The music of Estonian minimalist, Arvo Pärt, is influenced by the style and form of medieval polyphony. This influence permeates both his compositional method, and the resulting musical affect. This paper focuses on rhythm as a point of... more
The music of Estonian minimalist, Arvo Pärt, is influenced by the style and form of medieval polyphony. This influence permeates both his compositional method, and the resulting musical affect. This paper focuses on rhythm as a point of comparison, most significantly the appearance of rhythmic modes in his vocal works, and the declamation of text. Also significant is his biography, which includes a period of monasticism which the author postulates may have led to the "tranquil" mood of much of his music.
