The «Polyphony» of Compositional Tools in the Music by Michael Nyman

Abstract

The article is devoted to the work of the contemporary British composer Michael Nyman which is examined from the connection of different compositional tools point of view. In his pieces which are mostly written on the basis of the borrowed material Nyman uses a stable complex of forming techniques of different eras (basso-ostinato form, combinatorics, addition, phase shift, etc.) in the process of creating music. The author analyzes different combinations of these compositional means using examples of his string quartets.

Keywords: Michael Nyman, British composer, minimalism, bricolage, string quartet, forming, borrowed material.