The purpose of this project is to bring Kim’s caprices into the mainstream violin literature through a three-prong approach by examining each caprice via musical analysis, technical analysis, and by investigating its pedagogical merit. After inspecting each caprice through three different lenses mentioned above, the paper will organize the twelve caprices around a tripartite structure; serial, atonal, and free tonal. The work opens with a six-measure Motto. While the relationship between the Motto and the rest of the work is not immediately clear, thorough musical and formal analysis will provide insight into the work’s cohesion. This project will also examine pedagogically what specific technical challenges lay in selected caprices and how to solve thorny problems. The caprices are truly innovative in a sense that they present opportunities to understand non-tonal polyphonic writing on what is supposed to be a monophonic instrument while expanding the tradition of the Violin Caprice.

This commentary accompanies a portfolio of nine compositions written between October 2006 and June 2009. This commentary traces the development of a range of compositional ideas throughout the portfolio. These revolve around the creation of multilayered textures where all the material and all subtle variations thereof are audible, leading to an investigation of rhythmical block durations and the role of memory. The context in which these ideas arose is provided through discussion of specific existing work that closely relates to the portfolio, in particular by John Cage, Morton Feldman, György Ligeti and Giacinto Scelsi.

These compositions explore concepts based on processes and polymeter. Drawing on influences ranging from Steve Reich to Conlon Nancarrow and Nik Bärtsch they use and develop an approach to rhythmic thinking based on ostinati constructed of layers of different speeds. Through the use of click tracks, they look at how an ensemble can be enabled to perform rhythms that, without the electronic support, would be unplayable – crossing a line between the possible and the impossible. By means of processes built on a number of different ideas, the pieces explore how these can be used to affect both the behaviour and evolution of musical material, as well as using them to create fixed structures within which I then move subjectively and more intuitively. The question of balance, of moving between two points or approaches that are seemingly opposites, has also been examined: looking at how the journey affects the destination, where the simple becomes complex, and where personal meets impersonal.

