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Abstract
This doctoral work proposes the Transtextual Metamodel of Composition (TMC), a pre-compositional framework that abstracts and reimagines structural elements from audiovisual works to generate materials and structures for new musical compositions. Grounded in Gérard Genette’s concept of transtextuality, TMC consists of two main phases: abstraction, which systematically analyzes and maps visual and sonic elements separately using the Audiovisual Segmentation Analytical Model (ASAM) and Hasty’s theory of segmentation; and exportation, which transforms these elements into compositional frameworks.TMC was the fundamental tool in developing two original works—Project A (tK2 (ou: Cenas I/O)) and Project B (XXn No.4 (or: No Half-truths Towards the Trance-incidental Empire)). These case studies utilized short-form audiovisual works from two distinct mediums: TikTok videos and David Lynch’s Inland Empire (specifically its first eight minutes), both examined as proto-narratives or micronarratives. These sources provided the foundation for TMC’s initial exercises, demonstrating its capacity to extract structural relationships from audiovisual materials, reinterpret them, and transform them into compositional frameworks.
Several achievements and limitations emerged in the application of TMC as a compositional tool. One of its key strengths is its structural flexibility, which enables composers to engage in broad sonic reinterpretation and imaginative exploration. By prioritizing structural relationships over aesthetic prescriptions, TMC fosters adaptability, making it a versatile tool for those seeking to extract, transform, and recontextualize audiovisual structures into music. TMC does not prescribe specific aesthetic directions or offer an extensive set of predefined compositional techniques. Rather than serving as a foundational compositional methodology, it operates as both a precompositional and compositional framework that supports and informs broader compositional practices. Beyond its contributions to the compositional process, TMC also holds potential as a pedagogical resource.