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1
Pasquet, Olivier. "Automatic versus automatic, materialized fiction as a confrontational compositional process : a resolved complexity : simplicity." Thesis, University of Huddersfield, 2018. http://eprints.hud.ac.uk/id/eprint/34734/.
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The current submitted work consists of a portfolio of musical works, visual pieces and thoughts that preoccupied me over a period of research and creation from late 2014 to 2017. Pieces described in this thesis developed into an overall artistic research and craft which led to a specific workflow serving a new personal aesthetic. Two parts describe two seemingly antonymous automatic creation processes: automatic versus automatic. The first part describes my inspirations together with a consequent formal-ization of my composition techniques. I render generative automatic music both emerging from finite state computation and infinitesimal interference. The second part shows that I often perform my music in specific sites with challenging conditions. I consider them as constraints that eventually also be-come part of the composition system. The materialization of a piece involves aback-and-forth process, between concepts and realities, that I finally transcend in the sense of surrealist automatism. This mechanical and human process is a necessity for the authenticity to my pieces.
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Laporte, Jean-Francois. "Feedback : iterative research-creation processes between instrument-building, composition and performance." Thesis, University of Huddersfield, 2018. http://eprints.hud.ac.uk/id/eprint/34777/.
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This text is a commentary on my preoccupations over the course of my doctoral research from 2013 to 2017. It accompanies a portfolio of works realized and submitted as part of this doctoral thesis, which looks more specifically at feedback as an iterative process between myself as instrument-builder, composer and performer. This approach, which puts sound center stage as the primary material, emphasizes the organic and bidirectional internal influences among these three creative poles. This thesis is devoted to the main subject of my doctoral research: the notion of creative feedback among instrument-builder, composer and performer. It is in five parts: 1. A definition of my principal influences and aesthetic biases; 2. A portrait outlining the connections of influence among the instrument-builder, composer and performer; 3. A discussion of relationships outside the creative process itself, that is to say the influence of other artists (composers, musicians, other instruments) in my approach to research creation; 4. A demonstration of how I use the influences of other composers, other musicians and even other artists whose works speak to and inspire me; and 5. A presentation of three concrete examples from the portfolio realized during my doctoral research The body of work submitted includes: three new instruments, two sound installations,four compositions and three comprovisations.
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Evans, Eleri Ann. "Extending techniques : developing the saxophone's capacity for lower-end dynamics and microtonal playing." Thesis, University of Huddersfield, 2016. http://eprints.hud.ac.uk/id/eprint/31099/.
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Adolphe Sax believed his invention, the saxophone, was the link between louder and quieter instruments. Changes to the instrument and to playing techniques have lessened the saxophone’s ability to play quietly, and subtone techniques are now utilized for playing at lower-end dynamics. This PhD proposes a new method for playing the saxophone at lower-end dynamic levels. This method uses breath control to allow lower-end dynamic playing on the saxophone. The new method has been tested through its use in different musical compositions and in combination with different extended techniques. The new method for playing the saxophone at lower-end dynamic levels has been found to have greater applicability than existing techniques and is demonstrated in numerous recordings that accompany this work. Prominent saxophonists have said that the saxophone is not able to play notes between the semitones. Modifications to the saxophone keywork mechanisms have made some microtones possible whilst prohibiting others. Existing saxophone literature has documented quarter-tone scales but has been slow to expand further microtonal possibilities. This research has developed and proposed new models and new techniques for microtonal saxophone playing. This has been demonstrated on different saxophones, including those with distinct keywork mechanisms. The numerous fingering patterns that have resulted from this work are documented in the appendices. The microtonality that results from using extended techniques, slap-tonguing and key percussion, has also been documented. Recordings of the new models for microtonal saxophone playing accompany this research. The use of microtonal saxophone playing has been discussed in relation to different compositions. The research documented here is of relevance to saxophonists and composers who wish to play or use such techniques.
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Chong, Kee Yong. "Multi-layered ethnic and cultural influences in my musical compositions." Thesis, University of Huddersfield, 2016. http://eprints.hud.ac.uk/id/eprint/31091/.