Companhia, publicada originalmente em inglês no ano de 1980, é uma narrativa construída na fronteira entre imaginação e enunciação por um sujeito solitário que, deitado de costas no escuro, fabula continuadamente em busca de companhia. Ela se inclui entre as narrativas de Samuel Beckett cuja trama se passa no espaço mental de seus protagonistas, na região comumente chamada de manicômio do crânio. Conhecida por características que a mantêm distante dos esquemas teóricos universais, apresenta uma abundância de programas narrativos que se anulam uns aos outros, resultando num forte clima de incerteza implicado na situação desse homem deitado de costas no escuro, protagonista da história. Contribuem para esse efeito, também, o emprego de anáforas, que não remetem a nenhuma referência segura; a hipóstase dos papéis actanciais, em que actantes se fazem passar por atores; a estruturação dos parágrafos, distribuídos sem relação lógica explícita que os articule uns aos outros; a articulação de determinados eixos semânticos (como luminosidade, solidão, subjetividade, silêncio, entre outros) sob ótica de uma sublógica da língua, que estabelece o primado das relações complexas sobre as articulações da significação pautadas em dicotomias. Com base na teoria semiótica francesa, a presente pesquisa procura demonstrar que esses elementos, que em Companhia promovem o efeito de incerteza, são decorrentes de operações sintáxicas meticulosamente organizadas pelo enunciador beckettiano. Constituem, portanto, procedimentos discursivos que, apesar do forte clima de incerteza vi mencionado, podem ser descritos por meio de análise, especialmente na articulação de sua dimensão figurativa com a dimensão profunda, a figuralidade. Ao longo da análise (desenvolvida na Segunda Parte da tese), procuramos acompanhar o contraponto das diferentes vozes entrelaçadas na trama, sem deixar de considerar os conteúdos dos episódios narrados pela voz na segunda pessoa gramatical. Desse modo, o conflito das vozes responsáveis por estabelecer o ritmo e a tensividade na narrativa está diretamente relacionado com o conteúdo desses episódios, formulados pela voz na segunda pessoa, na forma de fragmentos biográficos desarticulados uns dos outros. Por fim, ao investigar algumas questões de ordem fenomenológica envolvendo o protagonista de Companhia, apresentamos uma possível perspectiva do enfoque figural em outras obras representativas do discurso literário do século XX. / Originally published in English in 1980, Company is a narrative built on the border between imagination and enunciation by a loner who, lying on his back in the dark, continuously fables in search of companionship. It is among the narratives by Samuel Beckett whose plot takes place in its protagonists mental space, in the region commonly referred to as the madhouse of the skull. Known for features that keep it distant from universal theoretical frameworks, it presents an abundance of narrative programs which nullify one other, resulting in a strong atmosphere of uncertainty involved in the situation of the man lying on his back in the dark, who is the protagonist of the story. Also contributing to this effect, there is the use of anaphoras, which do not refer to any secure reference; the hypostasis of actancial roles, in which actants pose as actors; paragraph structure, distributed without explicit logical connection that articulates one in relation to the other; the articulation of certain semantic axis (such as luminosity, loneliness, subjectivity, silence, among others) under the light of a language sublogics, which establishes the primacy of complex relationships in opposite to the articulations of signification based on dichotomies. Based on the French semiotics theory, this research seeks to demonstrate that those elements, which in Company promote the effect of uncertainty, result from syntactic operations meticulously organized by the Beckettian enunciator. They, therefore, constitute discursive procedures which, despite the strong atmosphere of uncertainty mentioned, can viii be described by means of analysis, especially in the articulation of their figurative dimension with the in-depth dimension, that is, figurality. Throughout the analysis (developed in Part II of the thesis), the attempt was to follow the counterpoint of different voices intertwined in the plot, while considering the content of the episodes narrated by the voice in the second grammatical person. Thus, the conflict of the voices responsible for setting the narratives pace and tensiveness is directly related to the content of these episodes, formulated by the voice in the second person, in the form of disjointed biographical fragments. Finally, in order to investigate some phenomenological issues involving the protagonist of Company, a possible perspective of the figural focus on other works representative of the literary discourse of the 20th century is introduced.

Esta dissertação consiste em uma abordagem do fenômeno da luz que interesse ao Design da Iluminação. Isso se faz aqui através da leitura da obra de Dan Flavin, artista americano que utilizou a lâmpada fluorescente como material quase que exclusivo em seus trabalhos. Flavin conhece e explora a luz como um fenômeno intangível. Recusa noções preconcebidas de espaço, e busca novas experiências perceptuais e espaciais. Assim, sua obra nos permitiria uma leitura múltipla, levantando diversos aspectos importantes para a atividade do designer da Iluminação. Pesquisar Flavin é uma imersão na luz, na cor, no espaço e na percepção humana. A riqueza visual e conceitual de sua obra nos levaram a explorar o conhecimento que se tem sobre a presença da luz no espaço que complementem a prática do Design. / This essay proposes an approach to the phenomenon of light that involves Lighting Design. The route to this exploration is the work of Dan Flavin, an American artist who used fluorescent lamp as the practically exclusive material of his work. Flavin knows and explores light as an intangible phenomenon. He refuses preconceived notions of space and seeks new perceptual and spacial experiences. As a result, his work allows multiple readings and raises several key aspects for the activity of the Lighting designer. To research Flavin is to immerse oneself in light, color, space and human perception. The visual and conceptual richness of his work led us to explore the knowledge we have of the presence of light in space, which complements the Design practice.

