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The objective of this study was to see if practicing a lick on the chromatic harmonica could influence or inspire my playing on the diatonic harmonica, and vice versa. The licks I practiced were all in the style of Western Swing. To answer this, I used the following research questions: In what ways can practicing the chromatic harmonica make me a better diatonic harmonica player and vice versa? What are the similarities and differences between the diatonic and the chromatic harmonica in the context of playing Western Swing? What possibilities and limitations does each instrument have when playing Western Swing? The method I used was to record my practicing process and to record two different versions of three tunes. On these three recordings I improvised using both diatonic and chromatic harmonicas. The results showed that, though the differences between the instruments are significant, there is enough common ground to enable an exchange of ideas. The differences were not an obstacle, but a means to find new ways of playing a certain lick. These new ways could then be applied to the other harmonica, creating new variations on licks that I would not have come up with otherwise. Playing the same lick on the two different instruments proved to be an efficient way to learn more about both instruments. Through my method, I was able to become my own teacher and my own muse. I also discovered two distinct sides of me, the chromatic me and the diatonic me.

The perceptual reality of the music theoretical relation between the Neapolitan chord and the dominant / and the secondary dominant chord and its diatonic associate was investigated within the chord priming paradigm. In Experiment 1, expectation towards the dominant chord after the Neapolitan chord was observed in Turkish musicians and non-musicians with piano timbre. In Experiment 2, expectation towards the dominant chord after the Neapolitan chord was observed in European musicians but not in European non-musicians. In Experiment 3, Turkish non-musicians were tested with Shepard tones / but it was not possible to observe any priming effects. To understand effects of cultural background on the difference between the results of Experiments 1 and 2 further studies are necessary. In Experiments 4-5, the perceptual reality of the relation between the secondary dominant chord and its diatonic associate was investigated in Turkish non-musicians. In Experiment 4, chord sequences that included secondary dominant chords were played with Shepard tones / and they were scrambled with 2by2 scrambling algorithm. Experiment 5 was identical with Experiment 4, except chord sequences were played with the piano timbre. Experiment 6 was identical with Experiment 5, except chord sequences were scrambled with 4by4. However, in Experiments 4-6 detrimental effects of scrambling sequences that include secondary dominant chords on the priming of chords were not observed. Turkish non-musicians did perceive the relation between the secondary dominant chord and its diatonic associate. In neural network simulations of this thesis it was shown that statistical learning from the musical environment with self-organization could be achieved without committing the questionable assumptions of previous studies.

Esta tese de doutorado divide-se em duas partes: a primeira trata de uma Teoria dos Conjuntos Rítmicos, e a segunda traz o Portfolio de Composições desenvolvidas no período do doutorado. A Teoria dos Conjuntos Ritmicos apresenta um sistema de organização rítmica paralelo ao sistema de organização de alturas, tendo como ponto de partida a Teoria dos Conjuntos Musicais (TCM), tal como organizada por FORTE (1973), além de uma adaptação do time-point-system (BABBITT, 1962). A partir da sistematização da TCM, e também de noções da Teoria dos Conjuntos Diatônicos (TCD), essa abordagem sintética permite estabelecer uma conexão entre aspectos básicos da harmonia e da cifragem de acordes com a organização rítmica. A um só tempo, em um catálogo completo, são relacionadas as famílias de conjuntos de alturas e cifras cordais, com suas respectivas contrapartes rítmicas. A motivação musical para esta investigação acerca dos ritmos surgiu pelo interesse nos ritmos dançantes e repetitivos, denominados timelines (TOUSSAINT, 2013), comumente utilizados na chamada música popular As timelines dançantes refletem propriedades similares às dos conjuntos diatônicos e, por essa razão, esta tese apresenta algumas propriedades dos conjuntos diatônicos de alturas, traçando um paralelo com suas contrapartes rítmicas. Essas relações também aparecem no portfolio de composições, caracterizando alguns procedimentos utilizados. O portfolio de composições, que inclui uma composição para orquestra sinfônica, é tematizado a partir da dualidade transparência/opacidade, abordando algumas diferenças essenciais, do ponto de vista da audibilidade, entre os resultados oriundos de técnicas variadas de composição. Este estudo sobre Teoria dos Conjuntos Rítmicos ajudará na abordagem analítica da minha produção composicional na música popular, trazendo uma maneira sistemática de entender e extrapolar alguns aspectos já utilizados na minha prática como compositor e improvisador. / This doctoral dissertation is divided into two parts: the first deals a rhythmic set theory, and the second contains the portfolio of compositions developed during this period of studies. This dissertation presents a system of rhythmic organization parallel to the musical set theory pitch class organization FORTE (1973), as well as an adaptation of the time-point-system (BABBITT, 1962). From the standpoint of the traditional set theory, and also from the diatonic set theory, this unified approach allows to estabilish a connecting tissue of basic aspects: from the harmony and chords symbols to the rhythmic organization. At one time, in a complete catalog, the families of pitch class sets and chord symbols are related to their respective rhythmic counterparts. The musical motivation for this research came from my interest in the swinging and groovy repetitive rhythms called timelines (TOUSSAINT, 2013), commonly used in popular music. These dancing timelines have properties similar to those of the diatonic sets, and for this reason, this dissertation presents some properties of the diatonic pitch class sets, drawing a parallel with their rhythmic counterparts. These relationships also appear in the portfolio of compositions, characterizing some procedures used. The portfolio of compositions, which includes a composition for symphony orchestra, is presented form the standpoint of a duality between transparency and opacity. This duality address the essential differences in the audibility of the results from various composition techniques. This study of Rhythmic Set Theory will serve as an analytical approach of my compositional output in popular music, with a systematic way to understant and to extrapolate some aspects already used in my practice as composer and improviser.

