Composers continually seek new timbres and sonorities to bend to their will. The early music revival of the twentieth century has resurrected dozens of instruments that have gone unutilized in contemporary composition for centuries. The historically-informed-performance movement has now evolved to a point where early instruments and period performance techniques can add extraordinary new characters to twenty-first century compositions. This thesis explores how composers effectively utilize early instruments like the viola da gamba, harpsichord, lute, and recorder in their compositions.
The document also contains interview transcripts from eight composers and performers, including Nico Muhly, Liam Byrne, Martha Bishop, David Loeb, Yukimi Kambe, Sarah Mead, Heather Spence, and Lisa Terry. Finally, my original composition for an octet of four saxophones and four viola da gambas realizes the research and implements the advice sought during the interview process and is accompanied by an analysis of core concepts.
","abstract_html":"<p>Composers continually seek new timbres and sonorities to bend to their will. The early music revival of the twentieth century has resurrected dozens of instruments that have gone unutilized in contemporary composition for centuries. The historically-informed-performance movement has now evolved to a point where early instruments and period performance techniques can add extraordinary new characters to twenty-first century compositions. This thesis explores how composers effectively utilize early instruments like the viola da gamba, harpsichord, lute, and recorder in their compositions.</p> <p>The document also contains interview transcripts from eight composers and performers, including Nico Muhly, Liam Byrne, Martha Bishop, David Loeb, Yukimi Kambe, Sarah Mead, Heather Spence, and Lisa Terry. Finally, my original composition for an octet of four saxophones and four viola da gambas realizes the research and implements the advice sought during the interview process and is accompanied by an analysis of core concepts.</p>","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Bitinas, Jacob"],"institution":null,"degree_name":"Master of Music","degree_level":"Thesis","degree_discipline":"School of Music","degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":["Stephen Lias","Alexander Amato","Kathryn Fenton"],"advisors":[],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":2023,"date_issued":"2023-05-01T07:00:00Z","date_published":"2023-05-01T07:00:00Z","updated_at":"2026-07-24T04:30:37Z","subjects":["composition","early music","historical instruments","interview","viola da gamba","saxophone","Musicology","Music Theory","Renaissance Studies"],"languages":[],"rights":[],"rights_urls":[],"identifier_entries":[]},"links":{"outbound_url":"https://scholarworks.sfasu.edu/etds/497","outbound_label":"Repository record","outbound_source":"dc:identifier"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:contributor","label":"Contributor","values":["Stephen Lias","Alexander Amato","Kathryn Fenton"]},{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["Bitinas, Jacob"]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"dc:date.available","label":"Dc Date Available","values":["2023-05-04T07:00:00Z"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_discipline","label":"Discipline","values":["School of Music"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_level","label":"Degree Level","values":["Thesis"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_name","label":"Degree Name","values":["Master of Music"]}]},{"id":"subjects_keywords","label":"Subjects and Keywords","entries":[{"key":"dc:subject","label":"Dc Subject","values":["composition","early music","historical instruments","interview","viola da gamba","saxophone","Musicology","Music Theory","Renaissance Studies"]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier","label":"Identifier","values":["https://scholarworks.sfasu.edu/etds/497"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description.abstract","label":"Abstract","values":["Composers continually seek new timbres and sonorities to bend to their will. The early music revival of the twentieth century has resurrected dozens of instruments that have gone unutilized in contemporary composition for centuries. The historically-informed-performance movement has now evolved to a point where early instruments and period performance techniques can add extraordinary new characters to twenty-first century compositions. This thesis explores how composers effectively utilize early instruments like the viola da gamba, harpsichord, lute, and recorder in their compositions.
The document also contains interview transcripts from eight composers and performers, including Nico Muhly, Liam Byrne, Martha Bishop, David Loeb, Yukimi Kambe, Sarah Mead, Heather Spence, and Lisa Terry. Finally, my original composition for an octet of four saxophones and four viola da gambas realizes the research and implements the advice sought during the interview process and is accompanied by an analysis of core concepts.
"]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["EARLY INSTRUMENTS IN 21ST CENTURY COMPOSITION AND AN ORIGINAL COMPOSITION FOR SAXOPHONES AND VIOLS"]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:contributor":["Stephen Lias","Alexander Amato","Kathryn Fenton"],"dc:creator":["Bitinas, Jacob"],"dc:date.available":["2023-05-04T07:00:00Z"],"dc:description.abstract":["Composers continually seek new timbres and sonorities to bend to their will. The early music revival of the twentieth century has resurrected dozens of instruments that have gone unutilized in contemporary composition for centuries. The historically-informed-performance movement has now evolved to a point where early instruments and period performance techniques can add extraordinary new characters to twenty-first century compositions. This thesis explores how composers effectively utilize early instruments like the viola da gamba, harpsichord, lute, and recorder in their compositions.
The document also contains interview transcripts from eight composers and performers, including Nico Muhly, Liam Byrne, Martha Bishop, David Loeb, Yukimi Kambe, Sarah Mead, Heather Spence, and Lisa Terry. Finally, my original composition for an octet of four saxophones and four viola da gambas realizes the research and implements the advice sought during the interview process and is accompanied by an analysis of core concepts.
"],"dc:identifier":["https://scholarworks.sfasu.edu/etds/497"],"dc:subject":["composition","early music","historical instruments","interview","viola da gamba","saxophone","Musicology","Music Theory","Renaissance Studies"],"dc:title":["EARLY INSTRUMENTS IN 21ST CENTURY COMPOSITION AND AN ORIGINAL COMPOSITION FOR SAXOPHONES AND VIOLS"],"thesis:degree_discipline":["School of Music"],"thesis:degree_level":["Thesis"],"thesis:degree_name":["Master of Music"]},"updated_at":"2026-07-24T04:30:37Z"}