ZODIAC. For Orchestra. A Project. Presented to the faculty of the Department of Music. California State University, Sacramento

Transcription

1 ZODIAC or Orchestra A roect resented to the aculty o the Deartment o Music Caliornia State University, Sacramento Sumitted in artial satisaction o the requirements or the degree o MASTER O MUSIC in Comosition y Zachary Matthe Watkins SRING 06

2 Samle Coyright age [otional] 06 Zachary M Watkins ALL RIGHTS RESERVED ii

3 ZODIAC or Orchestra A roect y Zachary Matthe Watkins Aroved y:, Committee Chair Stehen lumerg Date iii

4 [roect ormat Aroval age] Student: Zachary Matthe Watkins I certiy that this student has met the requirements or ormat contained in the University ormat manual, and that this roect is suitale or shelving in the Lirary and credit is to e aarded or the roect, Graduate Coordinator Chantal rankenach or Deartment Chair [list only one title] Date Deartment o Music iv

5 Astract o ZODIAC or Orchestra y Zachary Matthe Watkins [Headings are otional or according to deartment style Doule sace text] Zodiac is a maor comosition or symhony orchestra consisting o our movements ully scored or thirty-three instruments and layers It is the culmination o my studies in music comosition at CSUS ith Dr Stehen lumerg and roessor Leo Eylar The iece exlores many comositional techniques and uilds on my revious ork in the ield It is also an examle o the Kalidescoic Develoment technique I am develoing hich emloys cyclical structures o varying lengths as musical constraints The music contains aural illustrations o each sign in the estern zodiac and also develomentally interrelates ith itsel on multile levels, Committee Chair Stehen lumerg Date v

6 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS [Otional] Three roessors have een instrumental to my exerience at CSUS The irst o these is Dr Chantal rankenach, hose suort and encouragement I deely areciate My skills as a researcher and riter have greatly exanded under her guidance Second is Leo Eylar, ho endeavors tirelessly to hel the comosition students in any ay ossile He has erormed my ieces, given advice on instrument and layer caailities, and hen it comes to Zodiac in articular, has aided me in ays ar eyond orchestration guidance and comosition assistance; this iece ould not e hat it is ere it not or his invaluale assistance And third, Dr Stehen lumerg ho has sheherded me through a vast exansion o my comositional ailities, and in regards to modernism articularly His ealth o knoledge, ailities, and attention to detail have een constant and reliale resources to me as I have orked to urther my on education Additionally, I ish to thank my artner, Erin, ho has rovided an incredile amount o emotional suort through many long days and sleeless nights; this ould have een a ar lonelier ourney ithout her I ould also like to thank my amily, and my mother in articular ho died o cancer hile I as comleting this rogram She never got to hear one note rom Zodiac, ut I eel certain she ould have loved it vi

7 TALE O CONTENTS age Acknoledgements vi List o igures viii List o Examles ix Chater INTRODUCTION OTHER WORKS ASED ON THE ZODIAC; MUSICAL INLUENCES CYCLICAL STRUCTURES AS MUSICAL CONSTRAINTS 8 KALEIDOSCOIC DEVELOMENT ire Theme Earth Theme5 Air Theme 7 Water Theme0 5 EMERGENT CHARACTERISTICS; THE HARMONIC MOTIVE 5 6 IN CONCLUSION7 Aendix A ZODIAC or Orchestra (Score) iliograhy 5 vii

8 igures LIST O IGURES age Alternating dynamic contour o Zodiac ith assigned general dynamic level 9 Kaleidoscoic Develoment structure o Zodiac viii

9 Examles LIST O EXAMLES age Zodiac, movt I Sring, mm6 9 8 Zodiac, movt IV Winter, mm8 8 Zodiac, movt I Sring, mm0 7 Zodiac, movt I Sring, mm9 9 5 Zodiac, movt II Summer, mm Zodiac, movt I Sring, mm Zodiac, movt IV Winter, mm Zodiac, movt I Sring, mm Zodiac, movt III all, mm Zodiac, movt IV Winter, mm Zodiac, movt II Summer, mm5 5 Zodiac, movt III all, mm67 80 ix

10 I INTRODUCTION Many years ago, I took an Intro to sychology class We atched a documentary in one o our sessions that urorted to deunk astrology The most memorale scene eatured a grou o adults ho had een given a horoscoe ritten or their zodiac sign They ere told these horoscoes ere authored y a rominent astrologer and tailored to everyone s seciic date and time o irth The articiants gushed at the insightul readings, and they all agreed it as amazing ho the astrologer had een ale to discern such seciic details aout them Then the discussion took a turn The man leading the grou asked i everyone elt comortale sharing their readings ith each other They did, and so egan exchanging them Much to the articiants chagrin, they soon discovered they d all received the exact same reading Stunned and emarrassed, they ell silent Ater atching this video, my sychology class descended into a heated discussion aout astrology and other so-called seudosciences The roessor mostly let everyone talk, occasionally lanting a choice comment ho our ercetions hel shae our reality The seudoscience unit lasted a eek, and discussions aout the deunking video continued throughout As the days ent y, my class continued to argue aout hether astrology as real or ake and to question hy eole elieved in it ut it seemed to me that, in all those discussions, many students missed the unit s main oint To me, the imortant takeaay as that the human mind orks y creating connections It is ecause o this that e can e given a aragrah containing vague descritors and (ith a certain amount o illingness) turn those descritors into deely ersonal statements reresentative o our hidden selves We ind ays to make vagaries

