An Enquiry Into The Unfolding Of Music In Space-Time Continuum From The Perspective Of "Energy"

The theory of kinetic energy is a new field of form theory which studies the kinetic nature of music. It puts emphasis on the perceptual experience of music and acknowledges the "kinetic" property of music, which is regarded as a dynamic entirety bearing an isomorphic relationship with human psychological activity.Inspired by the theory of kinetic energy, this dissertation, titled An Enquiry into the Unfolding of Music in Space-Time Continuum from the Perspective of "Energy", analyzes the acoustic movement (such as rise and fall, intensification and relaxation) of music and discusses the constitution of the unfolding of music with consideration of a variety of musical parameters. This is a study on the modes of thinking and techniques of the formal construction of musical sound, with the aim to inspire and help with musical composition. In the process of analysis, the possible experience of hearing is taken seriously as important reference. On the whole, the deconstruction is the means to the end of reconstruction.The dissertation consists of three parts. The first part explains the concept of the theory of kinetic energy, outlines the development of this theory in the West as well as the previous research in the relevant field in China, and summarizes and evaluates the current research status. The second part gives a thorough introduction to the theory of musical "energy", including the concept, basic principles and the patterns of "energy". The author examines the representation of "energy" by different musical parameters, and proposes to use the word "breath" to determine the subject. The last part applies the notion of musical "energy" to the analysis of musical text, and explores the constitution of the unfolding of music in space-time continuum from two opposed points of view, simplification and excitation. Finally some reflections on this subject are shared.