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- All Subjects: Musical Composition
- Genre: Masters Thesis
- Creators: Rockmaker, Jody
- Status: Published
Description
In a Mirror Dimly… is an autobiographical work that follows my mental development from my teen years into my mid-20s and offers a way forward into the future. First comes legalism: a canon, which represents a rule-based thought process. Next is freedom and individuality: indeterminate methods and textures. Finally, the piece concludes with unity and wholeness, using quoted and composed hymns in chorale settings. The conceptual content is taken from Hermann Hesse’s Siddhartha, a story of a Hindu man’s life through the development of his own ideology into Buddhism. He begins by following the rules of his faith obsessively, then he decides that the rules themselves don’t matter as much as the spirit behind them, and finally he begins to see the interconnectedness of nature through the flow of a river and gains a fuller picture of all that is. I have also included an anxiety motif which begins as an interruption or nuisance; it then takes over in the form of a panic attack but is quelled by a hymn: “Be Still My Soul,” with text written by Katharina von Schlegel set to the tune of Sibelius’ Finlandia. Finally, the anxiety is contained and molded to help the overall texture rather than disrupting it. The anxiety is never truly eradicated, but it is transformed.
ContributorsChesney, Jacob Andrew (Author) / Temple, Alex (Thesis advisor) / Bolanos, Gabriel (Committee member) / Rockmaker, Jody (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2022
Description
I have always aspired to compose a large-scale orchestral piece which would be more than 5 minutes in length, rich in harmony and colorfully orchestrated. Impressionism and music for Hollywood films have influenced my music style. I have tried to emulate the harmony, textures and melody development. In preparation for this project, and I analyzed La Mer, and the orchestral arrangement of Image by Debussy, The Planets by Gustav Holst, and a number of works by John Williams. Carnival Chaos by my advisor, Dr. Christopher Norby, in particular, inspired me. The culmination of my own efforts is Final Journey, a 9-minute work for full orchestra. I endeavored to mimic Debussy’s colors. The main theme mm. 1-5, is built on a non-functional major-minor seventh chord that creates tension through raised and lowered pitches. The treble woodwind sections follow with dramatic dynamic changes that contrast with the earlier melody. Echoes of this tune can be found throughout the piece, for instance in mm. 61-77 and 169-176. The whole tone scale perfectly creates a mysterious and vague soundscape. The interaction between parts in the woodwind sections at mm. 43-60 and 107-121 are reminiscent of Hollywood-style orchestral techniques. The process of creation is also a process of learning. I believe I finally achieved my original goals. These valuable experiences will be the basis as I continue my career.
ContributorsShangguan, Yuyao (Author) / Norby, Christopher (Thesis advisor) / Humphreys, Jere (Committee member) / Rockmaker, Jody (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2021