The discipline of Music Analysis consists of "the resolution of a musical structure into relatively simpler constituent elements, and the investigation of the functions of those elements within that structure". What are the 'constituent elements'? Pitch is the element most often studied when a composition is analysed. Yet pitch is only one element of music. Pitches must be sounded, so an indispensable element of music is its timbre. While analysts are able to discuss pitch structures with a greater deal of sophistication, their attempts to discuss timbre are few and often rudimentary. In this thesis, it is recognised that the discipline of Music Analysis would be enhanced if timbre could be discussed with the same degree of precision as pitch. To this end, a number of acoustic methods for analysing music timbre are proposed. The sound of a music performance is analysed through spectral analysis. This shows us what is physically present in the sound. To begin to understand timbre perception, methods of data weighting and reduction are introduced, based on psychoacoustic models. Six measures of timbre are proposed: timbral width, timbral weight, timbral pitch, roughness, sharpness and observations based on the results of cepstrum analysis. The measures of timbral width, weight and pitch are obtained from a new technique inspired by the Tristimulus Method of Pollard and Janson. The thesis reviews past attempts, both scientific and musicological, to analyse and structure music timbre. Certain pieces appear to use timbre as their principal means of organisation. The abovementioned measures of timbre are applied to two important pieces of this type: the first movement of Lutoslawski's <I>Jeux vénitiens </I>(1961) and Ligeti's <I>Atmosphères </I>(1961). These analyses, which are the focus of the thesis, incorporate an exploration of timbre with a thorough investigation of the music's other structural elements. It is in the examination of the play between timbral and other structures that we find a level of insight into these pieces which has not, until now, been possible.

This thesis is divided in three parts, the first two of which are theoretical and the third analytical. Part I is an investigation of Iannis Xenakis’s general theory of composition, the theory of outside-time musical structures. This theory appears in many of Xenakis’s writings, sometimes quite idiosyncratically. The aim of this part is to reveal the function of the non-temporal in Xenakis’s musical structures, by means of a historical approach through his writings. This exploration serves to unveil certain aspects discussed more thoroughly through a deconstructive approach. The deconstructive is demonstrated in the classification of musical structures and aims partly at showing the nature of Time in Xenakis’s theory. Part II is preoccupied with Xenakis’s Sieve Theory. In the earlier writings on Sieve Theory he presented a slightly different approach than in the later, where he also provided an analytical algorithm that he developed gradually from the mid 1980s until 1990. The rationale of this algorithm and the pitch-sieves of 1980-1993 guides Part III, which is preoccupied with a methodology of sieve analysis, its application, and an exploration of the employment of sieves in some of Xenakis’s compositions of the 1980s. When possible, the analysis takes in consideration the pre-compositional sketches, available at the Archives Xenakis, Bibliothèque Nationale de France. The sketches reveal aspects of the application of Sieve Theory, not included in Xenakis’s theoretical writings. 3As with the application of other theories, Xenakis progressed to less formalised processes. However, this does not mean that Sieve Theory ceased to inform the process of scale-construction. As the conclusion of this dissertation indicates, he employed Sieve Theory in order to achieve structures that conform to his general aesthetic principles, that relate to various degrees of symmetry and periodicity.

