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Item The American Contemporary Clarinet Concertos of John Corigliano, William Bolcom, Joan Tower, and John Adams(2019) Rynes, Matthew; DiLutis, Robert; Music; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)The clarinet concertos by John Corigliano, William Bolcom, John Adams and Joan Tower are among the most technically demanding pieces for the instrument of the last half-century. Each of the four composers utilizes a unique musical language that borrows from earlier pieces and musical styles. All four concertos also challenge the clarinetist’s ability to interpret various musical styles from contemporary and popular genres. This document outlines the form of each concerto, the various compositional languages utilized by each composer, and the popular and contemporary genres borrowed in each concerto.Item Fragments: A concerto for violin and orchestra(2013) Nowakowski, Mark W.; Wilson, Mark E; Music; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)Mark Nowakowski Dissertation Abstract Fragments: A Concerto for Violin and Orchestra Fragments, a concerto for violin and orchestra, was composed in fulfillment of the dissertation requirements for the DMA in Composition degree at the University of Maryland. It is a 22'30 minute long work dedicated to the violinist Emily Ondracek Peterson. The work is scored for violin soloist, two flutes, one oboe, two Bb clarinets (with the second doubling on bass clarinet), two bassoons, four horns in F, two trombones, timpani, three percussionists, piano (doubling celesta), and full strings (with divisi in movements one and three.) The work is composed in two main sections divided by a substantial interlude, though the movements are labeled 1-2-3. (Movements one and two are played with only a slight pause between them, while the gong that ends movement one is still ringing.) The interlude or second movement acts as an interlude or island of repose between the larger first and third movements. The musical material for the beginning of the first movement is drawn conceptually from the sound of wind chimes, with the violin solo emerging slowly from the undulating diatonic wash that results. The resulting joyful music in this "A" section is not allowed to develop fully, instead being curtailed prematurely only to be revisited near the end of the work. A short transition and cadenza section lead us into the more linear, dark, and increasingly aggressive material of the "B" section that remains until the end of the first movement. The meditative second movement contains a comparatively simpler music underscored by a single pulsating "B", repeated in the harp and assorted instruments every three beats. The third movement picks up with the "B" material from the end of the first movement, developing it into a short dance-like section which moves between the whimsical and the aggressive. This section fades away, leaving the violin exposed for a second small cadenza. As the cadenza material concludes, a transformed version of the opening "A" material emerges, this time being allowed to develop fully into a joyful and vibrant finale.Item The Interloping Beguiler: for Bass Clarinet and Orchestra(2009) Leupold II, John Kenneth; Fry, James H; Music; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)The Interloping Beguiler is an nineteen-minute concerto in four movements for bass clarinet solo and orchestra. The title refers to the role of the solo instrument, which continually thrusts itself into the affairs of the orchestra, deceiving and diverting the members of the orchestra away from their task of performing a "serious" orchestral composition. The bass clarinet portrays a comical, cartoon-like character whose awkward, and sometimes goofy, interjections cause chaos. Attempts are made by various members of the orchestra, especially the horns, to regain control of the work, but the bass clarinet always succeeds in its distracting antics. By the final movement of the composition, the bass clarinet has propelled the work into a cartoon-like landscape of quickly changing textures, dissonant intervals, and overlapping themes. The first movement, Introduction, sets the serious tone of the music to follow, or so it would seem. The entrance of the bass clarinet immediately changes this texture with its out-of-rhythm alternations between high and low pitches. This gesture provides a glimpse into the personality of the bass clarinet, an instrument here to mislead the members of the orchestra. Deception truly begins in the second movement, The Interloping Initiates. The bass clarinet starts the movement with a driving theme and is immediately supported by the orchestra. As the movement progresses, the bass clarinet quickly begins altering the theme, making it more playful and cartoonish. A struggle ensues between the horns and the bass clarinet, with the bass clarinet catapulting the piece into a latin-inspired section. The struggle continues through to the end of the movement. The third movement, Calm, is exactly what the title suggests. A sectional form distinguishes this movement from the second movement. Throughout Calm, the bass clarinet behaves with decorum, except for very large melodic leaps. The seed of anarchy planted by the bass clarinet in the second movement comes to fruition in the final movement, The Beguiling Builds. Here, the bass clarinet sends the work into chaos with sections recalling Looney Tunes cartoons, Hollywood western music, and children's folk songs.