Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Date

2025

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Musical Arts

Department

Music

Committee Chair

Kamran Ince

Committee Member

Janet Page

Committee Member

Josef Hanson

Committee Member

Kamran Ince

Committee Member

Mahir Cetiz

Abstract

Ad Valorem Vita is an orchestral work in four movements. My aim for this work was to capture four separate moments in the life of a person in power with diabolical intentions. In this composition, the listener will find agony, despair, fear, rage, depression, and a myriad of other imbued emotions. Each movement is impressed with a feeling of a world gone wrong. Movement I: devil on the shoulder. The composition begins with a movement filled with march-like textures that represent movement or action with dark motives. There is a moment in the piece where only the bassoons are performing. They play a melodic phrase that calls seductively. This represents a devil whispering on the shoulder and inviting evil actions. The movement culminates with big chords playing long notes. This wall of sound makes a statement in which the deed is done. The malicious act has been carried out. Movement II: Death Engine. This movement represents the grinding and gruesome sounds of the war machine. The themes oscillate back and forth building on one another. Near the middle, the Dies irae or “day of wrath” material from the Catholic Mass of the Dead enters. This melodic material is paired with a quick driving theme that represents an expression of attack. Movement III: Last Breaths. Ideas about a person’s last breath of life are explored in this part of the composition. The music is much more subdued and introspective. The moments that do build represent a sense of panic and paranoia. The tubular bells ring ominously with the piano in a foreboding of what is to come. Movement IV: Time Will Tell. The final movement breaks out fast and moves furiously towards the end. This movement deals with the period after a person’s time stops and death has come. It is the shortest part of the composition and with a very slow and disjointed piano part at the end. The slow playing of the keys is meant to indicate the end of all things.

Comments

Data is provided by the student.

Library Comment

Dissertation or thesis originally submitted to ProQuest.

Notes

Open access

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