A few years ago, I wrote a paper about William O. Smith. It wasn’t doing me any good sitting here on my computer, so I thought I’d upload it to make it available to anyone who is interested.

The Compositional Style of William O. Smith (PDF) (ZIP)

Written as part of the requirements for my doctoral qualifying exam, this paper explores the evolution of the compositional style of William O. Smith from his studies with Milhaud and work with the Dave Brubeck Octet to his later works. Works discussed include Five Pieces, Variants, Jazz Set for solo clarinet, Concerto for Jazz Soloist and Orchestra, and Epitaphs for double clarinet, including detailed twelve-tone analysis where relevant.

Note: All scores included in the appendix to this document are for reference purposes only.  Please do not duplicate or use for performance.