University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

Eastern And Western Elements In Selected Works By Giacinto Scelsi And Toru Takemitsu

Sung-Hie Ahn

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https://hdl.handle.net/2142/49301

Description

Title
Eastern And Western Elements In Selected Works By Giacinto Scelsi And Toru Takemitsu
Author(s)
Sung-Hie Ahn
Issue Date
2014-05-22
Keyword(s)
  • EASTERN AND WESTERN
  • GIACINTO SCELSI
  • TORU TAKEMITSU
  • Suite No. 9 “Ttai”
  • Quattro Pezzi su una nota sola
  • Rain Tree Sketch
  • Green
Abstract
In this study, I examine the mixture of Eastern and Western musical, aesthetic, and conceptual elements in the work of Giacinto Scelsi and Toru Takemitsu. When considering the work of composers like Scelsi and Takemitsu, interpretations based solely upon their respective nationalities can only represent part of the musical meaning because the cross-cultural influences were so important to their respective expressive languages. To remedy this interpretive problem, this project presents both a theoretical analysis and a cultural analysis of one solo piano work and one orchestral work from each composer that demonstrates the presence, importance, and effects of musical, aesthetic, and conceptual cross-cultural exchange. Chapter one introduces the general background of the project along with biographical information on Scelsi and Takemitsu. Chapter two presents an introduction to certain Eastern concepts and aesthetic ideals specifically related to Buddhist philosophy, Zen, Japanese gardens, and the cosmological symbols of sound therapy and yoga. It also compares and contrasts Eastern and Western conceptions of music. In chapter three, I present an analysis of Scelsi’s Suite No. 9 “Ttai” (1953) and Takemitsu’s Rain Tree Sketch (1982), both for solo piano, taking care to note the influence of Eastern concepts on Scelsi and Western concepts on Takemitsu. Chapter four focuses on two orchestral works: Scelsi’s Quattro Pezzi su una nota sola (1959) and Takemitsu’s Green (1967), again noting the importance of Eastern and Western elements, respectively.
Type of Resource
text
Language
en
Permalink
http://hdl.handle.net/2142/49301
Copyright and License Information
© 2014 SungHie Ahn

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