Compared to the solo percussion works, little academic work has been done in the research and analysis of percussion ensemble compositions. David Lang, a Pulitzer Prize winning composer, has written many prominent works for percussion in both the solo and chamber setting. His work, The So-Called Laws of Nature for percussion quartet, written in 2001, has quickly become standard repertoire. Lang composed the piece with many overlapping processes, patterns that are affected in a pre-defined manner, in line with his totalist style. Using traditional analytical methods would not accurately represent the complexity the work has to offer to the performer. This paper will attempt to find musical significance by breaking down the individual processes.The conclusions from this research are mostly open-ended and, to some extent, subjective. The most effective performers will take the objective analytical information and use it to create an informed, well-intentioned, subjective experience. In this study of The So-Called Laws of Nature the analysis attempts to connect the objective--the data--and the subjective--the analysis of that data--to work together to aid the performer to create the best possible musical and ultimately artistic interpretation.

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This thesis examines an approach to directing Mac Wellman and David Lang’s opera, The Difficulty of Crossing a Field; in addition, the paper reflects on my artistic development as a Master of Fine Arts in Directing student in the Department of Theatre and Dance at the University of Texas at Austin. As a director I seek a balance between form and content. Similar to Installation Art, I consider the relationship between space/architecture (the stage/theatre) and sculpture, i.e., anything that can be used to create shape: performers, props, scenery, wardrobe, makeup, light, sound, music, language, etc. As a deviser, not a dictator, the success of my work depends greatly on interdisciplinary collaboration and strategies that promote understanding and appreciation among both artists and audiences. My aim is to create structures for formal elements that when arranged uniquely and sophisticatedly have the ability to provoke emotion, thought, and memory in vivid and compelling ways. This paper explores selected stages of directing The Difficulty of Crossing a Field, the strategies that I employed, and concludes with an artistic statement. / text