11 seciic, and can dra inding connections eteen entirely unrelated things Constellations in the night sky are an excellent examle o this aility at ork We look u, dra lines in our minds eteen the stars, and create amiliar shaes We ve created stories aout these constellations, too; legends o ho and hat they are, and ho and hy they came to e in the sky aove us The mind s aility to create connections allos us to imue ith meaning things that have none I have oten ondered to hat degree this aility is at lay hen e exerience art, esecially the aural art, music Does music have any inherent meaning at all, or is it simly a sequence o sounds haening over time into hich e inuse otherise unrelated associations I am not the irst comoser to consider this idea o ure music Igor Stravinksy s vies are oten cited: or I consider that music is, y its very nature, essentially oerless to exress anything at all, hether a eeling, an attitude o mind, a sychological mood, a henomenon o nature, etc Exression has never een an inherent roerty o music That is y no means the urose o its existence I, as is nearly alays the case, music aears to exress something, this is only an illusion and not a reality It is simly an additional attriute hich, y tacit and inveterate agreement, e have lent it, thrust uon it, as a lael, a convention in short, an asect unconsciously or y orce o hait, e have come to conuse ith its essential eing (Igor Stravinsky and Roert Crat, Dialogues and a Diary [London: aer, 968], 5 5) Though it is ossile Stravinsky as resonding more to the seciic question o hether his iece Rite o Sring unctioned ithout the allet it as ritten to

12 accomany, his suggestion that music exists indeendent o any meaning e ascrie to it is orth considering As Richard Taruskin rites hen examining this very idea, Why not admit that music has an intrinsic value, indeendent o the sentiments or images that it may evoke y analogy, and that can only corrut the hearer s udgment Music needs no hel It is suicient unto itsel Don t look or anything else in it eyond hat it already contains In selecting the zodiac as insiration or my comosition, I intentionally create a relationshi eteen these to underlying hilosohical concets: ) the idea that music y itsel may not necessarily have any inherent meaning, and ) the mind s aility to create connections may e hat allos us to ascrie associations to music and imue it ith meaning Only through erormance ill I discover hat associations audiences make eteen the music and their on knoledge and exeriences This is, o course, a universal truth or all music comositions Richard Taruskin, A Myth o the Tentieth Century: The Rite o Sring, the Tradition o the Ne, and The Music Itsel, Modernism/Modernity, no (995):

13 II OTHER WORKS ASED ON THE ZODIAC; MUSICAL INLUENCES Taking musical insiration rom the estern zodiac is rare ut not unheard o When comosers do use the zodiac, they tyically incororate the zodiac signs and their numer, telve, into the iece This most requently takes shae as telve individual movements, or signiicant sections i the iece is contiguous The -tone comosition system is also emloyed requently Karlheinz Stockhausen s Tierkreis (975) is a grou o telve melodies ritten or no articular instrument Each o the melodies reresents a zodiac sign and is ritten as a -tone ro This iece has een included in many recordings and includes instructions or imrovisation, resulting in a dierent erormance each time George Rocherg s ursuit o serialism led to his comosing Telve agatelles or iano in 95, a set he orchestrated in 96 and retitled Zodiac erhas the most rominent examle o a comoser taking insiration rom the zodiac is George Crum s ork, Makrokosmos This ork or amliied iano consists o antasy-ieces, each o hich are associated ith a zodiac sign (though not in the standard order) The ieces are considered studies in avant-garde [iano] technique Other examles o comosers taking insiration rom the zodiac include the elgian comoser iet Serts ho has ritten Zodiac (99) or violin and orchestra Croation comoser Milo Cira comleted The ath o the Sun (959), a telve- Allen Gimel, revie o Tierkreis, y Karlheinz Stockhausen, erormed y artist Dominik Susteck, American Record Guide 75, no (anuary 0): 7 George Rocherg, Encycolediacom, accessed anuary, 06, htt://encycloediacom/toic/ George_Rochergasx Makrokosmos, Oxord Music Online, accessed anuary, 06, htt://oxordmusiconlinecom roxylicsusedu/suscrier/article/or/t7/e69

14 5 movement ork ith each movement named ater a zodiac sign in hich the comoser also utilizes the -tone comosition system And in American azz, comoser and ianist Mary Lou Williams rote and recorded Zodiac Suite in 95, an alum o ieces, each o hich is named ater a dierent sign and exlores a dierent theme Comoser Stehen lumerg has ritten Zodiac (986) or iano and ercussion duo This ork also contains the telve signs, though here they are structured into our movements to e erormed ith rie auses eteen each season In this, the iece stands in contrast to other zodiac-related orks My comosition, Zodiac, also contrasts ith these examles rom the literature in several ays Like the lumerg ork, it is structured y collecting sets o three signs into our season movements The iece is a large orchestral ork, and the our movements evoke a more traditional symhonic structure This is urther aided y its idiom eing generally neo-romantic, though it does contain avant-garde and atonal leanings at times Whereas the lumerg ork reresents solar events (ie, equinoxes and solstices) through auses in the music, in my ork these events have een ully comosed as introductory material in each movement an aarently unique interretation My comosition also interrelates in signiicant ays that others did not attemt, as ill e discussed urther later It is imortant to mention that none o the orks I reerence here served as insiration or my on musical exloration o the zodiac; I had already ritten my iece eore doing this survey o the existing literature It is also noteorthy that I unknoingly chose as insiration a suect my advisor had also reviously chosen eing

15 6 ale to sense the otential or insiration in the zodiac seaks to our similar comositional instincts, even though e chose to exlore that insiration in markedly dierent ays It is diicult or me to cite direct musical insiration or my comosition Zodiac, ith the excetion o rédéric Choin hose Scherzi I studied in rearation or riting the Lira section o the third movement erhas I could also claim that the violin solo during isces in the ourth movement as indirectly insired y Mahler s 8 th Symhony It is much easier or me to dra a road stroke o inluence rom ieces and comosers I learned as art o my iano studies hen I as younger such as ach s toart inventions, Handel s keyoard orks, and eethoven s Moonlight Sonata And though I am also very ond o rahms and Choin, auré and Ravel, it is Claude Deussy ho looms largest His iano orks Clair de Lune, Rêverie, and Saraande rom the our le iano suite, are all long-standing insirations to me or their eauty, use o modal mixture, arallel motion, and extended harmony techniques His orchestral ork La Mer continues to e a source o great oy Most listeners amiliar ith Deussy s comositions ill undoutedly hear his inluence on mine Additionally, I ould e remiss not to mention my love o oular music and its inluence on my comosing ecause o the constantly shiting styles and techniques, there is little oint in citing seciic artists or songs In general, though, oular music emraces a numer o asects I consider aealing: the imortance o a constant ulse, either literally resent or instead imlied through the music; an emhasis on melody, harmony, and rhythm; an enthusiasm or and revalence o syncoation; and a general

