The Ballad of the Wheel

Authors

John Kosch, University of Nebraska-LincolnFollow

First Advisor

Greg Simon

Degree Name

Doctor of Musical Arts (D.M.A.)

Department

Music

Date of this Version

5-2025

Document Type

Dissertation

Citation

A doctoral document presented to the faculty of the Graduate College at the University of Nebraska in partial fulfillment of requirements for the degree of Doctor of Musical Arts

Major: Music (Music Composition)

Under the supervision of Professor Greg Simon

Lincoln, Nebraska, May 2025

Comments

Copyright 2025, John Kosch. Used by permission

Abstract

The Ballad of the Wheel is a piece for voice, percussion, and electronics that examines the cyclical nature of humanity. It draws texts from existential literature that spans almost all of recorded history, from antiquity to present day. In this work, a single narrator poses the same concerns about the nature of existence in different texts, revealing that questions about the meaning of life transcend boundaries of time and space. The prevalence of the theme of reincarnation also suggests that each movement of the piece presents a different manifestation of a single being. The Ballad of the Wheel implies a narrative in which one soul wrestles with their own existence across multiple lifetimes as they progress from panic and despair to a place of clarity and optimism.

Advisor: Greg Simon

Recommended Citation

Kosch, John, "The Ballad of the Wheel" (2025). Dissertations and Doctoral Documents from University of Nebraska-Lincoln, 2023–. 285.
https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/dissunl/285