The Singing Bridge

Barnhart, Michael Robert University of Cincinnati 2007 해외박사(DDOD)

The Singing Bridge is a piece for percussion trio with recorded electro-acoustic music inspired by and utilizing samples from the sonic environment surrounding the Cincinnati-Covington Bridge across the Ohio River. Built in 1867 by John A. Roebling, it is an elegant steel spider-web towering 230 feet above the low water mark, with two central suspension cables that contain 5206 small wires each. It was Roebling's second to last design, predating his triumphant Brooklyn Bridge by 16 years. With the advent of automobiles, a steel grate driving surface was added that gave rise to it's popular name "The Singing Bridge," from the sound that tires make while humming across it. During the Great Depression, my grandfather braved the heights with the work crews that painted it. As a child I often begged my mother to cross it so we could sing along. Finally awakening to the personal and public significance of the sound I began regularly visiting the bridge to record it and to assemble an audio catalog of the humming tires, tugboat engines, foghorns, cable clanks, calliope music, and blasts of radios from car windows and pleasure craft that are all part of the sound life there. In collaboration with Percussion Group Cincinnati I developed a palette of corresponding instrumental sounds, many of which use rolling objects as a means of excitation similar to the tires. Tiny phrases trimmed from recorded days, were mixed, duplicated and retuned on a computer, allowing the piece to combine the bridge's sonic vocabulary with several instrumental translations. The bridge sounds are altered and superimposed more and more as the piece progresses representing the way our memories are edited by the mind the longer they are held.

Hidden Voices (Original composition, Electronic media)

Watts, Christopher Martin University of Cincinnati 2002 해외박사(DDOD)

Hidden Voices is a four-channel work for electronic media realized in the College-Conservatory of Music Center for Computer Music [(ccm)<super> 2</super>] at the University of Cincinnati. The title refers to sonic material that has been literally extracted from within existing music: by stretching sampled sounds over long periods of time, new timbral resources are discovered. Phase vocoding techniques allow the samples to be stretched in time while maintaining the original pitch content. Timbre and the localization of sound in the listening space serve as two of the primary structural elements in the piece. The sonic building blocks of the piece are placed along a timbral continuum with dark, static sounds on one end and bright, active sounds on the other. Tension is created and resolved as the piece slowly progresses down this continuum and then returns, creating a large arch form. Through the use of four discrete channels, sonic events are localized on a two-dimensional plane within the listening space. The placement of sounds in the space and the movement of sounds around and across the space are used to create additional forward momentum and to articulate the form of the piece, breaking the large two-part structure into a series of smaller sections. The individual sonic events, which slowly evolve, are juxtaposed and overlapped to create a constantly changing tapestry of sound.

Concerto for Piano and Wind Ensemble

Macura, Nebojsa S University of Cincinnati 2011 해외박사(DDOD)

In many ways, the Concerto for Piano and Wind Ensemble reflects my experiences at the University of Cincinnati. Composed mainly during the first four months of 2011, and originally intended as a summary of the various compositional techniques honed during my doctoral studies, the work also gained a programmatic element, seemingly without any conscious effort on my part. Although the concerto is in one continuous movement, it is divided into three main sections, each alluding to my state of mind during my three years as a full-time student at UC. Approximately 27 minutes in duration, this is my largest composition so far.

Biomes

Goldman, Josh University of Cincinnati 2013 해외박사(DDOD)

Biomes is a 45-minute sound structure composed for electric guitar and electroacoustic soundscape. The debut performance of the work occurred on April 22, 2013 (Earth Day) within the Meyers Gallery at the University of Cincinnati. During this presentation, as well as on the debut recording of the composition, I functioned as electric guitarist and electroacoustic soundscape composer / performer. The electric guitar presents 6 songs during the electroacoustic soundscape. The melodic / harmonic material utilized within each song is primarily "fixed". The rhythmic / pulse material utilized within each song is primarily "fluid". The electroacoustic soundscape is comprised of 7 biomes. The following biomes are represented: urban, desert, tropical forest, grassland, temperate forest, tundra, and aquatic (freshwater / marine). The complete soundscape incorporates 104 audio files (many of these audio files were accessed via the Macaulay Library at Cornell University). 52 of these audio files have been electronically processed in some fashion often utilizing MacPOD (developed by Chris Rolfe and Damian Keller). The remaining elements of the soundscape were constructed utilizing Logic Pro 9 (developed by Apple Incorporated). My initial creative intention was to compose music that I needed to hear (and hopefully music that needs to be heard). This creative intention has been realized through the completion of Biomes. I have been intensely involved with music for over 27 years---sacrificing many other aspects of my life in order to pursue what I am deeply passionate about and to live fully as an artist. This extensive experience as an artist has informed my conclusion that Biomes is possibly the best work I have ever completed. The only way to understand my composition Biomes is to literally experience my composition Biomes(similarly, the only way to understand the taste of an apple is to literally experience the taste of an apple). There is no other way to achieve this quality of experience. For the person who desires this quality of experience, a WAV audio file of Biomes has been embedded within my dissertation (to access this file you must open my dissertation utilizing Adobe Reader). While experiencing Biomes, please listen as follows: - in the morning (before any type of "professional" day has begun) or at night (after any type of "professional" day has ended). - in a silent, activity-free space. - while your body is sitting or reclining in a stress-free position. - utilizing high quality headphones. - from beginning to end without intermission. Thank you for listening.

