"EDIFICE" Opus 4. No. 2, is a composition scored for double, mixed chorus, soprano and baritone soli, 2 oboes, 2 clarinets in Bb, 2 bassoons, 4 horns in F, 2 trumpets in C, 2 trombones, and bass trombone. The piece is based on the poem EDIFICE, by Tean E. Schultz, which was written at the request of the composer. / The philosophical impetus of this work stems from the process of perspectival redefinition, the resultant alteration in perceptual space being of primary importance. This could be viewed as the meta-text of the poem and forms the basis for an iconic realization of this concept in "EDIFICE". / The work is characterized by the unusual spatial disposition of its constituent ensembles. Specifically, the two mixed choirs are antiphonally situated, one on either side of the audience, with the wood winds and brass set in two concentric circles between the two choirs. The wood winds and bass trombone are enclosed by the remaining brass. This arrangement of the instruments relates directly to the imagery implicit in the third segment of the poem; " ... I will not listen, My self is pouring Outside me; Like a cast of metal Covers me ... ". / In terms of compositional designs the work explores such techniques as cyclical permutation of phonemic units derived through the phonetic fragmentation of text segments; phonemic manipulation in a multi-layered texture for the purpose of timbral variation; inexact rhythmic imitation, termed "quasi cannon"; serialized and "eroded" breathing rhythms; continuous redisposition of semi-chromatic pitch cells as foundational harmonic structures; and textural "cross-fading" within the antiphonal distribution of forces.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:LACETR/oai:collectionscanada.gc.ca:QMM.22539 |
| Date | January 1995 |
| Creators | Schultz, Arlan N. (Arlan Nelson) |
| Contributors | Cherney, Brian (advisor) |
| Publisher | McGill University |
| Source Sets | Library and Archives Canada ETDs Repository / Centre d'archives des thèses électroniques de Bibliothèque et Archives Canada |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Electronic Thesis or Dissertation |
| Format | application/pdf |
| Coverage | Master of Music (Faculty of Music.) |
| Rights | © Arlan N. Schultz, 1995, 1989 |
| Relation | alephsysno: 001484535, proquestno: MM05335, Theses scanned by UMI/ProQuest. |
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