Faculty Advisor

Hutchinson, Robert

Area of Study

Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences

Publication Date

Summer 2012

Abstract

It goes without saying that the Symphony Orchestra holds a higher degree of artistic value than the Wind Ensemble in the professional musical world. Given the small body of repertory available to the band, it is clear also to see that the body of symphony-quality concert pieces is proportionately minute. A primary purpose of this research project, then, is the examination of those strong symphonies or symphony-like works for winds, deconstruct their successes and failures, and attempt to write another, symphonic-scaled work for the ensemble. The secondary purpose, given the recent popularity of large ensemble works combined with electronic augmentation, is to see if the near limitless possibilities of recorded sound (made flexible by DJ controller software) can help catapult the wind ensemble into the next age of orchestration and musical merit. Composers studied include David Maslanka, Paul Hindemith, Olivier Messiaen, Michael Colgrass, Karel Husa, and Steven Bryant. The final piece composed in synthesis of the results of this project is a thirty minute Chain-Symphony for small Wind Ensemble and DJ.

Publisher

University of Puget Sound

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