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    Subterranean Ecosystem - A Work for Chamber Orchestra

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    Author
    Morris, Benjamin Jacob
    Date
    2017-04-17
    Advisor
    Al-Zand, Karim
    Degree
    Master of Music
    Abstract
    Subterranean Ecosystem is a 6-minute work for chamber orchestra (2.2.2.2. / 2.2.1. / 2 perc. harp, celesta, strings) intended as a lively concert-opening work. The piece is influenced by the sound of the jazz “big band” and inspired by Mathew Borrett and M.C. Escher’s drawings of imaginary underground cities. Reflecting the layering and depth of Borrett and Escher’s drawings, Subterranean Ecosystem begins with an alternation of high and low musical material; a gesture in the low strings and brass, written in parallel tenths, is juxtaposed with a high repeated figure in the woodwinds, harp, vibraphone, and celeste. This alternation opens up to a melodic figure led by the English horn and fleshed out in the remaining reeds. Following some melodic development is a section of suspended, twinkling music with hints of the initial tenths gesture in the low strings. The piece gradually loses energy, as if submerging into a mysterious cave. Finally, the opening music returns in pizzicato strings, a ghost of its former self.
    Keyword
    Chamber Orchestra, Composition
    Citation
    Morris, Benjamin Jacob. "Subterranean Ecosystem - A Work for Chamber Orchestra." (2017) Master’s Thesis, Rice University. https://hdl.handle.net/1911/96123.
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    • Rice University Electronic Theses and Dissertations [13409]

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    Home | FAQ | Contact Us | Privacy Notice | Accessibility Statement
    Managed by the Digital Scholarship Services at Fondren Library, Rice University
    Physical Address: 6100 Main Street, Houston, Texas 77005
    Mailing Address: MS-44, P.O.BOX 1892, Houston, Texas 77251-1892
    Site Map