Thesis (D.M.A.)--University of Maryland, College Park, 2007. / Compact discs.

Thesis (D.M.A)--University of Maryland, College Park, 2005. / Compact discs.

Thesis (D.M.A.)--University of Maryland, College Park, 2007. / Compact discs. Includes bibliographical references.

This paper explores the compositional method of “temporal plane shifting” used to evoke states of suspended time in two of my compositions, Something Like Your Lagrangian Point (2019), for two pianists and two percussionists, and Nothing Never Always Sometimes Changes (2021) for alto flute/piccolo, tenor saxophone, violin, cello, and piano. Temporal plane shifting involves overlaying musical material of unrelated tempi—what I call “temporal planes”—to create an experience of time that parallels being in two different locations or states at once. I argue that this creates the feeling of “suspended time.” This paper begins with an overarching theory that, because our conceptions of time are bound with our conceptions of motion, states of entrainment are thus felt as locations in space. This argument is then expanded to explain the reasoning behind suspended time as the sensation of being in two locations at once. The rest of the paper uses the aforementioned pieces to explore how temporal planes are composed by way of instrumental juxtaposition, rhythmic juxtaposition, material limitation, and gestural repetition, and ends with a discussion of future considerations for the expansion of temporal plane composition.

Thesis (D.M.A)--University of Maryland, College Park, 2005. / Compact discs.

Paul Schoenfeld (b. 1947) is considered one of the major American composers of the present day to have incorporated many different styles in his music. Although Schoenfeld primarily uses a combination of folk, popular music, klezmer, and jazz in most of his compositions, he has also incorporated other distinctive musical styles in his works, such as neo-Baroque, particularly in his Partita for Violin and Piano (2002). The purpose of this dissertation is to explore the eclectic combination of neo-Baroque and klezmer elements found in Schoenfeld's Partita. This research provides a detailed comparative analysis of his work with Johann Sebastian Bach's Clavier-Übung I, BWV 825–830, and 6 Sei Solo a Violino senza Basso accompagnato, BWV 1001–1006, primarily to see how Schoenfeld made use of Baroque forms, imitative passages, rhythms, and other stylistic features, then fused them with klezmer elements. Klezmer is a genre of music stemming from the Eastern European Jewish tradition; its distinctive characteristics are modal scales and Hasidic vocal ornaments. Knowing the mixture of Baroque and klezmer stylistic influences should help performers to interpret the piece.