Many composers of the 20th century have drawn upon science in their endeavours to create music. The development of technologies has been an additional impetus for composers to interface with scientific and technological paradigms. This thesis explores the extent and scope of the application of scientific metaphors and models in the compositional œuvres of four British-born composers of the later half of the 20th century: Richard Barrett, Chris Dench, James Dillon and Brian Ferneyhough. These composers have been commonly regarded as part of a group called the ‘New Complexity’. Much of the discourse about this group has centred on the dense polyphonic textures and formidable rhythms that feature in their work. This study extends the understanding of the composers from the surface characteristics of their projects to the ideas and conceptualisation that lies behind them, with the aim of clarifying essential differences and similarities among the individual composers. The thesis finds that, although all four composers share an interest in science and a belief in its relevance to their compositional projects, specific differences can be identified in the application of scientific metaphors and models. Moreover, the findings indicate that the composers often couple these scientific references with notions of cognition. The linking of these scientific tropes to cognition not only reveals the significance of science in the composers’ respective projects, but also points us to a deeper understanding of what these composers consider music to mean
