Portfolio of original compositions with critical commentary: using pre-existing material through spectra of movement

Abstract

As a composer, I am engaged and interested in the use of pre-existing material in music, especially the use of Renaissance music in contemporary music. Owing to this, my music always refers, in one way or another, to Renaissance music. This thesis is split into the two most significant facets of my compositional approach: distance and combination. Distance comes in the form of the distance or space between my composition and the pre-existing material it uses – in other words, how similar (proximate) or contrived (distant) my pieces sound in comparison to the pre-existing sources they use. This distance is explored in the context of Ferdinand de Saussure’s terms langue and parole which, in the context of my music, mean uses of historical techniques and uses of musical material respectively.

Combination occurs when two contrasting elements combine to create an outcome which is neither one of the elements nor the other, producing multiple possible outcomes of, what I term here, fusion and fission. Both distance and combination are examined through two types of spectra of movement: single movement spectra and dual movement spectra. By exploring distance and combination through spectra of movement, I deviate from typical scholarly approaches which view the use of pre-existing material—specifically in twentieth- and twenty-first-century—as being in a yes/no binary, such as in J. Peter Burkholder’s ‘The Field of Musical Borrowing’ and David Metzer’s Quotation, Meaning and Culture in Twentieth Century Music. I argue that the use of pre-existing material, or two contrasting elements, are not simple yes/no binaries, but contain a complex middle ground which I explore in the context of my practice throughout this thesis. Finally, I propose future areas in which this approach to composition can be used both in my practice and others’ practice.

Metadata

Supervisors:	Spencer, Michael and Iddon, Martin
Awarding institution:	University of Leeds
Academic Units:	The University of Leeds > Faculty of Arts, Humanities and Cultures (Leeds) The University of Leeds > Faculty of Arts, Humanities and Cultures (Leeds) > School of Music (Leeds)
Depositing User:	Dr Niki Zohdi
Date Deposited:	14 May 2024 09:21
Last Modified:	14 May 2024 09:21
Open Archives Initiative ID (OAI ID):	oai:etheses.whiterose.ac.uk:34769

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Final eThesis - complete (pdf)

Filename: Niki Zohdi_Critical Commentary_Final.pdf

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Examined Content

Filename: Niki Zohdi_ [inter]r[e]act I_Score.pdf

Description: [inter]r[e]act I - Score

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Examined Content

Filename: Niki Zohdi_[inter]r[e]act II_Score.pdf

Description: [inter]r[e]act II - Score

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Examined Content

Filename: Niki Zohdi_[inter]r[e]act III_Score.pdf

Description: [inter]r[e]act III - score

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Examined Content

Filename: Niki Zohdi_a mist fell from my eyes_Score.pdf

Description: ...a mist fell from my eyes... - score

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Examined Content

Filename: Niki Zohdi_De rerum naturis_Score.pdf

Description: De Rerum Naturis - score

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Examined Content

Filename: Niki Zohdi_Lux Obscurata_Score.pdf

Description: Lux Obscurata - score

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Examined Content

Filename: Niki Zohdi_NORIBERGHENSIVM 1699_Score.pdf

Description: NORIBERGHENSIVM - score

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Examined Content

Filename: Niki Zohdi_O Clavis David_Score.pdf

Description: O Clavis David - score

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Examined Content

Filename: Niki Zohdi_Occulta Scientia Siderum_Score.pdf

Description: Occulta Scientia Siderum - score

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Examined Content

Filename: Niki Zohdi_reliquiae, loschen_Score.pdf

Description: reliquiae, löschen - score

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Examined Content

Filename: Niki Zohdi_Tarnhut_Score.pdf

Description: Tarnhût - score

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Supplementary Material

Filename: Niki Zohdi_Beyond Borrowed Time_Score.pdf

Description: Beyond Borrowed Time - score

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Supplementary Material

Filename: Niki Zohdi_Mutationes in Motu_Score.pdf

Description: Mutationes in Motu - score

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Examined Content

Filename: NIKI Zohdi_[inter]r[e]act I_Audio.mp3

Description: [inter]r[e]act I - audio

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Examined Content

Filename: Niki Zohdi_[inter]r[e]act II_Audio.mp3

Description: [inter]r[e]act II - audio

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Examined Content

Filename: Niki Zohdi_De rerum naturis_ Audio.mp3

Description: De Rerum Naturis - audio

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Examined Content

Filename: Niki Zohdi_Lux Obscurata_Audio.MP3

Description: Lux Obscurata - audio

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Examined Content

Filename: Niki Zohdi_O Clavis David_Audio.mp3

Description: O Clavis David - audio

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Examined Content

Filename: Niki Zohdi_Occulta Scientia Siderum_Audio.mp3

Description: Occulta Scientia Siderum - audio

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Examined Content

Filename: Niki Zohdi_reliquiae, loschen_video.mp4

Description: reliquiae, löschen - video

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Examined Content

Filename: Niki Zohdi_Tarhnut_ Video.mp4

Description: Tarnhût - video

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Portfolio of original compositions with critical commentary: using pre-existing material through spectra of movement

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Final eThesis - complete (pdf)

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