UC San Diego

ABSTRACT OF THE DISSERTATION

Six New and Recent Works for Solo Cello in Recording and Discussion

by Ashley Melynda Walters

Doctor of Musical Arts in Contemporary Music Performance

University of California, San Diego, 2013

Professor Charles Curtis, Chair

The focus of this dissertation project was on the learning, performance, and recording of six works for solo cello: Sequenza XIV by Luciano Berio, Plainsound-Litany by Wolfgang von Schweinitz, Another Secular Calvinist Creed by Andrew McIntosh, Sweet Bay Magnolia with Berry Clusters by Wadada Leo Smith, For Stephanie (on our wedding day) by Nicholas Deyoe, and another anxiety by Nicholas Deyoe. The following writing serves as a supporting document to this project, concentrating on the collaborations between the author and Schweinitz, McIntosh, Smith, and Deyoe. This paper will address the variations in the collaborative process with each composer, commenting on how the dedication of the piece to the author affected the inspiration for writing the piece and the notation, where relevant. In addition, the influence of the collaborative process on the author's interpretation of each piece will be discussed. Finally, where applicable, these aspects and their influence on the listening experience will be addressed.