The clarinet in the chamber music of Alec Wilder.

iv, 218 l. illus., music. 28 cm. Listing of woodwind music: leaves 211-213. Vita. Discography: leaves 215-216. Bibliography: leaves 217-218.This project has as its purpose the analysis of representative chamber music by Alec Wilder which includes clarinet. The author will also discuss the use of the clarinet in these works and the performance problems in the clarinet parts. A chapter will be devoted to the biography of the composer. The works which are to be included are the following: Suite for Clarinet and Strings (1947), Woodwind Quintet No. 2 (1956), Woodwind Quintet No. 3 (1957), Woodwind Quintet No. 6 (1960), Clarinet Sonata (with piano, 1963), Trio for Clarinet, Horn, and Piano (1964). Since the author's first acquaintance with the music of Alec Wilder, he has been often astounded with the general lack of knowledge, or understanding, of Wilder's music by the musical public. There is a vast quantity of this music already in existence, and due to Wilder's craftsmanship and daily practice of his art, the list of compositions grows almost by the day. For example, it has been estimated that there are about four hundred songs. One can only estimate the number of works in any medium composed by Wilder, for there is no complete listing of works available at this time. Few works are published; many of those published at one time are now unavailable. Of the works listed above to be included in this project, only Woodwind Quintet No. 3 is published. The remaining works are in the author's personal library. One of the problems relevant to this project is the lack of accurate biographical data. This problem is often most acute when the investigation concerns a living composer. In the case of Alec Wilder, there is a scant amount of information to be found in printed sources - - and some of these contain erroneous material; furthermore, the person seeking biographical data must remember that the memory of those interviewed for information is not always exact. In discussing each work, the author will include materials relating to the circumstances of composition, the form, texture, harmonic vocabulary, melodic materials, and rhythm, as well as a study of the clarinet parts. It is hoped that this project will open some avenues toward an understanding of Wilder's music for those not aware of its existence, and further, that the discussion of his works for clarinet will stimulate the curiosity of those who wish to probe further into the extensive catalog of woodwind music for some beautiful and appealing music. (A complete listing as of the time of this writing will be found in Appendix A). In addition to the excellent supervision of Dr. Michael Collins the author wishes to acknowledge contributions by the following: John Barrows, Stanley Hasty, Jerome Hill, William Engvick, Louis Ouzer, and Dr. Sigurd Oleson. Without their special help, and that of the author's family, this study would not have been possible