Graduate Program

Music

Degree Name

Master of Arts (MA)

Semester of Degree Completion

2008

Thesis Director

Jonathon Kirk

Thesis Committee Member

Paul Johnston

Thesis Committee Member

Peter Hesterman

Abstract

Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance is a composition for alto saxophone, baritone saxophone, trumpet, French horn, trombone, tuba, piano, acoustic bass, drum set, and string quartet.

The 1974 Robert M. Pirsig novel of the same name is the primary source of inspiration.for many aspects of its composition. Elements of plot, setting, theme, tone, form, and imagery of the novel are intended to be expressed, and in some cases, directly alluded to, through corresponding musical elements.

The accompanying analysis dissects the mechanics of the composition as it unfolds. Each chapter discusses a section of the composition by reducing it to its elements of form, pitch content, melody, harmony, and rhythm, as well as its orchestration, use of different textures, and dynamics. The piece's literary implications are then discussed in a following chapter, citing both specific and general aspects of the completed analysis. As the piece has some characteristics of "third-stream" music, a chapter discussing its place in a historical context follows. A form graph of the entire composition is available in the appendix.

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