Defense Date

11-29-2010

Graduation Date

Spring 2011

Availability

Immediate Access

Submission Type

recital

Degree Name

MM

Department

Music Performance

School

Mary Pappert School of Music

Committee Chair

Carole Riley

Committee Member

Jessica Wiskus

Committee Member

Damian Bursill-Hall

Keywords

Bird, Birdsong, Flute, Piano

Abstract

This recital explores works for flute inspired by birdsong. The flute's range and flexibility make the instrument a match for the avian syrinx. Vivaldi's Concerto in D Major presents a bird that bursts into refined song for the listener's pleasure. This showpiece depicts a captive pet at once caged and preserved for exhibition by the musical score. Messiaen's Le Merle Noir, on the other hand, features an unruly specimen whose shrill utterances and suspended melodies suggest both volatility and ancient wisdom. Other works on the program explore birdsong differently: Michael Colquhoun's work requires the performer to arrange "chirps" during performance, in the same way that birds arrange song components spontaneously. Richard Rodney Bennett's Six Tunes takes as inspiration the 1717 recorder method The Bird-Fancyer's Delight, but the calls heard in this version hardly resemble those of the tame species that antique manual trained.

Format

PDF

Language

English

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