Date of Award
Winter 12-12-2025
Degree Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Music
Department
School of Music
First Advisor
Dr. Samantha Inman
Abstract
This thesis explores the genre of barbershop tags, brief musical compositions in the barbershop style. After the introduction in Chapter 1, Chapter 2 describes the barbershop style and outlines a modified roman numeral system that reflects barbershop norms. Chapter 3 analyzes the 125 entries of the Classic Book of Tags based on two features: the harmonic point of interest (HPI) and the penultimate chord. Patterns emerging from these two criteria include eleven primary schemata along with a few secondary schemata accounting for the harmonic design for a majority of tags. Chapter 4 analyzes two barbershop arrangements: “Come Fly With Me” and “Dream a Little Dream of Me.” These case studies examine the function of tags in a broader context. Altogether this research provides a framework for further examination of harmony in the under-represented genre of barbershop.
Repository Citation
Cromer, Brian A., "Schemata of Barbershop Tags" (2025). Electronic Theses and Dissertations. 646.
https://scholarworks.sfasu.edu/etds/646
Creative Commons License
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Included in
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