Dissertation Index



Author: Klein, Michael

Title: A Theoretical Study of the Late Music of Witold Lutoslawski: New Interactions of Pitch, Rhythm, and Form

Institution: SUNY Buffalo

Begun: September 1993

Completed: May 1995

Abstract:

Despite Lutoslawski's claim that he composed not with a single method, but developed new ones to solve compositional issues in individual pieces, several techniques--such as the use of harmonies with all 12 pcs, the reliance on a limited aleatory technique, and the creation of an "end accented form"--mark most of his major works written after 1960. While others have described these techniques in Lutoslawski's earlier works, no one has yet studied how the composer modified and developed them in his most recent compositions such as the Partita (1984), the Piano Concerto (1987), and the Fourth Symphony (1992). How these techniques are transformed in his later works leads to a redefinition of the compositional issues that must have preoccupied Lutoslawski in the 1960's and 70's as well as reveals the innovative compositional method that underlies his last major works.

Keywords: Lutoslawski, Witold Lutoslawski, Theory, Music, Pitch, Rhythm, Form


Contact:

Michael Klein
112 Park Ledge Drive
Amherst, NY 14226
Voice: 716-839-3203


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