Captive Soul: A Work for String Quartet in Four Movements

Captive Soul is a work for string quartet in four movements. It was written in part to fulfill the requirements for the Master’s degree in Music Composition and is the primary subject of this thesis. Inspiration for the work was drawn from the composer’s own experiences. The composition was completed in March 2005 by James R. Geiger using a M-Audio Keystation 49-E, a Macintosh G3 computer, and an Edirol SoundCanvas SC-88ST tone module. The notation of the score was completed in April 2005 using Finale 2003 from Coda Software. It is approximately seventeen minutes and thirty seconds (17’30”) in duration.

The purpose of this study is to place the composition in historical perspective, examine its structural elements within the context of similar genres, and explain the compositional procedures used. In particular, the study of Captive Soul will involve a discussion of elements such as form, melody, harmony, rhythm, and texture in the work and the similar use of these elements in works by prominent composers of the twentieth century. The compositions to be examined are: String Quartet No.2, String Quartet No. 3, and Symphony No. 3 “Liturgique” by Arthur Honegger, Petite Symphonie Concertante and Etudes for String Orchestra by Frank Martin, and Lyric Suite for String Quartet by Alban Berg.