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In this doctoral thesis, I examine the influence of multi-ethnic cultures and heritage of East and Southeast Asia on my compositional development. Although the imitation of the outward features of other cultures is an important part of the attempt to compose cross-cultural pieces, such imitation is only one part of the learning process. The most difficult task is to make a meaningful cultural confluence out of these influences. My original contribution to music lies in the way in which I have activated the legacy of my multicultural Malaysian heritage and combined a strong focus on Chinese cultural traditions with a wider Malaysian context that involves theatre, philosophy, rituals, and spirituality. Over the past few years, I have composed cross-cultural works for traditional East and Southeast Asian and Western instruments, collaborating with multiple musicians in Asia, the United States, and Europe. The compositions discussed in this thesis reveal the various elements of my writing for Chinese instruments that are at once original and eclectic. I am particularly interested in incorporating various East and Southeast Asian musical practices such as Chinese dialect folk songs (especially Hakka storytelling and mountain songs), Gamelan music from South East Asia, Indian ritual and ceremonial music, ancient Chinese court music, and chanting of classical Chinese poetry, Korean Pansori music, and Japanese Gagaku music to create my own compositional techniques and languages. Using my compositions as examples, I illustrate the incorporation of East and Southeast Asian vocal and instrumental techniques into Western musical languages. In the first two chapters, I focus more on the importance of Chinese sources of poetry and philosophical thinking in a number of large-scale works. In the third chapter, I examine the key compositional roles played by elements such as sonic mobility and spatialisation, the interplay and interchange of roles in instrumental writing, and the concept of “living ornamentation” in creating heterophony and vocalisation, and present a detailed analysis of one of my works Yuan-Liu (2009). I explain how sonic mobility and spatialisation, as realised through unique instrumental setups in my compositions, are deeply informed by my childhood experience of listening to the acoustics of nature in the woods. In the concluding chapter, I discuss how I use the concepts of time, narrative, and cultural confluence in my music.
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Irwin, Mark Stewart. "Teaching the way we learnt : a study in popular music education." Thesis, University of Sussex, 2016. http://sro.sussex.ac.uk/id/eprint/59666/.
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Popular music education in the UK, and worldwide, has seen a significant expansion in the last two decades. As this new subject matures, scholars are beginning to fashion a new and more student-centred approach to learning and teaching: drawing on the informal learning practice found in popular music. Green (2006) defined the key characteristics of informal learning: allowing learners to choose the music; learning by listening and copying recordings; learning in friendship groups, with minimum adult guidance; learning in personal, often-haphazard ways; and integrating listening, playing, singing, improvising and composing. Informal musical learning is also facilitated through the use of recording as a technique for reflecting on, and improving one's own performance. These novel approaches to music education have begun to be applied by music educators, in a diverse range of contexts. Karlsen (2010) has correspondingly linked informal learning with ideas of authenticity, and communities of practice: social networks that provide individuals with access to learning through interaction with experienced ‘old-timers' as described by Lave and Wenger (1991). This thesis examines the way that seven musicians, teaching in one private UK Higher Education popular music institution, learnt their craft: firstly as musicians and subsequently as teachers. It asks how the way that these individuals acquired their skills and beliefs might impact on the way that they teach their students, and if this impact might be more effective if teachers were encouraged to reflect on their own learning, using that reflection to research, inform, and modify their own teaching practice. This work is particularly situated in small and medium size group teaching rather than the one to one teaching model found in classical music programmes, or in peripatetic music teaching. Furthermore, my work takes a structural-constructivist approach using the ideas of Bourdieu (1977, 1990a, 1993) as a theoretical lens, and drawing on the constructivist learning theory developed from the principles established by Vygotsky in the 1920's and 1930's (1930/1978).1 I argue that a hybrid approach to Bourdieu's notion of habitus (1990a, p.53) or the dispositions we adopt to the social world is crucial to understanding the way that we become musicians. Moreover, that the situatedness of musical and educational practice and the identity practices of learners and teachers are fundamental to the process of learning as a process of becoming (Lave and Wenger, 1991). Ergo, by recognising this process of learning as situated in social, cultural, historical, and technological contexts we may also facilitate metacognition (Flavell, 1979). By metacognition, I mean the ability to be reflexive2 as a learner or teacher; understanding the way that learning works, our beliefs about learning, and how those beliefs affect one's own learning and thus agency. Additionally, that notions of authenticity and creativity are vital to the effectiveness of musical learning practices, and the accumulation of social and cultural capital for popular musicians. My research methods include the use of open ‘semi structured' interviews (Leech, 2002) alongside observation in the classroom3 to generate empirical data. The primary research presented here is an Action Research Study: enabling the teachers in the study to retrieve their own experience of informal learning in order to facilitate informal learning practice in the music classroom. I suggest that these individuals recognise the importance of their own experience and are able to utilise, and learn from those experiences in developing approaches that are relevant, creative, and also authentic to their students. What this work also aims to do is establish links between theory and practice, and to identify potential mechanisms for engaging with our students' entire learning experience, whilst allowing them to understand the social and cultural process of musical learning. 1 This text is a collection of Vygotsky's work originally published in the 1920's and 1930's. 2 Reflexivity is a word used in sociology to describe how much agents are able to recognise the forces of social structure and therefore affect agency. 3 By classroom teaching, I mean small group (10-20 students) and exceptionally, larger group (40-60) teaching, as is the model for delivery at my institution.
