Thesis (D.M.A.)--University of North Texas, 2004. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 36-37). Also available on the Internet.

Thesis (D.M.A.)--University of North Texas, 2004. / Accompanied by 4 recitals, recorded Oct. 13, 1997, Jan. 6, 1998, Nov. 26, 2001, and June 28, 2004. Includes bibliographical references (p. 36-37).

It is the goal of this document to bring to the attention of the public the compositions of Brian Israel, an American Jewish composer who died of leukemia in 1986 at the age of 35. This document contains a biography of the composer, information on where to obtain the scores, texts to the poems of Kenneth Patchen, as well as a study of three, selected clarinet works, which trace his compositional development. The Sonata for Clarinet and Piano, a neo-classical work, is representative of his early style, using classical forms with non-traditional harmonies. It is comprised of three movements, Allegro assai, Andante, and Vivace. The chamber work Lovesongs, Lions, and Lullabyes, for soprano, clarinet, and piano, is a progressive work that experiments with text painting, chord splitting, mode mixture, and an increasing harmonic language, and is inspired by the poetry of Kenneth Patchen, a World War II poet. There are four movements to this work: "O, sleeping falls the maiden snow," "O when I take my love out walking," "The lions of fire," and "I have lighted the candles Mary." The Concerto for Clarinet and Wind Ensemble is a textless, programmatic work that uses chromatic fragments and displaced octaves to represent the timeline known as the Final Solution. This work contains three movements that have been titled, Crystal Night, Coronach, and Liberation, that further direct the program. Each work is described in structure, harmonic texture, harmonic language, and interpretation.