Physical energy, tonal energy: con-ri-sonanza; ENgREnage; Catena I
- Submitting institution
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University of York
: A - A - Music
- Unit of assessment
- 33 - Music, Drama, Dance, Performing Arts, Film and Screen Studies : A - A - Music
- Output identifier
- 69168445
- Type
- J - Composition
- Month
- November
- Year
- 2020
- URL
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- Supplementary information
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- Request cross-referral to
- -
- Output has been delayed by COVID-19
- No
- COVID-19 affected output statement
- -
- Forensic science
- No
- Criminology
- No
- Interdisciplinary
- No
- Number of additional authors
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0
- Research group(s)
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- Proposed double-weighted
- No
- Reserve for an output with double weighting
- Yes
- Additional information
- Many standard theories of the tonal repertoire –from the 1850s to the present day, Dahlhaus being one of the most influential recent proponents – place dialectical oppositions of key areas as the structural engine of the music. However, Simaku’s underlying question is how these oppositions might be explored in post-tonal contexts. His hypothesis is that an alternative lies in different forms of musical dynamism, contrasting momentum and stasis: in this context, a range of possible responses is demonstrated by this group of three compositions, _con-ri-sonanza_ for piano and string quartet, _ENgREnage_ for violin and piano and _Catena I_ for solo piano – details of commission and performance are stated in the scores. Rather than key areas, the dialectical relationships in these pieces are types of musical energy, tonal and physical. Here, tonal energy concerns the pull of a static pitch-anchor versus material which seeks to escape this gravitational well; physical energy is projected in the dynamic between extremes of stasis and turbo-charged momentum. In each of the three works presented these energies interact with a third technique, ‘static modulation’, where the movement between two harmonic areas is achieved by way of a static mid-point; Simaku’s exploration of this technique across a range of compositions is discussed in Scheuregger’s ‘The Music of Thomas Simaku’, _Tempo_, 70 (2019), pp.40-50. Taken together, these approaches offer a way of understanding and generating musical structures within a non-tonal language by means of an internal musical logic, rather than an imposed programme or arbitrary structural ready-made. The method is most starkly apparent in _ENgREnage_, where the pitch-class D4 is the fulcrum about which the music pivots. The possibilities of this technique are then exploited to obtain greater structural complexity in _Catena I_ and _con-ri-sonanza_.
- Author contribution statement
- -
- Non-English
- No
- English abstract
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