An Analysis and Conductor's Guide to Zdeněk Lukáš
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University of Kentucky UKnowledge Theses and Dissertations--Music Music 2018 AN ANALYSIS AND CONDUCTOR’S GUIDE TO ZDENĚK LUKÁŠ’ REQUIEM PER CORO MISTO, OP. 252 Samuel James Miller University of Kentucky, [email protected] Author ORCID Identifier: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5064-2330 Digital Object Identifier: https://doi.org/10.13023/ETD.2018.161 Right click to open a feedback form in a new tab to let us know how this document benefits ou.y Recommended Citation Miller, Samuel James, "AN ANALYSIS AND CONDUCTOR’S GUIDE TO ZDENĚK LUKÁŠ’ REQUIEM PER CORO MISTO, OP. 252" (2018). Theses and Dissertations--Music. 114. https://uknowledge.uky.edu/music_etds/114 This Doctoral Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Music at UKnowledge. It has been accepted for inclusion in Theses and Dissertations--Music by an authorized administrator of UKnowledge. For more information, please contact [email protected]. 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Samuel James Miller, Student Dr. Jefferson Johnson, Major Professor Dr. Michael Baker, Director of Graduate Studies AN ANALYSIS AND CONDUCTOR’S GUIDE TO ZDENĚK LUKÁŠ’ REQUIEM PER CORO MISTO, OP. 252 _____________________________________ DMA PROJECT _____________________________________ A DMA project submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Musical Arts in the College of Fine Arts at the University of Kentucky By Samuel James Miller Lexington, Kentucky Director: Dr. Jefferson Johnson, Professor of Music Lexington, Kentucky 2018 Copyright © Samuel James Miller 2018 ABSTRACT OF DMA PROJECT AN ANALYSIS AND CONDUCTOR’S GUIDE TO ZDENĚK LUKÁŠ’ REQUIEM PER CORO MISTO, OP. 252 Zdeněk Lukáš (1928-2007) was one of the most prolific Czech composers of the 20th century having composed over 300 pieces. His works include a wide array of genres including symphonies, operas, chamber music, and a large amount of choral and vocal music. He was influenced by Czech folklore and music and was self-taught until he was nearly 40 years old. Lukáš began his career as a teacher but later began working for the Czechoslovak Radio Studio in Plzeň where he founded the mixed choir, Česká Píseň (Czech Song), which became quite famous and still enjoys great fame. Requiem per coro misto, op. 252 is considered by many to be Lukáš’s most famous choral work. It was written in 1992 for a cappella SSATB chorus. The piece is divided into seven movements; “Requiem aeternam,” “Dies irae,” “Lacrymosa,” “Offertorium,” “Hostias,” “Sanctus,” and “Agnus Dei.” This document presents an analysis and conductor’s guide of Requiem. The analysis includes an examination of Latin pronunciation employing Germanic Latin when possible and an IPA pronunciation guide and translation of the text. Also included in the analysis is discussion on form, tonality, and development of melody, harmony, and rhythm all of which reveal that Lukáš wrote this piece in a very traditional style. The conductor’s guide points out many of the issues that a choir may face in preparing Requiem. Some of the issues include intonation, range, and dynamics. One specific issue is that although the piece is tonal, there is considerable use of modes and scales that many singers would consider exotic. One such scale is the Hungarian Gypsy which is essentially a harmonic minor scale, but includes a raised fourth degree. Many of the intonation issues that could arise stem from the frequent parallel motion. Lukáš believed that a cappella singing is one of the purest forms of music and that singers should be allowed to sing without regard to any instrumental influence whether it be from the composer or some other source. Requiem exhibits this belief through its challenges and its beauty. The work or its individual movements can be challenging yet accessible to singers of all levels. KEYWORDS: Zdeněk Lukáš, Czech Music, Choral Music, Choral Conducting, Musical Analysis Samuel James Miller April 24, 2018 Date AN ANALYSIS AND CONDUCTOR’S GUIDE TO ZDENĚK LUKÁŠ’ REQUIEM PER CORO MISTO, OP. 252 By Samuel James Miller Dr. Jefferson Johnson Director of DMA Project Dr. Michael Baker Director of Graduate Studies April 24, 2018 Date ACKNOWLEDGMENTS This dissertation is the culmination of many years of work and patience, most notably on the part of my chair and mentor, Dr. Jefferson Johnson. For his continued support and encouragement, I am extremely grateful. I would also like to thank the remaining members of my committee, Dr. Lori Hetzel, Dr. Lance Brunner, and Dr. Alexandre Martin for their instruction and insight during this process. I also owe thanks to all of my previous mentors, namely Dr. David Johnson and Dr. Stanley Roberts for being such great role models and encouraging me to be the best I can in my work. I also wish to thank my colleagues both at UK and all through the state of Georgia; I truly love that I get to do this amazing job in the company of such great folks. Finally, I have to thank my wife, Jennifer, who has constantly believed in me. There is no better example of support, especially in prayer, than what she has been to me through this entire process. iii TABLE OF CONTENTS Acknowledgments..............................................................................................................iii List of examples..................................................................................................................vi PART I Chapter One: Introduction Background..............................................................................................................1 Significance of Study...............................................................................................1 Methodology............................................................................................................2 Literature Review.....................................................................................................3 Development of Czech Choral Music......................................................................3 Chapter Two: Zdeněk Lukáš Biography.................................................................................................................5 Compositional Style.................................................................................................7 Chapter Three: Requiem per coro misto, Op. 252 Background..............................................................................................................9 Text Considerations...............................................................................................10 Analysis..................................................................................................................12 Movement I: “Requiem aeternam”........................................................................13 Movement II: “Dies Irae”......................................................................................23 Movement III: “Lacrymosa”..................................................................................32 Movement IV: “Offertorium”................................................................................37 Movement V: “Hostias”.........................................................................................43 Movement VI: “Sanctus”.......................................................................................49 Movement VII: “Agnus Dei”.................................................................................56 Chapter Four: Conductor’s Guide Movement I: “Requiem aeternam”........................................................................60 Movement II: “Dies Irae”......................................................................................62 Movement III: “Lacrymosa”..................................................................................65 Movement IV: “Offertorium”................................................................................66 Movement V: “Hostias”.........................................................................................68 Movement VI: