Analytical Variations – Eight Critical Essays on Applied Music Theory

lt;p>This book offers critical demonstrations of various methods and concepts currently used in music analysis. Among the subjects are musical implications, tonal analysis, generative theory, ambiguity, similarity, and the key criteria met with in lawsuits of plagiarism. Finally, can a composer's sexual leanings be derived from his music?

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lt;p>This book gives a critical account of various methods used in music analysis. In the first chapter, a number of current approaches such as semiotics, musical implications, Schenkerian analysis, and generative theory are demonstrated on Mozart's K. 331 theme. Five essays deal with important concepts in music analysis: ambiguity, formal proportions, and similarity within and between works. A further chapter provides a discussion of probability, kinship, and influence - decisive criteria when judging musical plagiarism. The last essay, studying a piece by Schubert, sifts the prospects of deciphering a composer's sexual leanings from his music.