"Enantiodromia" by Jani Christou and an Original Composition, "Symphony No. 1".

Abstract

This dissertation consists of two parts: an analysis of a composition entitled Enantiodromia by Greek composer Jani Christou as it relates to the general musical style of his late works, and an original composition by the author entitled Symphony No. 1 for full orchestra. The purpose of Part One is to familiarize the reader with Christou's approach to composition, especially as it is evident in his late works. This part is divided into three chapters. In the first chapter attention is given to the biographical background of the composer emphasizing the philosophical influences on his music and providing a chronological delineation of his style periods. In the second chapter specific terms used by the composer in his late period are introduced and concisely defined to enable the reader to understand the composer's compositional techniques. The third chapter is an analysis of the work Enantiodromia for orchestra, a representative composition of Christou's last and most mature period. The analysis includes an explanation of notational devices used in the composition and focuses on events called "patterns," which serve as the main structural components of this work. The analysis is based on the function of these patterns, the dynamic and frequency range structure of the piece, the density and rhythmic content, and the interaction of instrumental colors. Part Two of the dissertation is the author's original composition for full orchestra entitled Symphony No. 1 in three movements. The work finds its subject in the idea of "Cultural Dependency," a situation often observed in underprivileged nations as they become influenced by cultures of powerful nations. Many musical elements in this work express particular culture-shaping ideas, such as folklore, heroism, hope, struggle, and fear. Compositional techniques such as sound mass, pandiatonicism, atonality, modality, indeterminacy, pointillism, and sound effects are used to represent the aforementioned programmatic ideas. Symphony No. 1 is scored for the following instruments: 1 piccolo, 2 flutes, 3 oboes, 2 clarinets, 2 bassoons, 4 french horns, 3 trumpets, 4 trombones, 1 tuba, 4 percussionists, harp, and strings.