Through an innate desire to present works with an underlying musical philosophy and a mastery of technical phenomena, this folio of compositions and critical commentary is an attempt to present a progressive collection of my original music with an accompanying philosophical and analytical examination. Within the folio, there is experimentation, use of many external and seemingly unrelated sources, and the employment of specific modern techniques when the underlying philosophy demands it. The folio demonstrates a willingness to utilise a wealth of sources, extramusical content, and to experiment and collaborate on project outcomes. Inspiration in part is drawn from composer Geörgy Ligeti, who sees the compositional process as a series of problems that emerge and need to be resolved. Thus, each musical form, though complete in itself, is conceptually in a constant state of flux and renewal. Some more recent concepts within this folio include the creating of a time-space (that is, prolonging the inevitable outcome of a musical idea); exploring apparent spectral and microtonal harmonies; severely constricting musical material; being inspired by extramusical content; producing information-saturated works and using jazz-inspired improvisatory techniques; borrowing from seemingly unrelated sources; and using electronic and recorded music in conjunction with live acoustic musicians. This folio of works and critical commentary presents eight compositions with a detailed analysis of my approach to each work and aesthetic viewpoint. It includes two works for orchestra, Ordynov and Creatures of Ezekiel (for large orchestra), a work for sextet entitled Descent, four chamber works (ein...atmen, generator, Wireless and re.saturate.d), and one work for solo violin and electronics, 101010001012(1012).

Through an innate desire to present works with an underlying musical philosophy and a mastery of technical phenomena, this folio of compositions and critical commentary is an attempt to present a progressive collection of my original music with an accompanying philosophical and analytical examination. Within the folio, there is experimentation, use of many external and seemingly unrelated sources, and the employment of specific modern techniques when the underlying philosophy demands it. The folio demonstrates a willingness to utilise a wealth of sources, extramusical content, and to experiment and collaborate on project outcomes. Inspiration in part is drawn from composer Geörgy Ligeti, who sees the compositional process as a series of problems that emerge and need to be resolved. Thus, each musical form, though complete in itself, is conceptually in a constant state of flux and renewal. Some more recent concepts within this folio include the creating of a time-space (that is, prolonging the inevitable outcome of a musical idea); exploring apparent spectral and microtonal harmonies; severely constricting musical material; being inspired by extramusical content; producing information-saturated works and using jazz-inspired improvisatory techniques; borrowing from seemingly unrelated sources; and using electronic and recorded music in conjunction with live acoustic musicians. This folio of works and critical commentary presents eight compositions with a detailed analysis of my approach to each work and aesthetic viewpoint. It includes two works for orchestra, Ordynov and Creatures of Ezekiel (for large orchestra), a work for sextet entitled Descent, four chamber works (ein...atmen, generator, Wireless and re.saturate.d), and one work for solo violin and electronics, 101010001012(1012).

This Doctor of Philosophy submission consists of a folio of original compositions with an accompanying critical commentary. The compositions in the folio draw on the inspiration of a number of composers associated with the “Western Classical” tradition, as well as the influence of other musical styles and traditions such as Jazz. The commentary explores various aesthetic principles, musical influences and technical compositional approaches that stimulated the development towards an individual compositional output. A focus of the commentary is to draw attention to the unique synthesis of significant musical influences as evidenced in the folio, thereby elucidating a gradual development towards the attainment of a personal compositional style during candidature. The folio consists of an eclectic collection of works, including many vocal works, chamber works and orchestral pieces. A seminal chamber work in the folio, Le Tombeau de Monk, exhibits the synthesis of several influential composers and styles. Also included in the folio is an extended symphonic work for combined orchestral and choral forces, Symphony for a Busy World, which represents the culmination of many compositional features that were developed throughout candidature. To provide background and perspective to the folio of compositions, the commentary highlights a number of influential compositional techniques and idiosyncrasies with regard to thematic development and harmonic language, as well as specific features of rhythm, orchestration and vocal writing. Detail regarding these compositional processes is provided, discussing the influence of particular compositional approaches relevant to the body of works in the folio within a music history context, whilst also identifying the application of compositional processes and approaches encountered in the folio.

