| Description |
Memory defines reality. The mind's interpretation of the present relies entirely upon its experience. Before you pick up a rock, you have an idea of what it will feel like in your hand. You can discern information about someone through social cues instead of having that information explicitly explained to you. The ability to interpret the present moment hinges on events we have previously experienced. However, as many of us are aware, trusting fully in memory would be irresponsible. Memories break down, corrode over time, become jumbled with other memories. A musical work, like memory, grows with the procession of time. By definition, a musical motive recurs, and all recurrences depend on previous occurrence. Motives play with the listener's expectation, whether fulfilling that expectation or not, allowing the music to generate excitement and character. Expectation, and therefore any moving listening experience, cannot occur without some level of foreknowledge, without context-without memory. Keyframe acknowledges and reflects on this fact, exploring the vastness, mysticism, and complications of human memory in the context of a musical composition. The composition consists of a suite of six pieces for jazz sextet and traditional string quartet. In accordance with the requirements for the Honors thesis, the work includes this supplemental analysis and discussion. |
