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Music Undergraduate Honors Theses Music

5-2016

Compositional Intent: A Presentation of OriginalMusicDaniel R. KeyUniversity of Arkansas

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Recommended CitationKey, Daniel R., "Compositional Intent: A Presentation of Original Music" (2016). Music Undergraduate Honors Theses. 4.http://scholarworks.uark.edu/muscuht/4

CompositionalIntent:

APresentationofOriginalMusic

AnHonorsThesissubmittedinpartialfulfillment

oftherequirementsforHonorsStudiesinMusicComposition

By

DanielRyanKey

Spring2016

MusicComposition

J.WilliamFulbrightCollegeofArtsandSciences

TheUniversityofArkansas

1

Themusictobepresentedinmycompositionrecitalandthesisdefensespansmostof

mycareerattheUniversityofArkansas.“GAIA”isthesecondproductofmypersonalstudy

withDr.RobertMueller(beginninginFall2014),whosegentlenudgespushedmetoexplorea

widerfacetofcompositionthanIhadpreviouslyknown.Thefinalworkoftheprogram,

“Hours,”ismymostrecentcomposition,andwillbereceivingitsworldpremiere.Whilethese

piecesarebutasampleofmycompositionaloutput,Ibelievetheybestrepresentmy

compositionalgoalsandskills.

Afewcommonalitiesexistwithintheseworks:whiletheywereallwrittenatthe

UniversityofArkansas,theywerealsowrittenexclusivelyforUniversityofArkansasperformers.

“Writingwhatyouknow”mightbeapopularclichéforauthors,butitcanleadtostagnationfor

composers;writingforwhomyouknow,however,ismorelikelytocreateperformances—the

breadandbutteronwhichcomposersthrive.Iftheperformersliveandworknearby,itis

easiertocollaborateandcreatepersonalstakeintheproject.

Mygoalasacomposeristoevokesomething—anything—inthelistener,whetheritbe

anemotion,thought,ormemory.Atthesametime,Ibelievethatmusiccanbethemost

subjectiveartbecauseitslanguageisnotuniformlyappreciated.Aclassically-trainedmusician

willhaveamuchdifferentlisteningexperiencethanamusically-illiterateconcertgoer,but

neithershouldleavetheperformancewithoutanewthoughtorconsideration.Tothisextent,I

aimtoalwaysprovidetwothingsinmycompositions:arepeated,easily-recognizedfeature

(melody,motive,texture,etc.)andasubtler,reoccurringmusicaleffect(transposition,pitch

set,etc.).Thefirstcanbeenjoyedonthesurfacelevelbythetrainedanduntrained,whilethe

secondisadiscovery—activefortheformerandsubconsciousforthelatter.

2

cling

“cling”wasmostlycomposedinFall2014andfinishedinSpring2015forSeanBreast

(euphonium),JacobHilton(tuba),andKristyMezines(piano).AfteritsfirstpremiereinApril

2015,“cling”waschosenasthewinneroftheConwayComposerGuild’s2016W.Francis

McBethCompositionCompetitionandreceivedaperformancebyDr.PaulDickinson(piano,

UniversityofCentralArkansas),Dr.GretchenRenshaw(tuba,HendrixCollege),andDr.Gail

Robertson(euphonium,UCA)onFebruary7th,2016.

Theinitialpianointroductionofthepiecestemsfromanexerciseinquartalharmony

thatIcomposedforatheoryclass(Figure1).Quartalharmoniestendtoimplystasis—alluding

tothedefinitionofthetitle—becausethebuildingblocks(stackedintervalsfourths,orfifthsin

inversion)donotcreatethetraditionaltriadsoffunctionalthatseekresolutiontotonic.The

melodypassesthroughbothtubaandeuphonium,increasingintensionuntilrestingonamajor

thirdsonority.Theprocessofincreasedmotiontoarestingplace,followedbyanewidea,is

thegeneralformofthepiece.