Esta tese de doutorado divide-se em duas partes: a primeira trata de uma Teoria dos Conjuntos Rítmicos, e a segunda traz o Portfolio de Composições desenvolvidas no período do doutorado. A Teoria dos Conjuntos Ritmicos apresenta um sistema de organização rítmica paralelo ao sistema de organização de alturas, tendo como ponto de partida a Teoria dos Conjuntos Musicais (TCM), tal como organizada por FORTE (1973), além de uma adaptação do time-point-system (BABBITT, 1962). A partir da sistematização da TCM, e também de noções da Teoria dos Conjuntos Diatônicos (TCD), essa abordagem sintética permite estabelecer uma conexão entre aspectos básicos da harmonia e da cifragem de acordes com a organização rítmica. A um só tempo, em um catálogo completo, são relacionadas as famílias de conjuntos de alturas e cifras cordais, com suas respectivas contrapartes rítmicas. A motivação musical para esta investigação acerca dos ritmos surgiu pelo interesse nos ritmos dançantes e repetitivos, denominados timelines (TOUSSAINT, 2013), comumente utilizados na chamada música popular As timelines dançantes refletem propriedades similares às dos conjuntos diatônicos e, por essa razão, esta tese apresenta algumas propriedades dos conjuntos diatônicos de alturas, traçando um paralelo com suas contrapartes rítmicas. Essas relações também aparecem no portfolio de composições, caracterizando alguns procedimentos utilizados. O portfolio de composições, que inclui uma composição para orquestra sinfônica, é tematizado a partir da dualidade transparência/opacidade, abordando algumas diferenças essenciais, do ponto de vista da audibilidade, entre os resultados oriundos de técnicas variadas de composição. Este estudo sobre Teoria dos Conjuntos Rítmicos ajudará na abordagem analítica da minha produção composicional na música popular, trazendo uma maneira sistemática de entender e extrapolar alguns aspectos já utilizados na minha prática como compositor e improvisador. / This doctoral dissertation is divided into two parts: the first deals a rhythmic set theory, and the second contains the portfolio of compositions developed during this period of studies. This dissertation presents a system of rhythmic organization parallel to the musical set theory pitch class organization FORTE (1973), as well as an adaptation of the time-point-system (BABBITT, 1962). From the standpoint of the traditional set theory, and also from the diatonic set theory, this unified approach allows to estabilish a connecting tissue of basic aspects: from the harmony and chords symbols to the rhythmic organization. At one time, in a complete catalog, the families of pitch class sets and chord symbols are related to their respective rhythmic counterparts. The musical motivation for this research came from my interest in the swinging and groovy repetitive rhythms called timelines (TOUSSAINT, 2013), commonly used in popular music. These dancing timelines have properties similar to those of the diatonic sets, and for this reason, this dissertation presents some properties of the diatonic pitch class sets, drawing a parallel with their rhythmic counterparts. These relationships also appear in the portfolio of compositions, characterizing some procedures used. The portfolio of compositions, which includes a composition for symphony orchestra, is presented form the standpoint of a duality between transparency and opacity. This duality address the essential differences in the audibility of the results from various composition techniques. This study of Rhythmic Set Theory will serve as an analytical approach of my compositional output in popular music, with a systematic way to understant and to extrapolate some aspects already used in my practice as composer and improviser.