abstract: Composers and performers alike are pushing the limits of expression with an ever-expanding sonic palette. There has also been a great expansion of saxophone repertoire over the past few decades. This has lead to an increasing number of advanced pieces incorporating saxophone extended techniques. As younger saxophonists discover these compositions, they too become inspired to implement these techniques in their own playing. There is a need for broader selections of introductory to intermediate compositions with saxophone extended techniques. It is the goal of this project to expand this repertoire for pre-college and early-college saxophonists. These target-level saxophonists are those who have already begun their studies in extended techniques. Three commissioned composers have contributed pieces for this target level of saxophonist with the purpose of bridging the gap between first attempts of extended techniques and the advanced pieces that already exist. Saxophonists who have the standard techniques to perform compositions such as Sonata for E-flat Alto Saxophone and Piano by Paul Creston will be suited to approach these compositions. In addition to the compositions, the author has composed short warm up exercises, utilizing selected extended techniques. A professional recording of the resulting compositions and exercises are also included. The enclosed document will provide a performer's analysis to help instructors of potential performers navigate the extended techniques and provide insight on other challenging aspects of the compositions. It is not the intention of the following document to teach the individual techniques. / Dissertation/Thesis / Doctoral Dissertation Music 2015

abstract: A New Home is a multi-movement musical composition written for a chamber orchestra of flute, oboe, clarinet in B-flat, bassoon, horn in F, trumpet in C, trombone, bass trombone, percussion (1), pianoforte, and strings. The duration of the entire piece is approximately fourteen minutes (movement 1: four minutes; mvt. 2: four minutes and thirty seconds; mvt. 3: five minutes and thirty seconds). As an exercise in compositional experimentation, some of the musical techniques explored throughout the piece are harmonic planing or parallelism, ostinati, modality, chromatic dissonance, thematic transformation, mixed meter, and syncopation, as well as issues of orchestral blend, balance, and color. The first movement, ironically titled “Don’t Panic,” highlights my initial anxieties on experimentation by creating hectic textures. The movement is structured around two main alternating sections of chromatic, chordal dissonance with more modal, melodic syncopation in addition to a developmental section, but a sense of rhythmic groove is prominent throughout. The second movement, “Still Here,” is a darker, more sensitive music as it explores various settings of its main thematic material interspersed with march-like episodes and a related secondary theme. The themes are organized around a diatonic scale that omits one pitch to comprise a six-note scale. The third movement, “Change of State,” recalls the modality and rhythmic liveliness of the first movement, and it bears a thematic relationship to the second movement. Much of the material also revolves around scales and mediant relationships to comprise an opening theme, a groove section, and an ethereal, glassy texture which ends the movement. Essentially, the piece closes with a calmer music in contrast to the brute force that opened the piece. / Dissertation/Thesis / Masters Thesis Music 2016

abstract: Bruegel is a four movement composition inspired by the paintings and engravings of Flemish artist Pieter Bruegel the Elder (1525-1569). It is scored for Bass Clarinet in Bb, Electric Guitar, One Percussionist (Glockenspiel, Woodblock, Snare, Kick Drum, and Brake Drums), Piano and String Quartet. Each movement explores a painting or engraving from Bruegel’s catalog of works and attempts to embody each piece of art through the use of certain compositional techniques. The Cripples (Movement I) explores layered rhythms and disjunct melodic fragments which play on the idea of Bruegel’s painting of crippled men trampling over each other and stumbling. Small moments of balance are found throughout only to be lost. Patience (Movement II) is based on an early engraving of Bruegel, which depicts a lone woman who represents a virtue, in this case patience, surrounded by sin and vices. Juxtaposed textures are presented with patience eventually finding itself victorious to temptation. Children’s Games (Movement III) explores a painting which depicts a large number of children playing a plethora of different games. The movement uses graphic notation and plays with the idea of games to create a compositional “game” for the ensemble. Big Fish Eat Little Fish (Movement IV) depicts a large fish eating several smaller fish. A process is introduced which plays on the idea of increasing density and lasts for the bulk of the movement. / Dissertation/Thesis / Masters Thesis Music 2016

abstract: I believe the human mind is not an accurate reproducer of objects and events, but a tool that constructs their qualities. Philosophers Bowman Clarke, James John, and Amy Kind have argued for and against similar points, while Daniel Hoffman and Jay Dowling have debated cases from a psychological perspective. My understanding of their discourse surfaces in Cognize Normal-Like Pleez, a video installation designed to capture the enigmatic connection between perceivers and the things they perceive. The composition encapsulates this theme through a series of five videos that disseminate confusing imagery paired with mangled sounds. The miniatures operate in sequence on computer monitors set inside a haphazardously ornamented tower. Though the original sources for each video communicate clear, familiar subjects, the final product deliberately obscures them. Sometimes sounds and images flicker for only brief moments, perhaps too fast for the human mind to fully process. Though some information comes through, important data supplied by the surrounding context is absent. I invite the audience to rationalize this complexing conglomerate and reflect on how their established biases inform their opinion of the work. Each person likely draws from his or her experiences, cultural conditioning, knowledge, and other personal factors in order to create an individual conceptualization of the installation. Their subjective conclusions reflect my belief concerning a neurological basis for the origin of qualities. One’s connection to Cognize’s images and sounds, to me, is not derived solely from characteristics inherent to it, but also endowed by one’s mind, which not only constructs the attributes one normally associates with the images and sounds (as opposed to the physics and biology that lead to their construction), but also seamlessly incorporates the aforementioned biases. I realize my ideas by focusing the topics of the videos and their setting around the transmission of information and its obfuscation. Just as one cannot see or hear past the perceptual barriers in Cognize, I believe one cannot escape his or her mind to “sense” qualities in an objective, disembodied manner, because the mind is necessary for perception. / Dissertation/Thesis / Masters Thesis Music 2018

