No abstract available. / Thesis (Ph.D.)-University of Natal, Durban, 1998.

In the mid 1990s, Swedish composer Fredrik Andersson composed not everything which happens is in the newspaper (1993), the lonelyness of Santa Claus (1994), and imagine there was nothing (1996). All three pieces share a number of compositional and stylistic elements while emphasizing the capabilities of their respective instrumentations to create mysterious sonic worlds that are unique in the percussion idiom. By examining specific concerns of each piece in detail, an understanding of Andersson’s presentation of musical challenges will result. Acceptable solutions to such challenges will be examined and compared, based primarily on the author’s analysis and experience encompassing multiple performances of each of the three works, along with supplementary information provided by various other sources. The results of this document will be significant within the larger percussion community in that they will serve to increase the visibility of the composer and increase exposure of works for percussion that are not only musically distinctive within the repertoire, but also contain a variety of exciting pedagogical, technical, and interpretive challenges that will contribute to the growth of any percussionist willing to engage them. It is hoped that such engagement will “de-mystify” Andersson’s music and inspire increased performance of his works.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of California, San Diego, 2010. / Title from 1st page of PDF file (viewed July 8, 2010). Available via ProQuest Digital Dissertations. Vita. Includes bibliographical references: Leaves 147-154.

Diss.--Turku, 1997. / Glossaire p. 266-277. Bibliogr. p. 219-230.

Till Millennial Kingdom is a single-movement composition, eleven minutes in length, combining a trumpet, three percussionists, and tape. Throughout this text, use of the word "tape" will refer to pre-recorded audio on compact disk. This is also a programmatic composition, in that it uses music to depict a non-musical event. The form and instrumentation of Till Millennial Kingdom create a musical depiction of natural and supernatural events as they relate to biblical prophecy. The trumpet makes a significant thematic contribution throughout the work and particularly during the end of the piece. The use of percussion grants an element of rhythmic agitation, and the tape part provides a musical canvas upon which all sonic elements of the work are arranged. The combination of percussion and electro-acoustic gestures represents the programmatic concept of wrath and tribulation. Ironically, the closing stages of this work musically represent the beginning of eternity.

This analysis of Schwantner's Concerto is focused primarily on the pitch organization within the work, using terminology and concepts borrowed from those designed by Allen Forte in The Structure of Atonal Music. Discussion of pitch sets, their use, their derivation, their intervallic content, and their evolution throughout the piece are discussed. Additional discussion regarding Schwantner's style, orchestration techniques, textural manipulation with regard to form, are also discussed. Sources consist of the orchestral score, the two - piano reduction, and the solo percussion score. This document is in six chapters. The first discusses Schwantner's life and general musical style. The second is a brief discussion of terms in the field of pitch set organization. The third, fourth, and fifth chapters discuss in detail the musical materials themselves in each respective movement. Finally, the sixth chapter is a summary of the findings from the analysis.

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In my years as a composer, I’ve had a great fascination with the concept of juxtaposition and superimposition of various moods and styles of music. Although I’d written many pieces before thesis, I had yet to examine the results of this polarization in music. Thus, the purpose of this present composition was to explore contrasting musical elements while combining them in a coherent, competent manner. To begin, I chose two differing instrumentations of which to amalgamate: strings and percussion. música dramática exploits the different timbres and colors of the instruments and presents them by a uniform method. Musical elements of the piece such as style, mood, harmony, melody, rhythm, tempo, register, and dynamics all work together in order to conform to a single composition no matter how jarring the differences may be. Altogether, the various elements of this single movement work for string orchestra and percussion were fused to create a well-balanced, well-proportioned piece of music. The results were spectacular: regardless of the extreme differences in the many factors of music, one coherent composition was formed. In música dramática, this single idea is brought to fruition. / text