Thesis (Ph.D.)--Murdoch University. / Thesis submitted to the Division of Arts.

This essay is a musicological, analytical, and performance practice investigation of Variazioni e Toccata sopra “Aurora lucis rutilat,” op. 52 by Alberto Ginastera. Commissioned by and written for the Twin Cities Chapter of the American Guild of Organists, this piece was premiered during the National Convention of the AGO on June 18th, 1980 in Minneapolis, Minnesota, by the renowned American organist and pedagogue Marilyn Mason. Mason championed the composition for years on the concert platform, but the composition suffered neglect both by performers and scholars alike. Today, there exists not a single comprehensive study on this work, and only two recordings available. This essay seeks to clarify the composition by addressing 1) the relation between manuscript sources, the correspondence between composer and performer during and after the compositional process, recordings, and 2) by analyzing the form of the piece, by investigating its melodic relationship to the Gregorian tune, as well as by providing an examination of the text and its connection to medieval sources. I will devote a chapter to Ginastera’s biographical background, a review of the current scholarship, as well as a chapter devoted to the analysis of each single variation, thematic placement, and an overview of the harmonic relationship of endings.

Le travail vise à reconstruire l’interprétation de la Cabbale fourni par Paolo Ricci (m. 1541), en ce qui concerne la réception du Sefer Sha‘are Orah (Livre des portes de lumière [ShOr]) de Yosef Giqaṭilla (XIII siècle). Après une introduction générale et une présentation du status quaestionis, la première partie de la thèse se focalise surtout sur le milieu culturel du ShOr, sur son auteur et sur ses possibles sources. La deuxième partie offre une reconstruction de la vie intellectuelle du traducteur du ShOr, Paolo Ricci, en accordant une attention particulière aux relations (historiques et / ou culturelles) avec certains humanistes de l'époque. Un intérêt particulier est réservé au rôle de Pic de la Mirandole et de Johannes Reuchlin, ainsi qu’à la rencontre avec Ellenbog, à l’affrontement avec Johannes Eck, et aux épitres de Pirckheimer. On ce concentre donc sur la possible influence de sources du judaïsme médiéval (en particulier, du ShOr) dans l’élaboration du programme de réforme religieuse d’Agrippa de Nettesheim. Le chapitre sur la «systématisation» de la Cabbale fournie par Ricci vise à fournir une explication possible pour le choix de traduire précisément ShOr. L'analyse est ensuite reliée à l’élaboration d’un court écrit (In cabalistarum seu allegorizantium eruditionem Isagoge), conçu comme un ouvrage d’introduction à la traduction du ShOr, d’importance fondamentale pour la définition de la Cabbale de la part de Ricci. La dernière question abordée concerne l’histoire de la réception de la version latine et de la pensée de Ricci au XVIe et au XVIIe siècle. Deux annexes suivent, dont la première contient une réflexion d’Ernesto Buonaiuti sur le problème de l’unification entre l'homme et Dieu dans la pensée de Pic. La deuxième annexe inclut le premier chapitre du ShOr, selon la traduction latine préparée par Ricci : c’est principalement grâce à cette section que le texte a survécu. / The work aims to reconstruct the interpretation of the Kabbalah provided by Paolo Ricci (d. 1541), with particular focus on the Latin reception of the Sefer Sha‘are Orah (Book of the Gates of Light [ShOr]) by Yosef Giqaṭilla (13th century). After a general introduction and a presentation of the status quaestionis, the first part of the thesis focuses on the cultural milieu of ShOr, on his author and his possible sources. The second part pays particular attention to the intellectual life of Paolo Ricci, mainly to his relations with important humanists of his period. The work then focuses on the possible influence, among other sources, played by the Latin version by Ricci of ShOr on the development of the reformation of magic proposed by Agrippa from Nettesheim. The chapter on Ricci’s theorization of the Kabbalah aims to explore some aspects of his exegetical method and seeks to give a possible explanation for the choice of its translation. The analysis is then related to a short writing (In cabalistarum seu allegorizantium eruditionem Isagoge), conceived by Ricci as an introductory work to ShOr and fundamental to understand his conception of the Kabbalah. The last question concerns the history of the reception of Ricci’s thought as well as the fortune of the Latin version of ShOr between the 16th and the 17th centuries. Two annexes follow, the first of which contains a reflection of Ernesto Buonaiuti on the problem of the unification between man and God in the thought of Pico. The second appendix includes the first chapter of ShOr, according to the Latin translation offered by Ricci: it is mainly thanks to this section that the text survived.