Esta tese de doutorado divide-se em duas partes: a primeira trata de uma Teoria dos Conjuntos Rítmicos, e a segunda traz o Portfolio de Composições desenvolvidas no período do doutorado. A Teoria dos Conjuntos Ritmicos apresenta um sistema de organização rítmica paralelo ao sistema de organização de alturas, tendo como ponto de partida a Teoria dos Conjuntos Musicais (TCM), tal como organizada por FORTE (1973), além de uma adaptação do time-point-system (BABBITT, 1962). A partir da sistematização da TCM, e também de noções da Teoria dos Conjuntos Diatônicos (TCD), essa abordagem sintética permite estabelecer uma conexão entre aspectos básicos da harmonia e da cifragem de acordes com a organização rítmica. A um só tempo, em um catálogo completo, são relacionadas as famílias de conjuntos de alturas e cifras cordais, com suas respectivas contrapartes rítmicas. A motivação musical para esta investigação acerca dos ritmos surgiu pelo interesse nos ritmos dançantes e repetitivos, denominados timelines (TOUSSAINT, 2013), comumente utilizados na chamada música popular As timelines dançantes refletem propriedades similares às dos conjuntos diatônicos e, por essa razão, esta tese apresenta algumas propriedades dos conjuntos diatônicos de alturas, traçando um paralelo com suas contrapartes rítmicas. Essas relações também aparecem no portfolio de composições, caracterizando alguns procedimentos utilizados. O portfolio de composições, que inclui uma composição para orquestra sinfônica, é tematizado a partir da dualidade transparência/opacidade, abordando algumas diferenças essenciais, do ponto de vista da audibilidade, entre os resultados oriundos de técnicas variadas de composição. Este estudo sobre Teoria dos Conjuntos Rítmicos ajudará na abordagem analítica da minha produção composicional na música popular, trazendo uma maneira sistemática de entender e extrapolar alguns aspectos já utilizados na minha prática como compositor e improvisador. / This doctoral dissertation is divided into two parts: the first deals a rhythmic set theory, and the second contains the portfolio of compositions developed during this period of studies. This dissertation presents a system of rhythmic organization parallel to the musical set theory pitch class organization FORTE (1973), as well as an adaptation of the time-point-system (BABBITT, 1962). From the standpoint of the traditional set theory, and also from the diatonic set theory, this unified approach allows to estabilish a connecting tissue of basic aspects: from the harmony and chords symbols to the rhythmic organization. At one time, in a complete catalog, the families of pitch class sets and chord symbols are related to their respective rhythmic counterparts. The musical motivation for this research came from my interest in the swinging and groovy repetitive rhythms called timelines (TOUSSAINT, 2013), commonly used in popular music. These dancing timelines have properties similar to those of the diatonic sets, and for this reason, this dissertation presents some properties of the diatonic pitch class sets, drawing a parallel with their rhythmic counterparts. These relationships also appear in the portfolio of compositions, characterizing some procedures used. The portfolio of compositions, which includes a composition for symphony orchestra, is presented form the standpoint of a duality between transparency and opacity. This duality address the essential differences in the audibility of the results from various composition techniques. This study of Rhythmic Set Theory will serve as an analytical approach of my compositional output in popular music, with a systematic way to understant and to extrapolate some aspects already used in my practice as composer and improviser.

