The University of Southern Mississippi The Aquila Digital Community Dissertations Spring 2020 A Survey of Modern Companion Pieces Outlining Specific Compositional Similarities Between Ralph Vaughan Williams' Dona Nobis Pacem and Mack Wilberg's Requiem Aeternam and Let Peace Then Still the Strife Joel Dunlap Follow this and additional works at: https://aquila.usm.edu/dissertations Part of the Composition Commons, and the Music Education Commons Recommended Citation Dunlap, Joel, "A Survey of Modern Companion Pieces Outlining Specific Compositional Similarities Between Ralph Vaughan Williams' Dona Nobis Pacem and Mack Wilberg's Requiem Aeternam and Let Peace Then Still the Strife" (2020). Dissertations. 1754. https://aquila.usm.edu/dissertations/1754 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by The Aquila Digital Community. It has been accepted for inclusion in Dissertations by an authorized administrator of The Aquila Digital Community. For more information, please contact [email protected]. A SURVEY OF MODERN COMPANION PIECES OUTLINING SPECIFIC COMPOSITIONAL SIMILARITIES BETWEEN RALPH VAUGHAN WILLIAMS’ DONA NOBIS PACEM AND MACK WILBERG’S REQUIEM AETERNAM AND LET PEACE THEN STILL THE STRIFE by Joel Anthony Dunlap A Dissertation Submitted to the Graduate School, the College of Arts and Sciences and the School of Music at The University of Southern Mississippi in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Musical Arts Approved by: Dr. Gregory Fuller, Committee Chair Dr. Jonathan Kilgore, Committee Member Dr. Christopher Goertzen, Committee Member Dr. Joseph Brumbeloe, Committee Member Dr. Catherine Rand, Committee Member Dr. Jack L. Dean, Committee Member ____________________ ____________________ ____________________ Dr. Gregory Fuller Dr. Jack L. Dean Dr. Karen S. Coats Committee Chair Director of School Dean of the Graduate School May 2020 COPYRIGHT BY Joel Anthony Dunlap 2020 Published by the Graduate School ABSTRACT Companion compositions can best be described as musical works composed to specifically coordinate in conjunction with a preexisting musical work. For the sole purpose and intention of complementing or coalescing with another work, the two companion compositions could share similar subject matter, choral/vocal or orchestral themes, and motifs, length, text treatment, context. Evidence in this survey will expound upon various examples of companion compositions from prominent modern-day composers. The primary objective of this research is to study specific compositional characteristics, correlations, and relationships between Mack Wilberg’s two original compositions – Requiem aeternam and Let peace then still the strife with Ralph Vaughan Williams’ Dona nobis pacem. Although additional findings and evidence of companion compositions will be presented, the researcher will largely focus on the two original compositions by Mack Wilberg for the basis of this study and survey. ii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS The author wishes to express his gratitude to the dissertation supervisor, Dr. Gregory Fuller, and other committee members: Drs. Christopher Goertzen, Jonathan Kilgore, Joseph Brumbeloe, Jay Dean, and Catherine Rand. Their guidance and direction in the preparation in this dissertation is most appreciated. I would also like to thank the following people without whose support I would not have been able to complete this research dissertation: My loving and understanding wife, Jennifer, our two sons, Jackson and Jonah, and my supportive family and friends. I am also eternally grateful for my loving and compassionate parents: Mr. and Mrs. Hardy Kenneth Dunlap. I cannot begin to express the appreciation that I have for the never-ending support and encouragement you have given me over the past eight years during my time in graduate school. Thank you. iii TABLE OF CONTENTS ABSTRACT ........................................................................................................................ ii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ................................................................................................. iii LIST OF MUSICAL EXAMPLES .................................................................................. viii CHAPTER I – INTRODUCTION AND THE HISTORY OF EXTENDED WORKS .......... 1 Introduction ................................................................................................................. 1 History of Extended/Multi-Movement Works ............................................................ 5 CHAPTER II – REVIEW OF LITERATURE .................................................................... 11 Craig Phillips ............................................................................................................ 12 Dan Forrest................................................................................................................ 13 Dominick DiOrio ...................................................................................................... 15 Derek J. Weagle ........................................................................................................ 16 Stephen Caracciolo ................................................................................................... 17 Andrew Fowler ......................................................................................................... 18 Phillip Cooke ............................................................................................................ 19 Thomas LaVoy.......................................................................................................... 21 Conrad Susa .............................................................................................................. 23 Clifton J. Noble ......................................................................................................... 24 Patricia Wallinga ....................................................................................................... 25 Mack Wilberg ........................................................................................................... 26 iv CHAPTER III – COMPANION WORK CONSIDERATIONS .......................................... 29 Context ...................................................................................................................... 30 Meter ......................................................................................................................... 31 Texture ...................................................................................................................... 31 Instrumentation ......................................................................................................... 32 Subject Matter ........................................................................................................... 32 Contrasting Characteristics ....................................................................................... 33 Requiem aeternam .................................................................................................... 34 Transitioning to the Finale of Dona nobis pacem ..................................................... 41 Final Movement of Dona nobis pacem ..................................................................... 42 Let peace then still the strife ..................................................................................... 45 CHAPTER IV – RESULTS FROM INTERVIEWS ........................................................... 50 Wilberg Interview ..................................................................................................... 50 Phillips Interview ...................................................................................................... 56 LaVoy Interview ....................................................................................................... 58 Weagle Interview ...................................................................................................... 61 Fowler Interview ....................................................................................................... 62 CHAPTER V – CONCLUSIONS...................................................................................... 64 APPENDIX A – IRB Approval Letter .............................................................................. 68 APPENDIX B – INTERVIEWING QUESTIONNAIRE ................................................. 69 v APPENDIX C – PERMISSION FORM 1 ........................................................................ 73 APPENDIX D – PERMISSION FORM 2 ........................................................................ 74 APPENDIX E – IRB STANDARD INFORMED CONSENT ......................................... 75 APPENDIX F – LAVOY CONSENT .............................................................................. 76 APPENDIX G – PHILLIPS CONSENT........................................................................... 77 APPENDIX H – FOWLER CONSENT ........................................................................... 78 APPENDIX I – WILBERG CONSENT ........................................................................... 79 APPENDIX J – NOBLE CONSENT ................................................................................ 80 APPENDIX K – WEAGLE CONSENT ........................................................................... 81 APPENDIX L – LAVOY PROGRAM NOTES ............................................................... 82 APPENDIX M – PHILLIPS PROGRAM NOTES ..........................................................