# Thomas DeLio

Thomas DeLio (born January 7, 1951) is an American experimental music composer, music theorist and author. He is currently Professor of Music in theory and composition at the University of Maryland in College Park.

## Biography

DeLio received bachelor of music degree from the New England Conservatory of Music where he studied with Robert Cogan. He received a Ph.D. from Brown University in a Special Interdisciplinary Studies program that allowed him to combine advanced studies in music, visual arts, and mathematics.
DeLio's works are published by Editore Semar (Europe), Silent Editions (United States) and Sonic Art Editions (United States) and are recorded on such labels as Wergo, 3D Classics, Neuma, Centaur, Capstone, and Spectrum. He has published over thirty scholarly papers in such journals and periodicals as Perspectives of New Music, Journal of Music Theory, Indiana Theory Review, In Theory Only, Interface, Contemporary Music Review, Artforum, Computer Music Journal, Revue d'esthétique, and Percussive Notes.
DeLio has also written books, including one analyzing the work of Morton Feldman (The Music of Morton Feldman) and another offering analysis of several "open form" works (Circumscribing the Open Universe). His book "The Amores of John Cage" was published by Pendragon Press (as part of the College Music Society series Sourcebooks in American Music) in 2010. A book about DeLio's work entitled Thomas DeLio: Composer and Scholar edited by Dr. Thomas Licata (Professor, Hartwick College) appeared in summer of 2007 from the Mellen Press. This book contains essays by Wesley Fuller (Professor Emeritus, Clark University), Agostino Di Scipio (Professor, University of Naples, Italy), Christopher Shultis (Regents Professor, University of New Mexico), Hermann Sabbe (Professor of Musicology, Ghent University, Belgium), Morris Palter (University of California, San Diego), Steven Johnson (Professor, Brigham Young University), Robert Morris (Professor, Eastman School of Music), Tracy Wiggins (University of North Carolina at Pembroke), Linda Dusman, Thomas Goldstein (Professors, University of Maryland, Baltimore County) and Michael Boyd (Chatham University) .

## Influences

DeLio's approach to composition is largely influenced by Morton Feldman, John Cage, and Iannis Xenakis. The influence of Xenakis, however, is often more philosophical than musical. Describing the influence of Xenakis and Feldman, DeLio explains:
   Xenakis and Feldman are influences in the general sense that they each tap into very personal and unique sensibilities; in this sense they should be role models for all composers. Also, for these composers, sound is the source of the compositional process. Sound, in all its richness and complexity, is the essence of that process for both – not system of method or gesture, as is the case for so many composers. This is true for me as well. First and foremost I think about sound when I start a piece.
The primary area where Xenakis and DeLio differ is in the use of mathematics, which is integral in Xenakis's compositions. DeLio states, "My music is not really mathematical at all!."
The influence of Cage is evident in DeLio's use of sounds outside of the standard dodecaphonic system. "Prior to the 20th century", DeLio notes, "the sonic materials of Western music were restricted to a set of twelve pitch classes. Over the course of the past hundred years, this restriction has virtually disappeared." Elsewhere, DeLio describes his attraction to percussion instruments, explaining, "Percussion allows a composer to deal with sounds drawn from the entire pitch/noise continuum. Thus, pitch is one manifestation of all sound ranging from pure tones to noise bands." Cage was a pioneer in this area, writing for a wide variety of percussion instruments, electronic devices, and even household objects to produce new sounds. Composers like DeLio are heavily indebted to his work.
Another area where the influences of Cage and Feldman are strongly felt is in DeLio's extensive use of silence as a compositional device. On the surface, in fact, DeLio's music bears a strong resemblance to the music of Cage and Feldman, both of whom made extensive use of sparse textures and were not afraid to use silence as a key part of their compositions. Upon further examination, however, one finds that the function of silence in music varies significantly among the three composers. Feldman, for example used silence to separate sounds and give them space to fade into silence. DeLio notes, "Feldman once said that one of the most beautiful things a sound does is decay. He could have added that in order for this decay to be felt, it must be attached to silence." Cage, on the other hand, used silence as a compositional tool for incorporating unintentional, atmospheric sounds into the context of a musical composition. DeLio explains, "Cage, of course, is the real source of all consideration of silence in music. But even his approach to silence is not like mine – though I deeply admire his work. For Cage silence is the space in which all unintended sounds come into play." DeLio's use of silence is different in that it is used to isolate sounds and events. He explains:
   Silence is like a location for the experience of sound. For me it defines a place with respect to sound. My silence frames sound, isolates it, and creates an opportunity to hear sound both as an object – an entity unto itself divorced from its role as a mere unit of linguistic baggage – as well as part of a process of evolution. This is different from Cage or Feldman.
While this may sound similar to Feldman's use of silence, DeLio's approach is more radical, using large units of silence to not only isolate the events sonically, but also to isolate them mentally, leaving so much space that the memory will often forget one gesture before the next is presented, essentially forcing the listener to evaluate them as separate, unrelated musical entities. DeLio explains:
   I always try to avoid constructing transitions linking individual events. I avoid anything which might convey a sense of continuity and connection. I desire everything to be segmented, halted, separated. I have no interest in memory, which seems to me an illusion. Only direct perception of the moment seems important to me.

## Compositional style

The most striking aspect of DeLio's music is his use of silence. His pieces include large sections of silence, sometimes a full minute. In fact, in many of his compositions the time devoted to silence is greater than the time devoted to sonic events. By isolating events and frustrating the memory, DeLio attempts to draw the listener into more intently listening to the brief sonic events. "I argue for wiping the slate clean", DeLio explains, "Rediscovering sound beneath all of the rhetoric and dated mannerisms which have accumulated over so many years and, in the process, really coming to grips with the nature of our own experience."
Another important aspect is his sense of time. In a majority of his pieces, he uses the same tempo, 60 beats per minute. Within this tempo, however, he uses a wide variety of subdivisions, including division of the beat into 5 or 7, and the pulse is rarely, if ever, clearly defined. 60 beats per minute is essentially the same as one beat per second, and DeLio thinks of time in his instrumental works as one would in tape composition: All events are measured against a temporal grid of minutes and seconds. DeLio's tempo is static, merely a reference for the performer. Instead of altering tempo, DeLio uses rhythmic devices to create effect within a constant pulse.