The spatial performance of Luigi Nono

Focusing chiefly on the pieces with tape and live-electronics composed after 1960, the dissertation attempts to illustrate the major influences that have contributed to the development of the Nono's spatial practice, with particular emphasis on his involvement with technology and theatrical practices ever since the detachment from Darmstadt in the late fifties.

The musical and extra-musical implications of Nono's unique contribution to spatial music are discussed, in the hope that this work may become a useful practical contribution for future composers, performers and scholars, especially considering the lack of publications on the subject in English at the time of writing. The analysis is centred on the composer’s use of acoustic space as a conveyor of meaning, designed to stimulate active and critical audience engagement.