ABSTRACT British composer and keyboardist Keith Emerson (b. 1944) has composed for various mediums, which include piano, orchestra, and rock trio. A consistent level of musical awareness is manifested in all three of these mediums, and a unique compositional style can be identified by studying the rhythmic, melodic, harmonic, and formal language of his music. The subject of this discussion is one representative large-scale work, Tarkus (1971), ae it appears on side one of the eponymous album recorded by the rock music trio Emerson, Lake and Palmer (ELP). The Tarkus album was xeleased in 1971 during the early initial ELP period. the intent of this thesis is to define and document the compositional approaches keyboardist Keith Emerson took when writing the suite Tarkus for Emerson, Lake and Palmer. Following a biographical chapter, thie study examines each of the seven movements of the suite, detailing Emerson’s compositional treatment of instrumentation, text (where applicable), rhythm, texture, harmony, melody, counterpoint, and form. An eclectic analytical approach is taken, with theoretical descriptions of vertical and linear events including traditional functional harmony, jazz chord symbols, atonal set theory, and other devices. Emerson’s compositional collaboration with Greg Lake on certain movements is also addressed. A Summary and Conclusions