Date of Award

Spring 2020

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Music (MM)

Department

Music Theory and Composition

Committee Chairperson

Robert Maggio, Ph.D.

Committee Member

Jacob Cooper, D.M.A.

Committee Member

M. Gregory Martin, D.M.A.

Abstract

Sovereign is a musical retelling of the Revelation of Jesus Christ, the last book of the Bible. This Scripture describes the end times, the temptations of Satan and his followers, the destruction of the world, the pouring out of God’s wrath on unbelievers and the presence of God’s grace within this wrath, the second coming of Jesus Christ, the battle of Armageddon, and the eternal kingdom to come. The musical work is directly inspired by the text and attempts to represent the events that are foretold.

The first movement, “Whoever Has Ears,” depicts chapters 1-4 of the book of Revelation, written by the apostle John. In the second movement, “The Lamb and the Scroll,” the book continues as Jesus is represented as the Lamb who is the only one worthy to open the scroll of seven seals. In the third movement, “The Seven Trumpets,” seven angels sound their trumpets, each one causing more turmoil on the earth. The fourth movement, “The Dragon and the Beast,” depicts the devil and the antichrist, who set out to deceive the world. In the fifth movement, “Divine Wrath,” Jesus, the heavenly warrior, returns to the earth and defeats the powers of evil. The sixth movement, “Death and Resurrection,” shows the thousand-year reign of Jesus on the earth and the creation of a new heaven, a new earth, and a new Jerusalem. The seventh, final movement, “Eternity,” imagines the peaceful serenity that awaits in the everlasting life at home with God.

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