... in its historical context and circumstances, and looks at her music's relationship to its surroundings, canonic origins and influences. The essay concludes with some critical thoughts on the nature of timbre as a form building element in music. Contents Page 4: Introduction and acknowledgements. Page 6: The evolution of timbre as a form-building element. Page 19: Form, perception and the sound/noise axis. Page 33: Graal Théâtre. Page 64: Comments. Page 66: Bibliography and discography. Page 70: Appendix A: Biography of Kaija Saariaho. Page 72: Appendix B: Instrumentation in Graal Théâtre. Introduction and Acknowledgements My interest in the music of Kaija Saariaho (b.1952) originated from a SOCRATES foreign exchange to Finland in 1998 that I took part in while at the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama. This involved a stay of four months in Tampere, in Finland's worst winter for fifty years. The experience was memorable not only for the weather conditions but for the refreshing open-mindedness of the Finns ...

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