The discovery of the production of antibiotic materials by certain members of the Actinomycetales has stimulated the study of these organisms over the last two decades, raising them from a position of little significance to one of noticeable importance. These studies include investigations concerning the physiology and biochemistry of the actinomycetes.

"Music for Orchestra and Electronic Tape" is an attempt to combine the instruments of the symphony orchestra with electronic sounds which were pre-recorded on tape. The composition is divided into three sections, comprising a large ABA' form with an introduction and a coda. An electronic event occurs between each section.

Oscillation for Prepared Electronic Tape and Symphony Orchestra is a multi-sectional one-movement composition with an aleatory section that has been partially serialized. The piece begins with a five-tone motif on tape which is developed by the orchestra as an introduction to Section I. The principal theme is developed by the strings and brought it to a climax. This climax is immediately interpolated by the five-tone motif slightly altered. At this point the thematic material is mutated and the orchestra goes through a harmonic texture change. The quartal harmonic treatment develops a cluster of tones that resolve into other clusters and the process is repeated to the accelerando of Section II.

This symphony was composed for the purpose of communicating with a contemporary audience and not to please some unknown colleague or future generation. Therefore, experimentation with novel media or systems was rejected in favor of a more conventional approach.