CREATING MUSICAL MOMENTUM: TEXTURAL AND TIMBRAL SCULPTING WITH INTUITIVE COMPOSITIONAL SYSTEMS AND FORMAL DESIGN Bradley G. Robin Dissertation Prepared for the Degree of DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY UNIVERSITY OF NORTH TEXAS August 2016 APPROVED Dr. Joseph Klein, Major Professor, Chair of the Department of Music Composition Dr. Andrew May, Committee Member Richard DeRosa, Committee Member Dr. Benjamin Brand, Director of Graduate Studies, College of Music Dr. Warren Henry, Interim Dean, College of Music Costas Tsatsoulis, Interim Dean of the Toulouse Graduate School Copyright 2016 by Bradley G. Robin ii Table of Contents ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS……………………………………………………………………..iv LIST OF FIGURES ......................................................................................................... vii! LIST OF TABLES .......................................................................................................... xii! PART I .............................................................................................................................. 1! CRITICAL ANALYSIS ..................................................................................................... 1! CHAPTER 1 ........................................................................................................................ 2! TOOLS FOR ANALYSIS .................................................................................................. 2! Introduction – Historical Overview!.......................................................................................................!2! Sound!..................................................................................................................................................................!4! States of Sound!..........................................................................................................................................!10! Periodicity!......................................................................................................................................................!11! Time and Perception!................................................................................................................................!19! Form!.................................................................................................................................................................!23! CHAPTER 2 ...................................................................................................................... 31! ANALYSIS OF GERARD GRISEY'S PERIODES AND PARTIELS ........................ 31! Respiration: Macro-periodicity!............................................................................................................!31! Semiotics of Sound!...................................................................................................................................!32! Timbral Morphology!..................................................................................................................................!34! States of Sound (Transformation of the Attack-effluvial continuum)!..............................!36! Textural Magnification!.............................................................................................................................!39! State “Shift”!...................................................................................................................................................!41! Transformation through Reiteration!.................................................................................................!42! CHAPTER 3 ...................................................................................................................... 55! BRIAN FERNEYHOUGH'S LEMMA-ICON-EPIGRAM .............................................. 55! Categorization of Textures!...................................................................................................................!55! iii Beginnings and Development of Categories!...............................................................................!60! Respiration in Lemma-Icon-Epigram!...............................................................................................!62! CHAPTER 4 ...................................................................................................................... 79! ANALYSIS OF PHASE: AGONY TRANSMUTED ...................................................... 79! Form and Conception!..............................................................................................................................!79! Number Systems: Aria 1 and Interlude 1!......................................................................................!81! Textural Transformations: Aria 2!.......................................................................................................!92! Respiration: Aria 3 and Interlude 3!...................................................................................................!98! Re-contextualization: Aria 4!...............................................................................................................!101! APPENDICES .............................................................................................................. 107! Respiration of Materials, Lemma-Icon-Epigram, mm. 24-48. ................................. 108! Momentum with dynamics and tessitura, Lemma-Icon-Epigram, mm. 42-48. ..... 109! Categorical respiration (continued), Lemma-Icon-Epigram, mm. 48-59. .............. 110! Categorized final respiratory cycle, Lemma-Icon-Epigram, mm.160-177. ........... 111! Phase form with “macro-phenomenological” annotation ......................................... 112! BIBLIOGRAPHY .......................................................................................................... 113! PART 2: COMPOSITION………………………………………………………………………1 Phase: Agony Transmuted……………………………………………………………..1 Performance Notes………………………………………………………….…..2 Stage Setup……………………………………………………………………...3 Prologue………………………………………………………………………….5 Movement I………………………………………………………………...…….6 Aria 1: Impact…………………………………………………………….6 Interlude 1 Breath……………………………………………………....13 Aria 2: Submersion………………………………………………....…...14 Interlude 2: Recovery………………………………………....……….30 iv Movement II………………………………………………………………….....34 Aria 3: Discovery………………………………………………………..34 Interlude 3: Core………………………………………………………..50 Movement III...……………………………………………………………….....52 Aria 4: Integration………………………………………………………52 Interlude 4: Wield……………………………………………………....56 Aria 5: Peace……………………………………………………………58 v ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I wish to express my sincere thanks to Joe Klein, Chris Moore, Claudia Howard Queen for keeping the bar high; Andrew May for a commitment to the creative integrity of the whole artist; Richard DeRosa for helping me not to forget where I came from; Steve Harlos for helping me get it back, and then some; David Schwarz for combining the mind, meaning, emotions, and music; David Stout for an aesthetic vision; Jon Nelson for a continued warmth of heart and brilliance of mind; Timothy Jackson for a forward way of thinking; and Shelley Korshak for believing in me before I could believe in myself. And a special thanks to my beloved wife Nicole for her seemingly endless patience, love, and support. vi LIST OF FIGURES Figure 1.1 Hindemith's categorization of consonance......................................................6 Figure 1.2 ADSR Envelope...............................................................................................6 Figure 1.3 Varèse “Hyperprism,” mm.7-12.......................................................................8 Figure 1.4 Varèse “Hyperprism,” mm.13-18.....................................................................9 Figure 1.5 The Attack-effluvium continuum....................................................................10 Figure 1.6, Continuous and static periodicity, Grisey, Periodes, p.15............................13 Figure 1.7 Statistical acceleration...................................................................................14 Figure 1.8 Acceleration by elision (discontinuous)..........................................................14 Figure 1.9 Textural acceleration, Tempus ex Machina, p. 1...........................................17 Figure 1.10 Decompression, Tempus ex Machina, p. 14...............................................18 Figure 1.11 Sciarrino, Come Vengono, opening.............................................................22 Figure 1.12 “Monkey wrench” Waver, 119-124...............................................................28 Figure 1.13 End of Limud mm.224-226...........................................................................28 Figure 1.14 “Monkey wrench” Periodes, p. 32.................................................................29 Figure 1.15 End of Partiels.............................................................................................30 Figure 2.1 Respiration in Periodes....................................................................................31 Figure 2.2 Establishment of sonic identity, Periodes, p. 1..............................................33 Figure 2.3 Timbral development, Periodes, p. 7.............................................................34 Figure 2.4 Transformation of flute articulation, Periodes, p. 11......................................35 Figure 2.5 Re-contextualization......................................................................................35