This thesis addresses the aesthetics, ideologies and practicalities of contemporary European Improvised Music-making - this term referring to the tradition that emerged from 1960s American jazz and free jazz, and that remains, arguably, one of today's most misunderstood and under-represented musical genres. Using a multidisciplinary approach drawing on Grounded Theory, Ethnography and Social Network Analysis, and bounded by Berlin's cosmopolitan local scene of 2012-13, I define Improvised Music as a field of differing-yet-interconnected practices, and show how musicians and listeners conceived of and differentiated between these sub-styles, as well as how they discovered and learned to appreciate such a hidden, 'difficult' and idiosyncratic art form. Whilst on the surface Improvised Music might appear chaotic and beyond analysis in conventional terms, I show that, just like any other music, Improvised Music has its own genre-specific conventions, structures and expectations, and this research investigates its specific modes of performance, listening and appreciation - including the need to distinguish between 'musical' and 'processual' improvisatory outcomes, to differentiate between different 'levels' of improvising, and to separate the group and personal levels of the improvisatory process. I define improvised practices within this ifeld as variable combinations of 'composed' (pre-planned) and 'improvised' (real-time) elements, and examine the specific definitions of 'risk', 'honesty', 'trust', and 'good' and `bad' music-making which mediate these choices - these distinctions and evaluatory frameworks leading to a set of proposed conventions and distinctions for Improvised Music listening and production. This study looks at the representation of identity by improvising musicians, the use of social and political models as analogies for the improvisatory process (including the interplay between personal freedom of expression and the construction of coherent collective outcomes), and also examines the multiple functions of recording, in a music that was ostensibly only meant for the moment of its creation. All of this serves to address several popular misconceptions concerning Improvised Music, and does so directly from the point of view of a large sample of its most important practitioners and connoisseurs. Such findings provide key insights into the appreciation and understanding of Improvised Music itself (both for newcomers and those already adept in its ways), and this thesis offers important suggestions for scholars of Musicology, Ethnomusicology, Sociology of Music, Improvisation Studies, Performance Studies and Music/Cognitive Psychology, as well as for those concerned with improvisation and creativity in more general, non-musical, terms.

abstract: ABSTRACT "The Soul Unto Itself," a chamber music song cycle, was commissioned by the author, Rosa LoGiudice, and composed by William Clay, a doctoral candidate in composition at Arizona State University. The cycle was conceived and composed in the summer and fall of 2019. The chamber ensemble was a sextet comprised of Megan Law, mezzo-soprano, Kristi Hanno, clarinet, Emilio Vazquez, violin, Rittika Gambhir, bassoon, Nathaniel De la Cruz, double bass, and Rosa LoGiudice, piano, all based in Tempe, Arizona. The song cycle was premiered in a lecture recital on December 8, 2019 at Hammer and Strings Conservatory in Gilbert, AZ. "The Soul Unto Itself" is a cycle of six songs based on poems of Emily Dickinson. The poems all have common themes of personal transformation achieved through the introspective observations of the poet. An unusual chamber ensemble was chosen to include instruments not commonly used in vocal chamber music in order to create a greater variety of musical colors and timbres. This project included the creation of the musical score, a live performance that was video recorded, and the research paper. This document discusses the process of working with the composer, rehearsing the music as it was being composed, and negotiating revisions necessary to make the music more effective in performance. Each song is discussed in detail, especially the connection between the music and poetry, the overall form of the song, revisions discussed and implemented, and important motivic relationships between the songs that unify the cycle. In summary, the process of collaborating with a composer is a rewarding experience for both the performers and the composer, as everyone is challenged to improve their craft and overcome obstacles to achieve a successful performance. / Dissertation/Thesis / Doctoral Dissertation Music 2020

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