Companhia, publicada originalmente em inglês no ano de 1980, é uma narrativa construída na fronteira entre imaginação e enunciação por um sujeito solitário que, deitado de costas no escuro, fabula continuadamente em busca de companhia. Ela se inclui entre as narrativas de Samuel Beckett cuja trama se passa no espaço mental de seus protagonistas, na região comumente chamada de manicômio do crânio. Conhecida por características que a mantêm distante dos esquemas teóricos universais, apresenta uma abundância de programas narrativos que se anulam uns aos outros, resultando num forte clima de incerteza implicado na situação desse homem deitado de costas no escuro, protagonista da história. Contribuem para esse efeito, também, o emprego de anáforas, que não remetem a nenhuma referência segura; a hipóstase dos papéis actanciais, em que actantes se fazem passar por atores; a estruturação dos parágrafos, distribuídos sem relação lógica explícita que os articule uns aos outros; a articulação de determinados eixos semânticos (como luminosidade, solidão, subjetividade, silêncio, entre outros) sob ótica de uma sublógica da língua, que estabelece o primado das relações complexas sobre as articulações da significação pautadas em dicotomias. Com base na teoria semiótica francesa, a presente pesquisa procura demonstrar que esses elementos, que em Companhia promovem o efeito de incerteza, são decorrentes de operações sintáxicas meticulosamente organizadas pelo enunciador beckettiano. Constituem, portanto, procedimentos discursivos que, apesar do forte clima de incerteza vi mencionado, podem ser descritos por meio de análise, especialmente na articulação de sua dimensão figurativa com a dimensão profunda, a figuralidade. Ao longo da análise (desenvolvida na Segunda Parte da tese), procuramos acompanhar o contraponto das diferentes vozes entrelaçadas na trama, sem deixar de considerar os conteúdos dos episódios narrados pela voz na segunda pessoa gramatical. Desse modo, o conflito das vozes responsáveis por estabelecer o ritmo e a tensividade na narrativa está diretamente relacionado com o conteúdo desses episódios, formulados pela voz na segunda pessoa, na forma de fragmentos biográficos desarticulados uns dos outros. Por fim, ao investigar algumas questões de ordem fenomenológica envolvendo o protagonista de Companhia, apresentamos uma possível perspectiva do enfoque figural em outras obras representativas do discurso literário do século XX. / Originally published in English in 1980, Company is a narrative built on the border between imagination and enunciation by a loner who, lying on his back in the dark, continuously fables in search of companionship. It is among the narratives by Samuel Beckett whose plot takes place in its protagonists mental space, in the region commonly referred to as the madhouse of the skull. Known for features that keep it distant from universal theoretical frameworks, it presents an abundance of narrative programs which nullify one other, resulting in a strong atmosphere of uncertainty involved in the situation of the man lying on his back in the dark, who is the protagonist of the story. Also contributing to this effect, there is the use of anaphoras, which do not refer to any secure reference; the hypostasis of actancial roles, in which actants pose as actors; paragraph structure, distributed without explicit logical connection that articulates one in relation to the other; the articulation of certain semantic axis (such as luminosity, loneliness, subjectivity, silence, among others) under the light of a language sublogics, which establishes the primacy of complex relationships in opposite to the articulations of signification based on dichotomies. Based on the French semiotics theory, this research seeks to demonstrate that those elements, which in Company promote the effect of uncertainty, result from syntactic operations meticulously organized by the Beckettian enunciator. They, therefore, constitute discursive procedures which, despite the strong atmosphere of uncertainty mentioned, can viii be described by means of analysis, especially in the articulation of their figurative dimension with the in-depth dimension, that is, figurality. Throughout the analysis (developed in Part II of the thesis), the attempt was to follow the counterpoint of different voices intertwined in the plot, while considering the content of the episodes narrated by the voice in the second grammatical person. Thus, the conflict of the voices responsible for setting the narratives pace and tensiveness is directly related to the content of these episodes, formulated by the voice in the second person, in the form of disjointed biographical fragments. Finally, in order to investigate some phenomenological issues involving the protagonist of Company, a possible perspective of the figural focus on other works representative of the literary discourse of the 20th century is introduced.

Visual artist Frank Stella (b. 1936) said about his work, “What you see is what you see.” A member of the visual art movement known as minimalism, he is famed for his repeating black -stripe paintings. There are noticeable parallels between the concept of these visual works and Steve Reich’s (b. 1936) minimalist music, particularly Nagoya Marimbas (1994). This Honors thesis will explore the roots of minimalism in the visual arts and music, Reich’s compositional voice, the repetitive rhythmic components of minimalist music, and the challenges of arranging a percussion piece for a flute ensemble leading up to the final arrangement, Nagoya Flutes.

