The Intermedial Composition Practice; and an original composition, Marmo al tatto for ensemble and SATB vocal quartet.
Creators: name: Desiato, Giuseppe
Publisher: name: Brandeis University
Year: 2023
Subjects: Music

description: The term 'intermediality' comes from the Latin prefix 'inter-' (between, among, amid) and the Latin noun 'media' (means for storing or communicating information). Its broad concept addresses an activity or process happening at the point of intersection among diverse media. This idea implies that different media have several degrees of interrelation and that it is possible to obtain highly effective results by researching and focusing on that virtual area in-between media, where the interrelations happen. Starting from these premises, this paper explores the role of intermediality in music composition, offering an extensive examination of its influence on the composer's creative process within the contemporary music domain. 
description: The first reason behind presenting a work that could clarify the relationship between intermedia and composition departs from the concept that everyone's life is filled with continuous and overlapping stimuli. Those stimuli cannot be fully separated and constantly challenge our perceptive systems and cognitive mechanisms. Under these circumstances, the Human brain, today more than ever, is accustomed to processing an oversaturated scenario of external inputs. As a reflection of this overloaded multi-sensory perspective, the field of music composition is endlessly transforming itself to reflect society's evolution, integrating various languages and media under its creative umbrella. 
description: The second reason is to provide a practical guide for the intermedial composer. Although intermediality has pervaded many fields in recent years, its formalized adoption in music composition has yet to be thoroughly investigated. By addressing this grey area, this research aims to shed light on how the intermedial composition practice has already configured itself as a naturally adopted creative modality by many composers and how it can enhance and expand composers' capabilities in the context of contemporary society. 
description: Through reviewing communication theories, cognitive science studies, and notable intermedial applications in art, this dissertation seeks to reveal the inherent mechanisms and reasons behind possible intermedial processes managed by composers. Specifically, one of the present study's main goals is to investigate how intermediality can broaden composers' possibilities while creating an immersive experience for the audience. 
description: Finally, the last section of the research will be dedicated to analyzing the composition process behind the intermedial work Velázquez (2022). Through the review of all the steps of this process, this final analysis presents a structured approach for managing multiple media and leveraging media relationships to obtain enhanced creative results. 
description: In conclusion, it will be shown how, by continuously blurring and overlapping its boundaries with other media, music composition has become an über-container where intermedial processes can happen and, mostly, be accurately planned.