A negative of knowledge

Abstract

This dissertation for the Doctor of Musical Arts degree in Composition and Theory consists of a seventeen-minute work for two clarinetists and electronic media. A Negative of Knowledge is based on a secular song by the 15th-century Burgundian composer, Gilles Binchois. His song, titled Triste Plaisir, is at moments heavily abstracted but can be heard throughout the work in the pre-recorded, countertenor voice of Wee Kiat Chia. The piece was premiered by David Angelo and Shannon Leigh at Boston University’s Marsh Chapel on April 30, 2018.