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Octet for Winds

Wise, Scott L.
http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ucin1368025151

Abstract Details

2013, DMA, University of Cincinnati, College-Conservatory of Music: Composition.
Wind chamber music, known in the Vienna of Emperor Joseph II as `harmonie,” has a rich and storied history as a medium which, with its potential volume and rich timbres, has the capability to `blur’ the line between `chamber’ and `concert hall’ music. The “harmonie” (particularly for wind octet) of Haydn, Beethoven and especially Mozart form the cornerstones of this repertoire with Mozart’s “Gran Partita” representing, perhaps, the pinnacle of the `classical’ wind repertoire. Wind octets and (especially) `expanded’ wind groups (with additional winds and the occasional `cello or bass) continued to be written over the next century with notable examples being produced by Gounod, Dvorak and Richard Strauss. It is interesting that Stravinsky turned to this type of ensemble for his Octet of 1923, the work which, in the public’s eyes, heralded his new, “neoclassical” aesthetic stance, though he dramatically altered the traditional ensemble with its core group of pairs of oboes, clarinets, bassoons and horns, keeping from this only a single clarinet and the two bassoons (it is also of note that 1923 saw Varese’s own version of the `wind’ octet, Octandre). In addition to a return to tradition forms, the Octet provides an excellent example of Stravinsky’s neoclassical ideas in action (especially in conjunction with its companion article "Some Ideas about My Octuor"). In my Octet for Winds I sought to add my own contribution to the tradition of “harmonie” while also acknowledging my debt to, and abiding respect for, the music and musical example of Stravinsky. In the spirit of the latter of these I purposefully made use of techniques culled from study of Stravinsky’s works in all periods, for example poly-tonality, modality and themes derived from tightly controlled motivic cells as well as, in the middle movement, certain hallmarks of his serial style such as the use of rows consisting of other than the `standard’ twelve notes and the deployment of all four row types in extremely close proximity
Joel Hoffman, D.M.A. (Committee Chair)
Mike Fiday, Ph.D. (Committee Member)
Douglas Knehans, D.M.A. (Committee Member)
44 p.
Music
harmonie

Recommended Citations

Citations

  • Wise, S. L. (2013). Octet for Winds [Doctoral dissertation, University of Cincinnati]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ucin1368025151

    APA Style (7th edition)

  • Wise, Scott. Octet for Winds. 2013. University of Cincinnati, Doctoral dissertation. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center, http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ucin1368025151.

    MLA Style (8th edition)

  • Wise, Scott. "Octet for Winds." Doctoral dissertation, University of Cincinnati, 2013. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ucin1368025151

    Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition)

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This open access ETD is published by University of Cincinnati and OhioLINK.