Encounters with the Avant-Garde: Four Case Studies in the Reception History of Contemporary Flute Works (1971 to present)

Using reception history as a historiographical lens, this study traces the development and maturation of critical language used to describe selected flute works from 1971 to present that include extended playing techniques in addition to theatrical elements specified by the composer. Only English-language documentation is examined, and the majority of these items are reviews. The works used as case studies are George Crumb\u27s Vox Balaenae (1971), Toru Takemitsu\u27s Voice (1971), Karlheinz Stockhausen\u27s Flautina (1989), and Marcos Balter\u27s Descent from Parnassus (2012).;The purpose of this study is two-fold: 1) Define the role of temporality in relation to the developmental arc of critical language used to describe contemporary classical flute works, and 2) examine the evolution of interactions between composers, performers, and audiences---especially music critics---as it relates to the performance aesthetic of contemporary music and the communication of this repertoire through both performance and language.;The results of this study suggest that composers, performers, and audiences alike have all generally become more comfortable with the discussion of contemporary flute works over the past several decades rather than this familiarity specifically corresponding to the amount of time that a work has existed. This study also reveals an emergence of a common language used to identify and discuss extended techniques as well as the formation of a canon of what are considered to be standard extended techniques