Symphony no. 1: an original composition for orchestra and chorus, and an accompanying analysis

Abstract

This dissertation consists of two parts: an original composition for orchestra and chorus, and an analysis of that work with critical commentary on its formal structure, texture, metric/tempo design, management of intensity, and melodic material. The original composition, entitled Symphony No. 1, is a two-movement work approximately thirty-three minutes in duration. The first movement is scored for orchestra only, and the second, for orchestra with chorus. The text of the chorus is the “Gloria” of the Roman Catholic Mass. The analysis portion is divided into four chapters. Jan LaRue’s Guidelines for Style Analysis provides fundamental considerations for analysis.|Three goals were sought in the composition of the work. The first was to combine free chromaticism with modality and tonality in a stylistically consistent and convincing manner. The second was to use a liturgical text within a non-liturgical work in order to depict personal emotions. The third was to create a work in which the build-ups and releases of intensity take place over a relatively lengthy time-span. INDEX WORDS: Symphony, Orchestra, Chorus, Free Chromaticism, Non-Liturgical, Yuan-Mei Chou, Doctor of Musical Arts, The University of Georgia.