Date of Award
Spring 2017
Degree Name
Master of Music
Department
Music
First Advisor
Dr. Chris Biggs
Second Advisor
Dr. Lisa Coons
Third Advisor
Dr. Matt Steel
Keywords
Liturgical, composition, cantata, organ, choir
Access Setting
Masters Thesis-Open Access
Abstract
The Bended Tree is a multi-movement, 40-minute cantata for chorus, organ, piano, flute, oboe, clarinet, trumpet, violin, and percussion. It explores timbral, textural, and harmonic development within loosely a symmetrical form divided in the center by 30 seconds of silence. The text for the cantata stems from a series of Lutheran hymns and Biblical passages, set to original music.
In the interest of facilitating flexibility for performances, the movements are written so that they can be performed individually, in any subset, or in the piece’s entirety. The instrumentation is also variable: the core ensemble is comprised of chorus, piano, and organ while the other instruments are treated as supplementary, utilized to intensify the preexisting events articulated by the core ensemble.
Recommended Citation
Shields, Graeme, "The Bended Tree" (2017). Masters Theses. 912.
https://scholarworks.wmich.edu/masters_theses/912