Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Identifier

6701

Date

2021

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Musical Arts

Major

Music

Concentration

Conducting

Committee Chair

Albert T Nguyen

Committee Member

Kenneth R Kreitner

Committee Member

Michelle Vigneau

Committee Member

Scott L Hines

Abstract

AbstractMedley, Nakia Maurice.DMA.The University of Memphis.May 2021.Mason Bates:Rusty Air in Carolina for wind ensemble & electronica.Major Professor:Albert T. Nguyen, DMA.Frederick Fennell established the standard instrumentation for the wind ensemble in 1952 with the Eastman Wind Ensemble, providing composers and conductors the option of using more or fewer instruments.As with anything new, a period of expansion and development can be expected.Development years of “The Wind Ensemble Concept” initially spanned over four decades.With the advancement of technology along with innovative composers, we are able to experience the wind ensemble with an expanded palette of sound.During the same time period Edgard Varèse began writingDéserts(1954), a composition recognized as the first recorded work in an orchestrated setting using electronics. He composed the composition with four sections of brass and woodwinds that alternate with three sections of electronically manipulated sound on tape.Varèse began composing the acoustic portion of the work in 1949 and completed this section in 1952.Soon after the completion of the acoustic parts, he later composed, recorded, and added electronic interpolations between 1952 and 1954.Since the premier ofDéserts, composers have sought to add electronic sounds to their pieces. In 1966, composer Herbert Bielawa wroteSpectrumfor mixed media, pre-recorded tape, and band.The composition likeDéserts,is composedwhere the electronic and acoustic elements are not heard simultaneously. The latter part of the twentieth century into the early twenty-first century, composers wrote more extensively for the wind band that included the integration of electronics.Examples include Jim Mobberly’sAscension(1988), Jeffrey Hass’sLost in the Funhouse(1994)for symphonic band with digital sound,Steven Bryant’sEcstatic Waters(2008) for band and electronics, and Mason Bates’sMothership(2011).The purpose of this study is to explore the contributions of Mason Bates to the wind band medium as a leading composer of electroacoustic music.With an emphasis onRusty Air in Carolina for Wind Ensemble & Electronica,it will focus on biographical information, his development as a composer, and his compositional style. An examination ofthe composition along withrehearsal and setup suggestions are provided.

Comments

Data is provided by the student.

Library Comment

Dissertation or thesis originally submitted to the local University of Memphis Electronic Theses & dissertation (ETD) Repository.

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