This thesis is an electro-acoustic composition done using the techniques of music concrète. Along with the music is a paper that details the historical context of the piece, specific techniques and procedures used by the composer, and a general overview of the compositional form. “Shattered Dreams” is a 12’30” stereo journey through a soundscape where the sounds of cinderblocks and shattered glass abound. All of the original source material for the music was recorded by the composer using a pair of Neumann km184 microphones. These source sounds were then manipulated using Sound Forge 6.0 and Cubase 4. The processes of manipulation were chosen with regard to the original music concrète techniques laid out by Pierre Schaeffer and Pierre Henry at the Club d’Essai studio at Radiodiffusion-Télévision Française in Paris, France. / School of Music

Prägnanz is a single movement composition for orchestra. This composition reflects the influence of minimalist composers such as Phillip Glass and Steve Reich. The structure of the piece is generated by a rhythmic motive that is transformed through a large-scale additive process. This overarching process is periodically interrupted by contrasting episodes, creating a form similar to a rondo. Several themes and gestures are explored, including a phasing rhythmic motive. The harmonic language is static, almost monolithic, in order to accentuate the gradual motion of the piece towards its goal. The title comes from Gestalt psychology; the Law of Prägnanz describes how the mind perceives simplicity within the complexity of reality. This tendency is mirrored in the piece through the focus on the central motivic transformation in spite of the complexity of contrasting themes, orchestrations, and gestures.