Self-borrowings in the Instrumental Music of Iannis Xenakis

Abstract

As one of the most important composers of the twentieth century, Iannis Xenakis is also known for having used mathematical models in his compositions and for developing a formalization of music. But Xenakis’s compositional processes did not rely only on mathematics. Like many other composers, he borrowed extensively from his own works. These borrowings, which cannot be properly regarded as self-quotations, did not always relate to theoretical problems. Most of the time, they were selected for their particular sonic qualities or transformed in order to create new ones. This presentation examines the extent of self-borrowing in the music of Iannis Xenakis and shows how the composer made use of montage techniques as a means of producing different kinds of objects or textures.