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University of Missouri--Kansas City

For whom the bell tolls for flute (piccolo), soprano saxophone (alto saxophone), percussion, and piano

Abstract

dc:description.abstract

This piece is inspired by "Meditation XVII”, a poem written by John Donne in 1624. It appears in Devotions Upon Emergent Occasions and Seuerall Steps in my Sicknes. The opening line is: "PERCHANCE he for whom this bell tolls may be so ill, as that he knows not it tolls for him; and perchance I may think myself so much better than I am, as that they who are about me, and see my state, may have caused it to toll for me, and I know not that." In this varied work, I use familiar structural elements and alter them to create unexpected twists. The environment is heavy in the beginning until rapid, running material appears. This, in turn, becomes the core of the piece. The bell chord, melodic lines in the winds, and rhythmic percussive patterns all originate from this material. In terms of instrumentation, I rely on two groups: the first is a pair of wind instruments and the second consists of percussion and piano. These duets interact with each other during the development process. Occasionally, I break these groupings to create diverse timbral combinations, such as when the piano interacts with piccolo in the high register or with alto saxophone in the low register.

Degree

thesis:*
Name thesis:degree_name
M.M.
Level thesis:degree_level
Masters
Discipline thesis:degree_discipline
Music Composition (UMKC)
Grantor dc:publisher
University of Missouri--Kansas City
Year dc:date.issued
2018

Author and committee

dc:creator, dc:contributor.*
Author dc:creator
  • Yin, Hao
Advisor dc:contributor.advisor
  • Chen, Yi, 1953-

Rights

Language dc:language.iso
en_US

Identifiers

dc:identifier.*
Handle dc:identifier.uri
https://hdl.handle.net/10355/64185
OAI identifier oai:identifier
oai:mospace.umsystem.edu:10355/64185

Chain of custody

source
Harvested from
University of Missouri - Kansas City
Base URL
mospace.umsystem.edu/oai/request
Last updated
2026-07-24
Source record
OAI-PMH GetRecord
related terms
citation

Yin, Hao. For whom the bell tolls for flute (piccolo), soprano saxophone (alto saxophone), percussion, and piano. Masters thesis, University of Missouri--Kansas City, 2018. https://hdl.handle.net/10355/64185