Songs Through Statues: The Mask of Sorrow for Baritone, Accordion, Guitar, Piano & Wind Duo

Author

Alexander T. Schmidt

Date of Award

5-2025

Degree Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Music (MM)

Department

Music

First Advisor

Michael Schelle

Second Advisor

William Trachsel

Third Advisor

Trae Blanco

Abstract

The Mask of Sorrow is a twelve-minute song written by me, Alexander Schmidt, that utilizes a variety of techniques that I have learned over the course of my study in graduate school. The piece utilizes leitmotives in a unique and interesting way via the usage of set theory to represent the text in musical form, produce a constant development of material, and encourage a musical narrative to supplement the text. This analysis moves through the whole of the form and documents its usage of timbre, motive, harmonic set, and much more, to showcase the means of which all the techniques combine together to tell the story of "The Mask of Sorrow," a brutalist statue in Magadan, Russia.

Recommended Citation

Schmidt, Alexander T., "Songs Through Statues: The Mask of Sorrow for Baritone, Accordion, Guitar, Piano & Wind Duo" (2025). Graduate Thesis Collection. 561.
https://digitalcommons.butler.edu/grtheses/561