16 7 inclination toards more emotionally-oriented content These techniques and values can e included in art music as ell; I avor including them in my on comositions ecause they tend to result in material that is more accessile, alloing me to etter reach audiences and rovide them ith an emotional ourney Another technique avored y oular music is the crating o a hook or catchy melody The ocus on thematic material in Zodiac has een an excellent oortunity or me to emloy this skill as ell, one I have sent many years cultivating

17 8 III CYCLICAL STRUCTURES AS MUSICAL CONSTRAINTS The estern zodiac is, at minimum, an annual calendar Its telve divisions the signs move rom one to the next, denoting the rogression o the year rom sringtime through all our seasons, ultimately returning to here they egan In my iece, I reerence this largest cyclical asect through a series o hrases that ookend the ork In the Vernal Equinox section at the eginning o the irst movement, the st horn lays a hrase hich is echoed y the english horn in a slight variation [Examle ] EXAMLE Zodiac, movt I Sring, mm6 9 These to hrases are later rerised at the end o the ourth movement, olloing the isces section a reerence to sringtime s return ater inter [Examle ] EXAMLE Zodiac, movt IV Winter, mm8 Within the zodiac, the telve signs are su-divided into a numer o dierent categories simultaneously The simlest o these is the Duality iurcation into Masculine and eminine signs This is an alternating inary rom sign to sign, and does not reer to a sexual division so much as it does the ay individuals orn under these articular signs

18 9 are said to e more outardly- or inardly-directed in their energy, and in the ay they seek alance ith others In my ork, I incororate this distinction through the use o dynamic contrast Masculine signs are generally louder in volume; eminine signs are generally quieter As art o my rearation, I marked out the general dynamic contours o the iece as shon elo in igure It is imortant to note that the intention here as never to unilaterally enorce any one articular dynamic level over an extended section Rather, this is intended to summarize the general dynamic level o each articular sign, understanding that internal dynamic contrasts ould still e resent as determined y the musical requirements o the iece in the course o its comosition IGURE Alternating dynamic contour o Zodiac ith assigned general dynamic level Another ay signs o the zodiac are divided into grous is y Modality Each sign alls into one o three modes that are said to descrie ho individuals interact ith their environment and the larger orld around them These three asects Cardinal, ixed, and Mutale roceed in order as they cycle through the zodiac and are said to descrie the quality o each sign Cardinal signs are thought to e initiators and are associated ith eginnings and, seciically, the eginnings o the seasons ixed signs are considered to e sustaining asects and corresond to the height o each season The Mutale signs are

19 0 regarded as lexile and adatale, hich relects their osition in the calendar at a season s end In my comosition, I interreted these modes somehat literally as musical modes I assigned the maor mode to the Cardinal signs, the minor mode to ixed signs, and alloed the Mutale modes to exist outside o either As is the case or the Dualities, this as not a hard and ast rule ut instead an over-arching guideline The third and inal asect I emloy as a constraint is hat is reerred to as the Trilicities This is the division o the zodiac signs into our elemental grous: ire, Earth, Air, and Water Each o these elements are said to relect certain ersonality traits common in signs o these asects ire signs are generally thought o as arm and energetic Earth signs are steady and deendale The air signs are seen as intellectual and communicative And the Water signs are considered the most emotional and nurturing These distinctions have een incororated into Zodiac via melodic content, ie, the Trilicities are all reresented y a dierent theme Each o the our themes are then altered according to the other constraints o the articular sign in hich they occur ecause these zodiac asects Duality, Modality, and Trilicity are all cycles o diering lengths, they result in a unique comination or each zodiac sign When I comine my musical interretations o the zodiac asects, the result is telve unique sections that all interrelate ith each other on multile levels, musically I call this method Kaleidoscoic Develoment The ull structure o each movement and ho the constraints are alied to the telve signs can e seen in igure It is also imortant to note that, ecause only the zodiac signs are said to exhiit these asects, I comosed the solar events indeendent o the cyclical constraints

20 IGURE Kaleidoscoic Develoment structure o Zodiac I Vernal Equinox ARIES Masculine/louder Cardinal/maor ire theme TAURUS eminine/soter ixed/minor Earth theme GEMINI Masculine/louder Mutale/alttonality Air theme II Summer Solstice CANCER eminine/soter Cardinal/maor Water theme LEO Masculine/louder ixed/minor ire theme VIRGO eminine/soter Mutale/alttonality Earth theme III Autumnal Equinox LIRA Masculine/louder Cardinal/maor Air theme SCORIO eminine/soter ixed/minor Water theme SAGITTARIUS Masculine/louder Mutale/alttonality ire theme IV Winter Solstice CARICORN eminine/soter Cardinal/Maor Earth theme AQUARIUS Masculine/louder ixed/minor Air theme ISCES eminine/soter Mutale/alttonality Water theme

21 IV KALEIDOSCOIC DEVELOMENT Due to the non-linear musical develoment structure in Zodiac, an examination and analysis o the iece is most illuminating i done ith a rimarily non-linear aroach As mentioned earlier, the heart o this ork is the our Trilicity themes ire, Earth, Air, and Water and ho each theme is reinterreted in dierent signs according to the constraints o those signs IRE THEME All instances o the ire theme are at a generally louder dynamic The theme is irst stated at the very eginning o Aries, immediately olloing the oening Vernal Equinox section, at measure 0 The inds lay the theme in harmony at a mezzo-orte The st ooe and st clarinet have its urest orm, as shon in Examle The theme asses to the lutes, then is asent until returning in a large tutti statement at measure 9 The inds retain the theme, acked y the rest o the orchestra ith the rass in a douling, suorting role The harmony is urosely traditional; audiences are resented ith a amiliar-sounding circle o iths-ased rogression This grounds the listener and rovides or the greatest contrast ith later, more harmonically comlex sections At m9, the ooes are oined in the ire theme y the lutes an octave EXAMLE Zodiac, movt I Sring, mm0 7

