The subject of my dissertation is a concerto for percussion, clarinet, and string orchestra. This concerto, like most concerti, is structured in three movements, with the inner movement being overall more tranquil than the outer two. But unlike most concerti, each movement is named after and pays homage to a composer of my choosing: Bartók, Debussy, and Gershwin. Although these three composers lived roughly at the same time (between 1862 and 1945), they couldn’t have been more dissimilar. Besides being from different countries, which is subconsciously reflected in their music, their musical language is unmistakably unique. It would therefore be an interesting, yet intricate challenge to give unity to a piece of music whose three main blocks exhibit very different characteristics and very different styles. As a homage to Bartók’s famous and ingenious 1936 piece Music for Strings, Percussion and Celesta, my concerto is titled Music for Strings, Percussion and Clarinet. Finally, the duration of the piece lasts about 19 minutes.

In the first section of my dissertation, I will detail the structure of each movement and explain how I used some aspects of the musical language of Bartók, Debussy, and Gershwin respectively to enhance the music and unify the whole concerto. The second section of my dissertation will be the complete score of Music for Strings, Percussion and Clarinet.