Cristóbal Halffter, born in 1930, established himself as an important figure in Spanish avant-garde composition in the middle of the twentieth-century. As one of the prominent leaders of the Generación del 51, he helped establish modernity in music as a part of Spain's identity. His compositional style mixing tradition with the avant-garde was built on the success and breakthrough of Manuel de Falla, a composer with close ties to Halffter's family and served as a 'father figure' to the Generación del 51. This study begins with a discussion on Falla's work and reception, as he lay the groundwork for modernism in Spanish music. Further, discussion on Halffter's background and compositional periods, from his nationalist approach in the 1950s to his embrace of the avant-garde in the 1960s and beyond exemplifies Halffter's prominent role in shaping Spanish modernity. This research then sheds light on previously unexplored solo flute works Debla [Solo VI] for Flute and Studie II [Solo III] for Flute by Halffter. Provided is insight to their respective influences (the Spanish debla and the Fibonacci sequence), analysis of each work, and a discussion on their similarities and differences. By taking an informative approach prior to analysis and performance suggestions, readers will gain insight to Halffter's Spanish roots as they relate to nationalism and the avant-garde, his affiliation with the Generación del 51, and his compositional style.

This research project explores a direction in the formation of sound and image. In the creation of a series of 'moving paintings' I bring together pieces of moving image and sound using techniques derived from musique concr??te. I have coined the term 'moving painting' to describe these sound/image objects that have grown out of an attention to the form, activity, rhythm and texture of sound and image. This project develops from an understanding that sound and image can be constructed on their own terms as opposed to being organised by specific plot devices. This text offers a context for the formation of these moving paintings and outlines the systems of construction that bring them forth from noise. Firstly, I identify sound and its emergence from noise. Secondly, I address the formation of sound into music within a community. And lastly, I use these ideas to form systems for organising visual imagery. In doing this, I present a series of audiovisual works in which sound and image are woven together to form moving paintings.

This research project explores a direction in the formation of sound and image. In the creation of a series of 'moving paintings' I bring together pieces of moving image and sound using techniques derived from musique concr??te. I have coined the term 'moving painting' to describe these sound/image objects that have grown out of an attention to the form, activity, rhythm and texture of sound and image. This project develops from an understanding that sound and image can be constructed on their own terms as opposed to being organised by specific plot devices. This text offers a context for the formation of these moving paintings and outlines the systems of construction that bring them forth from noise. Firstly, I identify sound and its emergence from noise. Secondly, I address the formation of sound into music within a community. And lastly, I use these ideas to form systems for organising visual imagery. In doing this, I present a series of audiovisual works in which sound and image are woven together to form moving paintings.

Zugl.: Heidelberg, Univ., Diss., 2006 u.d.T.: Herzfeld, Gregor: Prozess und Epiphanie

Thesis (A.Mus.D.)--University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 2007. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 68-11, Section: A, page: 4537. Adviser: Heidi von Gunden. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 128-129) Available on microfilm from Pro Quest Information and Learning.

Charlotte Moorman (1933–1991) was a Juilliard-trained cellist whose life and work made an indelible mark on the development of the American avant-garde. In her career, Moorman acted as a performer, collaborator, composer, administrator and muse. She solely founded the inaugural New York Avant Garde Festival, and subsequently directed fifteen of these festivals between 1963 and 1980, the feat for which she is most widely acknowledged today. Yet, her revolutionary performance practice, which blurred the lines between her life, her body, and her work, and brought into focus the dynamics of corporeality, the feminine body, female nudity and sexuality, and gendered politics within the contexts of musical performance, has so far escaped serious consideration in the written histories of the American avant-garde. This dissertation describes the nature of Moorman's practice as one that evolved to become inherently and irrevocably embodied, explores how this approach fell at odds with the pervasive avant-garde philosophies of music, and illustrates how her work troubles even a feminist musicological analysis. Further, through a contemporary critique of Moorman's oeuvre which centralizes the social, cultural, and political implications of her body in performance as integral to the work, this project offers a retrospective visibility to the artist which allows for a reframing of her practice as foundational to the aesthetic development of the postwar musical avant-garde. By way of these efforts, Moorman's legacy is presented as one that is both historically significant and vital to current and future musicological discourse.

When John Cage invented the prepared piano in 1940, he created a sound world and body of music unlike anything heard before. The innovative music he wrote for prepared piano requires a completely new approach to performance, and expands our understanding of the piano's capabilities. This study will examine the main prepared piano works by John Cage, with a detailed analysis of the Sonatas and Interludes. Cage's Table of Preparations will be examined to establish an aesthetic rationale for this preparation. Different modes of listening will be explored through a selection of the Sonatas and Interludes recorded in three different technological systems - conventional AB 2.0, surround 5.1, and Disk Jecklin. The latter allows for a true "surround sound" experience as Cage himself might have heard his own pieces. Included is a compact disc of selections from Sonatas and Interludes recorded in each of the three technological systems. / by Inara Ferreira. / Thesis (M.A.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2010. / Includes bibliography. / Electronic reproduction. Boca Raton, Fla., 2010. Mode of access: World Wide Web.

Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Wollongong, 2007. / Typescript. Includes 2 sound discs and 1 DVD-ROM in back pocket. CD 1: The animation of lists; CD 2: And the archytan transpositions. DVD-ROM contains Part Three - Appendix. Includes bibliographical references: leaf 291-301.

In the first half of the twentieth century, sporadic attempts of avant-garde composers to include sounds other than pitch in musical composition paved the way for the composers in the second half to embrace the sound of all types in their creative works. The development of technology since the mid-past century has facilitated composers' inclusive use of sound. The recent achievements in electronics and computers have led to cost-effective tools for today's composers to explore new possibilities in sound design and manipulation. Gradual for tenor saxophone and fixed electronics is primarily concerned with noise. Among the infinite possibilities of noise types, metallic sounds significantly contribute to the composition. The title of the piece refers to the compositional process in which the music progressively unfolds itself from the beginning to the end. The methods and strategies used to present the content give rise to a form I call accretion, described as an organic process by which the musical materials grow. Within the process, while established materials are interacting, combining, and forming layers, new materials may be incorporated and take part in the process. Throughout the composition, the interaction between sounds with common properties guides the music toward interactive unity, while the interplay between sounds with different characteristics forms a dialectical communication. The constant push-and-pull between the two states creates a restless tension throughout the composition. In the current version of Gradual, the audio signals from both saxophone and fixed electronics are transmitted to the same speakers, which helps coalesce acoustic and electronic sounds. The future prospect of the piece can involve real-time audio signal processing to manipulate the sound of saxophone. Adding the above feature to the current version will promote the unification of the two media into a single whole.

This dissertation explores the analysis and creation of compositions from the standpoint of texture and momentum. It is comprised of four chapters. The first presents a number of concepts as tools for analysis, including textural typography and transformation, perception of time and psychological engagement of an audience, and respiration as a metaphor for musical momentum. The second and third chapters apply these tools to Gerard Grisey's "Periodes" and "Partiels," and Brian Ferneyhough's "Lemma-Icon-Epigram." The fourth explores specific methodologies used in composing my dissertation piece, "Phase," including the application of number systems ranging from formal to local levels.