MUSIC FOR AN ATOMIC AGE: DAVID MASLANKA’S ETERNAL GARDEN: FOUR SONGS FOR CLARINET AND PIANO AN ANALYSIS AND PERFORMANCE GUIDE By Kip Franklin A DISSERTATION Submitted to Michigan State University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Music Performance-Doctor of Musical Arts 2014 ABSTRACT MUSIC FOR AN ATOMIC AGE: DAVID MASLANKA’S ETERNAL GARDEN, FOUR SONGS FOR CLARINET AND PIANO AN ANALYSIS AND PERFORMANCE GUIDE By Kip Franklin David Maslanka has an established place as a composer of twenty-first century wind music. To date, his compositional output includes eight symphonies for band, several concertos, four wind quintets, and numerous works for solo instrument and piano. His latest work for clarinet and piano, Eternal Garden, features musical and emotional depth which performers must express. Beyond an analysis of the musical elements contained in the piece, this document conveys a firsthand account of the vital role between Maslanka and those who perform his music. The first part of the document discusses Maslanka’s life, education, and compositional process. Part two is devoted solely to analyzing the compositional components and extra-musical essence of Eternal Garden. ii Copyright by KIP FRANKLIN 2014 iii This document is dedicated to my wonderful parents in appreciation for the many years of support and encouragement of my education. iv ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would first like to acknowledge my teachers: Kennen White, Caroline Hartig, Theodore Oien, and Guy Yehuda for their guidance throughout my many years of study. I would also like to recognize the efforts of my musical partner throughout this process, Ms. Mina Son, for her dedication to all the subtleties of David Maslanka’s music. Thank you also to the members of my doctoral committee: Kevin Sedatole, Marcie Ray, and Charles Ruggiero. To Maslanka Press, Carl Fischer, LCC., and Richard A. Beale: Thank you for your permission to use copyrighted materials in this document. Finally, I would like to thank Dr. David Maslanka for his assistance in this project, his time in interviews and coachings, and his contributions to our repertoire. v TABLE OF CONTENTS LIST OF TABLES........................................................................................................................vii LIST OF FIGURES .....................................................................................................................viii Introduction......................................................................................................................................1 Part One...........................................................................................................................................3 Chapter One: David Maslanka Biography.......................................................................................4 Chapter Two: Compositional Style..................................................................................................8 Chapter Three: Eternal Garden Commissioning Parties and Program Notes...............................13 Part Two: Eternal Garden: Four Songs for Clarinet and Piano...................................................15 Chapter One: “Lamentation”.........................................................................................................16 Chapter Two: “On Chestnut Hill”..................................................................................................27 Chapter Three: “Elegy, August 6, 1945”.......................................................................................38 Chapter Four: “Eternal Garden”....................................................................................................48 Chapter Five: Conclusion..............................................................................................................70 APPENDICES...............................................................................................................................72 Appendix A: David Maslanka Interview Transcripts....................................................................73 Appendix B: Institutional Review Board Exemption and David Maslanka Interview Consent Form..……..............................................................................95 Appendix C: Copyright Permissions………………………………………………….…………98 Appendix D: Works by David Maslanka Featuring the Clarinet…………………………...…..103 BIBLIOGRAPHY…………….....................…………………………………..………………106 vi LIST OF TABLES Table 2.1 Harmonic cadence points in “On Chestnut Hill”…..…………………………….…..30 Table 3.1 Formal layout of “Elegy”…………………………………………………………….38 Table 4.1 Formal layout of “Eternal Garden”……...