The music of Tomas Marco: A holistic approach, with particular regard to selected works for violin

This
 thesis
 presents
 a
 holistic
 approach
 to
 the
 music
 and
 life
 of
 the
 Spanish
 contemporary
 composer
 Tomas
 Marco 
(b.
1942).
Such 
an
 approach
combines 
a
 number
 of
 interconnected
 perspectives
 (historical,
 sociological,
 philosophical,
 analytical
 and
 performative)
 that
 aim
 to
 provide
 a
 general
 picture
 of
 Marco’s
 music
 and
 intellectuality,
 proposing
 over‐arching
 analytical
 frameworks
 that
 take
 as 
a
 point
 of
 departure,
 but
 go
 beyond,
 the
 consideration
 of
 a
 selection
 of
 Marco’s 
works
 for
 violin.

The
 lack
 of
 scholarship
 on
 Marco
 in
 English
 makes
 necessary
 a
 biographical
 introduction,
 presented
 in
 Chapter
 1:
 a
 number
 of
 crucial
 historical
 and
 sociological
 elements
 are 
considered
 in 
order 
to 
develop 
a
critical
 perspective 
on
 Marco’s
 life
 and
 oeuvre.
 Chapter
 2
 analyses
 Marco’s
 relationship,
 during
 the
 1960s,
 with
 the
 avant‐garde
 Spanish
 musical
 movement
 ZAJ.
 It
 traces
 the
 parallelisms
 between
 ZAJ
 and
 Fluxus,
 considers
 its
 political
 dimension
 and
 explores
 its 
influence
 on
 the 
formation
of 
Marco’s 
mature 
musical 
idiom. 
Chapter
 3 examines
 the 
connections
between 
Marco’s 
thinking 
and 
Theodor 
W. 
Adorno’s and
 Henri‐Louis
 Bergson’s
 philosophies.
 Such
 analysis
 seeks,
 ultimately,
 to
 uncover Marco’s
consideration 
of 
time
 and
 its 
relationship 
with 
specific 
elements
 of
their 
philosophical 
worlds,
which 
will 
work 
as 
the 
basis
 for 
the 
development
 and 
application 
of 
a 
number 
of 
time‐related 
analytical 
perspectives, 
in
Chapter 
4,
 on
 Marco’s
 works
 Umbral
 de
 la
 Desolacion,
 Duo
 Concertante
 no
 3,
 Duo
 Concertante 
no
6 
and 
Iris.


Performance
 plays 
a 
key 
role 
in
 those 
analytical 
perspectives:
 I 
include 
my
own
 recording
 of 
Marco’s 
works, used 
both 
as 
analytical 
material 
and 
to
introduce 
the
 centrality 
of 
the 
performative 
side
 of 
music, as 
its 
realisation
through 
time, 
in 
the
 consideration 
and
 analysis 
of 
musical 
time.


A
 second
 volume, consisting
 of
 an 
important
 collection
 of
 material
 on
 which
 a
 significant 
part
 of
 the
 arguments
 developed
 throughout
 the
 thesis 
are
based,
 is
 included 
for 
two 
main 
reasons: 
the 
lack 
of 
material 
in 
English, 
and
the 
hope 
that
 this 
research
 project 
might 
ignite 
an 
interest 
in 
Marco’s 
work
and
 the
 world 
of
 Spanish 
contemporary 
music
 to 
which 
the 
annexed
material 
is 
clearly 
relevant