22 aove, and the iccolo an octave aove that In a nod to more traditional develoment structures, this larger statement o the theme is made in E-lat, hich is V o the initial statement in A-lat [Examle ] EXAMLE Zodiac, movt I Sring, mm9 9 The next section to e ased around the ire theme is Leo in the middle o the second movement eginning at measure 60, variations o the ire theme are emloyed in a ointillistic manner Nearly every instrument s art is derived rom it, or rom the accomanying material that egins at rehearsal mark D As a result, the theme is somehat ouscated Ultimately, I disense ith this technique olloing the lunga ermata gesture at measure 0 Another large tutti section egins at measure 0, and at 07 all three tromones lay the theme, as shon in Examle 5 The notes are itched similarly to Aries, ut the hrase has een re-harmonized in accordance ith the ixed Modality constraint o minor tonality The time signature returns to / in a callack to the irst movement statement, though the temo here is

23 EXAMLE 5 Zodiac, movt II Summer, mm07 5 sloer 56 eats-er-minute instead o the aster 7 m in the theme s revious statement The Leo ire theme is also suorted in the orchestra y the extended harmony that is common throughout Zodiac This harmony, hinted at in the eginning o the movement, is given its irst signiicant eaturing here, hich denotes ho the iece has moved into a higher level o develomental comlexity as it should, since Leo is the eginning o the second cycle through the Trilicities Though this harmony might e interreted as olytonal, in comositional ractice I crated the harmony through extension o the root and have thereore reresented it in these analyses rom that ersective Note also the move to iii a chromatic mediant to comlete the hrase Zodiac contains many direct shits in harmony through arallel motion, and I use the chromatic mediant relationshi requently The inal instance o the ire theme is during Sagittarius in the third movement This instance is even more ouscated due to the ixed Modality constraint o an alternate tonality The theme is closest to its revious orms hen layed y the tua at mm09 6, though it can e ound in many other locations as ell It is layed in a greatly elongated orm y the st horn in mm9 0 It is layed at doule-seed y the xylohone and iano on multile occasions, such as mm89 9 and 0 0 This

24 5 aster styling o the theme is also layed y the st violins rom mm Though the theme is not resented in a large tutti as it is in the other to movements, it does serve as insiration or comositional material and its inluence is articularly elt as reeated rhythmic motives EARTH THEME The dynamic oscillation o the Duality constraint in Zodiac results in alternating general dynamic levels rom sign to sign Whereas the ire signs are all louder in volume, each instance o the Earth theme that ollos is at a contrasting, generally soter dynamic This is true o the theme s irst aearance in Taurus A solo cello lays variations o the theme, acked y izzicato strings at a largely iano dynamic As the solo rogresses and the inds are rought in to thicken the texture, the orchestral suort ehind the soloist remains largely at mezzo-iano until a crescendo into the tutti section that egins measure 08 At the tutti, the Earth theme is clariied It moves into the ull cello section and is douled an octave aove y the violas [Examle 6] The tromones doule as ell, and the english horn and ass clarinet oin them to rovide additional color Since Taurus has a ixed Modality, the minor tonality constraint is alied Whereas the ire theme is in to arts, consisting o an antecedent and consequent su-hrase, the Earth theme consists o three su-hrases in a roughly A A A series; the dierence is driven exclusively y changing harmony eneath a reeated melody Note also the use o the i IV modal mixture, hich is a reerence to the Zodiac harmonic motive It is used here as a sutle oreshadoing or later instances in the

25 6 EXAMLE 6 Zodiac, movt I Sring, mm08 0 Water theme The recurrence o this harmonic motive throughout the iece is discussed in urther detail later The Earth theme s next aearance is in Virgo at the end o the second movement As ith other sections o the iece ritten ith the alternate tonality constraint, the theme is highly ouscated in this section An analysis o the harmony underlying the tones ading in and out o the inds section (hich I ill not relicate here ecause o sace and time constraints) ill reveal it Also, the theme can e discovered y simliying the lead art layed y the glockensiel in mm0 The three su-hrases o the Earth theme are used in the larger construction o the Virgo section as ell: mm7 are the irst su-hrase, mm 50 the second, and the third is mm5 55 This is highlighted hen the concluding trilet igure is layed y the ass clarinet and violas in measure 5 The Earth theme returns in ull orce during the Caricorn section o the ourth movement With extensive use o chromatic mediants in the harmony, I lace nearly every suorting chord o the melody in a maor sonority as a ay to ully exress the ixed Modality constraint [Examle 7] This is artly in rearation to contrast the Aquarius section coming next, hich ill e in a minor tonality The section s A A

26 7 EXAMLE 7 Zodiac, movt IV Winter, mm 55 structure, ith a soter eginning and larger tutti second hal, recalls ho the Taurus section rom the irst movement moved similarly rom a quieter cello solo into a larger ull orchestra assage AIR THEME Unlike other themes, the Air theme must contend ith a numer o additional structural challenges Its initial statement is in the Gemini section that ends the Sring movement, here it is layed irst y the iano [Examle 8] This means the

27 8 EXAMLE 8 Zodiac, movt I Sring, mm68 7 theme must comly ith the Mutale Modality constraint o an alternate tonality, and also successully end the irst movement ortunately, the Duality constraint requires the sign e resented at a generally louder volume This is helul; the resulting symmetry o the irst movement s loud-sot-loud dynamic curve is a naturally conclusive shae I have laced the Air theme s initial statement in a nearly ure hole tone system The rhythmic structure o the igure is striking y design, and it is layed at a much quicker temo than has een heard u to this oint in the iece Gemini is marked at a lively 68 eatser-minute The human ear has more diiculty distinguishing melody in non-traditional tonalities 5 ecause the Air theme is initially stated ith the alternate tonality constraint, I anticiated the need to highlight its recurrence in multile ays, and so laid other oundations or its recurrences later in the iece A heavily syncoated suorting rhythm catures the audience s attention as it moves throughout the orchestra At measure 68, a counter-melody comrised o long, sustained tones y the trumets and tromones contrasts ith the renetic energy o the main Air theme This countermelody quickly sreads to other instruments o the orchestra or the inal assage o the movement Since 5 Diana Deutsch, The uzzle o Asolute itch, Current Directions in sychological Science,, no 6 (00): 0, 0 htt://stororg/stale/088

