Syncretisms for Wind Quintet and Percussion: A Study in Combining Organizational Principles from Southeat Asia with Western Stylistic Elements
View or Download .pdf: j_seymour_syncretisms_mm_thesis.pdf
The critical essay component to my MM Thesis in Music Composition is available here. The Musical Score component is not made available online, but like all of my scores, it’s available for free upon request (by contacting me).
Abstract
Syncretisms is an original composition scored for flute, oboe, clarinet, horn, bassoon, and marimba (2-mallet minimum, 4-mallet recommended) with an optional percussion part requiring glockenspiel and chimes, and which has an approximate duration of 6 min. 45 sec. The composition combines modern Western tuning, timbre, and harmonic language with organizational principles identified in music from Southeast Asia (including music from cultures found in Thailand, Cambodia, Malaysia, and Indonesia). The accompanying paper describes each of these organizational principles, drawing on the work of scholars who have performed fieldwork, and describes the way in which each principle was employed in Syncretisms. The conclusion speculates on a method for comparing musical organizational systems cross-culturally.