Comparative Study On Pitch Organizations Of John Adams

The thesis makes a comparison between two representative works Shaker loops(1978,1983) and Chamber Symphony(1992), written by the American Post-Minimalist composer John Coolidge Adams (1947-) in different periods. By a series of analysis methods in pitch, the thesis contrastively analyzes the features of the pitch language organization technology in two works, such as pitch structure, pitch organization logic. On the basis of the contrastive analysis, the thesis discusses the influence of two works on the composer’s creation style transforming from Minimalism to Post-Minimalism. Although the thesis explores the similarities and differences of two works in pitch, the thesis does not ignore or deny the existence and functionality of other music elements and their structural rules. Instead, the comparative study on the pitch language organization technology can provide theory reference for other analytic methods of the musical structure from another angle, so the author discusses the topic with acoustics, rhythm and other aspects.This thesis is divided into four chapters:The first chapter introduces the general situation of two works, and expounds the concept of Minimalism music and Post-Minimalism music,The second chapter contrastively analyzes the core technology of Minimalism in two works, and contrasts the core technology of Minimalism with the traditional music,The third chapter contrastively analyzes the traditional factors of two works,And the fourth chapter mainly analyzes the feature of Post-Minimalism in the Chamber Symphony, and discusses the development of Post-Minimalism with regard to Minimalism in the organization of pitch.The conclusion abstractly concludes the core content in this thesis, summarizing the pitch language organization technology in two works and the influence of the pitch language organization technology on Adams’ creation style.