Finding Slonimsky'sThesaurus of Scales and Melodic Patternsin Two Concerti by John Adams

John Adams has candidly acknowledged the significance of Nicolas Slonimsky's <it>Thesaurus of Scales and Melodic Patterns</it> (1947) in his own compositional output. Recent studies affirm that Adams's works incorporate patterns from this book of cyclically related musical synonyms, yet there is little understanding of the properties and organizational principles that make up the <it>Thesaurus</it> and, most importantly, how Adams integrates these ideas in his music. This study provides a closer look at the <it>Thesaurus</it> and examines two representative movements by the composer, drawn from the Violin Concerto (1993) and the piano concerto titled <it>Century Rolls</it> (1996).