Abstract
Breaks in Structured Time is a work of musical theater devoid of singing. The compositional techniques utilized over the course of its movements include (but are not limited to) the use of modified serialism, the equal division of pitch space in the intervals of various sets to produce derived sets that utilize quarter- and eighth-tones, quotation of pieces from the Classical era to the 1980s, and choreography of the players on stage (evoking certain “composed theater” techniques of Amy Beth Kirsten). Breaks in Structured Time does not have an explicit story, although its instrumentation and choreography were inspired by the COVID-19 pandemic. Instead, its important musical materials are introduced and developed slowly, in the service of constructing an emergent narrative in listeners’ minds.