University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

"Harmonic structure and orchestration in Toru Takemitsu's ""Dream/Window"""

Zhang, Zhaoyu

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https://hdl.handle.net/2142/102090

Description

Title
"Harmonic structure and orchestration in Toru Takemitsu's ""Dream/Window"""
Author(s)
Zhang, Zhaoyu
Issue Date
2018
Director of Research (if dissertation) or Advisor (if thesis)
Tipei, Sever
Doctoral Committee Chair(s)
Tipei, Sever
Committee Member(s)
  • Taube, Heinrich
  • Carrillo, Carlos
  • Scholwin, Richard
Department of Study
School of Music
Discipline
Music
Degree Granting Institution
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Degree Name
A.Mus.D. (doctoral)
Keyword(s)
  • Toru Takemitsu
  • Dream/Window
  • harmonic structure
  • orchestration
  • Western influences
  • Eastern influences
  • electroacoustic techniques
  • contemporary music
Language
en
Abstract
This thesis analyzes one of the late works by the Japanese composer Toru Takemitsu, Dream/Window, with a focus on harmonic structure and orchestration use, and introduces the influences, concepts, and compositional techniques t hat impacted these two aspects of this work. The purpose of this study is to gain a closer look into the ways in which the composer uses limited musical materials to achieve a variety of refined sounds. Chapter one serves as introduction to the thesis, and points out the importance of doing research on Takemitsu’s characteristic use of harmonic structure and orchestration in his late works. Chapter two outlines Takemitsu’s biography and examines the influences on this work. Western influences include serialism and composers such as Claude Debussy, Olivier Messiaen, and John Cage. Eastern influences include traditional Japanese culture, nature, and the Japanese garden. Chapters three and four use technical analysis to provide detailed information about Takemitsu’s use of harmonic structure and orchestration in Dream/Window. Chapter three illustrates how the pitch materials are derived and used in terms of horizontal and vertical dimensions. Chapter four shows how the Japanese garden concept influenced the orchestral seating plan, and examines how electroacoustic techniques may have shaped the orchestration. The final chapter summarizes the findings that result from this research. This thesis strives to investigate the characteristic compositional techniques used by Takemitsu in his late works, which serve as the culmination and pinnacle of his career.
Type of Resource
  • text
  • image
Permalink
http://hdl.handle.net/2142/102090
Copyright and License Information
Copyright 2018 Zhaoyu Zhang

Owning Collections

Doctoral Project Theses [Option 2] - Music PRIMARY