Part I: Sofia Gubaidulina's approach to pitch centricity in Two Paths: music for two violas and orchestra a dedication to Mary and Martha (1999) Part II: concerto for clarinet and orchestra

This theoretical study is devoted to the analysis of pitch centricity in Sofia Gubaidulina's post-tonal composition Two Paths: Music for Two Violas and Orchestra (1999). A detailed examination of Gubaidulina's approach to the exploration of axes of symmetry and sonic organization as a whole, including the generation of referential sets and their unfolding throughout the piece, will be provided in the four chapters of this study. A thorough analysis of all seven variations of Two Paths shows a consistency in the use of dyads as referential centric poles which serve as an example of the principle of dyadic centricity. This analysis will also show that Gubaidulina is consistent in assigning to these dyads a cadential function, subjecting them to registral filling (chromatic and diatonic), placing and sustaining them at climactic points (thus creating registral connections between corresponding variations) and reinforcing them as dyadic components of pitch class sets. Despite the fact that the main dyadic structures are not treated identically, they do dominate the sonic organization of Two Paths and are used as a context;ual means of reinforcement throughout the entire piece. As a background to Gubaidulina's approach to pitch centricity, in Chapter 4 of this study, comparisons will be made with the use of inversional axes in pitch class space in her orchestral piece The Rider on the White Horse. Some insights into the symbolic nature of these axes will be provided in the same chapter.