Music of balance is a portfolio of eight compositions, all of which bear the concealed influence of mandalas in their conception - these are made manifest musically in cycle structures with shifting drones, pedals and tonal ambiguities.The compositional process maximises minimal materials - circles and squares - symbolically. Organising thought, feeling and knowledge into a balanced acoustic music form of expression is the objective of this creative project - which is carried out under the influence of symbols. Whilst the compositional processes are intuitive, they involve a disciplinary measure which employs the circle and the square as tools. Acting symbolically these tools imbue the music with deeper meaning than the obvious listening surface, and provide a rich substance of sound. Programmatic influences have been absented; replaced instead by the language of symbols - namely the mandala symbol. A range of apparent opposites arising from circles and squares - physical/ephemeral matter, chronological/eternal time and form/expression - are investigated for musical reconciliation. The compositional exploration is guided and focused by the circle in a square image understood as a universal symbol (grounded in the ancient Indian Arts, Tibetan Buddhism, Sufism and Jungian psychology), and active in representing, and thus restoring the natural balance of the soul in the universe. / Master of Arts (Hons)
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:ADTP/189427 |
| Date | January 2004 |
| Creators | Handel, Amanda Jane, University of Western Sydney, College of Arts, Education and Social Sciences, School of Contemporary Arts |
| Source Sets | Australiasian Digital Theses Program |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
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