LEVEL INFLATION A COMPOSITION FOR CHAMBER ORCHESTRA ________________ A University Thesis Presented to the Faculty of California State University, East Bay ________________ In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Master of Arts in Music Composition ________________ By Ryan Rey March 2015 Copyright © 2015 by Ryan Rey ii Table of Contents List%of%Figures%..........................................................................................................................%vi! Preface.%......................................................................................................................................%ix! Chapter%One.%Introduction.%..................................................................................................%1! Chapter%Two.%Compositional%Techniques%.......................................................................%4! Pitch%.......................................................................................................................................................%4! Hexachord!...........................................................................................................................................................!4! Tonality!................................................................................................................................................................!5! Melodic!Motives!...............................................................................................................................................!7! Intervallic!Development!of!Melodic!Motive!.........................................................................................!8! Rhythm%.................................................................................................................................................%9! Rhythmic!Motive!..............................................................................................................................................!9! Augmentation!.................................................................................................................................................!10! ShortFLong!Relationships!..........................................................................................................................!10! StrongFWeak!Relationships!......................................................................................................................!11! Phase!..................................................................................................................................................................!12! ChasingFPhase!................................................................................................................................................!13! Additive!and!Subtractive!Rhythm!.........................................................................................................!13! Composite!Rhythm!......................................................................................................................................!14! Free!Transformation!...................................................................................................................................!15! Meter!and!Tempo!.........................................................................................................................................!16! Structure%and%Form%.......................................................................................................................%17! iv Part!Form!.........................................................................................................................................................!17! Proportions!.....................................................................................................................................................!18! Orchestration,%Texture,%and%Timbre%........................................................................................%19! Instrumentation!............................................................................................................................................!19! Sound!Spectrum!............................................................................................................................................!20! Density!..............................................................................................................................................................!21! Rhythmic!Texture!.........................................................................................................................................!22! Chapter%Three.%Section%One:%Rusty&hinges.%...................................................................%23! Chapter%Four.%Section%Two:%Focused,&drifting.%.............................................................%26! Chapter%Five.%Section%Three:%Fluid,&dark.%.......................................................................%28! Chapter%Six.%Section%Four:%Focused,&floating;&Murky;&Converging.%.........................%31! Chapter%Seven.%Section%Five:%Epic!;%Calming,&echoed;%Shifting.%...............................%36! Chapter%Eight.%Section%Six:%Bursting.%...............................................................................%40! Appendix%1:%Metrical%Analysis%of%Pitches%......................................................................%43! Appendix%2:%Full%Score%of%Level&Inflation%.......................................................................%49! v List of Figures Figure 1: Hexachord. ............................................................................................. 4! Figure 2: Intervallic formation of hexachord. .......................................................... 5! Figure 3: Chart of tonal centers for Level Inflation. ................................................ 6! Figure 4: Tonal centers for Level Inflation. ............................................................ 6! Figure 5: Melodic motive in primary form. .............................................................. 7! Figure 6: Harmonic motive resulting from combined C and D-flat motives. ........... 8! Figure 7: Short-long-short (SLS) motive fragment from Rusty hinges, mm. 11. .................................................................................... 9! Figure 8: Composite brass texture resulting in strong-weak-weak-weak- strong-strong-strong from Focused, floating, mm. 103. ............................... 10! Figure 9: Augented rhythmic motive from Epic!, mm.175. ................................... 10! Figure 10: Long-long-short-short rhythmic motive from Fluid, dark, mm. 73. ...................................................................................... 11! Figure 11: Rhythmic motive in bass line of Converging, mm. 168. ...................... 11! Figure 12: Strong-weak-weak-weak motive from Focused, drifting, mm. 31. ............................................................................ 12! Figure 13: Phasing rhythms from Rusty hinges, mm. 21. .................................... 12! Figure 14: Chasing rhythm from Fluid, dark, mm. 84. ......................................... 13! Figure 15: Subtractive, altered, and phasing rhythms from Converging, mm. 155. .................................................................................. 14! vi Figure 16: Individual lines that form the composite rhythm in Focused, floating, mm. 102. ......................................................................... 15! Figure 17: Composite rhythm from Focused, floating, mm. 108. ......................... 15! Figure 18: Portion of melodic line from Focused, floating, mm. 124. ................... 16! Figure 19: Outline of sections and form ............................................................... 18! Figure 20: Instrumentation throughout piece ....................................................... 19! Figure 21: Chart showing number of instruments present throughout the piece. .................................................................................... 21! Figure 22: Tonal outline for Rusty, hinges. .......................................................... 23! Figure 23: Chart showing out-of-phase asymmetrical phrases from opening of Rusty hinges. .............................................................................. 24! Figure 24: Tonal outline for Focused, drifting. ..................................................... 26! Figure 25: Tonal outline for Fluid, dark. ............................................................... 28! Figure 26: Entrances following melodic motive in Fluid, dark, mm. 62. ............... 29! Figure 27: Melodic motive played by strings in Fluid, dark, mm. 81. ................... 29! Figure 28: Chasing-phasing oboes from Fluid, dark, mm. 67. ............................. 30! Figure 29: Tonal outline for Focused, floating. .................................................... 31! Figure 30: Tonal outline for Murky. ...................................................................... 33! Figure 31: Tonal outline for Converging. ............................................................. 34! Figure 32: Continuous E's and cut-time groove in Convergence, mm. 168. ............................................................................... 35! vii Figure 33: Tonal outline for Epic! ......................................................................... 36! Figure 34: Augmented chasing phrase from oboes in Epic!, mm. 187. ............... 37! Figure