Borrowed joy : an honors thesis recital (HONRS 499)

Every composer has a sound that is specific to his or her work. As a fledgling composer, I don't yet have a "signature Pearl Rhein" sound to my music. However, while I am finding my voice, I try to take my influences from what I consider to be the best musical theatre composers: George Gershwin, Leonard Bernstein, Stephen Sondheim, Jeanine Tesori, Jason Robert Brown and William Finn. On April 24, 2005, along with some close friends and brilliant performers, I gave a recital of works by these composers as well as original works.My encore for the evening (which I announced at the beginning) was a song by William Finn called "Infinite Joy." This is one of my favorite songs in the world because of its beautiful simplicity and because of its lyrics. The message of the song—that joy can be found everywhere—is such an important one to me that I considered naming my recital after the song. Unfortunately, William Finn himself had already named one of his song cycles Infinite Joy. I decided that my performance was meant to explore the composers who have most influenced my writing: those from whom I borrow my joy. That is how the title was decided.This document includes the music to each song that was performed and an introduction explaining its significance.Honors CollegeThesis (B.?.