David Maslanka and the Natural World: Three Studies of Music for Wind Ensemble Kate L
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Florida State University Libraries Electronic Theses, Treatises and Dissertations The Graduate School 2014 David Maslanka and the Natural World: Three Studies of Music for Wind Ensemble Kate L. Sutton Follow this and additional works at the FSU Digital Library. For more information, please contact [email protected] THE FLORIDA STATE UNIVERSITY COLLEGE OF MUSIC DAVID MASLANKA AND THE NATURAL WORLD: THREE STUDIES OF MUSIC FOR WIND ENSEMBLE By KATE L. SUTTON A Thesis submitted to the College of Music in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Music Degree Awarded: Spring Semester, 2014 Kate L. Sutton defended this thesis on March 21, 2014. The members of the supervisory committee were: Denise Von Glahn Professor Directing Thesis Frank Gunderson Committee Member Richard Clary Committee Member The Graduate School has verified and approved the above-named committee members, and certifies that the thesis has been approved in accordance with university requirements. ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would like to thank David Maslanka for his generosity in collaborating on this project. His candor in sharing his thoughts enriched both the experience and the results. iii TABLE OF CONTENTS List of Figures................................................................................................................................. v List of Musical Examples............................................................................................................... vi Abstract......................................................................................................................................... viii 1. AN INTRODUCTION TO THE LIFE AND MUSIC OF DAVID MASLANKA............................................................................................. 1 2. MOUNTAINS, SKIES, AND SPIRITS OF MISSOULA, MONTANA.......................... 13 3. THE VOICE OF THE EARTH..........................................................................................29 4. FROM MACDOWELL CHICKADEES TO "PURE LAND" WHALES........................ 49 5. CONCLUSION.................................................................................................................. 69 APPENDIX A. “SECRETS” (W. S. MERWIN)........................................................................... 74 APPENDIX B. INTERVIEW TRANSCRIPTS............................................................................ 75 APPENDIX C. IRB APPROVAL AND CONSENT FORM...................................................... 101 BIBLIOGRAPHY........................................................................................................................ 103 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH....................................................................................................... 106 iv LIST OF FIGURES Figure 1. Diagram of Symphony No. 3.......................................................................................... 15 Figure 2. Diagram of Symphony No. 4.......................................................................................... 29 Figure 3. Diagram of Symphony No. 9.......................................................................................... 51 v LIST OF MUSICAL EXAMPLES Example 1. Main theme from Movement I, mm. 19-30................................................................ 17 Example 2. Opening of Movement II, mm. 1-4............................................................................. 19 Example 3. Bird call figure in the English Horn, mm. 16-18........................................................ 20 Example 4. "Bell like" melody, mm. 37-47................................................................................... 21 Example 5. Tenor saxophone solo, mm. 1-10................................................................................24 Example 6. English horn solo, mm. 130-41................................................................................... 25 Example 7. "Golden Light" song, mm. 153-64..............................................................................26 Example 8. “Do re mi” motive, mm. 30-49................................................................................... 30 Example 9. “Old Hundred” melody............................................................................................... 30 Example 10. World Force Hymn, mm. 427-45..............................................................................33 Example 11. Voice of the Earth/Golden Light motive, mm. 840-86............................................. 34 Example 12. Horn solo, mm. 1-29................................................................................................. 36 Example 13. Beginning of the “nature music” section, mm. 360-64.............................................39 Example 14. Last phrase of “Old Hundred” followed by the final phrase of “Only Trust in God to Guide You,” mm. 390-405.................................................................... 41 Example 15. Three layers of “Old Hundred” melody, mm. 406-28.............................................. 42 Example 16. Syncopated “Old Hundred,” mm. 653-58................................................................. 44 Example 17. Shout figure, mm. 798-801....................................................................................... 45 Example 18. First phrase of the final “Old Hundred” statement, mm. 802-11.............................. 46 Example 19. Opening chickadee calls, mm. 1-11.......................................................................... 54 Example 20. Four-note motive.......................................................................................................56 Example 21. First two piano phrases of “Shall We Gather at the River,” mm. 87-96...................56 Example 22. End of “Shall We Gather at the River” with chickadee calls, mm. 148-57.............. 58 vi Example 23. First two phrases of “O Sacred Head Now Wounded,” mm. 725-31....................... 65 vii ABSTRACT The music of American composer David Maslanka (b. 1943) is informed by his deep connection to the natural world. This connection permeates his music and results in powerful works imbued with a wealth of spiritual and environmental meaning, including three of his symphonies for wind ensemble (Nos. 3, 4, and 9). Many of these natural connections emerge from Maslanka's meditation process; his ability to consciously explore dream images allows him to embrace an understanding of the Earth and his environment. In Symphony No. 3, Maslanka combines impressions of the mountains, skies, and prairies of his new Missoula, Montana environment with dream images of both animal and American Indian spirits. Symphony No. 4 was inspired by the same western Montana landscape, stemming from Maslanka's perception of a "voice of the Earth." This piece also reveals connections to nature through the recurring use of the hymn tune "Old Hundred." Maslanka identifies four concepts that guide Symphony No. 9 (nature, water, time, and grace); he also incorporates birdcalls, a story about whales, and settings of four chorales by J. S. Bach, strengthening the sense of the natural world in this piece, as well as the idea of universal spirituality. Maslanka's connection to nature and the American landscape as revealed in his music places him in a greater tradition of American composers, including Amy Beach, Charles Ives, and Virgil Thomson. His use of borrowed melodies, especially American hymns and the chorale melodies of J. S. Bach, further roots his music in this tradition. Unlike many of these other composers, however, Maslanka's musical manifestations of the relationship between nature and the divine grow from his meditative connection with the land and his perception of its energies. Symphonies 3, 4, and 9 offer a sounding pathway into Maslanka's way of thinking, as well as the ways the natural world can influence composers. viii CHAPTER ONE AN INTRODUCTION TO THE LIFE AND MUSIC OF DAVID MASLANKA Playing in a wind band or wind ensemble has been an integral part of my life for the past twelve years. I was introduced to the music of David Maslanka in 2007, my first summer at Baylor University band camp and performed his seminal work A Child's Garden of Dreams as a sophomore at Baylor. I completed my undergraduate degree in 2012 by participating in a professional recording of Maslanka's Symphony No. 4. My experiences with Maslanka's wind ensemble works are some of my most memorable moments as a musician and, as a result, these experiences have developed into a fascination and a deep interest in exploring his music as a musicologist. My interview experience with the composer shaped this thesis considerably. I have been in contact with Maslanka through e-mail since early 2013, and we continued to communicate by e-mail, on the phone, and in person throughout the next year. As I grew to know Maslanka, my appreciation for and understanding of his music deepened. His thoughtful musings and genuine answers to my questions provided a gateway to considering the music in a new light. I found myself gaining an understanding of what Lane Weaver would call a more "Maslankian" perspective. One of Weaver's goals in his dissertation on Maslanka's Symphony No. 7 was to develop "a way of relating to the music that reflects the philosophical and spiritual nature of Maslanka and his compositional methodology."1 Having already experienced the power of his music as a performer, hearing about Maslanka's particular way of thinking allowed