Date of Award
Spring 5-28-2020
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Arts (MA)
Department
Music
First Advisor
David Fulmer
Second Advisor
Shafer Mahoney
Academic Program Adviser
Philip Ewell
Abstract
The Scream of Nature is a musical composition by American composer Noah Wood (b. August 28,1997) for Pierrot ensemble consisting of: Flute, Violin, Clarinet, Cello and Piano. The composition was written in the span of approximately 5 months with preliminary sketches beginning in December of 2019. It's final details were completed on May 6, 2020.
This composition seeks to dissolve metric hierarchy prescribed by time signatures to help the performers find an intuitive pulse within the musical content on a case-by-case basis. Free time (ad lib.) sections are implemented as well, fully up to the performers interpretation as reaction to the, not so freely interpreted, tradition of the cadenza of which improvisation has been frequently disincentivized in contemporary performance practice of the current canon of classical repertoire.
The title is a direct reference to Edvard Munch's painting of the same name as the composer felt it accurately describes the subjective affect of modern society in such a concise way. Plus, the composer himself, tends to write from an immediate, expressionist, perspective as reflected in expressionist paintings like Munch's.
Recommended Citation
Wood, Noah, "The Scream of Nature" (2020). CUNY Academic Works.
https://academicworks.cuny.edu/hc_sas_etds/611