…………………………………………...48 vii LIST OF FIGURES1 Figure 1.1 Eternal Garden, “Lamentation,” mm. 1-7; Opening sonorities and main motive….16 © Maslanka Press 2009. All Rights Reserved. Reprinted by permission. Figure 1.2 Segmentation of the “Lamentation” motive………………………………………….16 Figure 1.3 Semitone pairings in the “Lamentation” motive, mm. 2-7….………………………..17 Figure 1.4 Evolution of motive from quintal sonority, mm. 1-7………………………………...17 Figure 1.5 David Maslanka’s, Symphony No. 3, IV. “Lament,” mm. 1-6; semitone prominence.19 © Carl Fischer 1991. All Rights Reserved. Reprinted by permission. Figure 1.6 Eternal Garden, “Lamentation,” mm. 8-13; Motivic entwining and clarinet ascent...20 © Maslanka Press 2009. All Rights Reserved. Reprinted by permission. Figure 1.7 Eternal Garden, “Lamentation,” mm. 14-17; Repetition of the A-flat/A dyad...…....20 © Maslanka Press 2009. All Rights Reserved. Reprinted by permission. Figure 1.8 Eternal Garden, “Lamentation,” mm. 18-20; Extension of the A-flat/A dyad & descending semitone cells……………………………………………………..…..21 © Maslanka Press 2009. All Rights Reserved. Reprinted by permission. Figure 1.9 Eternal Garden, “Lamentation,” mm. 21-24; Dissonant harmonies and clarinet soliloquy.................................................................................22 © Maslanka Press 2009. All Rights Reserved. Reprinted by permission. Figure 1.10 Eternal Garden, “Lamentation,” mm. 24-27; Emergence of C-major tonality….....23 © Maslanka Press 2009. All Rights Reserved. Reprinted by permission. Figure 1.11 Eternal Garden, “Lamentation,” mm. 34-37; F/E conflict and harmonic evasion...24 © Maslanka Press 2009. All Rights Reserved. Reprinted by permission. Figure 1.12 Eternal Garden, “Lamentation,” mm. 34-39; Return of the opening motive............25 © Maslanka Press 2009. All Rights Reserved. Reprinted by permission. Figure 1.13 Eternal Garden, “Lamentation,” mm. 40-43; Dissolution of the motive….........….26 © Maslanka Press 2009. All Rights Reserved. Reprinted by permission. 1 All figures in this document refer to concert pitch unless otherwise indicated. viii Figure 2.1 Eternal Garden, “On Chestnut Hill,” mm. 1-4; Melody in C major; cadence on A minor..................................................................................................28 © Maslanka Press 2009. All Rights Reserved. Reprinted by permission. Figure 2.2 Eternal Garden, “On Chestnut Hill,” mm. 5-6; Melody harmonized in A minor.…..28 © Maslanka Press 2009. All Rights Reserved. Reprinted by permission. Figure 2.3, A Litany for Courage and the Seasons, IV. “On Chestnut Hill,” mm. 21-24; C major/A minor ambiguity..………………………………………………………...29 © Carl Fisher 1988. All Rights Reserved. Reprinted by permission. Figure 2.4 Eternal Garden, “On Chestnut Hill,” mm. 17-26; Rapid character shifts…………...31 © Maslanka Press 2009. All Rights Reserved. Reprinted by permission. Figure 2.5 A Litany for Courage and the Seasons, IV. “On Chestnut Hill,” mm. 10-12; “And watch the yellow moon begin its rise.”………………………………………………...33 © Carl Fisher 1988. All Rights Reserved. Reprinted by permission. Figure 2.6 Eternal Garden, “On Chestnut Hill,” mm. 10-12; “And watch the yellow moon begin its rise.”……...........................................................................................................33 © Maslanka Press 2009. All Rights Reserved. Reprinted by permission. Figure 2.7 Eternal Garden, “On Chestnut Hill,” mm. 19-23; Clarinet takes up the vibraphone and soprano line........................................................................................34 © Maslanka Press 2009. All Rights Reserved. Reprinted by permission. Figure 2.8 Eternal Garden, “On Chestnut Hill,” mm. 24-31; Clarinet flourishes and soprano melody…………...........................................................................................35 © Maslanka Press 2009. All Rights Reserved. Reprinted by permission.v Figure 2.9 Eternal Garden, “On Chestnut Hill,” mm. 32-35; Voice exchange between clarinet and piano…….......................................................................................................36 © Maslanka Press 2009. All Rights Reserved. Reprinted by permission. Figure 2.10 A Litany for Courage and the Seasons, IV. “On Chestnut Hill,” mm. 28-32; original voicing……………….......…………………………………………………........36 © Carl Fisher 1988. All Rights Reserved. Reprinted by permission. Figure 2.11 Eternal Garden, “On Chestnut Hill,” mm. 45-50; C major/A minor ambiguity in closing gesture...................................................................................................................37 © Maslanka Press 2009. All Rights Reserved. Reprinted by permission. Figure 3.1 Eternal Garden, “Elegy,” mm. 1-2; Introduction and establishment of B-flat tonality.................................................................................................................39