compositions, such as “Madrigali” and “Cuatro Canciones”, are chromatic or atonal, addressing us to the technique of the Renaissance and the style of postmodernism. Conclusions. Analysis of the choral work of American composers proves the idea of moving the meaningful centers of professional choral music, the gradual disappearance of the contrast, which had previously existed between consumer audiences, the convergence of positions of “third direction” music and professional choral music. In the context of globalization of society and media culture, genre and stylistic content, spiritual meanings of choral works gradually tend to acquire new features such as interaction of ancient and modern musical systems, traditional and new, modified folklore and pop. There is a tendency to use pop instruments or some stylistic components of jazz, such as rhythm and intonation formula, in choral compositions. Innovative processes, metamorphosis and transformations in modern American choral music reveal its integration specificity, which is defined by meta-language, which is formed basing on interaction and dialogue of different types of thinking and musical systems, expansion of the musical sound environment, enrichment of acoustic possibilities of choral music, globalization intentions. Thus, the actualization of new cultural dominants and the synthesis of various stylistic origins determine the specificity of American choral music.

Cabaret as a genre has influenced and is influenced by musical theatre. As cabaret has evolved throughout history, musical theatre has often paralleled its journey. Cabaret thrived before the term "musical theatre" was coined and suffered hard times during the Golden Age of Musical Theatre. The correlation of the two genres cannot be denied, and exploring cabaret history will reveal how deeply the connection lies. My collaborator Debbie Tedrick and I will attempt to define cabaret through a two-woman cabaret show we will write, produce, and perform together. The show, Black Cats, Berlin, Broadway and Beyond, will be a one-act historical look at the genre of cabaret. It will include material garnered from historical research of the cabaret genre, specifically focusing on some of the famous women, songs, stories, lives, and important contributions. The cabaret show will cover information and art from cabaret's inception in the Paris Montmartre district in 1881 to its height in Germany during the Weimar Republic and will culminate with cabaret's insurgence into American culture up to, and including, the state of American cabaret today. American cabaret will be emphasized, but a portion of the show will explore American cabaret's European roots. My thesis will explore the triumphs and tribulations of putting together the show. As the culmination of my UCF studies, this project will test my abilities as a librettist, performer, creative artist, director, and collaborator. This thesis will include the actual show performances as well as a written monograph document recording the project's journey from its inception to conclusion.
M.F.A.
Department of Theatre
Arts and Humanities
Theatre

