| This dissertation examines Diffraction for solo piccolo and Sgothan for solo flute, both composed in 1984 by James Dillon (b. 1950). Although Dillon's music has generally been associated with the New Complexity, this project engages with the music on its own terms, and not as representative of a particular ideology. Following an overview of the scholarly literature on Dillon's music, I explore both motivic structuring of individual sections and the large-scale forms of the two works, bringing into consideration observations gleaned from listening and score study. I address questions of continuity, unity, and the experience of form. These questions emerged during my initial hearings of both works, from the contrasts and coherence I sensed in each piece. My impressions interact productively with the composer's remarks on the phenomenon of "presencing" and on his stated goal of creating a "disrupted surface inside a narrative flow." I employ a methodology that combines traditional music-theoretical approaches, including set theory and contour theory, with perspectives derived from relevant literature on music perception. The analyses suggest interpretive strategies for performers. In addition, comparisons are made to two contemporaneous solo works in Dillon's oeuvre, Crossing Over (1978) for clarinet, and Evening Rain (1981) for solo voice. |
