Broken-Continuity in Saariaho’s Terra Memoria

Year 2020, Volume: 4 Issue: 2, 227 - 247, 30.12.2020

Kheng K. Koay

https://doi.org/10.33906/musicologist.775821

Abstract

Terra Memoria is a musical piece that explores timbre, dynamic and texture, creating an unconventional formal design. Although discontinuity and interruption are experimented with to create a sense of unexpected development in the music’s progress, there are various means by which Saariaho unifies the composition. Throughout the piece, she explores different musical styles, new musical expressions, and compositional techniques in her own unique way. The music shows threads of stylistic connection to conventional music of the past centuries, minimalist-like repetition, and electronic music. Vocal and operatic writing styles are also experimented with. The composition demonstrates Saariaho’s challenge to traditional notions of form, giving her her own music vocabulary.

Keywords

Kaija Saariaho, Terra Memoria, 21st century music

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