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My dissertation is a musical composition for a chamber ensemble of sixteen players, scored for flute and piccolo, oboe, clarinet in Bb, bassoon, horn in F, trumpet in Bb, trombone, percussion (2 players), piano, violin I, violin II, viola, violoncello, and double bass. It is specifically written for the University of Iowa Center for New Music Ensemble, and has been read by the ensemble twice to secure ideas for orchestration.
The Revival of a Waning Moon is a single-movement work for approximately 15 minutes. The harmonic content of the work are derived from five hexachords that I labeled H-I through H-V: H-I [013478], H-II [012578], H-III [012468], H-IV [012567], and H-V [012479]. Even though all of the six chords are associated with each other to establish overall harmonic control, only H-II is cultivated for its thematic harmony. The subsets from the H-II, such as the trichord [015] and tetrachord [0157], produce melodic ideas and associates with other harmonies throughout the piece.
Metric modulation is utilized between the sections where the rhythmic elements are emphasized. Jajinmori, a Korean traditional rhythmic pattern is employed to describe a Korean folk dance, which is typically performed in the moonlight. Brake drums and gongs are especially used for imitating the sonorities of Korean percussion instruments.
Formally the work is comprised of three parts (ABA'). Each part has a few divisional sections, which are connected and incorporates each other in terms of their harmonic elements, but is developed with various rhythmic gestures in different tempi.
My personal reception of visual images of the waning phase of the moon, more specifically between the waning crescent and new moon, is mainly a sense of loss, sorrow, loneliness, and anger. Do-Hyang Na (1902-1926), tragically and untimely died at a young age, also describes the waning crescent as an expelled princess and a regrettable widow despite of its beauty in his essay Geu-Meum-Dahl. The visual and poetic imageries provide the emotional background of the piece.