28 9 similarities and dierences in the Air theme s recurrent orms are not relected in the harmony in the same ay as in other themes, I have not included any harmonic analysis ith the relevant examles here The Air theme s instance in Gemini can e considered its most modern use; in contrast, the theme s Lira incarnation is ar more traditional Though the assage is at a aster temo and a louder dynamic, the Air theme is cast in the maor tonality dictated y the Cardinal Modality constraint and is transormed into a scherzo-like assage hich egins the third movement (reroduced elo in iano reduction as Examle 9) Lira contains considerale develoment or its short length The 5-measure section goes y quickly, ut ithin those measures the Air theme is stated, then restated in a thinner texture at the sudominant (relative to its introduction), and then restated again in a rich, ull texture at the dominant With each re-statement, the harmony eneath the melody ecomes rogressively less traditional Intersersed eteen these statements are rieer assages hich emloy an underlying harmony extraolated rom the Air EXAMLE 9 Zodiac, movt III all, mm0 5

29 0 theme s countermelody used as a ass line The rousing assage is caed y a coda-like, simliied version o the Air theme, acked y trills and rhythmic variation that uild in intensity until the orchestra iguratively exlodes to egin the transition into the Scorio assage that ollos In Aquarius, the Air theme ears its heaviest structural resonsiility the inal large, climactic assage It is the last dynamically louder assage and the only one in the ourth movement to e so As a section ith ixed Modality, it is decidedly minor in tonality, a characteristic stated irmly hen the section egins at measure 56 A variation o the syncoated rhythmic content rom Gemini returns, as does the countermelody The assoons have the Air theme irst at measure 6, then the iccolo at 77, ith the violins oining at 8 [Examle 0] EXAMLE 0 Zodiac, movt IV Winter, mm6 67 The temo here is ast as ell; Aquarius is marked ith the eighth note at 60 eats er minute uilding on the energy egun in the revious Caricorn section, the renzy continues until its eak at measure 89 WATER THEME Due to the three-signs er movement structure, each o the our movements is missing a sign Since the ater signs are ourth in the Trilicities sequence, the Water theme does not make its deut until the start o the second movement in the Cancer

30 section In this instance, it is quieter (Duality constraint o a generally soter dynamic) and ritten in a largely maor tonality (ixed Modality constraint) The theme asses among various rass solo instruments; rom the horn to the tromone and ack, then among the trumets [Examle ] EXAMLE Zodiac, movt II Summer, mm5 5 The longest o the Trilicity themes, the Water theme is also the only theme to incororate the ull Zodiac harmonic motive on a structural level Whereas the other signs occasionally include this harmony, here it is uilt directly into the theme Note ho the theme shits to the dominant level o the harmony in its th ar Even though this temorary shit lasts only a e measures, the addition o the D and the reeated common tone G (the maor third o the dominant E Maor) remain inluential Maing out the harmonic rogression through the rest o the theme at the dominant level shos ho the ending ars also unction as a I v oscillation This oscillation eteen maor tonic and minor dominant and its inverse, minor tonic to maor sudominant is the Zodiac main harmonic motive Though hinted at reviously during Taurus in the irst

31 movement and the Summer Solstice that egins the second, it is this assage here in Cancer here the audience hears it ormally and ully stated or the irst time The Water theme s next incarnation is in the Scorio section in the third movement A strings-only assage (save or the artial celesta accomaniment), the theme is resented very similarly to the Cancer version o the rior movement In a rominent osition as the second sign o the movement, the Water theme takes on a minor sonority due to the sign s ixed Modality Viola sola erorms material similar to the dialog eteen the horn and tromone in Cancer eore giving ay to a tutti section in hich divisi violins assume the theme [Examle ] Though the ixed Modality constraint may aear to e loosely alied, analysis shos the assage is in the key o minor, and the harmony o this iteration o the theme can e est understood rom that ersective While the rogression sends much time on maor chords, they are all inherent to the diatonic harmony o minor ecause the EXAMLE Zodiac, movt III all, mm67 80

32 orchestration is so dramatically dierent here than rom in Cancer, this iteration can mirror the theme s revious version closely; aside rom some octave dislacement, the melody is nearly identical Note the vi iii VII ascending iths rogression, ust as in Cancer, though here it takes lace on the sutonic VII The structural inclusion o the Zodiac harmonic motive then takes lace at the sutonic level as ell Note the common tone A through the seventh, eight, and ninth ars o the hrase the enharmonic equivalent o the G in the Cancer section, and ho it unctions here as an th, 9 th, and then 7 th as ell The divisi strings Scorio assage is a highlight o my iece, and erhas the most signiicant one It is assionate, deely moving, and climactic The osition o Scorio in Zodiac also corresonds to the Golden Mean, 6 hich signiies and reinorces the assage s rominence When alied as a ercentage o the iece s total erormance time, the resulting numer occurs during the Scorio assage The Water theme s inal aearance is at the very end o Zodiac, in the isces section Unlike its revious to highly similar instances, here the theme is almost entirely ouscated Instead, the assage relies on a more rogrammatic use o the zodiac sign it reresents Other assages in the iece have this rogrammatic asect to them to varying degrees, such here the Leo section invokes the roud imagery o a Lion, or ho the Air theme motive is alanced ith a counter-melody to reresent the dual nature o the 6 The Golden Ratio (Φ, 68) is a ratio ith unique roerties in mathematics and geometry that occurs naturally throughout nature It can e ound in art, architecture, and design throughout history, and in music as ell The Golden Ratio has also held hilosohical and siritual signiicance or many Most simly, it is the ratio that results hen a line is divided in such a ay that the ratio eteen the small and the large sections are the same as the ratio eteen the large section and the line s ull length When exressed as art o a hole,, the ratio equates to roughly 068 the Golden Mean

33 Gemini tins or isces, the lute and solo violin reresent the symolic to ish o that sign They duet over a ed o shiting textures loosely derived rom the Water theme This extremely sot ending section ears a strong resemlance to the Virgo section at the end o the second movement The act that this similarity occurs eteen signs that are oosite each other in the zodiac calendar is not a coincidence; it is one o several emergent characteristics in the iece

