AMERICA in SONG a Written Creative Work Submitted to the Faculty Of

AMERICA IN SONG A Written Creative Work submitted to the faculty of San Francisco State University In partial fulfillment of the requirements for 2 -0 18 the Degree WflC Masters of Arts in Music: Vocal Music Education by Spiro Nickolao Tsingaris San Francisco, California Spring 2018 CERTIFICATION OF APPROVAL I certify that I have read America in Song: A Music History Course Focusing on Aaron Copland, American Composers and Vocal Works that Defined Our Nations Sound by Spiro Nickolao Tsingaris, and that in my opinion this work meets the criteria for approving a written creative work submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirement for the degree Master of Arts in Music: Vocal Music Education at San Francisco State University. Wendell Hannah, Ph.D. Professor of Music Education AMERICA IN SONG Spiro Nickolao Tsingaris San Francisco, CA 2018 The objective of this music history course is to educate my students as to how the people from around the world came here and expressed their unique experience through song. As America is made up of immigrants from around the world, it is understandable that our music reflects this diversity. Likewise as we are a nation just starting out, we can document our growing pains, struggles, changing attitudes and civic morality through the music and lyrics found in our songs. This course will focus on music around the turn of the 20th century, as this was the time of discovering our National Musical sound, as well as the time of greatest civic change and unrest. American nationalism and American music will be thoroughly discussed and analyzed, as well as the many differing types of vocal music, such as African American Spirituals, Folk Songs, Choral Works and Gospel Music. The single composer that has peeked my interest the most and that I feel best incorporates the myriad of American music forms is Aaron Copland. A portion of this course will focus on the music of Copland. What were the factors in his life and upbringing that created the desire for him to discover his interpretation of the American sound, and how was this desire realized in both his instrumental and vocal works. I certify that the Abstract is a correct representation of the content of this Written Creative Work. Chair, Written Creative Work Committee Date DEDICATION This work is dedicated to the most encouraging person I have ever met, and whose belief in me is the single greatest factor in any thing I have achieved. My mother, Mirta Tsingaris v ACKNOWLEDGMENTS To my Father and Mother, whose sacrifice and love are the greatest gift and example anyone could ask for. To my wife and kids, Gabrielle, Elena, Lucas and Sophia Tsingaris. Thank you for your love and continuous support and for allowing me the time to pursue this degree. I hope to make you proud. To Carol Sherwood, David Martin and F. William Schahn, three of the best music teachers a young boy could have. To Greg and Lori Arthur, for exposing me to American roots music at a young-ish age. vi TABLE OF CONTENTS Chapter 1: Introduction...................................................................... 1 Chapter 2: Literature Review.......................................................... 5 Chapter 3: Objectives....................................................................... 47 National Standard 3.......................................................................... 48 National Standard 4 .......................................................................... 48 National Standard 5.......................................................................... 49 National Standard 6 .......................................................................... 49 National Standard 7.......................................................................... 49 National Standard 8.......................................................................... 50 National Standard 9.......................................................................... 50 Chapter 4: Instruction.......................................................................51 Chapter 5: Conclusion......................................................................56 References:........................................................................................59 Appendix A: Syllabus......................................................................61 Appendix B: Vocabulary Words and Quiz Form........................ 65 Appendix C: Listening Exercise Questions................................. 67 Appendix D: Research Paper Guidelines......................................68 Appendix E: Sample Lesson Plans............................................... 69 vii 1 Chapter 1: Introduction What does it mean to be an American? How does this melting pot of a nation find a unique yet cohesive identity? What music best exemplifies the struggles and successes of the American experience at and near the turn of the century? This complex question is one that has been at the core of my studies as well as my professional music life. As a first generation American with a father from Greece and a mother from Guatemala, I wonder how does one celebrate their ethnic heritage yet celebrate being a citizen of the United States? How did immigrants celebrate their ethnic roots yet also take advantage of the opportunity provided them in this new land? How did the experience of slaves, western settlers, and transplants from around the globe add to this young country, and specifically how were their experiences represented in song? How did composers near the turn of the century incorporate music from all of these differing channels and create the sound of America? As I have led choirs that have sung African American slave spirituals that were arranged in the traditional European style; been a member of a folk and roots music band for over twenty years that has played Irish reels as well as blues and gospel music and have conducted symphonies that incorporate jazz as well as evoke the wild west, 1 have experienced music that is both diverse and eclectic, yet 2 somehow perfectly represents the American sound. Fret Not is a gospel, folk, bluegrass group that I joined in 1992. We have performed slave spirituals, folk tunes from the Appalachians, and gospel songs from the south. We have followed in the footsteps of Johhny Cash and have performed in San Quentin and Folsom prison as well as many bluegrass and gospel festivals. The music we play expresses the suffering of the slave who still holds out the hope for heaven. We sing old cowboy songs about the difficulties of life on the trail. The beloved gospel pieces we perform, with their Bible stories, speak of the desire for freedom and justice and reflect the principles this country was founded on. This repertoire was the incubator where the seed of my interest in American music began to grow. As a choral singer for over twenty years, I have sung Renaissance madrigals, Mass settings and many art songs. It is the songs that capture the American soul that have had the greatest effect on me. Shenandoah, the song about the Missouri river and the great Indian chief Shenandoah is a piece that exemplifies this. I sang it as a high school student, again in college and I have had my choirs, both student and adult, perform it on numerous occasions. Though the times change and contemporary music styles come and go, this piece always seems to reflect the beauty and longing that our great country invokes. Other pieces, like the Spiritual Ain’a That Good News, and the 3 hymn I Saw the Light are pieces that both celebrate our religious heritage while praising God in a distinctly American fashion. These pieces did not sound like Handel’s Oratorios or Bach’s Masses, yet they served the same purpose. I realized that even in the celebration of the divine, music could still represent our personal yet shared experience. I have taught in the classroom for over eighteen years, both Symphonic and Choral music. We have covered all of the masters, from Bach and Handel to Debussy and Shostakovich and most everyone in between. To say that it has been a joy to prepare, perform and introduce young people to all of these great composers would be a great understatement. The works of these amazing artists are the textbooks for my courses in which I teach music theory, music history, ear training and musicianship all based on the pieces we are preparing for that semester’s performances. Approximately ten years ago, as Tamalpais High School celebrated in centennial birthday, we held a Day on the Green music event where we performed thrilling and uplifting Symphonic works. One of these pieces was the theme from The Magnificent Seven, composed by Elmer Bernstein. The response from the students as we worked on this piece, as well as the ovation we received from the audience, caused me to ponder what made this piece so enjoyable for all parties involved. The performance of this piece also led directly to my Creative Work project in which all of my groups, 4 both vocal and instrumental, performed music from the American frontier in a performance I titled How the West Was Won. This performance married cowboy and folk songs with Symphonic works that not only evoked the old west but were often based on old American tunes. I also incorporated multi media and paired video with the performance of the music and this led to a very successful celebration of not only the sounds but also the sights of our young country and the experience of the pioneers near the turn of the century. This event was one of the high points

Load more