Chia-Ling Peng
Music Postgraduate Research Student
Chia-Ling is a PhD candidate in music. After her master’s pivotal focus on the role of Max Weber in the sociology of music and his theory of rationality, she currently investigates the development of rationality by (i) emphasising causality on both societal and individual levels, (ii) differentrating musical elements’ affectual function and affectual results, (iii) recognising relationships among compositional elements, and (iv) visualising the invisible systems and structure of graphic scores. Moreover, she attempts to extend her research to the field of digital humanities. She welcomes potential collaborations in publishing, conference presentations, or performances.
Name: Chia-Ling Peng
PhD Student in: Music
Newcastle University Email: c.peng4@newcastle.ac.uk
Supervisors: Dr. Paul Attinello, Dr. Dariusz Gafijczuk
Research Project Title: Through Weber to Cage: the Theory of Rationality and the Solo for Piano
Brief Outline of Research Project:
The theory of rationality is an evolving idea that develops in relation to music. When indeterminate music is no longer based on a harmonic structure or emotional expression, rationality manifests itself in the composer’s intentions as well as in relationships between notations and their constituent elements, whereas irrationality appears in the use of materials, multiple choices within notations, and individual unpredictable realisations. From these developments, it is reasonable to assert that Cagean indeterminacy creates many opportunities to interpret Weber. By focusing on Cage’s large-scale Solo for Piano, I wish to explore both sets of ideas and interpret them through the use of a computer visualisation programme, Gephi.
Research Interests:
- Graphic score
- Experimental music
- Theory of rationality
- Sociology of music
- Digital humanities (visualisation)
