Abstract
Daniel Pinkham is best known for having produced one of the largest bodies of works for choir and organ of any composer of the twentieth century, most of which were written for the church. However, he also wrote extensively for other instruments, including guitar, harp, and brass ensemble, and all woodwinds. His instrumental writing includes solo and chamber works and in various combinations with other instruments, organ, and choir, in both sacred and secular settings. This instrumental output includes six works featuring oboe or English horn as a solo instrument. These compositions will be the primary focus of this treatise. They were written over the course of several decades of Pinkham’s life and are representative of his style from 1961 to his death.
Although much has been written on the subject of Pinkham’s organ, choral, and sacred composition, very little discussion of Pinkham’s composition has focused on his instrumental writing. Writings on the more widely discussed areas of Pinkham’s composition will provide insight into characteristics that pervade his musical style. I will then draw comparisons between what is discussed and Pinkham’s oboe writing from the corresponding period in his life. With this paper I hope to expand the discussion of Pinkham’s work beyond the areas with which his music is most often associated into the area of his instrumental writing, in which his output is nearly equal to that of his choral and organ writing.
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