The Morphology and Meaning of Time: An Analysis of John Chowning’s “Sabelithe” Using the UST Method
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Keywords

John Chowning
Sabelithe
computer music
Unités Sémiotiques Temporelles (UST)
temporal morphology

How to Cite

GUO, J., Wang, Y., & Zhang, W. (2025). The Morphology and Meaning of Time: An Analysis of John Chowning’s “Sabelithe” Using the UST Method. International Theory and Practice in Humanities and Social Sciences, 2(2), 89–99. Retrieved from https://ojs.wisvora.com/index.php/itphss/article/view/41
Received 2024-10-07
Accepted 2024-12-01
Published 2025-02-16

Abstract

This paper employs the Unités Sémiotiques Temporelles (UST) method to systematically analyze John Chowning's computer music composition “Sabelithe (1971)” . By identifying and interpreting the various USTs present in the piece, the study explores how Chowning utilizes these temporal morphologies to shape the work's structure, tension, and expressiveness. Despite being composed of synthetic timbres, the piece embodies temporal semantics and dramaticism comparable to any traditional composition. This research confirms the effectiveness of the UST method in analyzing electroacoustic music and provides a new perspective for understanding Chowning’s compositional ideas.

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References

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International Theory and Practice in Humanities and Social Sciences | www.wisvora.com

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This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.

Copyright (c) 2025 JIAWEN GUO, Yudan Wang, Wenwen Zhang (Author)

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