New compositional paths between Carter’s harmony and post-structuralism
A grammatological approach to the Harmony Book
Abstract
This article attempts to link music theory and compositional practice from an innovative methodological point of view. The original features of this approach consist in the attempt to define a new paradigm in music composition. The author investigates whether and how the harmony of Elliott Carter (1908-2012) -- as systematized in his Harmony Book -- can be configured as a key element to explore new compositional paths, testing the values of a “new humanistic perspective” through the deconstructionist approach. Carter's harmonic world here assumes the role of a postmodern musical grammar (in the nature of a kind of “renaissance study”). At the same time, the research also attempts to innovate creatively, proposing a new compositional paradigm based on some of the fundamental acquisitions of post-structuralism, all within the framework of a generative-transformational approach.
