Elemental: Integration of the Classical Elements into a Framework for Composition and Analysis

Abstract

This thesis is predicated on the assumption that the idea of the Classical Elements as outlined by Empedocles and Aristotle can be integrated with Denis Smalley’s interactive fields and nine indicative fields (Smalley, 1996) to create a structure that may inform a musical language, to be used as a tool for composition and analysis. I propose a set of mapping strategies and a general model for the connection of these two paradigms that exhaustively links characteristics of the Elements with attributes of Smalley’s fields. This model is tested with six studies of Elemental Powers in the form of musical compositions. Affordances that become apparent as a result of the six studies of musical excerpts are then discussed alongside an examination of the links between musical fields, image schemas, and the Elements.