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A conductor's analysis of Edward MacDowell's original choral music for mixed voices and women's voices, and arrangements for men's voices

Gary Paul Wilson, University of Nebraska - Lincoln

Abstract

Edward MacDowell (1860–1908) was one of the first American-born composers to gain international notoriety. This study examines his original choral music for mixed and women's voices, and his arrangements for men's voices. The choruses are analyzed with a format that considers the importance of meter, tempo, rhythm, melody, harmony, tonality, form, musical/textual agreement, and expressive features. MacDowell was trained in Europe, and his music reflects the influence of late German Romanticism. His choral music is a relatively small, but important part, of his total compositional output. The choruses are primarily diatonic, with chromaticism used for coloristic purposes. Many of the texts are settings of MacDowell's own poetry, or foreign language poems that he translated himself. All of the choruses considered in this study were published between 1890–1902, and can be included in MacDowell's last period of composition. The pieces for men's voices were arranged while MacDowell was the conductor of the Mendelssohn Glee Club, an exclusive New York City choral society. An important aspect of this study was the preparation of editions of MacDowell's choral music updated to current publication standards. Piano reductions were prepared for the a cappella works, and changes were made in clefs and outdated instructions. These editions are included in an appendix, as well as copies of the original publications for comparison.

Subject Area

Music

Recommended Citation

Wilson, Gary Paul, "A conductor's analysis of Edward MacDowell's original choral music for mixed voices and women's voices, and arrangements for men's voices" (2004). ETD collection for University of Nebraska-Lincoln. AAI3131569.
https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/dissertations/AAI3131569

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