34 5 V EMERGENT CHARACTERISTICS; THE HARMONIC MOTIVE I the telve zodiac signs are dran in a circle eginning ith Aries, roceeding through to isces, and then returning to the eginning, certain signs ecome diametrically oosed Even though I did not intentionally dra arallels eteen these airs, some naturally emerged in the riting o the iece A rominent examle is Virgo and isces, ith their laces at the end o the second and ourth movement oth sections are quieter and emloy the non-traditional tonality When I ecame aare o the otential or these arallels, I enhanced the eect y utilizing a similar comositional technique or oth sections: tones rom individual instruments staggered throughout the orchestra ade in-and-out This is y no means the only instance o diametrically oosed arallels in the iece Gemini and Sagittarius at the end o the irst and third movements are also similar, ith oth o those sections eing louder and the to most rhythmically centric sections o the larger ork The transitional material rom Lira to Scorio is a reharmonization o the transition rom Aries to Taurus Also, Taurus and Scorio oth contain signiicant solo sections or the cello and viola, resectively Another emergent characteristic is the similarity in tonal structure o the our movements Due to the sequential nature o the Modalities in the zodiac, the tonality and harmonic content o each movement rogresses rom maor, to minor, and inally to an alternate tonality ecause this same rocess is reeated in all our movements, it is articularly ronounced Anticiating a need to avoid a sense o reetition or the audience, I comosed the inal sections o each movement in a dierent alternate tonality Gemini is urely hole tone; Virgo is hole tone ith hat could e

35 6 descried as non-harmonic tone sustitutions; Sagittarius is almost urely atonal, ut has een comosed in such a ay that the most egregious o its non-harmonic tones resemle the extended harmonies ound in more aggressive azz solos; and isces, hich moves in and out o tonality and atonality seemingly at him The overall eect ithin each movement can also e considered as a loose mimicking o the rogression o tonality through estern music history rom a rigid, urely modal tonal construction, through increasing use o modal mixture, to the ree atonality o 0 th -century modernism There is one inal eature o Zodiac orth mentioning, and that is the main harmonic motive At varying oints throughout my iece, the harmony consists o a rogression I v or its inverse, i IV Usually the music ill oscillate eteen the to chords o either attern, though oth conigurations do occasionally ollo one ater the other As mentioned reviously, these harmonic hrases are uilt directly into the Water theme, and are hinted at during its diametrically oosed Earth theme This harmonic motive also orms a ackdro in the climax o Leo even though that section is ased around the ire theme, as ell as its diametrically oosed sign, Aquarius And even though Aquarius is ased around the Air theme, that instance o the Zodiac harmonic motive marks the inal climactic moment o the entire iece The harmonic rogression is aired ith a unique, stirring melody to urther emhasize its status as an over-arching, comosition-ide motive

36 7 VI IN CONCLUSION My comosition, Zodiac, is not a symhony though it does make many reerences to traditional symhonic structure and eatures I originally conceived the ork as a single movement ith the equinoxes and solstices roviding contrasting reaks in the material Hoever, hen it ecame clear ho diicult it ould e to maintain the comositional structure I d envisioned over such length, I decided to slit the iece into our seasons o three signs each Each movement could then egin ith the aroriate solar event as introductory material 7 At the height o the genre s oularity in the 9 th century, traditional symhonic structure called or our movements 8 The irst movement sometimes included a slo introduction, not unlike the tension-illed Vernal Equinox section o Zodiac Second movements ere tyically sloer In my comosition, the second movement is the only movement o the our that does not include a ast-aced segment Third movements ere requently a scherzo or other dance-insired style, and in a trile-meter The third movement o my iece Zodiac egins ith the scherzo-like Lira hich is in / time, though many measures are cut short to / to increase the tension and avoid sameness The third movement o Zodiac also contains the strings-only Scorio section, stringsonly assages eing another requent eature o symhonies Lastly, the ourth movement is traditionally almost alays a ast, climactic movement Though Zodiac is not ast the entire length o its ourth movement, the centeriece o that movement, Aquarius, is 7 In the zodiac calendar, the equinoxes and solstices mark the eginning o a ne season; each season consists o three signs 8 Mark Evan onds, Symhony II: 9th century, Oxord Music Online, accessed March, 06, htt://oxordmusiconlinecomroxylicsusedu/ suscrier/article/grove/music/75g

37 8 risk and reaches a oerul climax Some comosers enoy the reedom o unlimited ossiilities erhas they eel a lack o oundaries gives them the indeendence to create anything they envision I am not this tye o comoser; total reedom is stymying or me I ork est ithin constraints I tend to think an artist s aility to create and roduce ithin constraints is a good measure o skill at their crat Ho ell can an artist ork ith hat they have een given to ork ith or my maor roect, I as seeking a series o constraints rom the eginning Writing or a large ensemle the orchestra as a large constraint Some might see the orchestra as having unlimited sonorous ossiilities, and this is true, ut ith that otential comes the unsoken requirement that it e utilized roerly In comosing a large ork or orchestra, I ould need to honor the instrument I as riting or; I ould need to use the orchestra s otential ell I kne also that I anted to attemt a ork not ust or a large ensemle, ut that as also o a large scale and scoe To do so, I ould need a structure that could sustain itsel over the lengthy erormance time and rovide areas or exloration I also anted to create a ork that ould e enoyale or erormers and audiences I chose the zodiac as insiration not or any mystical qualities it might e seen to contain, ut ecause it as something I could exect most audience memers ould e amiliar ith I susect most eole kno hat their zodiac sign is, even i it isn t something they ut stock in or ay attention to In this ay, they ould have a ersonal stake in the ork, something ersonal they could use to access the music ust as ho sketics o astrology read a horoscoe or descrition o a sign, trying to determine ho ell it suits or descries

