This study uses analysis, comparison, analogy, and inductive reasoning, to defend the thesis that a theological interpretation of the musical imagination can be arrived at through a correlation of myth and musical form. The first part of the study develops the approach to musical symbolism called presentational idealism, from Plato and Aristotle, through Kant, to Susanne Langer. This approach is then developed alongside evidence from various sources for a relationship between myth and music, to reach the conclusion that a mythical analysis of music is productive and practical. / The second part of the study uses selected compositions of Stravinsky to illustrate the application of mythical analysis. By analyzing formal aspects of Stravinsky's music in terms of their mythic, ritual, and archetypal symbols, a theological quest is perceived in his work, which is dominated by three interrelated symbols: death, rebirth, and eternal life. These three symbols parallel another set of symbols which derives from his aesthetic stance: chaos, discipline, and freedom. By treating Stravinsky's compositions chronologically, a development is observed through his Russian, Neo-classical, and Serial periods, which indicates that these symbolic clusters, death/rebirth/eternal life, and chaos/discipline/freedom, are keys both to his aesthetics and to the spiritual development of his imagination. Evidence from Stravinsky himself is given priority, with analysis by scholars and critics introduced where it will clarify the thesis.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:LACETR/oai:collectionscanada.gc.ca:QMM.77168 |
| Date | January 1980 |
| Creators | Nevile, Donald Cavendish. |
| Publisher | McGill University |
| Source Sets | Library and Archives Canada ETDs Repository / Centre d'archives des thèses électroniques de Bibliothèque et Archives Canada |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Electronic Thesis or Dissertation |
| Format | application/pdf |
| Coverage | Doctor of Philosophy (Faculty of Religious Studies) |
| Rights | All items in eScholarship@McGill are protected by copyright with all rights reserved unless otherwise indicated. |
| Relation | alephsysno: 000127800, proquestno: AAINL04159, Theses scanned by UMI/ProQuest. |
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