Abstract

Artistry, particularly musical, is subjective and success in artistry can be achieved by more than one route. I consider myself an autodidactic musician by the musical and compositional achievements I have made without formal music training. I chose to research the compositional traits of other autodidacts to see their successes and challenges with their knowledge. George Gershwin, Danny Elfman, and John Bucchino come from a different background, a different time period in music, and each comes from a different stylistic genre. This research describes each of these composers’ influences, approach to composing, and any advantages or disadvantages they have faced because of their lack of formal music and music theory training. I wanted to know what skills and instincts composers possess. As part of my study, I composed a song cycle of 10 original musical theatre-style pieces. Notating the sheet music for the songs was a large portion of the project. During the process, I recognized my level of music theory, patterns and habits in my writing, and engaged in the process of making my music accessible.

Notes

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Thesis Completion

2015

Semester

Fall

Advisor

Chicurel, Steven

Degree

Bachelor of Fine Arts (B.F.A.)

College

College of Arts and Humanities

Department

Theatre

Degree Program

Musical Theatre

Subjects

Arts and Humanities -- Dissertations, Academic; Dissertations, Academic -- Arts and Humanities

Format

PDF

Identifier

CFH0004883

Language

English

Access Status

Open Access

Length of Campus-only Access

None

Document Type

Honors in the Major Thesis

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