Date of Award
12-2025
Degree Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Music
Department
School of Music
First Advisor
Dr. Benjamin Morris
Second Advisor
Professor Larry Greer
Third Advisor
Dr. Jamie Weaver
Fourth Advisor
Dr. Christopher Aul
Abstract
The electric guitar is underutilized in large ensemble art music. Some composers have sought to alleviate this deficiency by expanding the literature through the electric guitar concerto. Few electric guitar concerti are written for improvised jazz guitar, therefore presenting a need for this research. In this thesis, I explore the development of the jazz guitar concerto and nine compositional strategies that benefit composers writing a multi-genre jazz guitar concerto. I analyze selected jazz guitar concerti through lenses, including phrase-level compositional devices, textural and timbral schema, and musical hybridity, to identify these strategies. These concerti include: D.J. Sparr’s Katrina, Jake Hertzog’s The Ozark Concerto, and Terje Rypdal’s The Vanguardian. Metamorphosis, an original jazz guitar concerto, is the culmination of this research. This piece contributes to the literature, demonstrates the fluidity of the electric guitar in a mixed-genre piece, and encourages composers to write large ensemble art music for contemporary jazz guitarists.
Repository Citation
Whitt, Ronnie J., "Metamorphosis: An Original Jazz Guitar Concerto Exploring Improvisation and Polystylistic Strategies in the Modern Concerto" (2025). Electronic Theses and Dissertations. 619.
https://scholarworks.sfasu.edu/etds/619
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Included in
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