Closure: a mind/brain perspective

dc.contributor.advisorHerbst, Theo
dc.contributor.authorHart, Jeremy
dc.date.accessioned2025-02-14T08:51:26Z
dc.date.available2025-02-14T08:51:26Z
dc.date.issued2024
dc.date.updated2025-02-14T08:45:15Z
dc.description.abstractThe topic of closure - that sense of logical completion and conclusion - is often given much weight in the discussion of Western Classical music. However, this discussion enters uncertain territory when dealing with works which eschew the tonal-syntactic structure of the common practice period; a challenge common to music of the Twentieth Century. This dissertation concerns itself with the question of how closure can be achieved under these conditions. Most of the literature approaches this issue by analysing musical devices or procedures which composers employ at non-tonal musical endings, but this is usually done without first establishing criteria for distinguishing between endings that articulate closure and those that do not. To address this, I begin by proposing a definition of closure as a concept and then explore the cognitive underpinnings of this sensation through a review of Event Segmentation Theory. This allows me to construct a lens through which to revisit the existing work on non tonal endings and discuss their potential closural effect. My discussion concludes that, in the absence of a well-developed or commonly understood grammatical-semantic system, music requires a linear or directed process with a limiting element (either a process which is self limiting, one that proceeds toward a previously stated limit, or one that is interrupted by a significant modification) for it to stimulate a sense of closure. A notable exception to this was the possibility of closure as a result of high processing effort when locating an ending. I believe that these conclusions are valuable to the formal analysis or composition of non-tonal works within the Western Classical tradition
dc.identifier.apacitationHart, J. (2024). <i>Closure: a mind/brain perspective</i>. (). University of Cape Town ,Faculty of Humanities ,College of Music. Retrieved from http://hdl.handle.net/11427/40960en_ZA
dc.identifier.chicagocitationHart, Jeremy. <i>"Closure: a mind/brain perspective."</i> ., University of Cape Town ,Faculty of Humanities ,College of Music, 2024. http://hdl.handle.net/11427/40960en_ZA
dc.identifier.citationHart, J. 2024. Closure: a mind/brain perspective. . University of Cape Town ,Faculty of Humanities ,College of Music. http://hdl.handle.net/11427/40960en_ZA
dc.identifier.ris TY - Thesis / Dissertation AU - Hart, Jeremy AB - The topic of closure - that sense of logical completion and conclusion - is often given much weight in the discussion of Western Classical music. However, this discussion enters uncertain territory when dealing with works which eschew the tonal-syntactic structure of the common practice period; a challenge common to music of the Twentieth Century. This dissertation concerns itself with the question of how closure can be achieved under these conditions. Most of the literature approaches this issue by analysing musical devices or procedures which composers employ at non-tonal musical endings, but this is usually done without first establishing criteria for distinguishing between endings that articulate closure and those that do not. To address this, I begin by proposing a definition of closure as a concept and then explore the cognitive underpinnings of this sensation through a review of Event Segmentation Theory. This allows me to construct a lens through which to revisit the existing work on non tonal endings and discuss their potential closural effect. My discussion concludes that, in the absence of a well-developed or commonly understood grammatical-semantic system, music requires a linear or directed process with a limiting element (either a process which is self limiting, one that proceeds toward a previously stated limit, or one that is interrupted by a significant modification) for it to stimulate a sense of closure. A notable exception to this was the possibility of closure as a result of high processing effort when locating an ending. I believe that these conclusions are valuable to the formal analysis or composition of non-tonal works within the Western Classical tradition DA - 2024 DB - OpenUCT DP - University of Cape Town KW - music LK - https://open.uct.ac.za PB - University of Cape Town PY - 2024 T1 - Closure: a mind/brain perspective TI - Closure: a mind/brain perspective UR - http://hdl.handle.net/11427/40960 ER - en_ZA
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/11427/40960
dc.identifier.vancouvercitationHart J. Closure: a mind/brain perspective. []. University of Cape Town ,Faculty of Humanities ,College of Music, 2024 [cited yyyy month dd]. Available from: http://hdl.handle.net/11427/40960en_ZA
dc.language.isoen
dc.language.rfc3066eng
dc.publisher.departmentCollege of Music
dc.publisher.facultyFaculty of Humanities
dc.publisher.institutionUniversity of Cape Town
dc.subjectmusic
dc.titleClosure: a mind/brain perspective
dc.typeThesis / Dissertation
dc.type.qualificationlevelMasters
dc.type.qualificationlevelMA
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