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Dialectics is a musical composition for 32-instrument wind ensemble. The materials and models used in the piece are based entirely on the harmonic series and on naturally-occurring acoustical phenomena that are stretched out in time, and that undergo a variety of transformational processes. A dialectic is created between two musical principles, each based in a different manner on the concept of reverberation.

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Of Variegated Shadows is an original composition for wind ensemble. The purpose of the composition is to contribute a work to college level wind ensemble literature which employs established instrumental techniques and explores the various colors or timbres of the ensemble. The work is a single movement of approximately 15 - 20 minutes duration. It is divided into three continuous sections, each reflecting a different character or mood. A transition couples the first and second sections and a coda concludes the composition with a brief return of the opening section. Textures of the piece are transparent with an emphasis given to the blending of different colors in the ensemble. Instrumentation includes antique cymbals, vibraphone and tam-tam to add subtle shades of color. Thematic materials woven into the texture are linearly constructed as well as vertically layered and fragmented. There is no order or system in which pitches occur, although intervals used reflect the motivic structures in the work.

Fading Points is a piece of music for large wind ensemble. The work is concerned with time perception and is designed to convey to the listener a long temporal progression from slow music to fast music. To this end, the work is written using musical gestures specifically designed for their portrayal of musical time. The work consists of four sections, each of which is described in detail in the analytical part of the thesis. The analysis also describes the rhythmic language, which is created around short rhythmic cells. These cells are based on ratios and are used in all levels of the piece from the surface rhythm to the large formal divisions. The harmonic language is also described. The vertical harmony is derived from a dense chord presented at the beginning of the piece. The horizontal pitch material is created from small pitch cells, also taken from the opening chord. These cells are used in isolation but are also combined to create modes, which are the focus of the latter parts of the piece.

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Crescent City Tableaux is an original omposition in three movements for wind ensemble that portrays aspects of the city of New Orleans. The fifteen-­‐minute composition uses musical quotation and jazz-­‐influenced styles within an essentially tonal idiom to create a musical tribute to that city. The first movement, “Jackson Square,” introduces melodic and rhythmic motives and sets the tone for the rest of the piece. The second movement, “‘I understand that somewhere it has rained,’” addresses the sadness and anger caused by Hurricane Katrina. The thirdmovement, “Second Line,” celebrates the brass band and Mardi Gras Indian traditions of New Orleans. The accompanying document provides a review of relevant literature for the wind ensemble and symphony band, an analysis of Donald Grantham’s J’ai été au bal and the third movement of Michael Daugherty’s Lost Vegas, and a discussion of the music that is quoted in the work. Analytical essays on each of the three movements discuss structural features, motivic processes, and compositional techniques. / School of Music