The University of Southern Mississippi The Aquila Digital Community Honors Theses Honors College Spring 5-2017 Barfield, Kazik, Nazaykinskaya, and Beyond: A Discussion of the Commission Process Regarding Trombone Literature S. Kyle Moore University of Southern Mississippi Follow this and additional works at: https://aquila.usm.edu/honors_theses Part of the Composition Commons Recommended Citation Moore, S. Kyle, "Barfield, Kazik, Nazaykinskaya, and Beyond: A Discussion of the Commission Process Regarding Trombone Literature" (2017). Honors Theses. 473. https://aquila.usm.edu/honors_theses/473 This Honors College Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by the Honors College at The Aquila Digital Community. It has been accepted for inclusion in Honors Theses by an authorized administrator of The Aquila Digital Community. For more information, please contact [email protected]. The University of Southern Mississippi Barfield, Kazik, Nazaykinskaya, and Beyond: A Discussion of the Commission Process Regarding Trombone Literature by Kyle Moore A Thesis Submitted to the Honors College of The University of Southern Mississippi in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirement for the Degree of Bachelor of Music Education in the School of Music May 2017 ii Approved by _______________________________ Ben McIlwain, D.M., Thesis Adviser Nina Bell Suggs Endowed Professor of Trombone _______________________________ Stacy Reischman-Fletcher, M.F.A., Interim Director School of Music _______________________________ Ellen Weinauer, Ph.D., Dean Honors College iii Abstract There has historically been limited repertoire for trombonists to perform outside of orchestral writing—so limited that the first trombone solo recital was performed by Davis Shuman in 1947. The trombone has been present in the musical community since the mid-fifteenth century, yet it has only recently emerged as a unique, virtuosic instrument. Due to its delayed emergence and limited repertoire, the need to advance the instrument and its musical literature has led to the commission process between artists and composers: Interested parties approach composers with the prospect of writing music for compensation. In this manner, the composer is compensated for writing music, and the interested party has new music to be performed for whatever instrument or instruments they desired. Even more limited than early trombone repertoire is the amount of literature on the commission process as well as the creation of new music for the trombone. This thesis contributes to both areas. Three present-day composers who have been commissioned to write for the trombone were selected as the sample to be interviewed for this thesis. The results were reviewed qualitatively and organized into this thesis to continue the discussion of the creation of new trombone literature. Further, the researcher attempted to provide further insight into the creative process of the composers who write for the trombone. Key Words: commission, trombone, composers, music, repertoire iv Dedication To the gentlemen of Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia, Fraternity, Who taught me about the sacrifice, mystery, and truth in music, And who never, ever gave up on me. Thank you. v Acknowledgments I would like to thank Dr. Ben McIlwain for his guidance, mentorship, humor, and unbelievable patience with me during this process. This piece of work would not have been possible without his undying support. Additionally, I would like to thank the Honors College here at the University of Southern Mississippi, as well as Dr. David Davies, who recruited me to come to USM and to be a part of the Honors program. They all have made my education and experience here so incredible, and for that I am thankful. Finally, I would like to pay special thanks to the composers that agreed to work me into their crazy schedules so that I could pick their brains for this project. I had such a wonderful time taking a glimpse into each of their creative minds, and I hope I have the opportunity to work with each of them on unique commissions someday. vi Table of Contents Chapter One: Introduction ...................................................................................................1 Chapter Two: Literature Review .........................................................................................3 A Brief History of the Trombone.............................................................................3 Influential Figures in Advancing the Repertoire .....................................................7 Need for Literature or Other Research Regarding This Process ............................10 Chapter Three: Methodology .............................................................................................12 Participants .............................................................................................................12 Instruments .............................................................................................................12 Data Collection ......................................................................................................13 Chapter Four: Results and Discussion ...............................................................................14 Written Literature Focusing on the Trombone ......................................................14 Contributions to the Repertoire ..............................................................................19 The Commission Process in Detail ........................................................................22 Considerations Regarding Contract Negotiations ..................................................26 Comments on the Relatively Recent Emergence of the Trombone .......................31 Chapter Five: Conclusion ..................................................................................................33 References ..........................................................................................................................35 Appendices .........................................................................................................................37 Appendix A: Research Consent Form……………………………………………37 Appendix B: Interview Guide ................................................................................40 Appendix C: Interview Transcript, Anthony Barfield ...........................................41 vii Appendix D: Interview Transcript, James Kazik ...................................................62 Appendix E: Interview Transcript, Polina Nazaykinskaya ....................................91 Appendix F: Institutional Review Board Approval .............................................108 viii Chapter One: Introduction Unlike the piano, violin, or clarinet, composers historically have not treated the trombone as a virtuosic solo instrument. Even as more composers began to write for the trombone, including Georg Albrechtsberger or Wolfgang Mozart, whose Die Zauberflöte (1791) or Requiem (1791) show us “his most idiomatic writing for the instrument,”1 solo trombone recitals were virtually nonexistent before Davis Shuman gave his first solo recital in 1947. This recital premiered three new works for the instrument: John Duncan’s Divertimento for Trombone and String Ensemble, Sam Raphling’s Sonata for Trombone and Piano, and Frederick Jacobi’s Meditation. This allowed the full program to consist only of music written for the trombone.2 In the twentieth century, as trombonists became more proficient, composers began recognizing the instrument’s expanding virtuosity and techniques. Examples of these extended techniques (multiphonics, buzzed glissandi, and vowel shaping) can be found in Sequenza V by Berio; Canto II by Adler; and General’s Speech by Erickson.3 Stuart Dempster, a renowned performer who was responsible for adding almost forty new pieces to the instrument’s body of literature4, writes that trombonists should actively seek the acquisition and creation of new music. Trombone pioneers Davis Shuman, Thomas Everett, Bill Cramer, and Christian Lindberg did just that. Dempster, who commissioned Luciano Berio’s Sequenza V, goes on to say that many trombonists are beginning “to 1Trevor Herbert. The Trombone. (New Haven, CT: Yale University Press, 2006), 118 2Mark P. Babbit, Davis Shuman: A Biography.(Ann Arbor, MI: The University of Washington, 2005), 11 3Scott and Cathy L. Whitener. A Complete Guide to Brass: Instruments and Pedagogy. (New York, NY: Schirmer Books, 1990), 61 4 William McIlwain. Select Contributions and Commissions in Solo Trombone Repertoire by Trombone Innovator and Pioneer: Stuart Dempster(Tallahassee, FL: The Florida State University, 2010), 15 1 realize the tremendous acoustical potential of their instrument, and that they can exercise some control over their own artistic destiny.”5 This is the pretext for the overall need to advance our instrument and its repertoire. The composers referenced in the title of this thesis (Anthony Barfield, Polina Nazaykinskaya, and James Kazik) are active composers involved in contributing to the trombone repertoire, often through the commission process. Using the literature review of this document, the researcher seeks to provide context as to the history of the instrument and its relatively new body of repertoire. There are no publications currently existing regarding these composers. The researcher seeks to use these composers to provide insight into the finer details of how a piece of literature is created with regards to the trombone. 5Stuart