Higher-level relationships in Dhomont's Novars

Editors: Marty, N.

Journal: Musimédiane

Volume: 8

ISSN: 2109-9685

Abstract:

A sense of structure can often be traced to the perception of recurrent events in a work. Returning sound materials, or those that remind of earlier instances, can become significant features that provide a temporal perspective, creating musical landmarks against which other material might be considered, compared and appraised. The significance of these landmarks may change as the work unfolds and as other families of recurrent sounds become established, potentially resulting in webs of correspondence that influence overall impressions of form. Investigating recurrence within a work involves assessing aspects of similarity or difference among the various constituent sound identities, considering how they function when they recur, and reflecting on why they are significant. Many kinds of music feature recurrent identities founded on melodic, harmonic and rhythmic patterns and formations, which may be subject to different sorts of repetition and variation. However, the kinds of sound material and the possibilities of sound transformation available to acousmatic composers are sufficiently different and varied that concepts of recurrence within this context require specific attention in order to understand more fully what ‘a recurrence’ can be, how recurrent phenomena operate over different timescales, and how they contribute to impressions of structure and form. With these ideas in mind, a listening strategy for Francis Dhomont’s Novars will be presented focusing on the recurrence of sound material at higher, or more global, levels of structure. The analytical strategy adopted here is primarily based on listening, and so all observations are those of a focused listener rather than reflecting the intentions of the composer.

https://eprints.bournemouth.ac.uk/22657/

http://www.musimediane.com/

Source: Manual