Fabrizio Nastari defends his doctoral thesis on 20 December at 14:30 room A-402 for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy (Music):

“Borrowing Existing Material, and Irony: Compositional Strategies and their Aesthetic Context”

Supervisor: prof Jaan Ross

Opponent: Riikka Maria Talvitie, DocMus (Academy of Fine Arts, Sibelius Academy and Theatre Academy)

The doctoral thesis is available HERE and in print in the EAMT library.

Abstract:

The thesis “Borrowing Existing Material, and Irony: Compositional Strategies and their Aesthetic
Context” (“Olemasoleva muusikalise materjali korduskasutamine ning iroonia:
kompositsioonistrateegiad ja nende esteetiline taust”) is part of a creative research doctoral project
and it investigates the compositional process of creating new music by borrowing existing musical
material to fulfill a personal ironic intent. The studies on borrowing actions show how the selection
and use of existing musical material has a deeper meaning than just inspiration to a tradition or style.
In this thesis, the concept of irony triggers and gives meaning to such actions, expressing a personal
vision of the world. The aim of this research is to show how I developed a structured approach that
satisfies a technical and an aesthetic need at the same time. How can composers effectively borrow
existing musical material to satisfy personal aesthetic goals?
The autoethnographic approach led an introspective reflection on personal artistic interests,
experiences, and compositional processes, aiming to gain deeper self-awareness and insight into the
creative decision-making process. Furthermore, following the Information Theory, the thesis
addresses the description of the creative process by dividing semantic information and aesthetic
information. Thus, the research reports how the composition process involves selected musical
conventions (melody and musical form), the borrowing actions (quotation and allusion),
compositional strategies (recontextualization and modification), and eventually how the music
created incorporates the element of irony, which remains a personal artistic and aesthetic choice.
Reflecting on the outcomes of the research, the study underscores the importance of introspection and
self-awareness in the compositional process. By critically examining personal interests and creative
impulses, composers can cultivate a deeper understanding of their artistic identity and refine their
compositional approach. Finally, the insights gained from this research have potential applications in
pedagogy, as exemplified by the development of the “Composing with 14th Century Technique”
course at the Estonian Academy of Music and Theatre.