Qurama for chamber ensemble

Gasim-Zada, Turkar University of Cincinnati 2014 해외박사(DDOD)

Qurama for chamber ensemble, was written in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Musical Arts in Composition at College-Conservatory of Music, University of Cincinnati. Qurama is an ancient handicraft of Azerbaijan, a kind of patchwork made of cloth scraps of various sizes and colors. The etymology of the word qurama also contains a meaning closer to construction in English. Ideas of working with different shapes and colors, adding multiple layers on top of each other or subtracting, separating them, exploring different time concepts and listening experiences are important to the compositional processes of this piece. This piece is dedicated to Lale khanim and Mezahir bey Avshars, painters and sculptors, friends of my family. Both had an impact on me as an artist. Qurama was premiered in 10/7/2012, by Contemporary Music Ensemble in residence of Boston University, conductor Theodore Antoniou at the final round of ALEAIII International Composition Comptetition, Tsai Performance Center, Boston, Massachusetts.

Experiments in public opinion research on the Internet

Jabbari, Behzad J University of Cincinnati 2005 해외박사(DDOD)

In the past decade, access to the Internet has substantially increased, and now various commercial software packages provide the means for researchers to readily design and create online surveys in a short period of time. The purpose of this dissertation is to demonstrate the utility and cost-effectiveness of conducting methodological experiments on survey question effects such as effects of not sure, don't know, and no opinion, tone of wording: forbid vs. allow, effects of middle response alternative, and response order effects. Since political scientists rarely collect their own data, due to related cost issues, investigators are unable to easily test hypotheses due to their dependency on secondary data or small voluntary student samples. In this research, several classic experiments on question form, wording, and context were replicated using the Internet as a public opinion laboratory. This study was conducted in two phases prior to 2000 presidential election using Internet technology at the University of Cincinnati. Respondents were randomly assigned to one of the two question forms, and the topics of survey questions in this study were focused on issues in the 2000 presidential election campaign adapted for self-administration on the Internet. Six experiments were conducted examining the effects of no opinion, don't know, and not sure response alternatives. Except in one case, in which a large number of respondents with a higher level of education expressed opinions about a fictitious issue, the results replicated earlier findings by Schuman and Presser (1981). Two experiments examined the selection of "forbid" vs. "not allow" showing the preference of respondents to choose "not allow" over "forbid." However, we found a lower margin of difference in our experiments in comparison with those of Schuman and Presser (1981). Three experiments examining the effects of a middle response alternative clearly suggested that offering a "middle alternative" results in a significant increase in its selection. Examining the univariate distribution, a statistically significant difference based on response form was found in only one of three cases. The results suggest that middle response alternative effects may not be generalizable to all issues. The bivariate results were similar to findings of Schuman and Presser (1981) and Kalton, Roberts, and Holts (1980) showing that the inferences about the relationship between background variables and attitude items are not affected by the presence or absence of a middle alternative. Finally, three experiments were conducted to examine the response order effects. Only one of the experiments showed a strong primacy effect, with the other two producing less robust results. Overall, this research confirms that this new mode of data collection utilizing the Internet technology can be effectively utilized to create and/or replicate various methodological experiments in an efficient and cost-effective manner as well as stimulate the development of new hypotheses on survey question effects.

Avoiding the false negative: Placing students into mathematics courses according to their abilities

Hager, Margaret J University of Cincinnati 2005 해외박사(DDOD)

The purpose of this qualitative study was to examine the perceptions that students and advisors/administrators had regarding the mathematics placement process at a two-year branch campus of a large urban, mid-western university. Participants in the study were 20 advisors/administrators and 15 students. Qualitative data were collected from face-to-face, semi-structured interviews and focus groups, placement test observations, and placement test documents. The student participants were students who had taken the Compass/ESL RTM computer-adaptive math placement test and successfully completed a college level math course at the institution, as well as students who had just recently taken the test. The advisors/administrators all had some level of involvement in the mathematics placement process at the institution. Therefore, this research offered a unique opportunity to focus on the current mathematics placement process. The results suggested that students want and need an opportunity to practice before they take the test. This may encourage them to take the test more seriously. Furthermore, the use of an entrepreneurial placement testing system should require that the recommendations made by them as to the procedures for administering the test be followed. Finally, the institution is interested in implementing mandatory placement in mathematics. This would include a well-defined mathematics placement appeal process for students who believe they are not correctly placed by the test, as well as the use of multiple measures to determine the placement of students in a mathematics course.

