Thesis submission ID 940 | created
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Kevin Boushel, The Choral Music of Knut Nystedt and its Influence on Late-Twentieth- and Early-Twenty-First-Century Composers in the United States
Volumes, pp.: 1 (67pp.) Wordcount: 15477
Supervisor(s): Dr Barbara Dignam
General specialism: Musicology: Analysis
Historical timeframe: 2019-2021
Key terms, concepts: Choral Studies; Neo-tonal music; Contemporary Music
Key terms, persons: Knut Nystedt; Eric Whitacre; Morten Lauridsen; René Clausen.
Key terms, places: Norway; United States.
Key terms, genres, instruments: A Cappella; Choral Music; New Transcendentalism.
Abstract:
The choral music of the prolific composer Knut Nystedt (1915–2014) occupies an important place in the history of twentieth-century choral music. Nystedt composed over three hundred choral works, many of which were written for choirs and publishers in the United States. The level to which Nystedt’s compositional style has influenced American choral composers has not previously been examined in scholarly literature. The purpose of this study is to assert Nystedt’s place in the development of choral composition in the United States, illuminating his role as a mediator of modernism and ancient sources through his compositions. This thesis situates Nystedt and his contributions to choral music within the historical context of American choral music. Unique approaches to melody, harmony, and texture are identified in selected choral works by Nystedt through critical analysis. These elements of Nystedt’s idiosyncratic style are subsequently identified in the works of three later American composers: Eric Whitacre (b. 1970); Morten Lauridsen (b. 1943); and René Clausen (b. 1953). By revealing Nystedt’s influence on these prominent contemporary composers, this thesis seeks to reinforce the importance of Nystedt’s compositional innovations in modern choral history.
Kevin Boushel, The Choral Music of Knut Nystedt and its Influence on Late-Twentieth- and Early-Twenty-First-Century Composers in the United States
MA, Dublin City University, 2021
Volumes, pp.: 1 (67pp.) Wordcount: 15477
Supervisor(s): Dr Barbara Dignam
General specialism: Musicology: Analysis
Historical timeframe: 2019-2021
Key terms, concepts: Choral Studies; Neo-tonal music; Contemporary Music
Key terms, persons: Knut Nystedt; Eric Whitacre; Morten Lauridsen; René Clausen.
Key terms, places: Norway; United States.
Key terms, genres, instruments: A Cappella; Choral Music; New Transcendentalism.
Abstract:
The choral music of the prolific composer Knut Nystedt (1915–2014) occupies an important place in the history of twentieth-century choral music. Nystedt composed over three hundred choral works, many of which were written for choirs and publishers in the United States. The level to which Nystedt’s compositional style has influenced American choral composers has not previously been examined in scholarly literature. The purpose of this study is to assert Nystedt’s place in the development of choral composition in the United States, illuminating his role as a mediator of modernism and ancient sources through his compositions. This thesis situates Nystedt and his contributions to choral music within the historical context of American choral music. Unique approaches to melody, harmony, and texture are identified in selected choral works by Nystedt through critical analysis. These elements of Nystedt’s idiosyncratic style are subsequently identified in the works of three later American composers: Eric Whitacre (b. 1970); Morten Lauridsen (b. 1943); and René Clausen (b. 1953). By revealing Nystedt’s influence on these prominent contemporary composers, this thesis seeks to reinforce the importance of Nystedt’s compositional innovations in modern choral history.
Thesis submission ID 940