Percussion scoring and orchestration in the wind and percussion ensemble literature of Jared Spears and David Gillingham

While many composers of wind ensemble literature have utilized percussion extensively in their compositions, Jared Spears and David Gillingham are renowned wind ensemble composers who have also written specifically for the percussion ensemble. Within their writing, both have exploited percussion through innovative scorings and their interest in rhythm, timbre, and density. The purpose of this study is to explore the scoring practices (functions of the instruments and combinations) and orchestration techniques (rhythmic and density relationships) of both composers, focusing on the manner and extent to which percussion is employed in their wind and percussion ensemble literature. The criteria for examining each piece and genre were developed to compare and contrast each composer's scoring and orchestration characteristics. To this end, each piece and genre was examined through several scoring categories designed to analyze overall ensemble relationships as well as individual functions of the percussion instruments. These categories were also applied to sections of music, focusing specifically on combinations of instruments and the relationship of ensemble choirs in separate and combined roles. Finally, percussion orchestration was examined with respect to motives, rhythmic underpinnings, metric usage, density relationships, and the significance of these elements to structural unity and form. These comparisons showed that, while sharing certain characteristics, each composer treats percussion scoring and orchestration in different manners, displaying "signature" aspects that make his writing unique. The application of these shared and individual traits, and the extent to which they are employed, define each composer's distinctive style.