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Gardner, Thomas. "The effect of electronically mediated sound on group musical interaction : a case study of the practice and development of the Automatic Writing Circle." Thesis, City University London, 2011. http://openaccess.city.ac.uk/1075/.
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The interaction between musicians has been one of the traditional strengths of music: it stretches to include an audience and ritual participants but has its origins in group activity, the interpersonal responses of one musician to another. This thesis examines the way that electronic media have transformed the interactions between musicians, particularly in the context of live performance. A central theme is the way in which mediatisation creates new splits within previously integrated musical situations and also merges differences usually defined by physical boundaries. The theories of Gregory Bateson on schizophrenia and Irving Goffman on Situationism are brought together to create a new understanding of the term "schizophonia". This rehabilitated concept is proposed as the key to a creative exploration of new situations and discontinuities which make up group performance in a mediatised environment. In practical terms the exploration of new musical situations is documented in the following projects: the material created for the group "Automatic Writing Circle" during its evolution over a period of six years (compositions, software, instruments), development of the Ouija Board and accompanying software, composition of the piece Lipsync and the earlier piece I slept by numbers for flute and live electronics.
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Anderson, Elizabeth L. "Materials, meaning and metaphor : unveiling spatio-temporal pertinences in acousmatic music." Thesis, City University London, 2011. http://openaccess.city.ac.uk/3530/.
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This dissertation addresses two topics. The first is a preliminary investigation into the listening strategies for electroacoustic music by François Delalande. A listening experiment was undertaken to test Delalande’s strategies and to learn from listeners’ responses in order to apply them to compositional practice. This process prompted the conception of a new, integrated reception behaviour framework for electroacoustic music that comprises four listening strategies: sonic properties, structural attributes, self-orientation, and imaginary realms. The second topic is the poietico-esthesic analysis of the folio of acousmatic compositions from the perspective of the reception behaviours framework. The intention of the reception behaviours framework is to illuminate those sounds and structures in electroacoustic music that could be perceived as carriers of meaning. The analysis of the acousmatic compositions in the portfolio, from the perspective of the reception behaviours framework, aims to illustrate how the acousmatic composer can attempt to create meaning in an acousmatic work. While space is observed as the common denominator in the reception behaviours framework from an esthesic perspective, space and time are proposed as common denominators that carry all poietic intention. Hence, space and time can be seen as universal carriers through which meaning can subsequently be conveyed and perceived.
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Fallowfield, Ellen. "Cello map : a handbook of Cello technique for performers and composers." Thesis, University of Birmingham, 2010. http://etheses.bham.ac.uk//id/eprint/960/.
