Timbre is an elusive musical parameter that musicians, physicists, and cognitive scientists have been grappling with for centuries. While timbre can roughly be defined as an auditory attribute that distinguishes one tone color from another, this definition does not capture the complexities of sound and our perceptions thereof. Research on timbre has flourished since the 20th century, however, timbre studies has largely gone unnoticed within the viola community. This study, “A View from Within,” helps close the gap between timbre studies and viola repertoire scholarship by presenting analyses of three pieces from the 20th and 21st centuries through a timbre and orchestration lens. Utilizing my own knowledge of viola technique and performance practice as well as sinusoidal analyses, historical orchestration treatises, and music perception methodologies, I offer an original and interdisciplinary approach to music analysis while advocating for future studies of contemporary viola music.
","abstract_html":"<p>Timbre is an elusive musical parameter that musicians, physicists, and cognitive scientists have been grappling with for centuries. While timbre can roughly be defined as an auditory attribute that distinguishes one tone color from another, this definition does not capture the complexities of sound and our perceptions thereof. Research on timbre has flourished since the 20th century, however, timbre studies has largely gone unnoticed within the viola community. This study, “A View from Within,” helps close the gap between timbre studies and viola repertoire scholarship by presenting analyses of three pieces from the 20th and 21st centuries through a timbre and orchestration lens. Utilizing my own knowledge of viola technique and performance practice as well as sinusoidal analyses, historical orchestration treatises, and music perception methodologies, I offer an original and interdisciplinary approach to music analysis while advocating for future studies of contemporary viola music.</p>","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Mach, Ash"],"institution":null,"degree_name":"M.A.","degree_level":"Masters Thesis","degree_discipline":null,"degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":["Kristin Taavola","Mitchell Ohriner","Sean Friar"],"advisors":[],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":2023,"date_issued":"2023-11-01T07:00:00Z","date_published":"2023-11-01T07:00:00Z","updated_at":"2026-07-24T02:01:39Z","subjects":["Orchestration","Spectral","Timbre","Viola","Arts and Humanities","Composition","Music","Music Theory","Other Music"],"languages":["English (eng)"],"rights":["Copyright is held by the author. User is responsible for all copyright compliance.
"],"rights_urls":[],"identifier_entries":[]},"links":{"outbound_url":"https://digitalcommons.du.edu/etd/2352","outbound_label":"Repository record","outbound_source":"dc:identifier"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:contributor","label":"Contributor","values":["Kristin Taavola","Mitchell Ohriner","Sean Friar"]},{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["Mach, Ash"]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"thesis:degree_level","label":"Degree Level","values":["Masters Thesis"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_name","label":"Degree Name","values":["M.A."]}]},{"id":"subjects_keywords","label":"Subjects and Keywords","entries":[{"key":"dc:subject","label":"Dc Subject","values":["Orchestration","Spectral","Timbre","Viola","Arts and Humanities","Composition","Music","Music Theory","Other Music"]}]},{"id":"language_rights","label":"Language and Rights","entries":[{"key":"dc:language","label":"Dc Language","values":["English (eng)"]},{"key":"dc:rights","label":"Dc Rights","values":["Copyright is held by the author. User is responsible for all copyright compliance.
"]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier","label":"Identifier","values":["https://digitalcommons.du.edu/etd/2352"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description.abstract","label":"Abstract","values":["Timbre is an elusive musical parameter that musicians, physicists, and cognitive scientists have been grappling with for centuries. While timbre can roughly be defined as an auditory attribute that distinguishes one tone color from another, this definition does not capture the complexities of sound and our perceptions thereof. Research on timbre has flourished since the 20th century, however, timbre studies has largely gone unnoticed within the viola community. This study, “A View from Within,” helps close the gap between timbre studies and viola repertoire scholarship by presenting analyses of three pieces from the 20th and 21st centuries through a timbre and orchestration lens. Utilizing my own knowledge of viola technique and performance practice as well as sinusoidal analyses, historical orchestration treatises, and music perception methodologies, I offer an original and interdisciplinary approach to music analysis while advocating for future studies of contemporary viola music.
"]},{"key":"dc:format","label":"Dc Format","values":["application/pdf"]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["A View from Within: Timbre as an Analytical Tool in Contemporary Viola Music"]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:contributor":["Kristin Taavola","Mitchell Ohriner","Sean Friar"],"dc:creator":["Mach, Ash"],"dc:description.abstract":["Timbre is an elusive musical parameter that musicians, physicists, and cognitive scientists have been grappling with for centuries. While timbre can roughly be defined as an auditory attribute that distinguishes one tone color from another, this definition does not capture the complexities of sound and our perceptions thereof. Research on timbre has flourished since the 20th century, however, timbre studies has largely gone unnoticed within the viola community. This study, “A View from Within,” helps close the gap between timbre studies and viola repertoire scholarship by presenting analyses of three pieces from the 20th and 21st centuries through a timbre and orchestration lens. Utilizing my own knowledge of viola technique and performance practice as well as sinusoidal analyses, historical orchestration treatises, and music perception methodologies, I offer an original and interdisciplinary approach to music analysis while advocating for future studies of contemporary viola music.
"],"dc:format":["application/pdf"],"dc:identifier":["https://digitalcommons.du.edu/etd/2352"],"dc:language":["English (eng)"],"dc:rights":["Copyright is held by the author. User is responsible for all copyright compliance.
"],"dc:subject":["Orchestration","Spectral","Timbre","Viola","Arts and Humanities","Composition","Music","Music Theory","Other Music"],"dc:title":["A View from Within: Timbre as an Analytical Tool in Contemporary Viola Music"],"thesis:degree_level":["Masters Thesis"],"thesis:degree_name":["M.A."]},"updated_at":"2026-07-24T02:01:39Z"}