A View from Within: Timbre as an Analytical Tool in Contemporary Viola Music

<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>

Name thesis:degree_name

M.A.

Level thesis:degree_level

Masters Thesis

Year

2023

Author dc:creator

• Mach, Ash

Contributors dc:contributor

• Kristin Taavola
• Mitchell Ohriner
• Sean Friar

• Orchestration
• Spectral
• Timbre
• Viola
• Arts and Humanities
• Composition
• Music
• Music Theory
• Other Music

Statement dc:rights

• <p>Copyright is held by the author. User is responsible for all copyright compliance.</p>

Language dc:language

English (eng)

Repository record dc:identifier

https://digitalcommons.du.edu/etd/2352

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:digitalcommons.du.edu:etd-3343