Figure1(mm.1-7)

Stableboundariesarequestionedbythebrassesastheonce-curvedmotionofthe

melodytransformsintostraightdownwardandupwardlines.Apushy,perhapsangry

3

descendingmotiveisthefocalpoint(Figure2),tossedbetweenallthreeinstrumentalistsand

culminatinginathreemeasureburstofenergy.Whatfollowsisachasescene,startingsoftly

butneverlackingintensity,asthetubaandeuphoniumexchangemotives,alwaysansweredby

chordsintherighthandofthepiano(Figure3).

Figure2(mm.50-52)–finalformofthedescendingmotive

Figure3(mm.61-64)–euphoniumandtuba“chase”andpiano’s“answer”

4

“cling’s”quietmiddlesectionoffersacontemplationofwhathasbeenstated.Tentative

questionsareofferedbythepiano’shighestregister,towhichmutedbrassrespondwith

uncertaindissonance,hinderedfurtherbyoccasionalgrowls.

Thenextsection’ssingingmelody,reminiscentofthepreviouschase,startsinthetuba

andisharmonizedbytheeuphoniumoverarepetitivebutconstantly-embellishedpianomotor

(Figure4).Thepianofadesaway,leavingthebrasstoexchangecontrapuntalphrases,and

“cling”climaxeswiththepiano’sreturn:abrassandpiano-left-handchoraleaccompaniedby

arpeggiatedchordchanges.Energyexpended,thepianocreepstoitslowerregisterbefore

repeatingthepiece’sopeningphrasesinashortcoda.

Figure4(mm.136-139)–pianomotorand“singing”melody

Imakenoclaimastowhatisbeingheldclose;weclingtomanythings,bothtangible

andabstract.Thispiecesuggestsseveraldifferentroutesthattheinitialmusiccouldhavetaken

but,forbetterorworse,ignored.

5

GAIA

Thoughmostofmymusichaslittletonoprogrammaticimageryoutsideofanabstract

nature,“GAIA”istheexceptionthatprovestherule.WhenIbeganworkingwiththefirst

motiveonpiano,apictureofthick,tall,leafytreessprangintomymind(hencethetitle,which

referstotheancientGreekprimordialdeityoftheearth).Iusedthisimageforfurther

inspiration,creatingprimitiveandanimalisticsounds.Betweentheflute’srichlowerregister

andrangeofextendedtechniques,Iseektoconjuretheimagesandsoundsofjungle

aerophones,birdcries,growls,andmore(Figure5).

Figure5.1(m.12)–lowregister“Jungleaerophone”

Figure5.2(m.20)–“birdcalls”

Figure5.3(m.26)–“growl”and“wait”technique

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Awealthofaleatoricfeaturesaddtotheprimitiveorunrefinednatureofthemusic.

Somesectionsof“GAIA”requireoneflutisttowaitontheother(Figure5.3)foracertainrange

oftime—seconds,ratherthanmusicalbeats—beforechangingpitch,whileothersrequest

nearlyidenticalbarstobeplayeduninfluencedbytheother(Figure6).

Figure6.1(mm.7-8)–timedtechnique(flutes,trebleclef)

Figure6.2(mm.28-30)–“disjunct”technique

GAIA’smusicalformisaloosethemeandvariationsbasedontwomelodies(thefirst

musicalmaterialpresented,separatedbyabrieftransition).However,themelodiesarenot

presentedincompletionbyonevoiceuntiltheveryend,aftertheyhavebeenthoroughly

modifiedandexplored(Figure7).TheduetwascomposedforHannahCraigandDonnaVickers

inFall2014andpremieredonFebruary15,2016.

7

Figure7.1(mm.1-4)–ThemeA,separated

Figure7.2(mm.9-11)–ThemeB,separated

Figure7.3(m.40)–ThemesAandB,completeineachvoice

8

HoursI.0400II.1700

“Hours”wasinspiredbyanepisodeoftheTEDRadioHourPodcastinwhichpoetand

artist“Rives”speaksaboutsociety’sobsessionwith4a.m.Rivestracedtheubiquityof“fourin

themorning”throughbooks,magazines,television,music,andfilm,creatingavirtualmuseum

ofdocumentedoccurrencesatwww.fourinthemorning.comandwww.mofitm.tumblr.com.

