Magic realism in music : four electroacoustic compositions

• Main Author: Viñao, Alejandro
• Published: City University London 1987
• Subjects: 800; M Music
• Online Access: http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.380646

The subject of this thesis is not the text contained in this book, but the four electroacoustic compositions presented: Go, Hendrix Haze, Triple Concerto and Toccata del Mago. The purpose of this writing is to put forward a context in which these four compositions may be assessed. In chapter 1, I choose to present my work taking a lateral approach. Rather than discuss my background as a composer and the reasons or 'necessity' for using the electroacoustic medium to express my musical thinking, I have instead introduced a new idea to provide a wider context: Magic Realism in music. I have developed the notion that there is a musical equivalent to Magic Realism in literature, and that my work, as well as the work of other Latin American composers, may be seen in this light. Also in this chapter, I put forward the idea that the electroacoustic medium may be the natural environment or 'habitat', as it were, for the Magic Realist composer to develop. Chapters 2 to 5 present a specific framework, that is, the aesthetic point of VIew and the technical means involved in the creation of each piece. In these chapters, the compositional process is presented, from the first, often abstract ideas that trigger the imagination of a composer, to the decision taken during the final production stage in the studio. It is hoped that this specific framework will convey the necessary Information required for a preliminary assessment of the music presented, in terms of the composer's aims and the results obtained. Yet, a piece of music can be a far more complex and richer phenomenon than the composer's aims and intentions, and it must be ultimately assessed in its own terms.