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In this thesis I examine the vocal techniques employed by performers of contemporary Greek Pontic and Epirotic traditional music. Combining fieldwork analysis with personal experience, I have been able to demonstrate the underlying cognitive and physiological processes that inform these techniques. While anatomical considerations constitute a central focus of this analysis, I offer at the same time an appraisal of vocal bimusicality. The latter issue arises from my own particular perspectives, understandings and personal experience in diverse musical worlds. The objectives of this research are: a) to identify current vocal techniques in Pontic and Epirotic styles, paying special attention to the exceptional use of the larynx and the articulation/projection of vocalized sounds; b) to bridge the gap between theory and practice in studies of voice and vocal production; and c) to demonstrate how personal experience is relevant to ethnographic research in vocal music. In introducing the research field, chapter I of this study reflects on my role as a native researcher-performer and outlines my choice of case studies. The following chapter reviews the Cantometrics project and considers its relevance to Greek folk song. In addition, other scholarly literature pertinent to the present analysis is surveyed, while there is also consideration of fundamental anatomical and physiological issues. Chapters III and IV focus on the central points of analysis in the thesis with special emphasis on the vocal production of the Pontic and Epirotic styles. Employing verbatim quotations from: a) five co-workers in the Pontic style and b) five co-workers and one polyphonic group in the Epirotic style, I analyze the vocal production of these two Greek musical genres as currently performed. The main conclusions of the research refer to techniques such as: a) the movable larynx, b) the extensive use of the soft palate and upper chest area, c) the widening of the mouth, and d) the dropping of the jaw, which are equally discussed in detail. In the same vein, an analogy is drawn between the vocal production and the size of the musical intervals used in both traditions. Chapter V deals with my own learning processes in Greek folk culture and also in the two aspects of my musicality: the Pontic and Western operatic. Here I endeavour to locate myself among my co-workers and also to provide an 'insider's' view on the subject of bimusicality. I also comment upon the effect that ensues when moving from the Pontic to the operatic vocal style, that is to say, the consequences of changing musical systems and musical envirom-nents. The final chapter summarizes the findings of this monograph whose practice-based research is also accompanied by a DVD containing performances by co-workers and by audio examples. In these ways, I attempt to bridge the 'gap' between theory and practice in those aspects of vocal production that stem from an aural/oral musical tradition.

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A Practice Led Inycstigation into the Relationship Between Computer and Live Performer in Multi-Media, Installation and Theatrical Settings. This research consists of nine compositions that chart the development of specific concepts and techniques involving instrume~performers working with computer technology. Drawing upon the composer's experience of groove-based music and multi-track recording, timing issues and the synchronisation of events become primary themes. The earlier pieces explore the relationship between players and fixed media, used both to reinforce and to re-Iocate a sense of temporal unity. Later pieces introduce interactive elements and real-time computer generated information, including on-screen score production. The inherent theatricality of the situations is exploited by placing the musical process at the foreground of the experience, an idea that is further enhanced by the rigorous embedding of film within some of the structures. Elements of sound installation are also included in the portfolio, not as a diversion from live instrumental performance but to consider alternative modes of listening and audience participation. The final piece Installation for String Quartet, explores the relationship with film in a multitude of ways: as a tool for the synchronisation of players with live electronic events; as a fundamental source of musical material; and crucially, using filmed conductors, as a method of extending and illuminating the performer's experience of ensemble timing. In addition the computer control of multiple films enables live tempo canons, a ·method theorised by Nancarrow but unrealised in his lifetime. Several of the works are accessible to student and amateur musicians, or to those without classical training. Where possible the technical requirements are minimised and the skills needed for their operation easily attainable, effectively widening the opportunity for participation in live electronics, interactive and generative music, multi-media and multi-tempi performance.

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As we begin a new century we find ourselves at a crossroads. It is a time to reappraise earlier achievements whilst continuing the quest for new forms of expression. In an analysis of seven of my own compositions it can be seen that it is possible to venture down more than one path and to explore a range of methods whilst still working within the same aesthetic boundaries. In emphasising the overriding significance of the vertical plane I propose a system of broadly non-functional harmony which provides a framework for developing musical ideas. To create a sense of harmonic progression the composer must find new ways of enabling the listener and performer to understand the timedimension. Using techniques of transformation both within ordered systems of note cells and within a freer approach to harmonic structure it is possible to organise the overall structure of a work and to establish a consistent and personal harmonic idiom. The portfolio of compositions includes scores of the following works together with recordings: 1. A STREET UNDER SIEGE, for symphony orchestra 17' 2. MAGNIFICAT AND NUNC DIMITTIS, for a capella eight part choir 14' 3. STRING QUARTET NO 6 9' 4. CLOSED CIRCUIT, for clarinet, piano and live electronics 9' 5. TURNING TABLES, for viola and harp 9' 6. ARIA - COMMEMORATION, for bassoon and piano 8'.