Redefining Moments: Interpreting Flexible Moment Form in the Late Solo Works of Franco Donatoni

The coexistence of continuous and discontinuous elements in the late solo instrumental compositions of Franco Donatoni (1927-2000) presents a challenge for the music analyst. This thesis shows how these works can be rendered analytically accessible by engagement with the concept of moment form, a compositional theory promulgated by Karlheinz Stockhausen in the early 1960s. Modifications made to the theory across its sixty-year history are examined and a flexible adaptation of the theory is codified. This flexible approach is then applied more broadly as an aesthetic theory, enabling new analytical perspectives concerning the play of continuity and discontinuity across other artistic disciplines.