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Many new sounds and new instrumental techniques have been introduced into music literature since 1950. The popular approach to support developments in modern instrumental technique is the catalogue or notation guide, which has led to isolated special effects. Several authors of handbooks of technique have pointed to an alternative, strategic, scientific approach to technique as an ideological ideal. I have adopted this approach more fully than before and applied it to the cello for the first time. This handbook provides a structure for further research. In this handbook, new techniques are presented alongside traditional methods and a ‘global technique’ is defined, within which every possible sound-modifying action is considered as a continuous scale, upon which as yet undiscovered techniques can also be slotted. The ‘map’ of the title is meant in the scientific sense of the word; connections are made between: ‘actions that a cellist makes’ and ‘sounds that a cello can produce’. In some cases, where existing scientific theory is insufficient to back up these connections, original empirical research has been undertaken and areas for further research have been suggested. Within this system there are no special effects, rather a continuum of actions with a clear relationship to sound.
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Elia, Marios Joannou. "Portfolio of compositions with accompanying commentary." Thesis, University of Southampton, 2010. https://eprints.soton.ac.uk/367394/.
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The commentary focuses on the predominantly applied extraneous media in my music, that is, the inclusion of literary sources. The discourse begins with a biographical sketch (Chapter 1), followed by a succinct description of the concept of polymediality, which involves two dimensions: the work-immanent compositional and polymediality on the process of staging (Chapter 2). Chapter 3 considers literary sources as a constituent component of music's polymediality. The first part is preoccupied with the implementation of textual elements and vocality in instrumental works, with special reference to the orchestral piece AKANTHAI. Simultaneously, this section elucidates a series of fundamental architectural tools and aspects of the music, encompassing (a) the methodological advancement concerning analogous relationships, (b) the processing of linear transitions and polyphonic settings depending on the model of imitative interaction, (c) the polydimensional articulation of homogeneity, (d) the aspect of permanent fleetingness, (e) the different facets of hybridization and their implications, (f) the question of the musico-literary intermediality form, and (g) the concept of polyaesthetics. To this extent, the commentary reports on a research aiming at elaborating the hypothesis that musical and non-musical elements, like the literary sources, are mustered from a diversified spectrum of coherent principles. Turning to the example of the opera entitled DIE JAGD, the second part of Chapter 3 is concerned with the situative conditions resulting from the abrupt omission of the relationship to the libretto, whereby the focus is displaced 'outside' the textual frame of reference. Chapter 4 briefly highlights the scope of three further text-related parameters of the music in conjunction with their aesthetic issues: the specified titles of the works, the delineated expressive nuances, as well as the descriptive commentaries and textual depictions found on the score. Furthermore, the chapter outlines the consequences of two-dimensional theatricality and meta-theatricality. In conclusion, the commentary argues that the compositional procedure adopts literary references for the benefit of creating self-generated concepts. In other words, constituted within a plethora of musical and extra-musical elements, texts function as energetic catalytic stimuli; they become the key mechanism to enhance interactive system performance amidst the music's structural-strategic and conceptual framework.
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Ilzetzki, Ophir N. "Composition portfolio & written commentary." Thesis, University of Southampton, 2012. https://eprints.soton.ac.uk/367321/.
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Interpreting a scored musical composition entails the composer’s relinquishing some control over the piece to the performer. In ‘open’ scores the composer relinquishes most control and in effect allows the performer to collaborate in the compositional process; in traditional scores the composer specifies as much as possible in order to leave little to no room for the performer to use personal judgment regarding interpretation. The principal focus of this portfolio will be to examine, through different scores and compositional techniques, a possible available spectrum between these two types of scores and to define more clearly different options presenting varying degrees of control over a score. The initial stimulus for this research stems from a fascination with alternative compositional scenarios that consequentially aid the creation of incidental musical materials that are not specified or scored. These moments resemble an improvisation in their immediacy of execution and erratic sound characteristics. Hence, it is this quality that many of the ‘open’ elements in these portfolio pieces try to extract, but not exclusively so. The thesis will also dwell on elements of performance psychology in attempts to better define the mechanisms at work in different interpretation/improvisation scenarios, as well as refer to non-classical musical traditions as an example of alternative didactic systems leading towards a non-score based, quasiimprovisational practice. Finally, each portfolio composition will be described in detail with a particular emphasis on its erratic sound-qualities, its ‘open’ element, or both.
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Goves, Lawrence. "Portfolio of composition with accompanying commentary." Thesis, University of Southampton, 2010. https://eprints.soton.ac.uk/367403/.
