Graduation Semester and Year
Spring 2026
Language
English
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Music
Department
Music
First Advisor
Jesse Maker
Second Advisor
Graham Hunt
Third Advisor
Emily Eubanks
Abstract
My thesis explores specific applications of chaos theory in contemporary twentieth-century music and analyzes the relationship between order and chaos in their creation. I will do this by referencing the levels of chaos presented by Katherine Hayles and categorized by Judith Lochhead. These levels of chaos include “Expressive Chaos,” “Denotative Chaos,” and “Ontological Chaos,” which provide a framework for grouping expressions of chaos in music. I will analyze works of John Cage, Iannis Xenakis and Pierre Boulez through the lens of these types of chaos, with a particular focus on “Ontological Chaos,” which describes chaos as both dependent on and reactive to order in its creation. I use Ontological Chaos to illustrate a cohabitation between order and chaos and apply that dynamic to the composition process of these twentieth-century composers. This defines the complexity of their musical expression and makes connections across different musical periods.
Keywords
Chaos, Chaos Theory, Cage, Xenakis, Boulez
Disciplines
Composition | Musicology | Music Theory
License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Recommended Citation
Graham, Levi, "Chaotic Complexity: Order and Chaos in Works of Cage, Xenakis and Boulez" (2026). Music Theses. 1.
https://mavmatrix.uta.edu/music_theses2/1
Included in
Composition Commons, Musicology Commons, Music Theory Commons