"Symphonic Overture" is constructed like a symphony in miniature with the traditional sonata-allegro form used as a vehicle to expose the three contrasting actions, and to combine them into one concise movement.

"Gethsemane to Calvary" is a sacred cantata for mixed voices and keyboard accompaniment. It is divided into six sections which are called parts. With the exception of part one which is a potpourri overture, the parts are divided into a variety of choral forms.

This thesis consists of the first movement and discussion of Symphony Number I, an original composition by Gerald Ray Haney.

The purpose of this composition is to demonstrate the creative stimuli offered a composer by The Schillinger System of Musical Composition. To illustrate this creative stimuli offered a composer, the writer has composed an extremely diverse, yet homogenous musical continuity from the elements contained in an eight measure theme. The sections of this composition are titled mutations, for though they are all inherently related to the theme, this relationship often appears fortuitous. The term variation usually implies structural alterations that are readily apparent.

Nyiragongo is a composition for large orchestra. The title is taken from Mount Nyiragongo, an active volcano in the Virunga Mountains of east central Africa. The composition is in one movement and the performance time is approximately eight to nine minutes.

The Variations on a Theme by Shostakovich is scored for an orchestra of 3 flutes, 3 oboes, 2 bassoons, contra-bassoon, 4 horns, 3 C trumpets, 3 trombones, harp, harpischord, piano, percussion and strings. The entire work is approximately 17 minutes in duration. The subject for the Variations comes from the Fifteenth Symphony of Shostakovich, last movement. There are many allusions to the writing of Shostakovich in terms of gesture, orchestration, and harmonic structure.

Synphony Number Two is a composition in four movements for symphonic band requiring approximately nineteen minutes for performance. An unusual feature of this symphony is the vertical juxtaposition of movements two and three. Movement three begins thirty seconds after the beginning of the second movement, and the two movements finish together. Each uses different sections of the band, and two conductors are required.

The orchestral interpolations in this melodrama are written to support and enhance the spoken parts rather than compete with them. The alternating music and speech result in an intricately woven pattern which presents, ultimately, one dramatic picture. While the fragmented quality of the production could present many problems to a composer, Benda has woven the dramatic and the musical aspects of the composition together so well that one does not detract from the other.

The first movement is an introductory movement introducing thematic material used in the entire piece. The second movement contrasts the first by incorporating real time throughout the majority of the movement. The third movement is a composite or summary of material presented in the previous two movements.

In Celebration is a through-composed work of approximately eight minutes in length for high baritone voice and orchestra. The text is taken from the Magnificat and Psalm 150 and was chosen for its celebrative nature. In Celebration is in four continuous sections. The first section, which is an orchestral introduction, is followed by three other distinct, vocal and orchestral sections. The introduction and following two sections are rhythmic and driving in nature, each section increasing in perceived tempo until the climactic final measures of the third section. The concluding section is slow, legato and reverent in mood. The function of this section is to release the tension built from the preceding sections and to bring the piece to a joyful, yet prayerful. close.