Amidah - תפילת העמידה – for soprano voice, clarinet, cello, and piano – is a liturgical work in three movements that uses common Jewish prayers as its text. These three movements focus on specific prayers that can be found in the Amidah, the central portion of a Jewish prayer service. This work uses prayers that can be performed on a Friday evening Shabbat service. The first movement focuses on accompanimental music to the Silent Amidah, a silent prayer. The prelude uses the traditional Jewish melody of the opening prayer of the Amidah, Adonai S’fatai Tiftach (אדני שפתי תפתח), leading directly into the first movement. This movement, while harkening to some Jewish melodies, takes ideas from classical Western harmony. While conveying both a sense of calmness and unease, the movement allows for the listener to silently reflect and meditate while absorbing the music. The second movement, Oseh Shalom (עושה שלום), takes its root in Freylach music, a traditional, fast-paced, upbeat style of Klezmer music. While keeping traditional elements, it also uses contemporary harmony and extensive ornamentation in a joyous, energetic fashion. The third movement, Mi Shebeirach (מי שברך), combines flowing lines, ornamental ancient Hebrew trope cantillation, liturgical elements, Middle-Eastern aspects, and spectral harmonies to create a slow, lamenting prayer for healing, a prayer that cries out in pain and suffering, begging for a restoration of mind, body, and soul. The movement closes in mournful sadness comforted by the presence of the Divine.

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Aaron Copland¡¦s Clarinet Concerto was written for jazz clarinetist Benny Goodman in 1948. The composition used not only the jazz style of 20s that he had been appreciated, but also the frequent used compositional techniques -- developing and expanding the plain materials that presented into various ways. Moreover, besides the treatment of jazz rhythms, the combination of elements of Brazilian folk song and American popular music were also applied to the Clarinet Concerto. Although ¡§concerto¡¨ has never been the center of Copland¡¦s works, the Clarinet Concerto has taken an outstanding place in the 20th century clarinet repertoire. This is explained by the arrangement of instrumentation, the originality of structure and the techniques of using plain materials. It combines the characteristics of uncomplicated melodies and meanwhile demands challenging performance techniques. This research includes three chapters. The first chapter introduces Copland¡¦s musical career, shifts of style and the illustration of the Clarinet Concerto¡¦s background. The second chapter brings in the discussion of the concerto from three aspects -- structure, musical elements and performance practice. The final chapter deals with the distinctiveness of the Clarinet Concerto.

Thesis (Ph. D.--Music)--University of California, San Diego, 2000. / Vita. Music for clarinet (alto clarinet), 2 violins, viola, violoncello, prepared piano, percussion, and tape.

"Rasgueado” is an expansion of a chorale from an earlier work I composed for brass quintet. It is based on a seven measure progression that appears in many several different variations throughout the work. Traditionally, this form is known as a passacaglia, which has origins in Spain and Italy. In Spain, the pasacalle, is a rasgueado, or strummed interlude between dances or the verses of a song. I choose to name this piece “Rasgueado” since parts of the piece are loosely based on the idea of the passacaglia and since the piece opens and closes with the strumming of the cello. / text

Sonata in D major, op. 94 / Sergei Prokofiev -- Three songs / Sergei Rachmaninoff -- Sonata for violin and piano, op. 134 / Dmitri Shostakovich. / text

Airs chantes / Francis Poulenc, arr. El-Farrah -- Sonata for violin and piano / Francis Poulenc -- Three Dickinson songs / Andre Previn -- Concerto for clarinet and orchestra / Jean Francaix / text

Sonate for trumpet and piano / Paul Hindemith -- Stucke im Volkston, op.102 for cello and piano / Robert Schumann -- Hungarian dances for piano, four hands / Johannes Brahms -- Grand duo concertant, op.48 for clarinet and piano / Carl maria Von Weber / text

Duo concertante pour clarinette et piano / Darius Milhaud -- Suite paysanne hongroise for flute and piano / Bela Bartok -- Danse espagnole / Fritz Kreisler -- Jurame / Maria Grever -- Sonata for violin and piano in A minor, op.23 / Ludwig van Beethoven -- Marche miniature viennoise ; Schon Rosmarin / Fritz Kreisler -- Dein ist mein ganzes Herz / Franz Lehar / text

Dereglement passager de corps heterogenes is a work for flute (doubling piccolo and alto flute), clarinet (doubling bass clarinet), horn, piano, violin, cello and contrabass which explores the concept of "virus" within a musical form similar to the theme and variations. During its elaboration, I imagined what could metaphorically be the effects of different virus on what I define as "musical organisms". This idea suggested a number of variations that could serve as laboratories to experiment different levels of interaction between the virus and the musical organisms. This thesis consists of the musical score and a detailed analysis.