Date of Award
5-2023
Degree Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Music
Department
School of Music
First Advisor
Stephen Lias
Second Advisor
Alexander Amato
Third Advisor
Kathryn Fenton
Fourth Advisor
Robert Allen
Abstract
Composers continually seek new timbres and sonorities to bend to their will. The early music revival of the twentieth century has resurrected dozens of instruments that have gone unutilized in contemporary composition for centuries. The historically-informed-performance movement has now evolved to a point where early instruments and period performance techniques can add extraordinary new characters to twenty-first century compositions. This thesis explores how composers effectively utilize early instruments like the viola da gamba, harpsichord, lute, and recorder in their compositions.
The document also contains interview transcripts from eight composers and performers, including Nico Muhly, Liam Byrne, Martha Bishop, David Loeb, Yukimi Kambe, Sarah Mead, Heather Spence, and Lisa Terry. Finally, my original composition for an octet of four saxophones and four viola da gambas realizes the research and implements the advice sought during the interview process and is accompanied by an analysis of core concepts.
Repository Citation
Bitinas, Jacob, "EARLY INSTRUMENTS IN 21ST CENTURY COMPOSITION AND AN ORIGINAL COMPOSITION FOR SAXOPHONES AND VIOLS" (2023). Electronic Theses and Dissertations. 497.
https://scholarworks.sfasu.edu/etds/497
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Included in
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