Music and Theatre have always captivated me. As a child, my parents would take me to live performances and cinematic shows and I would sit rapt, watching the theatrical events and emotional moments unfold before my eyes. Movie musicals and live shows that combined music and theatre were my favorite, especially theatrical banter and improvisation or sketch comedy. Some of my favorite youthful memories were my annual family summer trips to Las Vegas to visit my grandparents for six weeks. As a youngster, I got to experience the "old school" Las Vegas, replete with extravaganza, spectacle, cabaret, circus, lounge and nightclub acts, stand-up comedy, intimate revues, and all things marketed under the guise of entertainment, art, or both. Those summers, while not overtly planned as academic or educational in nature, proved, in retrospect, to be the training ground for what was to become my passion: the art of the cabaret genre. As a person who has always loved theatrical diversity, I am drawn to cabaret as an art form. Anything that fuses other forms interests me, and cabaret amalgamates many of the artistic forms I have grown to love. I come from a unique background of classical, jazz, musical theatre and pop styles, and have studied these styles in both the piano and vocal arena. The cabaret genre allows me to realize fully the stylistic variety of performance techniques with which I excel. My mother is a classical singer and my father a jazz pianist; during my youth they would perform at the piano, "meeting in the middle" so to speak in the world of Musical Theatre, through the fusion of cabaret, classical, jazz, and pop. Growing up hearing a song like "Summertime," from Gershwin's Porgy and Bess, equally artistically rendered as both a classical aria and a jazz tune in my home was rich fodder for the vital informal education I received by being the offspring of musicians. It is due to this musical legacy that was passed on to me through my parents that I learned to explore the myriad of possibilities one can achieve through artistic musical and theatrical interpretation. Beyond the freedom of stylistic variety, cabaret performance also allows conventions such as direct interaction in the form of the proverbial "lowered fourth wall," allowing me to use my improvisational acting and interactive skill set as well as my musical skills. Cabaret is generally more intimate and personal in nature and I enjoy the camaraderie cabaret affords. Cabaret is interactive and intellectual and I am drawn to those aspects; I like the fusion of interactive banter and intellectual artistry. Also appealing to me is the "insider" sense cabaret not only allows but also encourages. Recalling my youthful memories of the Vegas shows in which the performer spoke directly to audience members, I remember the sense of belonging I felt at the recognition of some of the inside jokes. I knew I wanted to be involved with any aspect of music and theatre that would allow me the freedom to go with the moment, to reach people differently on any given day, to change with the times, and adapt to my audience and to the shifting world around me. I knew I had found a home in this intimate, insular, interactive, and intellectual art form known as cabaret. For these reasons and more I have chosen the genre of cabaret to be my intended thesis research project. I will produce, direct, and perform in a cabaret show, which will be the thesis performance. For the performance aspect of my thesis, in collaboration with my thesis partner, Josephine Leffner, I will perform a one-act chronological, historical, and stylistically varied cabaret show. The show will include material garnered from historical research of the cabaret genre, specifically settling on some of the famous women, songs, stories, lives, and important contributions. The cabaret will cover information, music, and spoken-word art from cabaret's inception in the Paris Montmartre district in 1881 to its height in Germany during the Weimar Republic. The show will culminate with cabaret's insurgence into American culture up to and including the state of American cabaret today. While my performance will focus mainly on American cabaret, a portion of the show will explore cabaret's European roots. Creating and performing this show will educate me further on the genre itself, as well as expand my performing skills through the varied styles in which I will perform within the realm of a single evening's entertainment. Creating and performing the show will also challenge me as a producer, director, promotional and administrative coordinator, music director, arranger, vocal director, collaborator, vocalist, pianist, actor, and writer. The show is intended as a kind of "Cabaret 101," in that the intended audience is treated to a night of variety entertainment with some historical background on the genre of cabaret. The audience is not expected to have any prior academic or experiential knowledge of cabaret in order to understand or enjoy the show. The cabaret intellectual will also be able to enjoy the show, as the songs, poems, skits, and sketches are intended to amuse and delight both the novice and the experienced cabaretist. For the research and analysis portion of my thesis monograph document I will provide information on cabaret's roots in France and Germany, as well as include informative research on American cabaret, its history and its current trends. I will have several chapters dedicated to the historical research and to other items such as the formatted libretto, documentation of a performance report from my thesis committee head, and a list of references used throughout the research and libretto chapters. I will include a structural and role analysis of the show itself and my contributions to it as outlined by the parameters of my graduate studies program. Several chapters of appendices will be included as information pertinent to the show such as costume, props, lighting lists as well as band and technical needs for the show itself. An introduction and conclusion will be created to bookend my document solidly and reveal myself as a person as well as a performer. This section will include reflective information on my intentions, triumphs, and tribulations, and will be codified through the opening and concluding perspectives. Through the process of writing the thesis monograph document I will create a public and personal record of the process, research, performance challenges, and decisions made throughout this journey. This document will be used as historical help to me should I need to refer to my thesis for later personal or professional use. The document will also be on record for the UCF theatre department, as I apply not only my performance training (as exhibited through the show itself) but also the research and critical thinking skills required of a masters degree candidate at a conservatory training program such as this one. Beyond its use for myself or for the department, I write this monograph document for others whose love and interest in studying the genre of cabaret match my own.
M.F.A.
Department of Theatre
Arts and Humanities
Theatre

Rene Drouard de Bousset (1703-1760) was an admired composer and an organist of renown. This thesis examines this musician's life and work, and attempts to bring Bousset's music, hitherto largely unknown, to the attention of musicologists and performers today. Primarily a source study, the thesis makes a survey of all known copies of Bousset's published works, addressing questions of dates, reprints and corrections. Historical context and musical style are also discussed. Particular emphasis is given to Bousset's sacred music in the French language two volumes of sacred cantatas and eight settings of Odes sacrees by Jean-Baptiste Rousseau - and its place within the French tradition of Psalm paraphrase settings. The figure of J.B. Rousseau is also examined, as the librettist of Bousset's Odes, and as an important literary contributor to French music at the turn of the eighteenth century. The source study is supplemented by a catalogue in the style of the Philidor Oeuvres database produced by the Centre de Musique Baroque de Versailles, containing all Bousset's known works, extant and lost. This exposition of Bousset's compositional output is prefaced by a biographical overview assembled principally from eighteenth century publications and archival documents. Volume II of this thesis comprises a critical performing edition of Bousset's first volume of Cantates spirituelles (1739).

This thesis discusses the life and work of the eighteenth-century French composer, Julie Pinel. Pinel’s extant music comprises one collection of music, Nouveau recueil d’airs sérieux et à boire à une et deux voix, de Brunettes à 2 dessus, scène pastorale, et cantatille avec accompagnement, published in 1737, of which a critical edition has been produced in volume II of this thesis. There is little information regarding Pinel’s life and work, however, the preface and privilège included in her Nouveau recueil provide some clues as to Pinel’s biography. Her life and music are examined, with reference to the social, literary and musical environment she was working in. An added dimension is that Pinel was working as a professional musicienne at a time when women were beginning to find their voice and place in professional society. Pinel claims authorship of the majority of the poems in her collection, and the rest come from anonymous sources. Pinel’s literary and musical output illustrates her obvious knowledge of the current trends in eighteenth-century France, with most of her poetry written for a female poetic voice, displaying many of the fashionable themes of the day. Her music displays a variety of styles, ranging from simple airs in binary form, traditionally found in most French airs sérieux et à boire, to the operatic, and the fashionable rococo styles.