Performing musical silence: markers, gestures, and embodiments

Abstract

This dissertation considers performed silences in composed music and suggests that musicians often use markers to communicate the dimensions of silence. These markers may shape, summon, or impose silence. Markers are signals or cues that may be visible, audible, or multimodal. This research consists of an archive of examples from standard and contemporary pianistic practice, as well as three case studies drawn from works of Beethoven, Cage, and Antheil.