This thesis is structured in four substantial chapters with subsections. The first two cover the background to Ficino's thought, the second two present his own attitudes towards magic, astrology and music. Chapter one is concerned with aspects of xnusica inundana as represented by Ficino's three main authorities, Plato, Hermes Trismegistus and Plotinus. Firstly I present the fundamental ideas underlying Ficino's mode of thought and musical practice: the structure of the cosmos, Pythagoreanharmonia arid the human soul as microcosm, concluding with the nature of Platonic wisdom. Secondly I consider the role of Hermes and the Hermetic texts with their emphasis on intuitive revelation, aichemical transformation and the imagination. From, this synthesis of the intellectual and the intuitive emerges Plotinus, whose understanding of cosmic sympathy and resonance has profound implications for a significatory attitude towards astrology. chapter two moves on to musica humana, and the magical means by which the Pythagorean and Platonic traditions aspired to bring the human soul into harmony with the cosmos. I discuss the nature of magic and mysticism, of occult ritual and the value of a symbolic mode of perception. The first half deals with Platonic and Plotinian attitudes towards magic, which were predominantly spiritual; the second half considers the practical magical rituals of theurgy, as revealed through the writings of the neo-platonists Iainblichus and Proclus and the Chaldaean Oracles. The central notion, that of time and its two orders, leads to a consideration of astrology as divination and a conclusion on the way of being and perception on which the efficacy of 'magic' depends. The second half of the thesis is directly concerned with Ficino's own synthesis of this material. Chapter three firstly presents his formulation of ways of knowing as found in the lamblichus Commentary, then considers the implications of this for his attitude towards astrology. The 'scientific' astrology of Ptolemy and the syncretic tradition of the Arabs leads to a presentation of the dilemma between the scientific and divinatory approaches. I then discuss Ficino's reaction to astrological determinism and his own views in relation to his Disputatio contra iudicium astrologorum and Commentary on Plotinus. Finally, chapter four brings both astrology and music Into focus as the ingredients of Ficino's practices of natural magic. I discuss his ideas concerning the nature of hearing, the function of the musician and the concepts of spiritus and anhrna mundi in connection with the sympathetic magic of De vita coelltus comparanda. Ficino's attitude towards the power of words and song and his rules for composing astrological music lead us to the final section on muslca Instrurnentalis - Ficino's role as the 'second Orpheus'. Contemporary anecdotes, the importance of Orpheus as a model and the rediscovery of the Orphic hymns precede a more historical discussion of Ficino as a music theorist and improvisor within the context of 15th century Italian musical culture. I speculate on his instrument, Renaissance performance practice and musical repertoire, concluding with examples of relevant musical forms.

This work is the first study on the life and works of Jost Roldn (1876-1945), a Mexican composer of paramount importance. It includes a general account of his life and music as well as a more detailed description of his most important works, such as the Piano Concerto (1935), the song cycle Dibuios sobre as Puerto (1936), and his two Estudios for piano (1935). It includes a catalogue of the composer's works and writings and in the last chapter, an account of his style, aesthetic position and place within Mexico's musical history.

This submission discusses the development of a compositional language which is expressive of 'lived' experience with relation to the works on the enclosed compact discs, Fal/out, Nesting Stones, Invisible Crowds, Bath, Hidden Lives and Scan. The main features of this language are a musical production of space which is mimetic of non-musical experiences of space, and the development of gestural metaphor. Through a process of metaphorical transduction, this links image schema derived from a variety of lived experiences of space and motion with the manipulation of richly associative sound material in order to express emotional and psychological experiences through the production of musical works. The thesis starts by looking at changing concepts of space, the ways that we experience space using our senses, different types of space and the features and qualities of some of those spaces. These topics are then investigated in relation to musical composition and a variety of possibilities are discussed, some of which are related to aspects of the compositional practice in the works presented. This is followed by a discussion of sound material and the use of various structuring devices to create sound worlds, both generally, in terms of contemporary practice, and specifically, in terms of the works presented. A survey of the possibilities of the compositional uses of motion and metaphor completes the consideration of the individual features of this compositional language. The final chapters of this thesis are devoted to the consideration of how the elements already discussed work together in a gestural metaphor and how its use as a structuring device develops and changes in the works presented.

