Composition, Music Theory and Musicology Electronic Theses and Dissertations (UMKC)
https://hdl.handle.net/10355/9907
The items in this collection are the scholarly output of UMKC graduate students.
2024-03-29T06:27:44Z
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364 Days: Suite for Jazz Orchestra
https://hdl.handle.net/10355/49536
364 Days: Suite for Jazz Orchestra
Chapman, Jonathan Eric
364 Days: Suite for Jazz Orchestra was composed for a standard seventeen-piece (5/4/4/4) jazz orchestra. The suite is comprised of five pieces- And I Think of You; Goodnight; What Ifs; 364 Days; The Dreamer and The Realist - and were recorded for the album J.E. Chapman, 364 Days: music for large ensembles. Each movement of the suite is intended to work as a part of the larger work or out of context as an individual performance piece. The sections of the suite are connected through an "affiliated motif". Each piece is tied together through intervallic commonalities, common melodic contour, and "spirit" but are unique enough in their own individuality to posses their own personality. While the intent is for the suite to be performed as a complete work I took great effort in creating five works that could be performed separately and yet still sound complete; each piece has its own unique formal structure and distinctive rhythmic and style elements that allow them to succeed as part of a set or as an isolated work. These compositions blend modern jazz harmonies and non-traditional formal structures; staying connected to and extending the tradition of jazz composition.
Title from PDF of title page, viewed on July 15, 2016; Dissertation advisor: Reynold Simpson; Vita; Thesis (D.M.A.)--Conservatory of Music and Dance, University of Missouri--Kansas City, 2016
2014-01-01T00:00:00Z
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A Faint Light
https://hdl.handle.net/10355/93863
A Faint Light
Shi, Lan
My orchestra piece, A Faint Light, has an introduction, five sections (Entering the mountain, The battle of ghosts I, Asking the God of the mountain, The battle of ghosts II, and The answer to the heart), and a coda. It consists of two main musical materials: a dance-like motive with irregular accents, and a pentatonic thematic melody. The two materials have been developed throughout the piece. The motive was derived from a sacrifice dance from Yunnan, a province located in southwest China. The thematic melody was inspired by a Chinese fairy tale about a recluse named Han Guang. In Chinese, Han Guang also means a faint light, which became the title of this work. I was impressed by the faith of the recluse in the story. He persisted in the path he chose even though he knew that the faith he pursued would never come true. I used pointillistic writing techniques in juxtaposed multi-layers and imitated the performing skills of Chinese plucking instruments in the strings. To highlight the images of each section, I used different percussion instruments respectively. For example, in the second and the fourth sections to describe the fighting scene, I used a snare drum, tom-toms, and bass drum. In the third section, I used sistrum and woodblocks to express the atmosphere of Zen. While the imagination of the fairy tale scene was portrayed in the introduction and the coda, the seed of the thematic melodic material was planted in the first section. The complete melody was initiated in the third section with strings. The further development of the melodic material brought in thicker and richer textures in the fifth section with intensive counterparts, until the climax was reached in orchestra tutti before the peaceful coda brought in, recalling the atmosphere of Zen depicted at the beginning of the piece.
Title from PDF of title page, viewed February 9, 2003; Dissertation advisor: Zhou Long; Vita; Dissertation (D.M.A.)--UMKC Conservatory. University of Missouri--Kansas City, 2022
2022-01-01T00:00:00Z
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A New Space (new) for Mixed Jazz Chamber Ensemble
https://hdl.handle.net/10355/73743
A New Space (new) for Mixed Jazz Chamber Ensemble
Witter, David James
A New Space (new) is scored for a mix of chamber orchestral instruments and jazz instruments, and unfolds in three movements. They progress from a celebration of intentionality and traditional composition in the first, to an exploration of a rigorous improvisation through conducted gestures in the second. The final movement is the proposition of mixing the elements of the first and second movements together in some new predetermined/organic hybrid. As referenced in the score, this piece is also an homage to many of the people on whose shoulders I try to stand, such as Earl Brown and his open form orchestral innovations, Butch Morris with his ©Conduction improvisation techniques, and Walter Thompson and his ©Soundpainting method. The inspiration for the scoring and directions for rehearsing and conducting improvisation in this work owe their synthesis to these and many other important figures in my life. It’s my hope that this piece projects an imperative for gratitude, for all the things in life we may have or are striving for, or just for the people we love.
Title from PDF of title page viewed May 29, 2020; Dissertation advisor: Paul Rudy; Vita; Includes bibliographical references (page 37); Thesis (D.M.A.)--UMKC Conservatory. University of Missouri--Kansas City, 2020
2020-01-01T00:00:00Z
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an Aid in the Process
https://hdl.handle.net/10355/49413
an Aid in the Process
Winter, Zane
an Aid in the Process is a work featuring an unusual orchestral configuration, making use
of two distinct groups, each with their own conductor. Programmatically, the work addresses aid
in-dying legislation and contemporary political rhetoric. The work particularly deals with the
legal and personal battles of Brittany Maynard, a 29-year-old California woman whose plea for
aid-in-dying legislation sparked a tense legal battle which, by its’ end, had involved lobbies from
the Roman Catholic Church, which staunchly opposed the law, and Compassion and Choices, a
prominent aid-indying advocacy group. The orchestral configuration mirrors this; although an
Aid in the Process does not attempt to portray any exact timeline of Maynard’s dying process, the
larger, brass-heavy orchestra serves to represent the forces opposing her choice, while the smaller
orchestra, comprised primarily of woodwinds and solo strings, serves as a vehicle for portraying
Maynard and her family’s final months together. This configuration serves as an allegory for the
diametrically opposed voices so often heard in contemporary politics. an Aid in the Process was
composed for Dennis Friesen-Carper and the Valparaiso Symphony Orchestra.
Title from PDF of title page, viewed on June 21, 2016; Thesis (M.M.)--Conservatory of Music and Dance, University of Missouri--Kansas City, 2016; Thesis advisor: Paul Rudy; Vita
2016-01-01T00:00:00Z