Love and Determination Suite Composed in the Style of the Motown Sound from 1961 to 1969

Abstract

The Motown Sound is an umbrella term coined as the name of the specific type of R&B music produced by Motown Records during its years of greatest success. This thesis presents an original composition entitled Love and Determination Suite which demonstrates and expands on the composers understanding of the Motown Sound from 1961 to 1969. Starting with a brief history of Motown Records, the thesis then gives a compositional overview of Love and Determination Suite. This is followed by a musicological analysis of 50 pieces of Motown repertoire between the years of 1961 and 1969, and how the findings of this research were used to inspire the composition of the original suite. A full score of Love and Determination Suite is provided at the end of the thesis.