Ce mémoire a reçu l'appui financier du Fonds de recherche du Québec – Société et culture (FRQSC). / Ce mémoire porte sur la musique composée par John Towner Williams (1932- ) pour le film The Empire Strikes Back (1980). Il se limite à la musique extradiégétique, c’est-à-dire celle dont l’origine se situe à l’extérieur du monde fictionnel dans lequel prend place le récit du film. Ce répertoire présente l’intérêt de suivre le modèle classique hollywoodien, où la trame musicale est étroitement associée au déroulement narratif. L’étude propose une analyse de l’organisation des hauteurs musicales (accords, couches à l’intérieur d’une texture stratifiée) et cherche à élucider son impact narratif au sein d’une sélection de scènes. Plutôt que de s’appuyer sur des outils traditionnels propres aux approches tonale fonctionnelle ou schenkérienne, l’analyse s’inspire des théories néo-riemanniennes se traduisant par l’usage des transformations ainsi que des Tonnetz. Ceux-ci sont employés dans leur rôle usuel, mais également comme représentations d’espaces harmoniques pouvant englober des ensembles plus vastes que de simples enchainements d’accords. Ils peuvent par exemple illustrer des motifs ou encore le rapport entre les différentes couches qui composent une texture stratifiée. Cela permet d’aborder le déploiement d’un matériau musical selon l’axe diatonique, hexatonique ou octatonique d’un Tonnetz. De plus, la récurrence de certaines transformations suggère des espaces harmoniques qui contribuent à l’identité des matériaux thématiques au même titre que l’orchestration ou l’usage d’échelles données. Finalement, ce type de trame musicale étant ponctué de fréquentes ruptures et changements, sa construction est considérée à travers de multiples déplacements entre des espaces harmoniques. / This thesis is centered on John Towner Williams’s (b. 1932) music composed for the movie Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back (1980). It concentrates on extra-diegetic music, that is, music that originates outside the fictional world where the story takes place. The interest for this repertoire originates in its conception, which is based on classical Hollywood film scores, specifically in its high degree of correspondence with narrative content. This study proposes an analysis of pitch organization (chords, strata in a multi-layer texture) and seeks to establish the narrative connections that the music maintains with the image throughout selected scenes. Rather than relying on traditional tools drawn from functional or Schenkerian approaches, here analysis borrows from the theoretical method of Neo-Riemannian theories such as transformations and Tonnetz. These are used in a conventional way, but also as representations of harmonic spaces capable of encompassing broader musical events aside from simple triadic progressions. For example, they may represent motives, or the connections between the different strata comprised in a layered texture. This allows musical material to unfold through the diatonic, hexatonic or octatonic axis from the Tonnetz. Furthermore, the reiteration of particular transformations suggests harmonic spaces that establish the identity of thematic material in a way similar to that of orchestration or scales. Finally, because this type of soundtrack is punctuated by frequent breaks and changes, we will consider its construction throughout multiples shifts between harmonic spaces.

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Ce travail vise à comprendre pourquoi et comment l'accordéon diatonique breton a connu une profonde transformation organologique et stylistique au cours des dernières décennies. L'évolution de l'instrument est ici le témoin des dynamiques historiques et sociales, que l'accordéon présente la particularité d'avoir intégrées dans sa forme-même du fait de sa rare plasticité, et qu'il permet d'éclairer. Statut des musiciens professionnels au sein d'une pratique restée massivement amateur, rôles et mécanismes de l'apprentissage d'un savoir traditionnel initialement basé sur l'oralité, fluctuation des attentes sociales à travers les générations successives, sont quelques-uns des aspects qui se dévoilent au fil de l'étude et qui se relient.À partir du constat d'une mutation organologique progressive, nous chercherons à comprendre les modifications profondes des fonctions sociales jouées par l'instrument. Un retour historique permettra de définir les intentions et le statut des « pionniers » du renouveau de l'accordéon diatonique breton dans les années 1970. En nous appuyant sur ce socle, nous montrerons comment l'accordéon en tant qu'outil est en interaction étroite et permanente avec le geste du musicien et avec son intention (produire des notes – et dans quelle fonction sociale), et combien le passage des générations a renouvelé le contexte d'exposition de l'accordéon et le statut des musiques bretonnes dites « à danser ». Ainsi, nous verrons que la modification progressive de l'intention a conduit à une modification de l'instrument, mais que celle-ci, en retour, fragilise l'efficacité des intentions antérieures. / This work aims to understand why and how the Breton diatonic accordion has undergone a profound organological and stylistic transformation during the last decades. The evolution of the instrument here reflects the historical and social dynamics, that the accordion has integrated into its very form because of its rare plasticity, bringing them into light. The status of professional musicians in a largely amateur context, the roles and mechanisms of learning traditional knowledge initially based on orality, the fluctuation of social expectations through successive generations, are some of the aspects that unfold over the course of the study and connect with one-another.Starting from the observation of a progressive organologic change, we will seek to understand the profound changes of the social functions played by the instrument. A historical overview will allow to define the intentions and the status of the "pioneers" of the revival of the Breton diatonic accordion in the 1970s. Based on this foundation, we will show how the accordion as a tool is in close and permanent interaction with the musician's gesture and with his intention (producing notes – and in what social function), and how much the passage of generations has renewed the context of use of the accordion and the status of Breton music said "to be danced". Thus, we will see that the progressive modification of the intention led to a modification of the instrument, but that this, in turn, weakens the effectiveness of the previous intentions.