Title

An orchestral transcription of Peter Mennin's Five Piano Pieces based on a study of his early works for orchestra (1942--1953)

Date of Completion

January 1999

Keywords

Biography|Music

Degree

D.M.A.

Abstract

Though recognized internationally as an administrator and educator, Peter Mennin (1923–1983) had a distinguished career as a composer of works in a wide variety of choral and instrumental media. Mennin's predilection for orchestral composition, however, is dearly evident. The objective of this study is to create an orchestral transcription of his Five Piano Pieces (composed in 1949) that represents an application of the composer's ‘thinking for orchestra’ based on his contemporary orchestral works (1942–1953). ^ Along with a brief biography and an overview of Mennin's techniques of orchestration—as seen mostly from contemporary sources—the study includes a narrative description of the transcription process of each of the Five Pieces. A full score of the transcription (with the piano original at the bottom of each system) follows the narrative chapters. ^

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