Micchelli, Mark
(2024)
Outward Bound: New Applications of George Russell's Lydian Chromatic Concept of Tonal Organization.
Doctoral Dissertation, University of Pittsburgh.
(Unpublished)
Abstract
George Russell’s Lydian Chromatic Concept of Tonal Organization (1953, 4th ed. 2001) argues that all music—irrespective of style or genre—is subject to a phenomenon called Tonal Gravity. Although LCCOTO’s musical examples are drawn primarily from jazz and premodern Western classical music, Russell maintains that Tonal Gravity also manifests in “even the most radical twelve-tone (atonal) music.” This dissertation puts Russell’s claim to the test, using Anton Webern’s “Piano Variations,” Op. 27, Mvt. 1 as its primary case study. I begin with an overview of LCCOTO, along with a detailed comparison between LCCOTO and a related analytical methodology: scale network analysis. I then propose an analytical construct I call a Breakup Modal Tonic: a bass note that, while altering the sound of a set class, does not belong to the set class proper. Using a Monte Carlo simulation, I demonstrate that Webern deploys Breakup Modal Tonics at an unusually high rate, which in turn molds “Piano Variations,” Mvt. 1 to fit LCCOTO’s prerequisite analytical framework. The resulting LCCOTO analysis of “Piano Variations,” Mvt. 1 proves largely indistinguishable from LCCOTO analyses of tonal works, validating Russell’s assertion about the presence of Tonal Gravity in atonal music. Following the “Piano Variations,” Mvt. 1 analysis, I outline procedures to apply LCCOTO concepts to the twelve-tone corpus more generally. My conclusion advocates for Russell’s magnum opus to be more taken more seriously as an analytical methodology within academic music theory.
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Details
Item Type: |
University of Pittsburgh ETD
|
Status: |
Unpublished |
Creators/Authors: |
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ETD Committee: |
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Date: |
19 December 2024 |
Date Type: |
Publication |
Defense Date: |
23 September 2024 |
Approval Date: |
19 December 2024 |
Submission Date: |
28 November 2024 |
Access Restriction: |
2 year -- Restrict access to University of Pittsburgh for a period of 2 years. |
Number of Pages: |
124 |
Institution: |
University of Pittsburgh |
Schools and Programs: |
Dietrich School of Arts and Sciences > Music |
Degree: |
PhD - Doctor of Philosophy |
Thesis Type: |
Doctoral Dissertation |
Refereed: |
Yes |
Uncontrolled Keywords: |
George Russell, tonal gravity, serialism, music theory and creative practice |
Date Deposited: |
19 Dec 2024 21:11 |
Last Modified: |
19 Dec 2024 21:11 |
URI: |
http://d-scholarship.pitt.edu/id/eprint/47146 |
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