The jazz avant-garde of the 60s and 70s has often been depicted as a movement that signalled the end of jazz as we had come to know it, a movement of unbridled musical energy and passion without the essential restraining influences of formal guidelines and reverence for - traditions. With the benefit of hindsight, from observing the almost neoclassical stance of jazz in the 80s, the notion that this music signified the genre's Armaggedon was patently a misconception. This thesis argues that free jazz was as much a style, concerned with finding its own voice and technical vocabulary, as any other period of jazz history. As an analytical and critical study of pianists and their use of the piano in free jazz and improvised music, this survey is designed to fill a gap in musicological research of this important artistic movement, which hitherto has been primarily concerned with biography and with related sociological issues. The study traces the piano through the turbulent years of radical experirnentalism in jazz and the subsequent refinement in free improvisation in Europe and the U.S. through the work of pianists central to the movement. Rather than adopting the chronological approach, this study considers the music under broad headings specifically related to technique; the instrument's position within the group, and the generation of form, motivic structure and 'language'. Chapter 1, by way of introduction, outlines the argument of what constitutes the 'freedom' in free jazz and looks at the early development of the avant garde as it arose in opposition to the prevailing traditions of bebop and contemporary notated music with special reference to three influential pianists: Herbie Nichols, Lennie Tristano and Thelonius Monk. Chapter 2 is concerned with new concepts in overall form, while Chapter 3 takes a closer look at the smaller components, or motifs, of modular improvisatory structure. Chapter 4 examines the physical nature of piano tones, their unique qualities of sustain and resonance and their changing patterns of distribution in this music; looking at 'space' firstly in the sense of the piano's natural resonance and the pianists whose work has explored this particular characteristic, and secondly, the physical space involved in the act of playing, the sense of movement or kinaesthesis. Chapter 5 will concentrate on the dynamic and percussive approach to free jazz piano. Chapter 6 turns from the physiological to the psychological processes of improvisation; how the opposing forces of habit and originality assert themselves in the improviser's art. Chapter 7 will form a brief conclusion.

This research explores questions relating to ornamentation in North Indian classical vocal music with particular reference to ba1khayil. At a technical level it addresses the question, "What is 'ornamentation' in khayal.?" and subsequently approaches the question, "How does ornamentation transform simple melodic ideas into aesthetic experiences?" The study re-examines the possible origins and evolution of khayl as a context for subsequent examination and analysis of ornamentation in performance practice. The study examines the components of rga structure in two stages; Chapter II discusses the tripartite structure of ruti, svara and phrase with reference to the sastraic tradition as well as to twentieth century sources. The components are found to represent different levels of melodic activity. The discussion is continued in Chapter III where additional components of rga are introduced. 'Ornamentation' proves to be inadequate as a term to describe the many aspects of melodic movement which take place in performance. Consequently this term has to be redefined in the context of khayil and the problem of terminology addressed. The study shows the presence of an accumulative process whereby components of rãga, including gamaka and alaipkra, work at different levels. Their combination expands simple melodic ideas thus creating the melodic texture of performance. Transcription and analysis of a three-level demonstration of ãipa illustrates this process. Additional aspects of gamaka in relation to phrasal structures are subsequently discussed. The last two chapters expand the frame of reference for the discussion relating to amaka and alaqikira. Chapter VI relates the findings of the foregoing chapters to the musical context of lãpa while Chapter VII discusses gamaka within a wider cultural context.

A thesis in electroacoustic composition presented as a set of five electroacoustic works: Monches en bois ... manches de joie, Repeal, Suite from 'List of Contents, Corporation and Conquate de Z 'espoce recorded on digital audio tape and accompanied by scores and a text. The whole forms the sharing of a personal strategy for electroacoustic composition. The text is in two parts. The first, through five chapters, expounds the author's approach to composition and shows how it is based on filmic models for the treatment of sound and aural image. Chapter One explains the author's concept of 'aural cinema' and defines briefly some analytical terms of reference needed for subsequent chapters. Chapter Two describes a general-purpose model for the language of film sound as developed by Claudia Gorbman, so that it can later be compared to aural cinema. Chapter Three describes the author's perception of how his music is heard by his audience and, in applying Gorbman's filmic model to the seemingly incompatible world of aural cinema, develops a term of reference for approaching electroacoustic music using aural images in composition -the phonoscope. In Chapter 4, the relationship between these two models: diegetics and phonoscopy is examined as it relates to the author's technique of composition. Finally, Chapter Five lays down some preoccupations of the author: transformation, experiential rhythm and sane ground-rules for a 'phonoscopic' approach to composition. Part Two of the text (chapters Six to Ten) shows how the author's approach to composition works in practice, by describing the making of the five pieces which form the main part of the thesis, and the composer's intended communication with the audience.

