Author ORCID Identifier
Date Available
11-21-2020
Year of Publication
2020
Degree Name
Doctor of Musical Arts (DMA)
Document Type
Doctoral Dissertation
College
Fine Arts
Department/School/Program
Music
First Advisor
James B. Campbell
Abstract
John Psathas is the one of the most forefront, living New Zealand composers and is considered to be one of the three most important living composers of the Greek Diaspora. His music is performed across the globe, most notably as the opening and closing ceremony music for the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens, Greece. His percussion music has been championed by percussionists for three decades, starting with Dame Evelyn Glennie with the work Matre’s Dance. Psathas still receives regular commissions for percussion instruments, having released multiple works in the last few years and multiple works still to be premiered.
The purpose of this dissertation is to explore the percussion works of John Psathas and its place in modern percussion literature, understand Psathas’s compositional style, and provide insights to performing his works. Interviews with individuals who have worked with Psathas and his music, as well as interviews with the composer himself provide an in-depth look at these works. Taking that knowledge, the dissertation provides an in-depth analysis into the theory and performance practice of Cloud Folk (2017), including harmony, setup, ensemble balance, instrument consideration, style, rehearsal markers, and specific performance considerations for each section.
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
https://doi.org/10.13023/etd.2020.501
Recommended Citation
Vilseck, James, "A Performance Analysis of Cloud Folk for Percussion Octet and Piano by John Psathas" (2020). Theses and Dissertations--Music. 171.
https://uknowledge.uky.edu/music_etds/171
Included in
Music Pedagogy Commons, Music Performance Commons, Music Practice Commons, Music Theory Commons
