Timbre as a structural device in compositions

Abstract

Before the 20th century, timbre was long ignored for its potential to articulate musical structure in Western art music. Primary parameters like melody, tonality, and harmony are elements upon which hierarchical organisation in music is built. In tonal music of the common practice era, the use of primary parameters to articulate structure has been extensively explored. Timbre, as a secondary parameter, however, has been an unlikely candidate, and has conventionally been regarded a carrier of melodic function. Such subordinate nature of timbre in music has hindered its possibility as a primary structural determinant.

Musical structures can indeed be articulated by timbre once a timbral hierarchy is established. The scholarly research of this thesis aims at examining timbre in three aspects. First, it addresses the limitation of current definitions of timbre and their related terminologies. Second, it explores the theory of timbral hierarchy with concrete musical examples. Fred Lerdahl states that timbral hierarchy can be built using grouping structure and prolongational reduction. Some compositions of the common practice era demonstrate the possibility of using timbre to articulate structures. Such possibility is further investigated by composers in spectral and post-spectral compositions in the contemporary context.

Lastly, the present research also concerns itself with the single-pitch technique. This technique serves to reverse the conventional role of pitch and timbre, turns pitch into a carrier of timbre, and displays timbre as an important musical element. Aside from the Western attempts on composing with timbre, the Chinese counterpart also displays the use of timbral treatment in a traditional repertoire, qin music. The sophisticated timbral subtleties in qin music have inspired further artistic creations in the contemporary context.

The second half of this thesis is a portfolio of six original compositions, which, as a medium to convey my research interests, represents a conclusive presentation of my research outcomes.