Mount Rushmore
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
MICHAEL DAUGHERTY’S MOUNT RUSHMORE: ANALYSIS AND CONDUCTOR’S GUIDE Ryan Deignan, B.A., M.A. Dissertation Prepared for the Degree of DOCTOR OF MUSICAL ARTS UNIVERSITY OF NORTH TEXAS August 2019 APPROVED: Allen R. Hightower, Major Professor Stephen F. Austin, Committee Member Richard Sparks, Committee Member Jessica Napoles, Chair of the Division of Conducting and Ensembles Felix Olschofka, Interim Director of Graduate Studies in the College of Music John Richmond, Dean of the College of Music Victor Prybutok, Dean of the Toulouse Graduate School Deignan, Ryan. Michael Daugherty’s “Mount Rushmore”: Analysis and Conductor’s Guide. Doctor of Musical Arts (Performance), August 2019, 126 pp., 5 tables, 24 musical examples, bibliography, 60 titles. According to the American League of Orchestras’ most recent report, Michael Daugherty is one of the ten most performed American composers of concert music in modern times. He has received six GRAMMY awards, including awards for Best Contemporary Classical Composition in 2011 and 2017. Characteristics of Daugherty’s music are diverse: colliding tonalities and blocks of sound, driving polyrhythmic counterpoint, and jazz and pop elements. His music can be minimalistic at times and at others, stirringly melodic. Amongst this eclecticism, a fascination with American iconography remains a consistent hallmark of his music, exemplified by titles such as American Gothic, Jackie O, or Lost Vegas. Daugherty has stated that his goal is to create sophisticated, abstract music that is also catchy or memorable, with melodies and cultural allusions that audiences can “hang their hat on.” Despite widespread success, relatively little scholarly work has been done on Daugherty’s music, providing an opportunity for further research. The primary goal of this study is to add to the literature on Michael Daugherty by providing an analysis and conductor’s guide of his first choral-orchestral work, Mount Rushmore. It is a genuine show piece, galvanizing and colorful, modestly demanding of the listener, and appreciated by individuals of diverse musical backgrounds. The work also contains multitudes, offering layers of musical complexity and extensive historical symbolism for those who wish to engage further. Daugherty’s Mount Rushmore offers immediate appeal and an excellent return on investment. Using interviews with the composer as well as detailed formal, harmonic, and historical-textual analysis, this paper provides in-depth information and guidance to future conductors who wish to present an appealing choral-orchestral work by a prominent, living American composer. Conductors who program Daugherty’s Mount Rushmore will find it valuable for their ensemble and community for years to come. Copyright 2019 By Ryan Deignan ii TABLE OF CONTENTS Page LIST OF TABLES ......................................................................................................................... iv LIST OF MUSICAL EXAMPLES ..................................................................................................v CHAPTER 1. INTRODUCTION ....................................................................................................1 Purpose ................................................................................................................................ 1 Significance and State of Research ..................................................................................... 2 CHAPTER 2. MAKING MOUNT RUSHMORE: THE MONUMENT AND THE MUSIC ..........8 CHAPTER 3. MOVEMENT I. GEORGE WASHINGTON...........................................................18 CHAPTER 4. MOVEMENT II. THOMAS JEFFERSON .............................................................32 CHAPTER 5. MOVEMENT III. THEODORE ROOSEVELT ......................................................51 CHAPTER 6. MOVEMENT IV. ABRAHAM LINCOLN ..............................................................74 CHAPTER 7. DAUGHERTY’S MOUNT RUSHMORE: “A MILE WIDE...AND A MILE DEEP.” .........................................................................................................................................102 APPENDIX A. MOUNT RUSHMORE PROGRAM NOTE .......................................................104 APPENDIX B. MICHAEL DAUGHERTY INTERVIEW 5/13/19............................................107 BIBLIOGRAPHY ........................................................................................................................122 iii LIST OF TABLES Page Table 3.1: Movement I. George Washington Form ...................................................................... 19 Table 4.1: Movement II. Jefferson Form ...................................................................................... 34 Table 5.1: Roosevelt Form ............................................................................................................ 53 Table 6.1: Lincoln Macro Form .................................................................................................... 75 Table 6.2: Lincoln "Rising Action" Form ..................................................................................... 79 iv LIST OF MUSICAL EXAMPLES Page Example 3.1: Chester .................................................................................................................... 18 Example 3.2: Chester Sequence D ................................................................................................ 21 Example 3.3: Marshall Interlude .................................................................................................. 24 Example 4.1: Ogni Dolce Aura by Maria Cosway ....................................................................... 33 Example 4.2: Daugherty Cosway Theme ...................................................................................... 33 Example 4.3: La Marseilleise ....................................................................................................... 37 Example 4.4: Star-Spangled Banner............................................................................................. 38 Example 4.5: Return of Cosway Theme ....................................................................................... 40 Example 4.6: Transition to Coda .................................................................................................. 41 Example 5.1: Rock of Ages by Robert Hastings ........................................................................... 52 Example 5.2: Roosevelt Introduction ............................................................................................ 55 Example 5.3: Roosevelt Theme..................................................................................................... 58 Example 5.4: Africa Melody ......................................................................................................... 63 Example 5.5: Warning Call .......................................................................................................... 64 Example 6.1: Opening Octatonic Scale ........................................................................................ 76 Example 6.2: Gettysburg Theme .................................................................................................. 78 Example 6.3: Stasis (approach to Threnody) ................................................................................ 81 Example 6.4: Threnody ................................................................................................................. 83 Example 6.5: Stasis (departure from Threnody) ........................................................................... 84 Example 6.6: Descending OTs + Civil War Motive ..................................................................... 85 Example 6.7: "Ground" Undulation .............................................................................................. 86 Example 6.8: Civil War Motive + Octatonic Trichords ................................................................ 87 Example 6.9: Johnny Fragments ................................................................................................... 90 v Example 6.10: Summit Ascent - Stasis Section ............................................................................ 92 vi CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION Purpose According to the American League of Orchestras’ most recent report, Michael Daugherty is one of the ten most performed American composers of concert music in modern times.1 He has received six GRAMMY awards, including awards for Best Contemporary Classical Composition in 2011 and 2017. Characteristics of Daugherty’s music are diverse: colliding tonalities and blocks of sound, driving polyrhythmic counterpoint, and jazz and pop elements. His music can be minimalistic at times and at others, stirringly melodic. Amongst this eclecticism, a fascination with American iconography remains a consistent hallmark of his music, exemplified by titles such as American Gothic, Jackie O, or Lost Vegas. Daugherty has stated that his goal is to create sophisticated, abstract music that is also catchy or memorable, with melodies and cultural allusions that audiences can “hang their hat on.”2 Despite his widespread success, relatively little scholarly work has been done on Daugherty’s music, providing an opportunity for further research. The primary goal of this study is to add to the literature on Michael Daugherty by providing an analysis and conductor’s guide of his first choral-orchestral work, Mount Rushmore. In the process, I offer the