Graduation Term

Summer 2026

Degree Name

Master of Music (MM)

Department

School of Music

Committee Chair

Carl Schimmel

Committee Member

Roy Magnuson

Committee Member

Anthony C. Marinello, III

Abstract

Distant Objects is a tone poem in two movements for wind ensemble, inspired by the journey of the Voyager 1, whose primary mission was to fly by and study Jupiter and Saturn. Launched by NASA on September 5, 1977, it is currently the most distant human-made object from Earth.

The first movement, Gravitas, acknowledges the difficulty faced by humankind in launching objects to outer space and the challenge of defeating Earth’s gravity. In this depiction, a series of falling lines and bouncing gestures convey the inevitability of the gravity pull.

The second movement, Gas Giants, depicts the passage of the Voyager 1 probe through Jupiter and Saturn. The Jovian episode depicts Jupiter’s atmosphere as a waving, swirly fugato. Momentum accumulates and leads to a brass chorale conveying the Great Red Spot storm. A Saturnian episode follows, conveying the icy ring system of Saturn as granular gestures over a static background. An isolated high line at the end of the movement and in-between episodes depicts the lonely journey of the Voyager probe through deep space.

Access Type

Thesis-Open Access

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