Assessing the viability of studying motion indicators of autism spectrum disorders in infants at high and low risk for ASD using a passive motion capture system

Gemstone Team AMIRA

Suppression of the Hepatitis C viral load by Phyllanthus niruri extracts

Gemstone Team ANTIDOTE

Alternate lower extremity resistance training to increase stability in young and elderly adults

Gemstone Team BALANCE

BLAZE: Bettering the lives of animals in zoo environments

Gemstone Team BLAZE

Facial and expression recognition for the blind using computer vision

Gemstone Team FACE

A location-based communication platform: integrating file sharing with interpersonal contact

Gemstone Team FLIP (File Lending in Proximity)

Improving cold chain technologies through the use of phase change material

Gemstone Team FRESH

Trash: a local solution to a global problem

Gemstone Team GREEN JUSTICE

An analysis of the efficacy of low-scale concentrated photovoltaics

Gemstone Team LEAF (Light Energy Acquisition of the Future)

The effect of collagen organization on tensile strength loss in anterior cruciate ligament grafts post-reconstruction surgery

Gemstone Team LEGS

The Performance Practice of Buddhist Baiqi in Contemporary Taiwan

The baiqi (Buddhist percussive instruments), also known as faqi (dharma instruments), are mentioned in the Chinese Buddhist scriptures under many different terms: jianzhi, jiandi, jianzhui, or jianchi. The original function of baiqi in earlier monastic life was to gather people or to call an assembly. With the completion of monasticism and monastic institutions, baiqi have become multifunctional in monasteries, and many baiqi instruments have been developed for different monastic applications. In contemporary Buddhist monasteries in Taiwan, baiqi are used, on the one hand, to mark the time throughout the day, signal the beginning and end of monastic daily activities, and regulate the monastic order; and on the other hand, baiqi are indispensable to the musical practices of all Buddhist rituals, where they are used to accompany fanbai (Buddhist liturgical chants) and to articulate the whole ritual process. This study investigates multiple facets of Buddhist baiqi in their performance practice, function, application, notation, and transmission, exploring the interaction between baiqi and fanbai, baiqi and the practitioner, baiqi and the monastic space, and baiqi and various Buddhist contexts. I draw upon ideas from performance theory as it concerns different disciplines, but I maintain a sharper focus on the musicological dimension of performance practice when analyzing, interpreting, and explaining the performance and music of baiqi in terms of the monastic lifestyle and its rituals. The study not only uncovers the musical system of baiqi, but also encapsulates various issues of performed identity, social interaction, performer/audience, associated behaviors, the musical construction of space, and transmission.

Exploring Musical Diversity in the Collaborative Repertoire from 1880 through 1963

It is essential in musical performance not only to convey the unique language of the composers but also to approach each composition from the perspective of its style. During the 20th century, diverse musical idioms co-existed, sometimes mixing or fusing, yet retaining recognizable characteristics and thereby remaining distinctive. This dissertation explores myriad examples from Late Romanticism/Post- Romanticism, Naturalism, Neo-Classicism, Nationalism and Impressionism composed during this unusually rich period. In order to explore a broad range of collaborative repertoire and to deepen my knowledge of the styles and performance practices relating to these pieces, I studied and performed the repertoire with pianist Eunae Baik–Kim, clarinetist Jihoon Chang, and singers Joshua Brown and Young Joo Lee. The first program featured Post-Romantic, Neo-Classic and Impressionist two-piano works composed by Debussy, Rachmaninoff, and Stravinsky. Each of the three composers used their own distinctive harmonies, rhythms, melodic inventions, pedaling and figurations. In all of the works, both piano parts were densely interwoven, having equal importance. Lied and operatic aria was the focus of the second recital. Brahms’ Vier Ernste Gesänge Op. 121, Ravel’s Don Quichotte a Dulcineé and Italian, French and German operatic arias were the examples of Post-Romanticism and Nationalism. The representative composers were Verdi, Massenet, Korngold, Leoncavallo, Ravel and Wagner. Despite the fact that all of the repertoire was written in traditional musical forms, the composers’ unique voices mark each work as belonging to a particular genre. The third recital focused on Post-Romantic and Impressionistic music written for clarinet and piano: the Première Rhapsodie by Debussy, the Sonata by Poulenc and Brahms’ Sonata in F minor Op. 120, No. 1. These works, although profoundly different in style, share elements of simplicity, clarity and elegance as well as technical virtuosity, articulation and profound musical depth. The three recitals which comprise this dissertation project were performed at the University of Maryland Gildenhorn Recital Hall on February 27, 2010, October 25, 2010, and January 31, 2011. The recitals were recorded on compact disc and are archived within the Digital Repository at the University of Maryland (DRUM).

