Exhalation / Expiration, a composition for a wind ensemble of thirty-four players, continues a series of musical homages by the composer honouring her father, Alexander Fol. The composition unites different musical devices to accomplish a metaphorical mapping of the infection of a healthy body with a mortal sickness, followed by the organism's gradual demise. The work's duration is twenty-one-and-a-half minutes.The design of these materials, which incorporates the form, harmony, rhythm and orchestration, applies an approach to musical semiotics informed by the philosophical doctrine of Thracian Oral Orphism, as well as by medical research on terminally ill cancer patients. The author defines two types of musical signs, the event-type and the process-type, and decides upon a musical realization thereof at the formal and structural levels. In the composition, the signs are organized as musical symbols that portray the gradual transition between the types of music symbolizing health – 'A' – and sickness – 'B' – represented by types of harmonic, rhythmic and orchestrational treatment.
Table of Contents
Chapter 1: Introduction
1.1. Originality
1.2. Document overview
1.2.1. Document structure
1.2.2. Chapter organization
Chapter 2: Wind Ensemble Repertoire
2.1. Issues of terminology
2.2. Repertoire relevant to my composition of Exhalation / Expiration
2.3.1. Apoteóza planety země (1970) by Karel Husa
2.3.2. Samstag (1981-84) by Karlheinz Stockhausen
2.3.3. Urquitaqtuq (2006-2007) by Trevor Grahl
Chapter 3: Musical Homages by the author
3.1. Homages in works preceding Exhalation / Expiration
3.1.1. Cinderella – the fairy tale (2002-2003)
3.1.2. Requiem No. 2, op. 40 (2006)
3.2. The homage underlying the compositional process in Exhalation / Expiration
3.2.1. Alexander Fol and Georgi Kitov
3.2.2. The five stages of terminal cancer
3.2.3. Death vs. Passing in Oral Orphism
3.2.4. Multiple references in Exhalation / Expiration
Chapter 4: A Personal Framework of Musical Symbolism
4.1. Theory vs. method
4.2. Constructing a framework of analysis
4.4.1. Sign
4.2.2. Meaning
4.2.3. Attributing meaning
4.2.4. Formulation
4.3. Exhalation / Expiration: premises of symbolism
4.3.1. Correlation and integration
4.3.2. Health and sickness
4.3.3. Symbolization of death
Chapter 5: Analysis – Form
5.1. The six sections
5.2. The shape
5.3. Section U (measures 1-158)
5.3.1. The seven sub-sections
5.3.2. Symbolization of the opening
5.3.3. Other symbolization in Section U
5.4. Section V (measures 159-261)
5.5. Section W (measures 262-325)
5.6. Sections X, Y and Z (measures 326-408)
5.6.1. The shared processes
5.6.2. Stopping and Ending
Chapter 6: Analysis – Harmony
6.1. Creating simultaneities
6.2. Chain of harmonies and their realization
6.3. Treatment of octave doublings
6.4. Harmonic progressions
6.4.1. Pitch-class content
6.4.2. The fluctuating harmonic progression
6.4.3. The bell-curve and semi-parabolic harmonic progressions
6.5. Types of harmonic movement
6.6. Sharing of pitch-classes
Chapter 7: Analysis – Rhythm
7.1. Pacing of the six sections
7.2. ‘Inhales’ and ‘exhales’ in Section U
7.3. From pulsation to pulselessness
7.3.1. Omnipresence of the process
7.3.2. The background – harmonic rhythm
7.3.3. The middleground – rhythmic cycles
7.3.4. The foreground – patterns of oscillation
7.4. The metronomic markings
Chapter 8: Analysis – Orchestration
8.1. Significance of the instrumentation
8.2. Processes lasting the entire composition
8.2.1. Dissociation of material from timbre
8.2.2. Expanding followed by fixed register
8.3. Timbral reinforcement
8.4. Reinterpreting pitches as pitch-classes
8.5. Role of dynamics
8.6. Usage of the harp
Chapter 9: Conclusion
9.1. Pacing and form
9.2. Signs and symbols
9.3. Non-harmonic tones
9.4. Tempo
9.5. Ontology and aesthetics
Objectives & Themes
The primary objective of this thesis is to provide a comprehensive analytical framework for the composition "Exhalation / Expiration," mapping the metaphorical transition from a state of health to mortal sickness and eventual death. The work serves as a musical homage that integrates personal semiotic approaches and ancient philosophical concepts with modern medical research on the dying process.
- Exploration of musical semiotics and the definition of 'Event-type' and 'Process-type' signs.
- Application of the Thracian Oral Orphism doctrine as a structural and symbolic model.
- Detailed analysis of form, harmonic progressions, and rhythmic pacing as metaphors for terminal illness.
- Orchestrational strategies utilized to symbolize the dissociation and decay of an active organism.