38 9 them, I susect much the same ill haen ith audience memers hearing my ork Zodiac or the irst time they ill listen intently as their on articular zodiac sign aroaches, then make a determination o ho ell the music suits or descries them Regardless o hether they can relate to their sign s material or not, they ill e engaged ith the music There are many asects o my comosition Zodiac I am roud o oremost in all o these is the extent to hich I have een ale to carry out the structure I designed or it One o the most diicult tasks in any art ork is the ourney rom concet to execution Granted, ho closely (or not) an artist s inished ork resemles the original concet isn t alays the est measure o that ork Comositions, once undertaken, oten take on a lie o their on and lead their creators don avenues those creators never thought the ork ould exlore or mysel and my concetualization o Zodiac, the envisioned structure as art o the ork itsel; the Kalidescoic Develoment that comrises the skeleton o the iece is as much a art o the comosition as is the music ritten to lesh out that outline eing ale to incororate this structure into the ork as o highest riority or me rom the outset The structures I designed ere to e the constraints I ould ork ith and against in comosing the iece In Zodiac, I hoe that I have created a ork that is enoyale to erormers and audiences alike Some might argue that I could have (or even should have) laced greater emhasis on my on vision or the music ut such criticism is ased in misunderstanding I have created in Zodiac a ork I am assionate aout that adheres to the guidelines I set out or it and that is o a tone and style that eels very much in

39 0 keeing ith my unique voice as a comoser It dislays ell my comositional skill level, and I gre a great deal as a comoser in the course o riting it articularly in my orchestration techniques The iece is unquestionaly one o my on vision I see my o as a comoser, and the true measure o skill at my crat, as a unction o ho ell I am ale to communicate to the audience, through the layers, the vision I have or my ork

40 iccolo lute lute Ooe Ooe English Horn Clarinet in Clarinet in ass Clarinet assoon assoon Horn in Trumet in C Tromone ass Tromone Tua Timani ERCUSSION Crash Cymals, Glockensiel, Tamtam, Triangle ERCUSSION Chimes, Claves, Crotales, Snare Drum ERCUSSION Castanets, Crash Cymals Sus Cymals, Tamourine ERCUSSION ass Drum, Wood locks, Xylohone Celesta / iano Violin I Violin II Viola Cello Doule ass Zodiac ZACHARY M WATKINS I SRING Vernal Equinox Equinox, Aries, Taurus, Gemini Mysterious h = 6 rit con sord con sord con sord con sord con sord Triangle ass Drum Chimes Sus Cymals Celesta Mysterious h = 6 Vernal Equinox g g rit 06 Zachary M Watkins

41 icc l l O O E Hn Cl Cl Cl sn sn Hrn 0 A Aries, the Ram I right h = 7 SRING - - C Tt Tn Tn Tua Tim Trgl Chm S Cym Dr Cel Vln I Vln II Vla Vc D A Aries, the Ram right h = 7 senza sord senza sord senza sord senza sord senza sord izz izz izz izz

42 I SRING 7 icc l l O O E Hn Cl Cl Cl sn - sn - Hrn C Tt Tn Tn Tua - - Tim Trgl to: Glockensiel Chm S Cym Dr Cel Vln I Vln II Vla Vc D n

43 I SRING icc l l O O E Hn Cl Cl Cl sn sn Hrn C Tt Tn Tn Tua - - Tim Glk Chm S Cym LV to: Crash Cymals Dr Cel Vln I Vln II Vla Vc arco arco arco D

44 5 icc l l O O E Hn Cl Cl Cl sn sn Hrn C Tt Tn Tn Tua Tim Cym Chm S Cym Dr Cel Vln I Vln II Vla Vc D arco I SRING LV trem trem trem

45 6 I SRING icc l l O O E Hn Cl Cl Cl sn sn n Hrn C Tt Tn Tn Tua n n n Tim Cym Chm S Cym Dr Cel Vln I Vln II Vla Vc D n

46 7 I SRING icc l l O O E Hn Cl Cl Cl sn sn Hrn C Tt Tn Tn Tua Tim 7 rit A little sloer q = Cym Chm to: Glockensiel S Cym Dr Cel Vln I Vln II Vla Vc D rit - - A little sloer q =

47 5 8 I SRING icc l l O O E Hn Cl Cl Cl sn sn Hrn C Tt Tn Tn Tua Tim Glk Chm S Cym Dr Cel Vln I Vln II Vla Vc D ( ) - - to: Triangle izz izz - -

48 n rit - - Taurus, the ull Waltz (q = 6) C to: Woodlocks to: iano solo I SRING Taurus, the ull Waltz (q = 6) icc l l O O E Hn Cl Cl Cl sn sn Hrn C Tt Tn Tn Tua Tim Trgl Chm S Cym Dr Cel Vln I Vln II Vla Vc D rit C

49 0 I SRING icc l l O O E Hn Cl Cl Cl sn sn Hrn C Tt Tn Tn Tua Tim Trgl Chm S Cym W l no Vln I Vln II Vla Vc D

50 icc l l O O E Hn Cl Cl Cl sn sn n n I SRING D n su su Hrn C Tt Tn Tn Tua Tim Trgl Chm S Cym!!!! su LV Dr no to: ass Drum su Vln I Vln II Vla Vc D - - D - - tutti arco n n su su su solo

51 I SRING icc l l O O E Hn Cl Cl Cl sn sn n n su su su su su su su su Hrn C Tt Tn Tn Tua Tim Trgl Chm to: Glockensiel S Cym Dr no Vln I Vln II Vla Vc D su su n su izz - - su

52 icc l l O O E Hn Cl Cl Cl sn sn Hrn C Tt Tn Tn Tua Tim Glk Chm S Cym Dr no Vln I Vln II Vla Vc D 06 rit n rit E E tutti a roadly q = 9 Ÿ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Ÿ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ arco LV I SRING roadly q = 9 Ÿ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ < < < ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Ÿ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Ÿ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Ÿ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ LV

53 icc l < ~~~~~~~ Ÿ~~~~~~~~~~~ - Ÿ~~~~~~~~~~~~ < ~~~~~~~~~ I SRING < ~~~~~~~~~ Ÿ~~~~~~~~~ 6 Gemini, the Tins Lively q = 68 l O - - O E Hn Cl Cl Cl sn sn Hrn C Tt Tn Tn Tua Tim Glk Chm S Cym Dr to: Crotales LV to: Xylohone 6 to: Triangle n secco no Vln I Vln II Vla Vc D ~~~~~~~ Ÿ~~~~~~~~~~~ < ~~~~~~~ Ÿ~~~~~~~~~~~ < izz 6 Gemini, the Tins Lively q = 68 l l l l l l l l l

