Because the music of Estonian composer Arvo Pärt appears to be both simple and familiar yet so astonishingly new, many have attempted to pinpoint its origins. The labels that have been applied to Pärt's music equate his style with that of the minimalist movement of the last half of the twentieth century. However, these labels are inadequate in that they fail to even hint at the strong medieval influences in his works. In this thesis I have proved the existence of both the minimalist and medieval or Gothic elements in Pärt's compositions. Furthermore, I have shown how Pärt's style differs from both medieval music and traditional minimalist music by composers such as Reich, Glass, Adams, and Riley. In conjunction with this task, I have identified and discussed in detail what Pärt calls 'tintinnabulation,' and how this technique is used as process on which many of his compositions are based.

Contact me if you would like to use my thesis as a source for your work. I am happy to allow my work to be cited as long as I am given full credit for anything you happen to use. If you obtain the thesis through me and use any part of my work, I request that you send me a copy of your book/thesis/dissertation/CD/etc. when it is finished or released..