Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 License.
ORCID
https://orcid.org/0009-0007-5831-2081
Date of Graduation
5-9-2024
Document Type
Dissertation
Degree Name
Doctor of Musical Arts (DMA)
Department
School of Music
Advisor(s)
Jo-Anne van der Vat-Chromy
W. Bryce Hayes
John Peterson
Jamison Walker
Abstract
Aspiring and dedicated choral directors strive to program music that is not only valuable to the growth of their ensembles’ skills in music literacy and choral performance but also institutes opportunities for memorable and meaningful performing experiences. Research in choral pedagogy conducted within the past two decades suggests that choral music is considered pedagogically appropriate, regardless of the musical aptitude of the performers involved, when it showcases elements that are often summarized in three separate yet equally essential qualities: the simultaneous development of multiple technical aspects of singing and a sense of intonation, including the development of sight-singing skills, the ability to consolidate and contextualize the use of aural skills during music performance, as well as the use of a poetic text which evokes the ability to generate and project vivid imagery. Additionally, research has shown that the teaching of music literacy and strengthening of multiple aspects of aural skills is highly effective when associated with a harmonic context.
As such, the purpose of this document is to present and explore the choral output of Norwegian composer Ola Gjeilo (b. 1978) and examine its core stylistic, aesthetic features, and compositional devices through the lens of serving as pedagogical tools for the development of skills essential to a profound understanding, appreciation, and performance of choral music. To that end, examined are several textural and harmonic elements that derive from the composer’s sources of inspiration, experiences, and artistic values, including the employment of texts in Latin, the use of diatonic modality, harmonic patterns that allude to symphonic sonorities, and the use of enharmonic modulations. Examples of the devices listed above are considered and evaluated according to their pedagogical appropriateness for developing music literacy, transferable sight-singing, aural skills, harmonic audiation, and musical expressivity through the comprehension of a work’s multiple layers of musical meaning and inner artistry.
Drawing from the choral music of Ola Gjeilo, the research culminates in offering suggestions for creating pedagogical activities and initiating meaningful discussions that reinforce the development of transferable activities serving similar pedagogical purposes. The document concludes with appendices containing a transcript of the author’s interview with the composer, additional analyses of included works, a summary the compositional devices and stylistic features in Gjeilo’s choral music as presented in this research, materials prepared in conjunction with the teaching activities outlined in Chapter 5.
Recommended Citation
Myrogiannis-Koukos, Nikolaos, "Pedagogical tools and techniques for the development of harmonic audiation, ensemble intonation, and textual imagery through the choral music of Ola Gjeilo" (2024). Dissertations, 2020-current. 153.
https://commons.lib.jmu.edu/diss202029/153
