Publication Date

2014-12-08

Availability

Open access

Embargo Period

2014-12-08

Degree Name

Master of Music (MM)

Department

Music Theory and Composition (Music)

Date of Defense

2014-11-07

First Committee Member

Lansing D. McLoskey

Second Committee Member

Donal S. Stinson

Third Committee Member

Svetoslav R. Stoyanov

Abstract

KHÁOS is a large-scale percussion piece for solo percussion and quartet. It is divided into two grand parts that contain five movements in total. The impulse behind writing this piece is based on the seasonal cycle and its relations to the Book of Changes. From my earliest memories, my thoughts were directed towards the East. To this day I recall the overwhelming reaction I had when first introduced to the I Ching. Shortly thereafter, I was introduced to the concept of the active silence or Ma through the Music of Toru Takemitsu and his compositional journals. It was only natural to include this new pallet of “colors” in my compositional process and how I and connect those worlds. From its very inception, KHÁOS is an attempt to merge Western craft and tradition with Eastern philosophies and numerological symbolism as found in the I Ching. This paper provides an historical context and information about the methodology of the I Ching, as well an analysis of the piece. The analysis provides insight into macro and microstructures, compositional techniques and their correlation to the extra musical sources.

Keywords

Bussad; Svet Stoyanov; Marimba Solo; Percussion Quintet; I Ching; Chamber Music

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