Dissertation im Fach Musikwissenschaft an der Musikhochschule Weimar bei Prof. Dr. Martin Pfleiderer

Thema: The Syntax of Sound – Untersuchungen zur Musik Pat Methenys (1974– 1994)

Die Publikation als Buch erfolgte 2022 in der Reihe "Internationale Hochschulschriften" im Verlag Waxmann (Münster, New York).

Synopsis of "The Syntax of Sound":
American composer and guitarist Pat Metheny has been considered one of the most important key figures in contemporary jazz since the 1970s. On the basis of sometimes completely disparate styles, such as bebop, free jazz, minimal music, pop, classical, fusion, jazz-rock, folk, new age and Brazilian music, he designs a decidedly personal sound cosmos, not least with the help of a novel instrumentarium. The result is music with current relevance that integrates traditions and yet points to forward-looking musical fusions of a globalized (music) world. This volume systematically examines Metheny's work in the period 1974-1994, based on transcriptions of selected works that are placed in their contemporary historical context and analyzed according to musicological criteria. The focus is also on the term "sound", which is applied both in its tonal dimension and in the sense of a specific personal style. The aim is a comprehensive music-historical and stylistic localization of Metheny's music.