Julie, & Aaron Copland\u27s Development of The Opening Idea Through Quartal Harmonies, Pitch Space, and Register in the first movement of his Third Symphony

ABSTRACT The first part of this dissertation is an original opera, Julie, composed on a libretto by Julia Carey. The opera consists of a prologue, 4 acts, and an epilogue, with an instrumentation of (2-2-2-2, 4-3-3-1, timpani, 3 percussion, harp and strings). The style is pluralistic and is determined at any moment by the demands of the text. The Prologue is an instrumental section of about 4’30” and introduces the primary themes employed in the opera. The music employs a simple leitmotiv system, associating certain themes and instruments to particular characters and emotional states. Additionally, though themes are recycled and developed throughout, the opera is through composed, and though there exist clear cadences at the end of each act, the music continues attacca, without stopping between acts. The second part of the dissertation is an analysis of the first movement of Copland’s Third Symphony and studies the relationship of the entire movement to the pitch space, perfect fourths and perfect fifths, and registral juxtapositions of the opening material of the movement. Chapter one introduces and clarifies various terms and how I will employ them in the document, as well as identifies and discusses other theorists who have written relevant studies of Copland’s music. Chapter two offers historical context of the music, composers and social conditions preceding and precipitating Copland’s creation of the Third Symphony. Chapter three is an analysis of the 1st movement of the symphony. The opening material (about 9 measures) is analyzed for quartal content, width of pitch spaces, and juxtaposition of registers and timbres. The remaining analysis refers back to these opening musical statements, identifying ways in which Copland has fragmented, condensed, expanded, and recycled material to build the entire movement

For orchestra

“For Orchestra” is a four movement symphonic reflection on an unfinished life that ultimately finds redemption and a new beginning. Conflict and questioning are depicted through combinations of tonally ambiguous techniques. Debussian chord planing is combined with elements of twelve-tone technique; symmetrical scales offer hints of the familiar without sounding clear tone centers; rhythmic elements fight each other, resolve, and fight again, leaving questions still unanswered. There are moments of joy and triumph heard through tonal progressions, and a scherzo that is later darkened, first through an augmentation, and then a tritone harmonization. The third movement represents a slow spiral downward with a gradual chromatic oscillation that occasionally resolves, only to spiral down again, and then to be interrupted by a variation of the original theme of the Andante. This theme leads to a more triumphant section that echoes, in both tonality and mood, the similar music of the first movement. The Adagio seems to be heading for a resolute cadence, but instead finishes on a chord of stacked fourths that includes eight notes of the chromatic scale. The final movement begins with a carefree piccolo solo whose mood conflicts with the oscillating woodwinds that enter on measure eight. This ambiguous tone is occasionally interrupted by sharp jabs that foreshadow the ultimate conflict that begins about 2 minutes into the movement. This “final battle” seems to end in defeat; the near silence of the orchestra signals the end, an elegy begins in the contrabass, but it spreads through the strings, and then the rest of the orchestra, resurrecting the original triumphant theme of the first movement. Although the piece is not composed to fit into a particular form, there are hints of an overall sonata form in the recapitulation in movement four of a section from movement one; additionally, many cyclic elements hint at parts of movement two and three as a development. The organizing principle of the work is clearly programmatic, but the title of the piece and movements are generic, leaving the listener to form his or her own opinions

Mentale Toughness als Moderator des Zusammenhangs zwischen Verletzungen und dem psychischen Wohlbefinden: Ergebnisse von zwei Studien mit jugendlichen Leistungssportler:innen

Hintergrund: Mentale Toughness kann bei der Bewältigung von stressigen Anforderungen einen psychologischen Vorteil darstellen. Der Forschungsstand zeigt, dass Nachwuchs- Athleten bei einer neuauftretenden Verletzung besonders exponiert sind, ein hohes Stressempfinden sowie Depressionssymptome zu entwickeln. Angesichts dieser Tatsache besteht das Hauptanliegen dieses Projekts einerseits darin, den Zusammenhang zwischen Mentaler Toughness, Stress und Depression zu untersuchen und andererseits einen möglichen Moderationseffekt von Mentaler Toughness aufzuspüren. Zudem wurden Gruppenvergleiche zwischen Verletzten und nicht Verletzten sowie zwischen Einzelsport-Athleten und Teamsport- Athleten hergestellt. Methoden: Die Grundlage des vorliegenden Projekts bildeten zwei quantitative Studien (Y1 und Y2) mit einem prospektiven Studiendesign. Teilnehmer der Studien waren Jugendliche, welche die Swiss Olympic Sportklassen der Nordwestschweiz besuchten (Y1: N = 257, M = 16.82 Jahre, SD = 1.44, 37% Frauen; Y2: N = 308, M = 16.94 Jahre, SD = 1.43, 44% Frauen). Anhand von Fragebögen wurde der Verletzungsstatus, Mentale Toughness (MTQ18), Depression (PHQ) und der wahrgenommene Stress (PSS) ermittelt. Mittels Korrelationsanalysen wurden bivariate Beziehungen geprüft. Varianzanalysen ermöglichten einen Vergleich der Gruppen und hierarchische Regressionsanalysen dienten der Überprüfung des Moderationseffekts. Ergebnisse: Mentale Toughness korrelierte negativ mit Stress und Depression. In Y1 unterschieden sich verletzte Athleten signifikant von nicht Verletzten in Bezug auf Stress und Depression. Für Einzelsport-Athleten und Teamsport-Athleten konnten keine signifikanten Unterschiede gefunden werden. Es gab kaum Befunde, dass Mentale Toughness die negativen Folgen einer Verletzung in Bezug auf Stress und Depression abfedern kann. Schlussfolgerungen: Die Ergebnisse zeigen, dass für einen effizienten Genesungsprozess, verschiedene psychologische Aspekte berücksichtigt werden sollten, um einerseits Stressoren zu dämpfen und andererseits die Entstehung von psychischen Störungen zu verhindern