- The integration of cyclic time and heartbeat-based pulsations as symbolic motifs.
Excerpt from the Book
1.1. Originality
Exhalation / Expiration for wind ensemble represents metaphorically the changes occurring in the physiology of a terminally ill cancer patient, from a healthy respiratory cycle through the gradual battle with mortal sickness, and then to death. The title was designed to reflect a play on words in my native language, Bulgarian: Издишване / Издъхване (transliterated into the Latin alphabet as Izdishane / Izdahvane). In Bulgarian the word “издишване” contains the root of the verb “to exhale” and “издъхване” means literally “to exhale one’s last breath”. The English translation, Exhalation / Expiration succeeds partially in reflecting the aforementioned intended wordplay, despite the fact that “exhalation” and “expiration” share but a prefix.
Exhalation / Expiration maps the process of dying metaphorically using a combination of compositional processes at formal and structural levels. To compose a compelling work, I refined certain aspects of my harmonic and rhythmic language and simultaneously drew inspiration from a long tradition of wind music writing and musical homages. In addition, Exhalation / Expiration employs multiple layers of historically informed musical symbolism designed to emphasize the extra-musical idea behind its creation.
The instrumentation of Exhalation / Expiration continues the deliberate metaphor already suggested in the title. Depending directly on controlled breathing to produce their sound, wind instruments, more than other instruments, naturally evoke the idea or act of exhalation. The instrumentation comprises thirty-four players: two flutes, piccolo, two oboes, English horn, three clarinets in B-flat, bass clarinet in B-flat, soprano, alto, tenor and baritone saxophones, two bassoons and contrabassoon, four French horns in F, three trumpets in C, three trombones, euphonium, tuba, timpani, three percussion parts, and harp.
Summary of Chapters
Chapter 1: Introduction: Outlines the conceptual foundation and the metaphorical link between physiology and musical composition.
Chapter 2: Wind Ensemble Repertoire: Establishes terminology and compares the composition to other relevant works in the wind repertoire.
Chapter 3: Musical Homages by the author: Discusses the author's previous works and their role as models for the current composition.
Chapter 4: A Personal Framework of Musical Symbolism: Details the theoretical semiotic approach, defining signs and symbols used throughout the piece.
Chapter 5: Analysis – Form: Analyzes the six sections of the work and their mapping to the five stages of terminal cancer.
Chapter 6: Analysis – Harmony: Explores the harmonic construction and pitch-class density as symbols of bodily health and decay.
Chapter 7: Analysis – Rhythm: Investigates the pacing, inhalation/exhalation cycles, and the transition from pulsation to pulselessness.
Chapter 8: Analysis – Orchestration: Discusses the significance of instrumental choice and processes like timbral reinforcement and registral expansion.
Chapter 9: Conclusion: Synthesizes the ontological findings and reflects on the interplay between form, symbol, and aesthetic intent.
Keywords
Exhalation / Expiration, wind ensemble, musical semiotics, Thracian Orphism, terminal cancer, process-type signs, event-type signs, harmonic progression, rhythmic cycles, orchestration, musical symbolism, ontological discussion, death, homage.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the fundamental focus of this thesis?
The work provides a detailed analytical commentary on the composition "Exhalation / Expiration," interpreting it as a musical metaphor for the physiological and emotional stages of terminal cancer, framed through Thracian Orphic philosophy.
What are the primary thematic fields explored in the text?
The analysis covers a blend of music theory, musical semiotics, medical observation of the dying process, and ancient philosophical cosmology.
What is the central research question?
The work examines how compositional processes, specifically those involving harmony, rhythm, and orchestration, can be effectively utilized to symbolize the gradual decay of a healthy organism into death.
Which scientific methodology is employed?
The author uses a semiotic approach, categorizing musical signs into "Event-type" and "Process-type" to systematically explain how the music functions metaphorically.
What topics are covered in the main body of the text?
The body analyzes the work's formal sections, its harmonic construction (including pitch-class density), its rhythmic cycles (inhaling/exhaling analogies), and orchestrational techniques that mirror biological decay.
How would one characterize this work using keywords?
Key terms include wind ensemble, musical semiotics, Thracian Orphism, terminal cancer, symbolic composition, and harmonic rhythm.
How do the 'inhale' and 'exhale' concepts function in the work?
They are used as rhythmic and temporal symbols in Section U, where accelerations and decelerations of phrasing simulate human breathing patterns, reflecting the physical state of the patient.
What is the significance of the "Do" pitch in the final section?
The closing C-natural ("Do") serves as a double reference: a central pitch in the Thracian mode and an acoustic echo of the terminal heart monitor signal, symbolizing the finality of death.
- Arbeit zitieren
- Alexandra Fol (Autor:in), 2011, Exhalation / Expiration for Wind Ensemble, München, GRIN Verlag, https://www.hausarbeiten.de/document/182417
