Date of Award
6-1-2021
Degree Name
Master of Music
Department
Music
First Advisor
Walczak, Christopher
Abstract
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.
Access
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