Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Date

2021

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Musical Arts

Department

Music

Committee Chair

Albert Nguyen

Committee Member

Kenneth Kreitner

Committee Member

Michelle Vigneau

Committee Member

Scott Hines

Abstract

Medley, 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 op- tion 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 Con- cept initially spanned over four decades. With the advancement of technology along with innovative composers, we are able to experience the wind ensemble with an ex- panded palette of sound.During the same time period Edgard Varse began writing Dserts (1954), a com- position 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. Varse began compos- ing the acoustic portion of the work in 1949 and completed this section in 1952. Soon af- ter the completion of the acoustic parts, he later composed, recorded, and added elec- tronic interpolations between 1952 and 1954.Since the premier of Dserts, composers have sought to add electronic sounds to their pieces. In 1966, composer Herbert Bielawa wrote Spectrum for mixed media, pre- recorded tape, and band. The composition like Dserts, is composed where the electronic and acoustic elements are not heard simultaneously. The latter part of the twentiethiiicentury into the early twenty-first century, composers wrote more extensively for the wind band that included the integration of electronics. Examples include Jim Mobberlys Ascension (1988), Jeffrey Hasss Lost in the Funhouse (1994) for symphonic band with digital sound, Steven Bryants Ecstatic Waters (2008) for band and electronics, and Ma- son Batess Mothership (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 on Rusty Air in Carolina for Wind Ensemble & Electronica, it will focus on biographical in- formation, his development as a composer, and his compositional style. An examination of the composition along with rehearsal and setup suggestions are provided.

Comments

Data is provided by the student.

Library Comment

Dissertation or thesis originally submitted to ProQuest

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