Iexploretwomainideasthroughoutthepiece:anostalgicmelodyandtheintervalofa

fifth.Thefirstmelody,presentedbythehorn,isbasedonaperfect5th,whilethefluteplays

theprimestatementofthesecondmelodyatmeasure25(Figure8).Thismovement

representstheabstractideaandmoodsof4a.m.

Figure8.1(mm.5-8)–perfectfifthmelodyin(horn,trebleclef)

Figure8.2(mm.24-28)–nostalgicmelody(flute,trebleclef)

Aftercompletingthefirstmovement,Irealizedtwothings.First,Iwantedtocontinue

exploringtheideasofthefirstmovementandsecond,that“0400”woulddowellwitha

9

companionpiece.Ifthemostinfluentialfacetofthefirstmovementisthenostalgicmelody,

then“1700”encapsulatestheperfect5thinterval.As5p.m.isrushhourinmostcities,the

forwardmotionandcomplexityof“1700”isanidealcontrasttothesolitudeanddepthofits

predecessor.

Theintroductionof“1700”isatrichordtakenfrom“0400’s”nostalgiamelody,setin

prolationcanonsbetweenthreevoicesandtransposedupaperfect5thordownaperfect4th

(theinvertedinterval)(Figure9).Thetrichordisusedasaninterjectionbetweenmelodic

material,graduallyembellisheduntilthemotiveusesallthepitchesofthenostalgiamelody

(Figure10).

Figure9(mm.1-5)–firstappearanceoftrichord

Figure10.1(mm.26-34)–trichordinterjection

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Figure10.2(mm.145-149)–firsttrichordembellishment

Figure10.3(mm.199-201)–finaltrichordembellishment

“Hours”canperhapsbestbeanalyzedinatripartiteform,consistingoftwomain

melodicideasandabridgesection.WhilethemelodicmaterialappearsasABABCAwiththe

final“A”sectionacombinationofbothmelodicideas,therepriseoftheBmaterialisshort

comparedtoitsfirstiteration.Rondoform,orABACAmightbemoreappropriatethan

squeezingthemelodicmaterialintoaroughsonataform,whereexposition=AB,development

=ABC,andrecapitulation=A.Theforcesused,achamberorchestraofwoodwinds,brass,

strings,percussion,andpiano,areidealforexpressingavarietyofcolorswithoutbecomingtoo

heavyorthick.

11

Conclusion

Thecompositionalprocessisextremelypersonalandoftendifficult.Isometimesfind

myselfrepeatingasinglemelodyormotivecountlesstimesonapiano,intentlylisteningfor

howitwantstodeveloporleadtothenextidea.Ifluckstrikes,Iquicklymarkmystaffpaperin

semi-legibleblurs,butsuchinspirationisunusual.Moreoften,thecentralmusicalseedofa

piecemustliveinmymindforalengthyperiod,turningitselfoverandoverbeforebecoming

useful.Thesecondarythemeof“Hours,”forexample,isbasedonalinethatIwroteinhigh

school,and“GAIA’s”initialthemeremainedascribbleinanotepadforalmostayearbeforeit

grewintoafluteduet.

Atothertimes,themusicisreadybutinappropriateforthepiecebeingcomposed:an

extremelytechnicalideamightworkwellonpianobutsufferonstringbass.Iexperiencedthis

firsthandwhilerehearsing“Hours”asaconductor;thepiece,whichfeelslived-inandhomeyto

me,isevenmorecomplexanddifficulttoperformthanIfirstimagined.Itisessentialforthe

composertoplacehisorherselfintheperformer’schairbefore,during,andafterthe

compositionalprocess.Butmostofall,thecomposermustbemindfuloftheaudience:every

inkdotonthepageistimeandmoneysacrificedtohearthecomposer’sintent.