RECITAL REPERTOIRE FOR TROMBONE AND PERCUSSION

The solo trombone recital was once a rare musical event, but in recent years professional and amateur trombonists frequently present solo performances. The trombone has been around since the latter half of the 15th century and there is a wealth of ensemble repertoire, written for the instrument; however, there is no corresponding corpus of solo works. A small body of solo works does exist, from baroque sonatas and the alto trombone concertos of Leopold Mozart and Georg Wagenseil, to the romantic works by Ferdinand David and Nicolai Rimsky-Korsakov. This repertoire is small in number and a modern trombonist often has to resort to orchestral reductions and arrangements for modern performance in a solo recital setting. The trombone came into its own as a solo instrument in the 20th century and it is in this era where the bulk of a modern trombonist's repertoire resides. While there is now no shortage of music to choose from, presenting a diverse, yet musically cohesive recital remains a challenge though many interesting musical opportunities can arise to meet this challenge. While the piano is an extremely versatile instrument, pairing trombone with percussion opens up possibilities that are absent from the more traditional piano pairing. Percussion instruments can offer an almost unlimited variation of timbre and dynamics to complement the trombone. Dynamic range of the trombone must be considered as the instrument has the ability to play at the extremes of the dynamic range. Percussion instruments can match the trombone in these extremes. When presenting a recital of 20th and 21st century music, using timbre and dynamic range as selection criteria when planning the program are effective ways to bring a unique and intense musical experience to the audience. In this paper, the two considerations of dynamics and timbre will be explored and the need for a dissertation recital project will be explained.

THE PERFORMER’S INFLUENCE ON FRANCO-BELGIAN COMPOSITIONS FROM 1870 TO 1930

The turn of the 20th century marked an ascendancy of the Franco-Belgian school of composers. French composers were inspired by the great German composers of the Romantic era, and they created their own defined national style that emerged toward the end of the 19th century. The Franco-Belgian composers’ special emphasis on tone, timbre and color encouraged a more individual, personally interpretative approach. These devices underscore the importance and influence a performer can have on the outcome of a piece. I researched the relationship between composers and violinists at a time when the Franco-Belgian style developed and flourished. The Franco-Belgian school of violin playing emerged from the Paris and Brussels conservatories as well as the symbiotic relationship between the performers and composers. Three recitals in collaboration with pianist David Ballena, which comprise this dissertation project, were performed at the University of Maryland. Each recital featured music for violin and piano from 1870 through 1930. The repertoire was chosen to reflect a performer’s influence on a composer. I examined specific composer/performer relationships that helped shape the birth of a newly defined “French” style of playing. My research focused on the stylistic interactions composers, such as César Franck, his disciple Guillaume Lekeu had with the leading prominent Belgian violinist Eugène Ysaye and between Maurice Ravel and the Hungarian violinist Jelly d’Aranyi. I also looked into the personal relationship between friends who inspired each other: Gabriel Fauré and Paul Viardot, Edouard Lalo and Pablo de Sarasate, Claude Debussy and Arthur Hartmann, and the young Lili Boulanger and Yvonne Astruc. Furthermore, I looked into the unfulfilled love between Maurice Ravel and Hélène Jourdan-Morhange, as well as the marriage of Olivier Messiaen with Claire Delbos, both relationships resulting in masterpieces for violin that have remained a part of the standard violin repertoire. My research led me to understand what type of violin playing each composer had in mind while composing, all of which led me to understand the importance a performer has in preserving national styles. The recitals were recorded on compact discs and archived within the Digital Repository at the University of Maryland (DRUM).

BOULANGER, SATIE, AND DEBUSSY: THEIR SPHERES OF INFLUENCE ON FRENCH MELODIE AND AMERICAN ART SONG

This dissertation project explored the spheres of influence on art song by Nadia Boulanger, Erik Satie, and Claude Debussy within Boulangeries, Les Six, and Les Apaches. After World War I, American composers flocked to Paris to study with Boulanger. Boulanger gave her students the confidence to explore their native talents instead of mimicking foreign models. Works by Aaron Copland, Virgil Thomson, Theodore Chanler, John Duke, and Richard Hundley were included in the first dissertation recital on January 31, 2010: The Legacy of Nadia Boulanger: Her Influence on American Song Composers. Satie established a new modern French musical style, and was a catalyst for the formation of Les Six. Ned Rorem came to Paris, and had a close association with Les Six. Works by Satie, and three members of Les Six, Francis Poulenc, Arthur Honegger, Darius Milhaud; and Rorem were featured in the second recital on September 1, 2010: Satie, Selected Members of Les Six, and Rorem in Paris. Debussy was one of the most significant French composers in the late nineteenth century, predating Boulanger and Satie. Young composers exploring new directions were inspired by Debussy, forming the group Les Apaches. The final recital, April 7, 2011, featured works by Debussy and two members of Les Apaches, Maurice Ravel and Manuel de Falla: Debussy: A Catalyst for Les Apaches, Ravel and Falla. Falla‘s less well-known repertoire was presented. This dissertation showed the influence of these three major figures and that they embraced innovation in their own time, along with their followers. Recordings of these three performances may be obtained from the Michelle Smith Performing Arts Library in Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center at the University of Maryland, College Park.