HARMONIC STASIS AS AN AESTHETIC PRINCIPLE IN THE MUSIC OF THE POSTMODERN ERA
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.35619/ucpmk.50.948Keywords:
harmony, harmonic stasis, postmodernism, minimalism, sonorism, spectralism, musical timespace, desemantization of harmonyAbstract
The article explores harmonic stasis as an aesthetic paradigm of postmodern music, emphasizing its function beyond compositional technique. The study analyzes the transformation of harmonic verticality in the second half of the twentieth century, focusing on the shift from functional harmonic development to a model of contemplative presence and spatial sound experience.
Research methodology. The research combines analytical and comparative approaches to examine harmonic organization in
minimalism, sonorism, and spectral music. The study draws on theoretical insights from musicology, poststructuralist philosophy, and cultural theory, engaging with the work of M. Rychter, K. Saariaho, L. Teodorescu-Ciocanea, and A. Kaiero Claver. Results.
Harmonic stasis emerges not merely as a stylistic phenomenon but as a manifestation of broader aesthetic transformation in
postmodern music. It reflects a move away from teleological musical forms toward structures of presence and spatiality. Vertical sonorities lose their functional-semantic roles and become self-sufficient acoustic events. The concepts of acoustic presence, silence, and contemplative temporality redefine the role of the listener and challenge traditional notions of musical time and directionality. Novelty. The article reframes harmonic stasis as an ontological and aesthetic gesture rooted in postmodern sensitivity, highlighting its links with the phenomenology of sound, deconstruction, and the reconfiguration of musical experience. Practical significance. The study offers a new interdisciplinary perspective for understanding harmony in contemporary music and opens up directions for further research in aesthetics, sound studies, and post-tonal compositional practices.
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