Masters Theses

Date of Award

5-2000

Degree Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Music

Major

Music

Major Professor

Kenneth Jacobs

Committee Members

Barbara Murphy

Abstract

The Second Coming is a chamber work for piano trio (piano, violin, and cello), one percussionist, and soprano. It is a one-movement work lasting approximately eleven minutes. Completed in December 1999, it was inspired by and based on the poem of the same name, which was written in 1919 by William Butler Yeats Written during times much different than the days of Yeats, the musical work was meant to capture the same sort of mood provided by the great poet. This document will explain the ideas behind the musical work, discussing the melodic and rhythmic makeup, the form, and the text used In addition, the works of four prominent composers of the twentieth century—Pierrot Lunaire by Arnold Schoenberg, L'Histoire du Soldat and Le Sacre du Printemps by Igor Stravinsky, Poemes pour mi by Olivier Messiaen, and Ancient Voices of Children by George Crumb - will be analyzed and compared to The Second Coming. This comparison will focus on similarities in melody, rhythm, form, and text.

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