Marcus Alessi Bittencourt, DMA
musician
(composer, pianist, theorist, educator, conductor, sound engineer)
Associate Professor of Music Theory and Composition
State University of Maringá, Paraná, Brazil
Contact Information:
Universidade Estadual de Maringá,
Centro de Ciências Humanas Letras e Artes,
Departamento de Música
Av. Colombo, 5790 - Bloco 008, sala 2
cep 87020-900 - Maringá, PR - Brazil
work phone: +55(44) 3011-4092
website
CNPq Lattes CV
Degrees Earned:
Doctor of Musical Arts (music composition), with Distinction .
Columbia University in the City of New York, 2003.
Thesis :
Music: KA, Electroacoustic radio-opera on a story by Vielimir Khlebnikov, libretto by the composer.
Essay: "Doctor Frankenstein, I Presume ... or The Art of Vivisection". Studies on the internal mechanisms of Music Composition and Computer Music, reworking concepts taken from theoretical works about Cinema, Musique Concrète and Semiotics.
Sponsor: Dr. Joseph Dubiel.
Master of Arts (music composition).
Columbia University in the City of New York, 1998.
Thesis : Concerto for Piano and Orchestra.
Adviser: Dr. Fred Lerdahl.
Bachelor of Arts (music performance: piano).
Universidade de São Paulo, 1995.
Selected List of teachers:
At Columbia University: Tristan Murail (computer-assisted composition, orchestration, history and aesthetics of computer music), Bradford Garton and Thanassis Rikakis (computer music), Joseph Dubiel (composition, set-theory), Fred Lerdahl (composition, 20th century styles and techniques), Jonathan Kramer (composition), George Stauffer (organ).
At the Universidade de São Paulo: Willy Corrêa de Oliveira (composition, language and structure of music), José Eduardo Martins (piano), Mário Ficarelli (harmony, counterpoint), Aylton Escobar (orchestration), Lorenzo Mammi (Music History, Brazilian Music History), Marco Antônio da Silva Ramos (conducting).
Academic and Professional Honors:
Prizes :
- 2012 : FUNARTE Classical Composition Prize 2012, given by the Brazilian Ministry of Culture (Rio de Janeiro, Brasil).
- 2010 : FUNARTE Classical Composition Prize 2010, given by the Brazilian Ministry of Culture (Rio de Janeiro, Brasil).
- 2003: Doctoral Dissertation “with distinction” award, given to the most outstanding doctoral dissertations defended at the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, Columbia University, New York, USA.
- 1995 : Projeto Nascente V Award (First Prize) in the Music Category. This prize is given by the University of São Paulo and Editora Abril, every year in Brazil (São Paulo-SP ).
- 1994 : Second prize at the competition “X Concurso Nacional Ritmo e Som” of UNESP (Universidade Estadual Paulista, São Paulo-SP, Brazil).
Scholarships and Fellowships :
- 2000 : Residency at the Centro Studi Ligure (the Bogliasco Foundation) in Genoa, Italy, to work on an electroacoustic radio opera.
- 1996 : received a seven-year scholarship for graduate studies in music composition (Andrew W. Mellon Fellowship) at Columbia University, New York NY.
Teaching Positions Held:
- Associate Professor of Music Theory and Composition, State University of Maringá, Paraná, Brazil, 2006-present date;
Courses taught: (see details and syllabi)
- Tonal Harmony
- Harmony I and II
- Music Analysis of Tonal Common-Practice Repertoire
- Music Analysis of Repertoire from the 20th and 21st Centuries
- Music Analysis I and II
- Computer Music and Digital Audio Production
- Music Composition I, II and III
- Electroacoustic Composition
- History of Music III (twentieth century)
- Ethnomusicology
- Ear Training I and II
- Special Topics in Music Theory (master-degree graduate level course)
- Special Topics in Music Creation (master-degree graduate level course)
- Special Topics I: “Analytical Principles for the late 19th-century Extended Tonality” (master-degree graduate level course)
Administrative and university governance activities:
- Director of the Graduate Program in Music (Coordenador do Programa de Pós-Graduação em Música); one term: 11/2018 to 07/2019;
- Director of the Undergraduate Music Major Program (Coordenador do Conselho Acadêmico do Curso de Graduação em Música); three terms: 07/2012 to 06/2014; 07/2010 to 06/2012; and 05/2007 to 06/2008;
- Director (coordenador) of the Laboratory for Research and Audio Production - LAPPSO (2006 to present);
- Adjunct Director of the Undergraduate Theater Major Program (Coordenador Adjunto do Conselho Acadêmico do Curso de Graduação em Artes Cênicas) 11/2014 to present date;
- Councilman of the Council of Teaching, Research and University Extension (Conselho de Ensino, Pesquisa e Extensão - CEP); three terms: 07/2012 to 06/2014; 07/2010 to 06/2012; and 05/2007 to 06/2008;
- Director of operations (coordenador operacional) of the interinstitutional Master in Music joint temporary graduate program of the Federal University of the State of Rio de Janeiro (UNIRIO) and the State University of Maringá (2009-2011);
Other academic activities:
- Research;
- Undergraduate Research advising;
- Undergraduate Senior Thesis advising;
- University Extension activities;
- Assistant Professor of Music, College of William and Mary, Williamsburg VA, 2003-2006;
Courses taught: (see details and syllabi)
- Common-Practice Tonal Theory I, II, and III
- Contemporary Theories and Styles of the 20th and 21st centuries
- Introduction to Electroacoustic Music
- Introduction to Tonal Theory
- Topics in Music: Cinema for the Ear: A History and Aesthetics of Electroacoustic Music
- Adjunct Professor, Lehman College of the City University of New York, New York NY, Spring semester 2002 ;
Courses taught: (see details and syllabus)
- Advanced Electronic Music course (graduate level)
- Theory Teaching Assistant and Instructor, Columbia University, New York NY, 1998-2002;
Courses taught: (see details and syllabi)
- Diatonic Harmony/Counterpoint
- Introductory Ear Training
- Ear Training I
- Assistant Conductor of the Columbia University Orchestra, New York NY, 1997-1998 academic year ;
Other Professional Positions:
- Research Assistant, Computer Music Center of Columbia University, New York NY, 1998 to 2003 ;
- Colloquia Assistant, Columbia University, New York NY, 2002-2003 academic year;
- Co-Director of the Columbia Composers concert series, New York NY, 1999-2000;
Peer Reviewer Activities:
- 2013 to 2019: peer reviewer for the Revista Vórtex music journal, Curitiba-PR, Brazil, ISSN 2317–9937 (indexed at RILM - Répertoire International de Littérature Musicale). Reviewed music research papers for several volumes between 2013 and 2019.