54 5 I SRING icc l l O O E Hn Cl n Cl Cl sn sn Hrn C Tt Tn Tn Tua Tim Trgl Crt S Cym Xyl no Vln I Vln II Vla Vc D l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l arco

55 6 icc l l O O E Hn Cl I SRING 9 Cl Cl sn sn Hrn C Tt l l l l l l l Tn Tn Tua nn Tim Trgl Crt S Cym Xyl no Vln I Vln II ithout edal Vla Vc D

56 7 I SRING icc l l O 6 ( e = e ) 6 8 O E Hn Cl Cl Cl sn sn Hrn C Tt Tn Tn Tua Tim Trgl Crt S Cym Xyl no Vln I Vln II Vla Vc D ( ) l l l n n l l l l ( e = e )

57 8 icc l l O O E Hn Cl Cl Cl sn sn Hrn C Tt Tn Tn Tua Tim Trgl Crt S Cym Xyl no Vln I Vln II Vla Vc D - I SRING l l l l l - l l l l l n - n - n -

58 9 icc l l O O I SRING 9 E Hn Cl Cl Cl sn sn Hrn C Tt Tn Tn Tua Tim Trgl Crt S Cym Xyl no ( ) ^ ^ Vln I Vln II Vla Vc D l l l l l l n l l l l l

59 50 icc l l O O E Hn Cl Cl Cl sn sn Hrn C Tt Tn Tn Tua Tim Trgl Crt S Cym Xyl no 55 I SRING to: Tamtam n n to: ass Drum 7 7 Vln I Vln II Vla Vc D l l l l l 6 8 l l l 7

60 5 icc l l O O E Hn Cl Cl Cl sn sn Hrn C Tt Tn Tn Tua Tim TT Crt S Cym Xyl no 6 to: Xylohone n n I SRING n n G uilant to: Glockensiel Vln I Vln II Vla Vc D G uilant trem trem

61 5 icc l l 70 I SRING O O E Hn Cl Cl Cl sn sn Hrn C Tt Tn Tn Tua Tim Glk Crt S Cym Xyl no Vln I Vln II Vla Vc D

62 5 icc l l O O E Hn Cl Cl Cl sn sn Hrn C Tt Tn Tn Tua Tim Glk Crt I SRING 76 a a S Cym Xyl no Vln I Vln II Vla Vc D

63 5 icc l l O O E Hn Cl Cl Cl sn sn Hrn C Tt Tn Tn Tua Tim Glk Crt S Cym Xyl no Vln I Vln II Vla 8 I SRING a a l l l a l l l l l l Vc D

64 ierce q = 66 Summer Solstice Crotales Tamtam ass Drum Celesta Crash Cymals LV LV LV n con sord con sord Ȯ Ȯ Ȯ - U - U - U - U - U - U senza sord senza sord II SUMMER Solstice, Cancer, Leo, Virgo Summer Solstice ierce q = 66 iccolo lute lute Ooe Ooe English Horn Clarinet in Clarinet in ass Clarinet assoon assoon Horn in Trumet in C Tromone ass Tromone Tua Timani ERCUSSION Crash Cymals, Glockensiel, Tamtam, Triangle ERCUSSION Chimes, Claves, Crotales, Snare Drum ERCUSSION Castanets, Crash Cymals Sus Cymals, Tamourine ERCUSSION ass Drum, Wood locks, Xylohone Celesta / iano Violin I Violin II Viola Cello Doule ass

65 56 icc l A 5 Cancer, the Cra II Gently q = SUMMER l O O E Hn Cl Cl Cl sn sn Hrn C Tt Tn Tn Tua Tim Trgl Crt 5 to: Triangle Cym W l Cel Vln I Vln II Vla Vc D A 5 izz to: Woodlocks Cancer, the Cra Gently q = izz izz izz izz

66 57 II SUMMER icc l l O O E Hn Cl Cl Cl sn sn Hrn C Tt Tn Tn Tua Tim Trgl Crt 5 5 Cym W l Cel Vln I Vln II Vla Vc D 5 5

67 58 II SUMMER icc l l O O E Hn Cl Cl Cl sn sn Hrn a C Tt Tn Tn a - Tua Tim Trgl Crt Cym W l Cel Vln I Vln II Vla Vc D

68 59 icc l l O II SUMMER 5 O E Hn Cl Cl Cl sn - - sn Hrn C Tt Tn - - Tn Tua Tim Trgl Crt Cym 5 LV 5 W l Cel Vln I Vln II Vla Vc D 5 5

69 60 II SUMMER icc l l O O 0 5 E Hn Cl Cl Cl sn sn Hrn C Tt Tn Tn Tua Tim Trgl Crt 5 Cym W l Cel Vln I Vln II Vla Vc D 5

70 6 II SUMMER icc l l O O E Hn Cl Cl Cl sn sn Hrn C Tt Tn Tn Tua Tim Trgl Crt Cym W l Cel Vln I Vln II Vla Vc D

71 6 II SUMMER 5 icc l l O O E Hn rit Cl Cl Cl sn sn Hrn C Tt Tn Tn Tua Tim Trgl Crt Cym W l Cel Vln I Vln II Vla Vc D rit

72 6 icc l l O O E Hn Cl Cl Cl sn sn Hrn C Tt Tn Tn Tua Tim Trgl Crt Cym 60 C Leo, the Lion layul q = 08 II SUMMER a - - W l Cel Vln I Vln II Vla Vc D C Leo, the Lion layul q = 08 arco arco arco arco arco

73 6 II SUMMER icc l l O O E Hn Cl Cl Cl sn sn Hrn C Tt Tn Tn Tua Tim Trgl Crt Cym W l Cel Vln I Vln II Vla Vc D

74 65 II SUMMER icc l l O O Digniied q = 7 layul, aster q = 0 E Hn Cl Cl Cl sn sn Hrn C Tt Tn Tn Tua Tim Trgl Crt Cym 5 to: Glockensiel to: Chimes W l Cel Vln I Vln II Vla 5 Digniied q = 7 layul, aster q = 0 Vc D izz izz