Materials and Techniques in D’improvviso da immobile s’illumina, for Bass Clarinet, Two Orchestras, Piano and Percussion

摘要

D’improvviso da immobile s’illumina is a concerto for bass clarinet, two orchestras, piano, and percussion, that I composed during my graduate studies at Florida International University in Miami. The work is approximately 16 minutes long and is scored for 30 independent instrumental parts in addition to the bass clarinet soloist. Although the piece does not incorporate electronics, electronic music was a major influence in its creation, and the computer was used extensively as a compositional tool. In addition, the writings of Henry Cowell and the music of Sofia Gubaidulina influenced the concerto in a number of ways. While writing this work, I had to discover new ways to allow pure instinct to intermingle with strict calculation. This paper will discuss in detail the various techniques used in the creation of the concerto as well as some of the works that influenced it.