Fear of Entropy, for Orchestra
James Joseph Ogburn · D-Scholarship@Pitt (University of Pittsburgh) · 2006
In this essay, I discuss the structure of my orchestral work Fear of Entropy (2005). Through phrase analysis, I establish the form of the work and address the distinctions between disparate sections, as well as address the function of repetition within the piece. By analyzing the harmonic and contrapuntal structures of individual sections I reveal pitch-based commonalities and distinctions between these sections and account for these factors according to form and texture. This analysis also yields normative patterns internal to the work (such as anticipated harmonic goals). I discuss how and why these norms are progressively subverted. By analyzing texture, I define the most obvious structural divisions of the piece. Through textural analysis, I also identify progressive alterations to texture, timbre, and pitch that increasingly serve to obscure the foundational harmony. I discuss how these processes eventually subordinate pitch to other elements such as timbre.By detailing my compositional process through these methods of analysis, I demonstrate my disposition and innate tendencies. In the course of this study, I also identify sonorities that intuitively appeal to me. In addition, I uncover a subconscious proclivity on my part towards pitch-based unification of texturally distinct materials within a large work.