Bonaventure et la lumière : la question semble au premier abord et pour la plupart des médiévistes résolue. Pourtant, la genèse de sa définition de la lumière (II Sent., d. XIII) – notamment la manière dont les idées de Robert Grosseteste lui parviennent – reste encore à déterminer. L’idée d’un usage métaphorique et analogique de la lumière et de sa dimension épistémique permet de mieux évaluer la théorie de la connaissance comme lumière, c’est-à-dire son amplitude réelle souvent réduite à l’illumination divine de l’homme tant intellectuelle que morale. Cette connaissance de la lumière permettant de considérer la connaissance comme lumière par le truchement de la métaphore et de l’analogie donc toute une épistémologie par la lumière se vérifie dans la cosmologie et dans la théorie de la beauté du frère mineur où la lumière joue bien un rôle principiel et paradigmatique. Enfin, que toutes ces implications philosophiques et théologiques de la lumière soient récapitulées dans le Christ compris selon les Écritures, comme splendor, sol iustitiae, lux mundi, compréhension nettement inspirée de la lecture du quatrième évangile et du Livre de la Sagesse par Bonaventure, bachelier biblique, demande encore à être élucidé. C’est en cherchant tant du côté des études à la Faculté des arts de Paris de 1235-1243 que du côté des écrits de Bonaventure, bachelier biblique puis sententiaire, que la question de la lumière dans son œuvre peut être interprétée. Nous proposons donc dans cet ouvrage d’ouvrir quelques pistes de compréhension de la via lucis bonaventurienne. / Bonaventure and light: the issue seems at first and for most medievalists resolved.Yet the establishment of the genesis of his definition of light (II Sent., d. XIII) — and in particular the way in which Robert Grosseteste's ideas reach him — is still to be determined. The idea of a metaphorical and analogical use of light and its epistemic dimension makes it possible to evaluate better the theory of knowledge as light, that is, its actual amplitude, often reduced to the divine enlightenment of Man, both intellectual and moral. This knowledge of light, which makes it possible to consider knowledge as light through metaphor and analogy, and thus a whole epistemology by light, is verified in the cosmology and in the theory of beauty of the Friar Minor in which light plays indeed a principle-like and paradigmatic role. Finally, that all these philosophical and theological implications of light are recapitulated in Christ understood according to the Scriptures as splendor, sol iustitiae, lux mundi, an understanding clearly inspired by the reading of the fourth Gospel and the Book of Wisdom by Bonaventure, bachelor of the Bible, still needs to be elucidated. It is by seeking as much on the side of studies at the Faculty of Arts of Paris from 1235 to 1243 that on the writings of Bonaventure, as baccalaureus biblicus and then baccalaureus sententiarus, that the question of light in his work can be interpreted. We therefore propose in this book to open some avenues of understanding of the bonaventurian via lucis.

Current transportation methods within the Central Arizona region revolve primarily around automobiles. In order for the region to become more economically resilient and environmentally sustainable, alternative transportation methods must be considered. One such alternative that has shown great promise in other regions of the United States is rail transport. Rail transport, including commuter rail or high speed rail, has proven to not only be an effective alternative to automobile transport, but also as a more environmentally sustainable transportation option. The I-11 Super Corridor study, a part of the University of Arizona’s Sustainable City Project 2014, applied next generation urban planning design ideas to the planned Interstate 11 corridor, a major transportation artery that will connect Mexico and Canada. This study inspired this project’s focus on the concept of identifying suitable routes for new transportation infrastructure within the central and southern Arizona regions. Through the incorporation of commuter or high speed rail within central and southern Arizona, a more resilient regional economy and environment can be created. The previous I-11 Super Corridor study presented the incorporation of different regional factors, including population density and economic statistics, to determine suitable routes for future transportation corridors. This project integrates the utilization of specific local and regional data and advanced GIS analysis to determine suitable routes for new rail transport corridors within Maricopa, Pinal and Pima Counties.

Photovoltaic (PV) solar electricity generation has the potential to reduce the demand for more traditional fossil and nuclear power generation. Community PV solar installations allow energy users to share the electricity generated by these plants. Optimal siting of community solar installations will allow for maximum electricity generation while avoiding environmental conflicts, as well as, minimizing construction costs. This study identifies opportunities for community solar plants in Maricopa and Pinal Counties, Arizona, of ¼-acre in size. Input parameters fall into economic, physical, and environmental categories. Each of the input parameters were classified from 1 (not suitable) to 9 (highly suitable). Next, the classified rasters in each category were weighed according to importance, and Esri’s Weighted Sum tool was used to generate a combined raster for the category. The three resulting environmental, economic, and physical characteristic rasters were weighed again, and the Weighted Sum tool was used to generate a raster of community solar suitability scores. Next, a mask of locations inappropriate for community-scale solar development was created, including lakes, rivers, streams, and residential rooftops, which are too small to accommodate ¼-acre community solar installations. The masked areas were removed from the suitability raster, and the suitability raster was reclassified using standard deviations to generate a preference map with values ranging from 1 (low preference) to 3 (high preference). The model output reveals 68 percent of the study area is of medium or high preference for community solar installations. Maricopa and Pinal counties provide many opportunities for community solar installations.