Research

Introducing Pitch-Class Set Theory using the familiar repertoire of the common practice period.

Palindromes are a fascinating tool for composers, writers, and linguists alike. I find myself utilizing them in many of my own works as a composer, in my notated music. In electronic music, I often use a reverse sampling of sounds within my compositions. Using both of these compositional tools side-by-side an idea came to be: What would it take for me to compose a reverse function using acoustic instruments? Is such a thing possible? This led to me diving deep into palindromes utilizing my tools as a composer, theorist, and technologist to discover the finer points of palindromes in composition which led to the conclusion that palindromes are far more complex than we realize, and we are just scratching the surface of possibilities. From the jovial palindromes of Haydn, to the reversed waveforms of electroacoustic music, the breadth of possibilities is immense as we ponder the finer points within the Granularity of Palindromes.

Investigating the Elusive Concepts behind Composition Pedagogy

What if we could take counterpoint, and push it to its logical conclusion, to write fully independent pieces of music that act as parts of a greater whole? What if we could write a set of four solos, each with the same duration that, while well-written and appealing to concertgoers, also served as part of any number of instrument combinations? (In this case, 15) Each solo in this hypothetical collection of works would be part of three duets, three trios, and a quartet involving all four instruments. Is such a musical jigsaw puzzle even viable? Would we be able to write music that would make sense in such a manner? It is with this question that we begin our journey toward understanding Polyphinite.

Research into the collective of late-nineteenth American composers in Boston commonly referred to as "The Boston Six."

An exploration of LaMonte Young's Compositions 1960 and their impact. Live performances and interpretation of text scores being of foremost interest.

This is an attempt to allow higher accessibility to performers wishing to perform the Davidovsky Synchronisms. Also, with the rehearsal-friendliness of the program, the piece should certainly be easier to put together even by less experienced performance. This project also serves as a means of preserving the Synchronisms both in a literal and academic sense. These pieces should be easy to perform, in order to make performers want to present them to audiences. This article will hopefully alert people to the fact that the Mario Davidovsky Synchronisms are now easily playable via the program found at the web-link given in the appendix of this document. Anyone hoping to perform these pieces will still need to purchase the scores or acquire them through other means to perform them. A complete list of the Synchronisms included in this project (1,3,4,5, and 6) will be included with information on where to purchase the score and tape part for personal use. This program, however, is free to use.