<p> &ldquo;Mysticism,&rdquo; according to the Oxford dictionary, can be defined as &ldquo;belief in or devotion to the spiritual apprehension of truths inaccessible to the intellect.&rdquo; More generally, it applies to the aspects of spirituality and religion that can only be directly experienced, rather than described or learned. This dissertation examines how mysticism fits into the aesthetic, compositional, and musical philosophies of four prominent composers of the 20^th and 21^st centuries&mdash;Ernest Bloch, Olivier Messiaen, Sophia Gubaidulina, and John Zorn, with a cameo by the Jewish composer David Finko&mdash;and how their engagement with the concept of mysticism and the mystical experience can be seen in a selection of their works featuring the violin: Bloch's <i>Baal Shem</i> suite and <i>Po&egrave;me mystique</i>; Finko's <i>Lamentations of Jeremiah,</i> Zorn's <i>Kol Nidre,</i> <i>Goetia,</i> <i> All Hallow's Eve,</i> and <i>Amour fou</i>; Gubaidulina's <i> In tempus praesens</i>; and Messiaen's <i>Quartet for the End of Time.</i> These works exemplify the mysticism shared by these composers, despite their different religious and cultural backgrounds, particularly their belief in the transcendental nature of music. This belief is expressed in their works through programmatic, melodic, harmonic, rhythmic, and formal elements, all of which display, to a greater or lesser degree, the influence of mystical philosophy and symbolism.</p>

Thesis (D.M.A.)--UCLA, 2008. / Vita. Description based on print version record. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 89-91).

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In seinem Song Lazarus setzte sich David Bowie unzweifelhaft mit seinem unmittelbar bevorstehenden Tod auseinander. Als Hauptmedium der Auseinandersetzung dürften weniger die Lyrics als die Musik des Songs anzusehen sein; und dabei kommt der Soundgestaltung an einigen Stellen eine zentrale Rolle zu. Es soll hier versucht werden, die semantische Funktion der Soundgestaltung in Bezug auf die Narration des Songs zu analysieren. Klang entzieht sich, gerade in Anbetracht der unendlichen Möglichkeiten elektronischer Manipulation, stärker als Tonhöhe und Rhythmus einer linearen Parametrisierung und bietet sich daher nicht zu einer code-geleiteten Verwendung an; allerdings lassen sich gewisse Parallelen zu den von David Bowie gewählten Klangmetaphern beispielsweise bei Berlioz und Alban Berg finden, die freilich eher der Todesthematik als einer bewussten Bezugnahme geschuldet sein dürften. Zu untersuchen ist ferner die Integration der Klangmetaphern in die Narration des gesamten Songs. Auf vielen Ebenen werden konventionelle Popstrukturen kreativ und im Sinne der Songthematik umgestaltet: So stellt die Form, etwa »Intro-Verse-Verse-Bridge-Verse-Solo-Outro«, nur die Grundlage für die Entfaltung eines einzigen, den gesamten Song umspannenden melodisch-narrativen Bogens dar; in Bezug auf diesen Bogen, durch ihre Platzierung an entscheidenden Umschlagpunkten der Narration entfalten die Klangmetaphern ihre eigentliche Kraft. Ähnliche Überlegungen lassen sich hinsichtlich harmonischer Phänomene anstellen. Insgesamt findet die Analyse in Lazarus ein dicht gewebtes Netz semantischer Bezüglichkeit, das im Dienst einer spirituellen, verbal nicht mehr formulierbaren, dafür unmittelbar berührenden Aussage steht. / There is little doubt that in his song »Lazarus«, David Bowie was dealing with his impending death. It seems that in this respect the music is more important than the lyrics, with the sonic design of certain parts playing a major role. In this article, an attempt is made to analyze the semantic function of sound in relation to the narrative of the song. Sound eludes linear parametrization, much more than pitch or rhythm, especially if we take into account the infinite possibilities of its electronic manipulation in pop music. In general, sound is less »coded« than pitch or rhythm. Indeed, there are some parallels between sonic metaphors in »Lazarus« and in certain works of Berlioz and Alban Berg, but these parallels might be due to topical similarities (the theme of death) rather than conscious allusion. Moreover, the placement of the sonic metaphors into the narrative framework of the song deserves some attention. »Lazarus« uses conventional song structures in a creative way in order to enforce its narrative. For example, while the song may be analyzed as Intro–verse–verse–bridge–verse–solo–outro, there is a single overarching melody unfolding throughout the song. The various sonic events draw their semantic impact from their placement at important turning points of the narrative. Similar observations can be made with regard to certain harmonic aspects of »Lazarus«. All in all, the analysis reveals a tightly-knit web of semantically charged events, contributing to a spiritual message that transcends verbalization.

Mémoire en recherche-création. / Ce mémoire est un journal de création intime et introspectif. Il s’intéresse aux doutes et difficultés qui peuvent ponctuer la vie de création. Et cette vie, c’est un ensemble complexe, habité par des préoccupations et phénomènes contradictoires : ombre/lumière, intimité/vie publique, solitude/exposition, émission/réception, dedans/dehors. Le filon, derrière tous ces questionnements, est cette recherche d’unité dans la vie de création ainsi que la pacification du processus créatif. Le premier chapitre de ce mémoire s’intéresse à cette tension entre les aspects intérieurs et extérieurs liés à la vie de création. Le deuxième chapitre décrit les outils musicaux utilisés dans les compositions réalisées pendant cette maîtrise et qui font écho aux réflexions exprimées dans le premier chapitre. Y sont abordés, entre autres choses, la narrativité en musique, le jeu sur les hauteurs, la pulsation, l’écriture filmique. Enfin, le troisième chapitre s’intéresse au processus de création, au propos, ainsi qu’au bilan autour des trois œuvres présentées dans le cadre de ce mémoire Abîmes, Rainbow Odyssey : La rédemption et Flots. À-travers le survol de toutes ces préoccupations sont esquissés les contours d’enjeux majeurs ayant tous influencé à leur manière la musique composée durant cette maîtrise. / This essay is an intimate and introspective creation diary. It is about the doubts and difficulties that can punctuate the artistic life. And this life is a complex whole, inhabited by contradictory preoccupations and phenomena: shadow/light, intimacy/public life, solitude/exposure, emission/reception, inside/outside. The vein, behind all these questions, is this search for unity in artistic life as well as the pacification of the creative process. The first chapter of this essay is about this tension between the interior and exterior aspects linked to the life of creation. The second chapter describes the musical tools used in the compositions made during this master's degree and which echo the reflections expressed in the first chapter. It discusses, among other things, narrativity in music, playing with music notes, pulsation, film writing. Finally, the third chapter focuses on the creative process, the subject, as well as the assessment around the three works presented as part of this essay: Abîmes, Rainbow Odyssey: La Rédemption and Flots. Through the overview of all these concerns are sketched the contours of major issues that have all influenced in their own way the music composed during this master's degree.