- 2012 and 2016: peer reviewer for the OPUS journal – Revista da Associação Nacional de Pesquisa e Pós-Graduação em Música (ANPPOM) (Journal of the National Association for Research and Post-Graduate studies in Music), São Paulo-SP, Brazil, ISSN 0103-7412 and 1517-7017 (indexed at RILM - Répertoire International de Littérature Musicale). Reviewed music research papers for its volume 18/2. Nov/2012, and Dec/2016.
- 2007: member of the Fellowship Evaluating Committee. Research Fellowship Scheme 2007/08. Irish Research Council for the Humanities and Social Sciences (IRCHSS), Dublin, Ireland.
- Peer reviewer for music and audio research papers for the Congresses of AES Brasil (Audio Engineering Society Brazil) of 2016, 2015, 2014, 2013.
- Peer reviewer for music research papers for the Symposia of ABCM (Brazilian Association of Music Cognition and Musical Arts) of 2014, 2013, 2012.
- Peer reviewer for music research papers for the Congress of ANPPOM (National Association for Research and Post-Graduate studies in Music) of 2016, 2015, 2014, 2011.
Freelance Professional Activities:
- Composer, pianist, and conductor;
- Film composer and sound designer;
- Sound and Recording Engineer;
- Music Copyist (Finale software); Take a look at some of my finale page layouts.
Music Compositions:
Performances, Concerts and Recitals:
Discography:
microFOLIA (2019)
BITTENCOURT, M. A., & various artists; Núcleo Música Nova, Curitiba-PR, Brazil
Contraluz (2013)
SIQUEIRA, Marcus; SESC Label, Brazil.
- Track 20: Prigionieri di un sogno nelle carceri di piranesi.
composer: Marcus Siqueira;
design of the live electronics, PureData programming and sound projection: Marcus Bittencourt.
The Violin in the Metropolis (O Violino na Metrópole) (2012)
BITTENCOURT, M. A., & various artists; Água-Forte Label, Brazil
Simona Cavuoto, violinist.
People Doing Strange Things With Electricity Too. (2005)
BITTENCOURT, M. A., & various artists; Confort Stand Records (http://www.comfortstand.com), USA.
Electronic Music from several artists, curated by Dorkbot-Seattle, WA, USA.
Defiant (2004)
BITTENCOURT, M. A., BAILEY, Christopher, GOMES-EVELSON, Fernando, GEERS, Douglas, POLASHEK, Timothy;
Music by the Electric Music Collective, New York, NY, USA.
The Electric Music Collective UPC 6-00286-09222-7.
Incandescence (2003)
BITTENCOURT, M. A., BAILEY, Christopher, GOMES-EVELSON, Fernando, GEERS, Douglas, POLASHEK, Timothy;
Music by the Electric Music Collective, New York, NY, USA.
The Electric Music Collective UPC 6-25989-37512-5.
Go.Go.Go. (2000)
BITTENCOURT, M. A., & various artists;
Electroacoustic Music from the Computer Music Center of Columbia University.
Columbia University CMC, New York, NY, USA.
Research Projects and Grants:
Scholarly Writings and Publications:
Scholarly Lectures and Other Professional Presentations:
Teaching Interests and Qualifications:
Composition related topics :
- Music Composition; Electroacoustic Composition; Instrumentation, Orchestration and Arranging; Music Structure and Form; 20th Century Compositional Techniques; Principles of Acoustics Applied to Orchestration; Microtonality.
Music Theory and History topics :
- Fundamentals of Music Theory; Music Analysis; Harmony and Counterpoint (tonal and atonal, all levels); Set-Theory; Dodecaphonic Techniques; Costère Analysis; Western Classical Music History; Contemporary Music History; History and Theory of Concrete and Electroacoustic Music; Music Humanities; Music Appreciation; Survey of World/Ethnic Musics.
Computer Music topics :
- Recording Studio and Digital Audio Techniques; Computer Programming for Artists and Musicians (C, C++, Pure Data, RTcmix, SuperCollider); Electroacoustic Composition Techniques (basic concepts, structure and form, signal processing, spatialization, orchestration of sound objects); Computer Music tools and software (all major Mac, Linux and PC music software and hardware); Digital Signal Processing; Finale music publishing; MIDI applications; Algorithmic Composition; Interactivity between Music, Dance and Image; Human/Machine Interfaces; Live Electronics and Interactive Music Systems; Computer Assisted Composition; Acoustics.
Performance and Musicianship related topics :
- Piano lessons (basic to advanced level); Conducting; Ear-Training and Solfege; Contemporary Music Practice.
Language abilities:
- Fluent in English and Portuguese;
- good reading and speaking ability in French;
- reading ability in Spanish and Italian;