Shakespeare's Hamlet, Musical Adaptation, and Intercultural Dynamics in the Late Nineteenth-Century United States

Schreiber, Rebecca University of Cincinnati ProQuest Dissertations & 2023 해외박사(DDOD)

In the late nineteenth century, the flow of people, material, and ideas between Europe and the United States brought many values and practices from one culture to another, contributing to various ideas surrounding the articulation of U.S. national identity. Through the convergence of the international prominence of Shakespeare, the transatlantic discourse of musical style and taste, and the unique perspectives of Shakespeare and music embodied in five contemporary Hamlet compositions, this dissertation tells novel and significant stories about the intercultural dynamics at play in the efforts to articulate a distinct U.S. national cultural identity in the late nineteenth century.Each case study of Hamlet music employs the methodology of cultural transfer to parse the exchange of aesthetics and patterns of musical thought operating through each composition and performance as they participate in broader trends of defining U.S. national identity. The first two case studies feature New York performances of programmatic Hamlet music: Theodore Thomas’s 1873 world premiere of Franz Liszt’s symphonic poem, Hamlet, and Frank Van der Stucken’s 1887 American Festival featuring a performance of Edward MacDowell’s symphonic poem, Hamlet. Ophelia. Zwei Gedichte fur grosses Orchester, in the festival’s first concert. The next case study turns to opera, examining the 1884 performance of Ambroise Thomas’s Hamlet by Henry Abbey’s Metropolitan Opera company in Cincinnati’s Fourth Opera Festival. The final two case studies explore incidental music accompanying theatrical settings of Hamlet and their concert hall adaptations manifesting as overtures and orchestral suites: Walter Damrosch’s 1891 performance of Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky’s Hamlet overture at the New York Symphony Society’s inaugural concert at Music Hall (present-day Carnegie Hall) and George Henschel’s 1892 performance of his own Suite from the Music to Shakespeare’s “Hamlet” with the Boston Symphony Orchestra.Through these case studies, this dissertation utilizes the lens of Hamlet music and the framework of cultural transfer to investigate how ideas passed through various cultural contexts and converged to shape different facets of U.S. national identity and complexities of social and musical life. While economic and social changes throughout the time period contributed to sharpening class divisions, cultural and musical life was colored by more nuanced perspectives that transcended social divisions. By exploring the processes of adaptation and creation contributing to the different expressions of musical and cultural thought, this dissertation illustrates the plurality of U.S. national identity as manifested in the music-making of the late nineteenth century, and it sets the stage for further investigation of Shakespeare’s influence in different facets of U.S. identity throughout the twentieth and twenty-first centuries.

Jonestown: A Multimedia Chamber Opera - Act I

Williams, Evan M University of Cincinnati ProQuest Dissertations & 2016 해외박사(DDOD)

Jonestown is a multimedia chamber opera in four acts, which is based on the mass murder/suicide of the Peoples Temple Agricultural Project --- informally known as Jonestown --- based in Guyana, South America and its leader, Pastor Jim Jones. The work revolves around three characters, Christine, Mary, and Joe. The character of Christine is based on Christine Miller, who can be heard in the final "Death Tape" of Jonestown opposing the mass suicide and advocating for a more peaceful resolution. Mary and Joe --- a married couple facing problems in their relationship concerning Jim Jones are completely fictional characters, however, details of their lives are drawn from real-life events that occurred around 1978. The opera employs audio recorded by the people of Jonestown, which was later confiscated by the FBI, and digitized by the Jonestown Institute at San Diego State University. There is no actor or singer representing Jim Jones. These audio recordings provide excerpts of Jones's words unaltered and uncensored. The first act of this opera introduces Christine, who expresses her hope for a better world through the work being done at Jonestown. We also meet Mary and Joe, and learn that the source of their marital problems is that Jim Jones is the father of their baby boy, not Joe. The chorus --- consisting of other members of Jonestown --- sing about their desire to create a Christian/Communist community, yet sermons by Jim Jones express his belief that salvation cannot be found in heaven, but on earth, through himself.

Unbearable Heaviness of Being

Nam, Sangbong University of Cincinnati 2013 해외박사(DDOD)

Unbearable Heaviness of Being for flute, clarinet, violin, cello, percussion, piano, and live electronics is a collection of impressions from nightmares I had when I was young. The work is divided into 6 movements. Each movement takes a specific look at the uneasy state of mind. Processing and mixing pre-recorded materials was done in the computer music studio at the University of Cincinnati. Various techniques using live sound processing were explored such as Pitch Shifting, FIR (simple finite impulse response filter in RTcmix), Octave Harmonizer, Delay/Feedback and MSHAKERS ('shaker' PhISEM and PhOLIES physical model in RTcmix).