Thesis (M.A.)--University of Rochester, 1975. / Typewritten. "Selected list of compositions for saxophone employing quarter tones": l. 72-73. Bibliography: l. 76. Digitized version available online via the Sibley Music Library, Eastman School of Music http://hdl.handle.net/1802/1638

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Microtonal pitch systems have musical implications beyond the organization of pitch, suggesting the possibility of functioning symbiotically with orchestration, rhythm, and form in a musical work. This essay focuses on three compositions, each of which approaches tuning and microtonality in a unique way: The Delusion of the Fury (1969) by Harry Partch, Limited Approximations (2010) by Georg Friedrich Haas, and Asking Ocean (2016) by Marc Sabat. After a general analysis of the pitch materials in these three works, passages of music are examined and compared to illustrate how pitch systems, especially those in extended just intonation, inform orchestration, rhythm, and form, exploring how these composers balance the practical considerations of writing microtonal music with artistic intent. This essay argues that the success of these three works relates to a sensitivity toward the limitations and possibilities of their novel approaches to microtonal pitch organization.

“Eclipses” orchestrates the movements of human beings as celestial bodies—as wandering beings that emit waves, cycle in orbit, and create shadows. Subtle microtonal movements, or retunings of the same pitch, tell the story of gradual planetary motion leading to the drama of the eclipse. In the dimmed light of a solar eclipse, even the most familiar surroundings seem unfamiliar and strange. The harmonic material of “Eclipses” was composed using the Rainbow Harmony Matrix, a MaxMSP-based mouse and keyboard interface designed for real-time interaction with a 2D colorized pitch space defined by Just Intonation ratios. The most difficult coding in this patch was completed thanks to the generous help of Jean-François Charles. The spatialization and color-coding of Just Intonation pitches provided by the Rainbow Harmony Matrix proved invaluable to organizing harmonic and melodic material. Elements of rhythm, timbre, and articulation were largely left to the ear’s intuition. “Penumbra” magnifies the shadow cast when one celestial body partially obscures the light from another. Moments from “Eclipses” are revisited through a telescopic lens, such that the small whole number relations hiding in the harmonies are magnified, into the field of rhythm. Small gestures orbit each other in wandering motion, building a web of cause and effect. The harmonic material from “Penumbra” is extracted from two chords occurring in measures 41-43 of “Eclipses.” The small whole number frequency ratios governing the cross-relations of these two chords are magnified and modified to create polyrhythms that cycle over several minutes.

Abstract Warning Colors by Robert McClure Warning Colors is a piece for orchestra scored for three flutes (second flute doubling alto flute in G and third flute doubling piccolo), two oboes, one english horn in F, two clarinets in Bb, one bass clarinet in Bb, three bassoons, four horns in F, three trumpets in C, two tenor trombones, one bass trombone, tuba, timpani, three percussion, harp, piano doubling celeste, and strings. The title is a phrase used in evolutionary biology in relation to the behavior of mimicry which is the core musical concept of the work. While writing a piece called Desert Miniatures: Insects for three bassoons in the summer of 2012, I learned about a butterfly, the Arizona Red Spotted Purple from the Sonoran Desert in Arizona which employs mimicry. The physical appearance of the butterfly has evolved to resemble another, noxious species of butterfly in the region, the Pipevine Swallowtail. The Red Spotted Purple is attacked far less because it has developed similar warning colors to the Swallowtail that predators have learned to recognize and avoid. Warning Colors employs three types of musical mimicry. The first is harmonic mimicry in which a stable harmony is presented in either the winds or brass. The strings mimic the harmony by sliding around it using microtones. These moments of harmonic mimicry serve as structural pillars. Second, rhythmic mimicry occurs when a melody or line is performed simultaneously against itself, the mimicking melody having different rhythmic values. The two lines intertwine rhythmically, come into unison, and break away from each other in a heterophonic texture. The third, melodic mimicry, occurs when two or more lines mimic a source by matching its contour. However, these mimics are not the product of a simple transposition because they retain their own internal intervallic characteristics. The concept of mimicry informed many of the musical characteristics displayed and heard in Warning Colors.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Eastman School of Music, University of Rochester, 1980. / Typescript. Vita. Part 2 not included in photocopy. "List of compositions by Haba": pt. 1, leaves 144-150. Includes bibliographical references (pt. 1, leaves 151-160).

... myriad carbon, myriad silicon ... is inspired by the ubiquitous presence of carbon and silicon, elements fundamental to both nature and technology. These elements, interwoven into our daily lives, are manifest in the natural world around us, in the technology we use, and within ourselves. This piece delves into the intersection of the natural and technological realms, fostering a dialogue that extends beyond grand narratives. It focuses on the everyday interactions between nature’s organic creations and human-made technology. The music reflects this interplay, fluidly transitioning between organic and mechanical sounds, thus embodying the dualistic nature of our environment. However, the essence of the piece goes beyond a simple dichotomy of nature versus technology, exploring the subtleties of contemporary composition. The piece unfolds as a process, revealing layers of complexity and subtlety, without making any definitive statements.

Micro-Images for Solo Flute, Genera for Flute/Alto Flute/Bass Flute and Clarinet/Bass Clarinet, and Poème exotique for Flute and Piano by American composer Daniel Kessner (b. 1946) utilize a hybrid compositional approach in which microtones are incorporated with more traditional chromatic writing. Through representative musical examples from each piece, this document highlights the timbral, dynamic and pacing complexities associated with the microtonal fingerings and prompts flutists to forgo idiosyncratic tendencies in favor of contextually based choices. In order to help guide musicians toward effective performances of these three pieces and similar works, a new tone color spectrum and description of relative dynamics are provided along with a discussion of the relationships between tone colors, relative dynamics and temporal pacing. Appendices include transcripts of email interviews with composer Daniel Kessner and Carla Rees, British contemporary flutist, as well as an updated list of Kessner’s flute works.

Rrowzer! is a piece for solo clarinet composed by Eric P. Mandat in 2005. It was premiered at the Oklahoma Clarinet Symposium on June 17, 2005. The composer has stated that he sought in this piece to immediately capture the audience’s attention through intensity and energy. What makes this work distinct is that the composer gives the performer certain freedoms to experiment by means of choosing how many times to repeat various small segments of music. The performance note in the score implores: “Experiment with a wide variety of repetition lengths – it’s your opportunity to build unique structures.” The following thesis consists of three sections. The introduction and Chapter 1 will explore the influences and inspiration behind the piece, as well as consider biographical background information about the composer. Chapter 2 will provide a musical and structural analysis of the piece, focusing on three main compositional aspects: the organic development of the piece through the transformations of a single pitch-class cell with emphasis on the interval content of that sonority; long-range voice leading and linear connections articulated by adjacent quarter tones; and the relationships of the four climactic moments of the piece with one another.

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