Steve Reich’s music has had a profound effect on the contemporary percussionist’s repertoire. More recently, his Mallet Quartet (2009) has been one of the most performed works in the rising genre of mallet-keyboard quartets, which was featured in Third Coast Percussion’s 2017 Grammy-winning album Third Coast Percussion | Steve Reich. With Mallet Quartet, Reich codified this type of ensemble into the contemporary repertoire of percussion as evidenced through current commissions in progress by groups such as Sō Percussion and Third Coast Percussion. The purpose of this document is to delineate the trajectory (past and present) of the mallet-keyboard quartet and highlight the most important compositional characteristics found within Mallet Quartet. These characteristics include the use of canonical augmentations, large-scale tonal shifts, rhythmic modification, and developing variation. After this analysis, this dissertation provides a performance guide to Mallet Quartet which specifically address the practicalities necessary for a successful performance. Topics such as the setup of instruments, mallet considerations, approaches to challenges in part-reading, and common ensemble issues are discussed.

This paper revolves around the idea of the infra-thin, a concept coined by Duchamp, which describes paradoxes and/or phenomena that are not easily defined with words but instead sensed. The infra-thin is illustrated throughout the paper by discussions revolving around scars, bruises, birthmarks, dust, fog, lint, and other similar "things" that are, in some definition of the term, objects. The afore listed entities are used as examples: 1. To initiate a dialogue that starts with Minimalism, bounces back to Duchamp and explains how he influenced the Minimalists, places Warhol in context, describes how Minimalism moved forward from the show at the Jewish Museum, and puts the rest of us working post-1966 in perspective. 2. To begin a conversation about readymades. A readymade being an anonymous, neutral object that we take for face value as "work of art" simply because of an artist's deeming it art. Because it exists as a neutral object, it is seen out of the corner of the viewer's eye, recognized as this anonymous thing that equals art object, and is then forgotten about and only recollected by memory as a readymade as opposed to the object that it resembles. 3. To introduce the idea of attempting to explain through language paradoxes that are sensed and/or attached directly to memory. I start with readymade but then there are other things. Bruises, scars, birthmarks are a few examples. Others include fog, dust, fuzz. Still others are shadows and stains. A few more are vapor and evanescence. Also, things inherently human, like emotion.

Doctor of Philosophy / Many criticisms of the prevalent deflationary theories of truth stem from some misunderstanding. Clarification can be found from considering Quine's reasoning on the disquotational feature of the truth predicate. Quine's disquotationalism and Horwich's minimalism are similar theses with respect to the concept of truth, though the difference between the choices of the primary truth bearers and the divergence in their accounts of meaning and reference are striking. Chapter Two is devoted to making plain Quine's reasoning regarding the disquotational concept of truth, and to constructing a disquotational theory of truth. Also in this chapter, the topic of how to enhance the deductive power of this theory is discussed. The following chapter aims to square Quine's theses of inscrutability of reference and ontological relativity, with an account of the disquotational schema of reference. Whether or not a disquotational schema of reference and all its instances can be seen as providing a genuine reference scheme, as claimed by Horwich and most deflationists, is also discussed. In Chapter Four, after an introduction of Horwich's minimalist conception of truth, there are a number of issues considered, in particular Horwich’s use-theoretic account of meaning and compositionality, along with the divergence between his account of meaning and Quine's. The final chapter, Chapter Five, provides a thorough analysis of three important factors regarding the disquotational theory and the minimal theory of truth. Among them, the first factor discussed is what sort of equivalence relation occurs within each instance of the disquotational schema or each axiom of the equivalence schema. Following this, there is an analysis of in what way the disquotationalist and the minimalist can explain all general facts involving truth. The last factor involves considering the proper ascription of the disquotational or the minimal truth predicate. Along with the analysis of these three factors, the issue regarding which theory of truth is preferable is elaborated.