SELF-BORROWINGS IN THE INSTRUMENTAL MUSIC OF IANNIS XENAKIS Benoît Gibson : University of Evora / CESEM1 (Portugal),
[email protected] In Makis Solomos, Anastasia Georgaki, Giorgos Zervos (ed.), Definitive Proceedings of the “ International Symposium Iannis Xenakis ” (Athens, May 2005). Paper first published in A. Georgaki, M. Solomos (éd.), International Symposium Iannis Xenakis. Conference Proceedings, Athens, May 2005, p. 265-274. This paper was selected for the Definitive Proceedings by the scientific committee of the symposium: Anne-Sylvie Barthel-Calvet (France), Agostino Di Scipio (Italy), Anastasia Georgaki (Greece), Benoît Gibson (Portugal), James Harley (Canada), Peter Hoffmann (Germany), Mihu Iliescu (France), Sharon Kanach (France), Makis Solomos (France), Ronald Squibbs (USA), Georgos Zervos (Greece) Abstract As one of the most important composers of the twentieth century, Iannis Xenakis is also known for having used mathematical models in his compositions and for developing a formalization of music. But Xenakis’s compositional processes did not rely only on mathematics. Like many other composers, he borrowed extensively from his own works. These borrowings, which cannot be properly regarded as self-quotations, did not always relate to theoretical problems. Most of the time, they were selected for their particular sonic qualities or transformed in order to create new ones. This presentation examines the extent of self-borrowing in the music of Iannis Xenakis and shows how the composer made use of montage techniques as a means of producing different kinds of objects or textures. INTRODUCTION Iannis Xenakis figures among the most important composers of the twentieth century. Besides an extensive work, he left many writings which reflect his interest in concepts developed by science and philosophy.