The Essences of Listening: Music Inspired by Various Forms of Art

Author

Taylor Kang

Date of Award

2013

First Advisor

John Myers

Second Advisor

Wendy Shifrin

Abstract

For my thesis I created a set of musical compositions inspired by various works of art for the purpose of being presented together. I wanted to explore the possibility of shedding light on an artistʼs creative process in a performance setting by showing the inspiration for each piece before performing it. I collected works from my fellow Simonʼs Rock students which included a short story, dance, monologue, musical composition, and photograph. Similarly, my compositions also took on many forms varying from a piano and violin duet in the classical tradition to a live electronic production. Throughout the entire process I heavily emphasized listening in itʼs various forms and meanings, allowing the process to be one of observation and discovery. So I ask you, my audience, donʼt expect, just listen.

In this written document, each composition is given itʼs own chapter where I discuss how itʼs connected to the original inspiration, my method of composition, and a bit of analysis. I wanted it to stand more as a narrative, explaining how I was thinking about these pieces as they were being composed, questions I had to answer for myself throughout the process, and complications I ran into. iv

Comments

Ask at the Alumni Library circulation desk for the companion piece that accompanies this thesis.

Recommended Citation

Kang, Taylor, "The Essences of Listening: Music Inspired by Various Forms of Art" (2013). Senior Theses. 718.
https://digitalcommons.bard.edu/sr-theses/718