Dissertation Index
Author: Kizas, Andrew J. Title: From Octatonicism to Dodecaphony: A Study of Pitch Organization in Selected Works by Donald Martino Institution: University of Western Ontario Begun: September 2001 Completed: December 2004 Abstract: Donald Martino has received a significant amount of recognition for his work both as a composer and as a scholar. To date, however, a detailed theoretical-analytical study of Martino\'s music has yet to be presented. Moreover, while Martino\'s twelve-tone compositions have received attention in the literature, his pre-dodecaphonic works have not. This is unfortunate since, as this dissertation illustrates, Martino\'s pre-dodecaphonic works significantly inform his later compositions. Indeed, the present study, which traces the development of Martino\'s compositional technique and style from his initial experiments with octatonicism through to his mature dodecaphonic works, addresses this lacuna in the literature devoted to Martino. Chapter 1 presents a literature review of existing theoretical-analytical studies of Martino\'s music. As described in chapter 2, pitch-class set theory and transformation theory form the theoretical basis for the present study. The transformational approach is based on the work of David Lewin and Henry Klumpenhouwer. In particular, the Klumpenhouwer network, or K-net, is employed along with its implications for atonal voice leading. These theoretical perspectives are combined in the dissertation in order to take advantage of two different, yet complementary, modes of analysis; that is, the static classification of sets and the dynamic process of transformations. Chapter 3 examines selections from two of Martino\'s pre-dodecaphonic compositions, the second movement of the Sonata for Violin and Piano (1952) and the second movement of the String Trio (1954). Chapter 4 examines selections from two of Martino\'s dodecaphonic works, Piano Fantasy (1958) and String Quartet (1983). Taken together, chapters 3 and 4 lend support to the hypothesis that Martino\'s approach to dodecaphony is predicated on his early experiments with octatonicism. Specifically, it is Martino\'s preoccupation with symmetrical set classes that functions as a link in his compositional development from the octatonic to the chromatic. Indeed, as the analytical chapters attest, it seems that Martino was eventually drawn to the symmetrical pitch-class relations that result from the resources of the total chromatic?resources that are significantly greater in number than those of the octatonic collection. These relationships manifest themselves in Martino\'s particular form of twelve-tone serialism, finding their expression in the numerous combinatorial properties among the hexachordal set classes. Keywords: pitch-class set theory, transformation theory, hexachordal combinatoriality, trichordal generators, derivation, rotation, aggregate structuring, symmetry, atonal voice leading, Klumpenhouwer Networks TOC: CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION Introduction Background Existing theoretical-analytical studies of Martino\'s Music Summary Observations CHAPTER 2: THEORY AND METHODOLOGY Introduction The four types of hexachordal combinatoriality Martino\'s contribution to pitch-class set theory and hexachordal combinatoriality Martino\'s technique of deriving hexachords through rotation Octatonicism and the chromatic aggregate as structural principles in Martino\'s music Transformation theory and Klumpenhouwer networks in Martino\'s music Methodology CHAPTER 3: THE OCTATONIC PERIOD Introduction Bartók, Martino, and octatonicism Martino\'s Sonata for Violin and Piano, Op. 16 Forms of the octatonic, extreme chromaticism, and the String Trio, Op. 24 (1954): On the path to dodecaphony Summary Observations CHAPTER 4: THE TWELVE-TONE PERIOD Introduction The Piano Fantasy (1958) The first movement of the String Quartet (1983) Summary Observations Chapter 5: CONCLUSIONS Contact: Andrew Kizas 33 Sanderling Place Toronto, ON M3C 2J2 E-mail: andrew.kizas@rogers.com Phone: 416-391-3691 |