This dissertation consists of two parts. Part One is a written text which defines compositional processes and provides an analysis of the musical material incorporated in weight, my composition for orchestra. Part Two of the dissertation comprises the musical score for weight. / weight is a nineteen-minute composition for symphonic orchestra [2222, 4231, piano, percussion (2 players), timpani, strings (16,14,10,10,8)] which attempts to exploit the various allusions conjured up by the title. The term "weight" implies lightness or heaviness which can be applied to various musical elements (e.g., where a chord is "heavier" than the previous, a rhythm is becoming "lighter," etc.). weight is an attempt to remove the subjectivity surrounding the use of this type of terminology by measuring and developing certain musical elements in a logical and elegant manner. / Following an introductory chapter, the written text focuses on three main components. Chapter Two deals with the harmonic component of weight, first, describing how the harmonic language for the composition has been constructed, followed by a detailed explanation of how the harmonies are given numerical "weights," and subsequently how they are manipulated in the composition. Chapter Three defines and numerically calculates subsidiary elements such as rhythm, orchestration, and a formal element identified as temporal splicing. Chapter Four reveals the overall form of weight , and illustrates through a series of sectional analyses how each subsidiary element interacts with one another in each formal region. The fifth chapter concludes the written text, summarizing the paper and considers future uses of the compositional and analytical methods introduced in this paper.

Desert Places is a composition for large orchestra with a duration of approximately 12 minutes. Inspired by the Robert Frost poem "Desert Places", the work is primarily concerned with "covering up" one type of musical material with another. Specifically, the work contains a large-scale "cross-fading" of two types of motivic material, and two types of harmonic material. While the processes at work remain clearly defined, the musical materials move smoothly and gradually through the piece, exchanging foreground and background positions, and blurring the divisions of sections.

De azufre y sal--which can be translated as "From sulphur and salt"--is a composition for orchestra with an approximate duration of 12' 30". This piece is mainly concerned with nuances of instrumental colour, registral space and tuning. The idea of exploring and working with these parameters was inspired by the work of Theophrastus Paracelsus (1493-1541) and by other texts about alchemy from different periods. The idea of conducting slow empirical work in laboratories in attempts to find the formula to create gold and the Philosopheris Stone suggested to me certain ideas about this piece, for example, the notion that the piece should always turn back on itself in order to proceed in a certain direction, while simultaneously accumulating the desirable features of each stage. The title is purely symbolic and should in no way be read as programmatic.

No description available.

Now and Forever is a thesis in two parts: a twelve-minute piece for orchestra and a text providing an analysis of the piece. The orchestra consists of two flutes (flute 2 doubling piccolo), two oboes, two clarinets in B-flat, two bassoons, four horns in F, two trumpets in C, two tenor trombones, one bass trombone, two percussion and strings. The work features the use of an original text as the underlying program, the use of golden section proportions as a principal organisational device, a rising semitone motive as the foundation for melodic, harmonic and registral development, and the intermittent appearance of micropolyphonic textures. In some passages, the harmonic series is the basis of pitch field development, notably in section VI, which consists of an orchestral evocation of the sounds of an aeolian harp.

Thesis (D.M.A.)--Conservatory of Music. University of Missouri--Kansas City, 2005. / "A disseration in music composition." Advisor: James Mobberley. Typescript. Vita. Title from "catalog record" of the print edition Description based on contents viewed Nov. 12, 2007. Online version of the print edition.

Thesis (D.M.A.)--Conservatory of Music. University of Missouri--Kansas City, 2007. / "A dissertation in music composition." Typescript. Advisor: Chen Yi. Vita. Description based on contents viewed Nov. 20, 2007; title from "catalog record" of the print edition. Online version of the print edition.

D.M.A. final project--Department of Music, Stanford University, May 2003. / For orchestra and tape. Includes performance instructions (p. 2-4).

Thesis (M.M.)--Ohio University, November, 2008. / Title from PDF t.p. Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (M.M.)--Bowling Green State University, 2008. / Document formatted into pages; contains 1 score (15 p.) Includes bibliographical references.