The Early Choral Music of James MacMillan: 1983--1993

312 p.Thesis (A.Mus.D.)--University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 2003.Examines the eight choral works composed by James MacMillan between 1983 and 1993 (Beatus Vir [1983], St. Anne's Mass [1985], Cantos Sagrados [1989], Catherine's Lullabies [1990], Divo Aloysio Sacrum [1991], So Deep [1992], ...here in hiding... [1993], The Seven Last Words from the Cross [1993]) within the context of the emergence of the composer's mature style. Provides a biography of the composer, an overview of his education, and a summary of how that education affected his early works. Gives an overview of the eight study works. Using musical examples, identifies compositional features that stem from the influence of his education, and features that result from a turning-away from that influence. Those features that emerge as MacMillan abandons a "modernist" aesthetic are discussed within the context of three extra-musical components of the composer's catalogue-religion, political and social concerns and Scottish nationalism. The musical manifestations of these extra-musical concerns often result in the use of pre-20th century compositional techniques. Also discusses factors that influence form, and the manner in which the formal structures employed by MacMillan evolve over the course of the decade. These factors include formal disposition, transformative processes and the dialectic between static and dynamic elements. Argues that the increasing use of "non-modernist" elements and a corresponding reduction in the use of "modernist" elements most readily identifies the emergence of the composer's mature style. The manner in which MacMillan approaches problems of form also illustrates an evolutionary trend.U of I OnlyRestricted to the U of I community idenfinitely during batch ingest of legacy ETD