This portfolio represents a body of original research into components of elite erformance that had hitherto not been investigated. There are three main categories of focus. New perspectives on learning and memorisation, and also expressive use of timbre in elite performance are offered. Additionally, a substantial body of work is concerned with investigating whether certain psychological characteristics may figure as determinants of the ability to perform at elite level. The submission is strengthened by collaboration with other disciplines - predominantly sports psychology and psychoacoustics, but latterly, also with education and philosophy. The purpose of this Critical Analysis is to specify originality and coherence within the portfolio and to evaluate its strengths and weaknesses. The contemporary relevance of the work, in all but the most recent paper, is shown by consideration of ideas suggested by the findings, in the context of subsequent research. In the interests of on-going research in a similar area, for the most recent paper, perspectives that further develop the most interesting emergent themes are offered. Qualitative and quantitative methodologies are critically evaluated in relation to the studies undertaken and limitations are acknowledged. Reference to recent developments in research techniques and processes provides some insight into potential refinement of the chosen research methods that might inform future similar research.

The effect of government intervention on business is a longstanding topic in political economy. One of the interesting cases is in recent China, where “socialism with Chinese characteristics” is associated with three decades of rapid economic growth. However, many doubt the sustainability of the “dual-track” approach applied in China, which tries to combine “market track” and “planned track” and achieve national goals without sacrificing firm-specific efficiency. This thesis investigates how the “market economy model dominated by political capital” works in Chinese OMAs. We look at Chinese overseas M&As in the period of 1994-2009. It is a good example because 80% of Chinese overseas M&A took place after China’s “Go Global” policy, and approximately half of the executors are state-owned enterprises. We test whether China’s Go Global policy affected shareholders’ wealth while pursuing government’s long-term goals of strategic resource-seeking and industry restructuring. The results show that Chinese OMAs achieved significantly positive performance in the short-run. However, performance decreased and became statistically insignificant over a longer three-year horizon. We find no evidence in the short-run responses of markets that the Go Global policy sacrificed shareholder wealth. However, we find OMAs by state-owned enterprises significantly underperformed private enterprises in the three years following completion of the deal. And there is evidence OMA performance varied across different sectors in the before and after policy periods. We also develop a generalized event study approach that pools multi-listings in event samples and “weights” individual listings by the new information they provide. We think this approach can be applied to other empirical studies in international/emerging markets settings.

The present study explores the relationship between the seventeenth-century free-style repertoire for the harpsichord and the concept of subjectivity in early modern Europe. It involved considerations about the socio-historical role of music, the philosophic discussions on subjectivity, and cultural issues of the period. The reflection about the content of the works and the possible connection points between this music and subjectivity was centred on the concept of time in its musical, philosophic and cultural dimension. For the investigation of the textual and performative aspects of the musical discourse a phenomenological approach is chosen. Free-style music both articulates and sheds light on significant aspects of early modern subjectivity: the ambivalence between quantifiable and unquantifiable, the theatricality of self-expression, the subjective as object of representation, the balance between authority and subjugation, and the separation of the subject and his or her representation through perspective. It also calls attention to some facets of subjectivity that may be particularly musical: the intentionality of time flexibility, the subject’s conflict between fixity and transiency (instantiated in notated free-style music), and the shared nature of musical subjectivity (in connection with the understanding that the individual readings of the musical text may be seen as ‘appropriations’ of the composer’s playing style). Free-style music may be seen as both reflection and constitutive part of the subject’s move towards autonomy in the sense understood within modernity. It also expresses the vagueness and changeability of the seventeenth-century subject.

Can the modern composer, rather than employing extensional compositional techniques that run the risk of moving counter-intuitively to musicality, instead develop an empathic awareness of internal generative musical processes with the goal of manifesting these processes into the external sonic world?