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This is the written commentary on a practice-based period of research. This research has focussed on the development of a substantial series of new musical compositions considering the development of unique and personal identity in composition. As well as broader technical consideration the commentary emphasises the incorporation of new technology and electronic media into composition, collaborations with other creative artists and performers and in developing vocal music with Matthew Welton, a literary collaborator. The commentary prioritises three main compositions; the terminus wreck for cello and electronics; My name is Peter Stillman. That is not my real name. for piano and electric piano and; Things that are blue, things that are white and things that are black. for piano, electric piano, prepared piano with clarinet/bass clarinet, cor anglais, horn, viola, cello and at least 16 violins. These are all substantial pieces between 15 and 30 minutes in duration for a variety of forces and, particularly between the two piano works, demonstrate a clear trajectory of development. Chapters are also dedicated to smaller-scale chamber works, vocal music, collaboration and the house of bedlam, a new ensemble formed as an element of the research.
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Howell, Timothy B. "Jean Sibelius : progressive techniques in the symphonies and tone-poems." Thesis, University of Southampton, 1985. https://eprints.soton.ac.uk/380485/.
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As an analytical and critical survey of Sibelius' symphonies and tone-poems, this study is designed to fill a significant gap in the research of this composer which hitherto has been primarily concerned with historical and musicological issues. Those analytical investigations which exist, typically as a supplement to more biographical concerns, have not made use of modern techniques nor are they comprehensive. Beyond this self-evident purpose of processing analytical findings, the thesis aims not only to demonstrate a symposium of Sibelius' compositional techniques but also to give a new perspective to these achievements. The layout and presentation of material has been designed to facilitate this dual purpose, dispensing with a mere catalogue of analyses in favour of grouping their findings into considerations of larger issues. Thus, Part I - 'The Symphonies' - reflects the layered analytical approach to each work in chapters which move from the general to the particular (Style, Form, Tonality, Thematic Process) selecting examples from the entire genre appropriate to each issue. The final chapter in this section concludes by synthesising those areas in a detailed analysis of a single work. Part II - 'The Tone-Poems' - opens with a more general discussion of the two genres in question revealing cChtrasts and consistencies. Thereafter, their survey divides into two apparently chronological sections, though in fact the distinction is a stylistic one and complements internal considerations of the symphonies themselves. The application of reductive, layered analysis appears to be new in this context and its findings reveal a more progressive compositional attitude than has previously been credited to a figure generally viewed as reactionary. Its evidence, notably in the areas of extended tonality and formal compression, suggests an historical placing for Sibelius within twentieth-century musical developments, indicating both his awareness of the problems facing composers of the period and his personal solutions. The final chapter discusses this essentially speculative topic, its more subjective standpoint balancing the analytical objectivity which constitutes the majority of the thesis. Its conclusion is modest: Sibelius as neither reactionary nor revolutionary, but, nevertheless, progressive.
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Borland, Denise. "The singer's psyche : a psychological approach to vocal performance training." Thesis, Edinburgh Napier University, 2011. http://researchrepository.napier.ac.uk/Output/4529.
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Soares, da Ponte Angela Maria. "Ensaios sobre cantos : portfolio of musical compositions influenced by traditional music from the Azores." Thesis, University of Birmingham, 2016. http://etheses.bham.ac.uk//id/eprint/6885/.
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The current thesis is a portfolio of ten musical works composed during the period of 2011 and 2015, including instrumental, mixed media and acousmatic (stereo and multichannel) compositions. These works were developed and composed at my home studio in Oporto (from 2011) and at the Electroacoustic Music Studios at the University of Birmingham (2014 – 2015). This thesis also features observations and commentaries about technical and aesthetical issues that were objects of study during my creative process, which uses musical elements from my culture as inspiration for new musical works. Hence, it presents a reflection on and the validation of results that came from the exploration of several procedures during my development at the University of Birmingham Electroacoustic Music Studios and a chapter dedicated to the traditional instrument from the Azores – the viola da terra – and the two compositions that focus on this instrument. A USB stick is attached to this thesis, containing the audio performances of all musical works, scores and electronic version of this document.
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Tarren, Christopher James. "Time, space, memory : a portfolio of acousmatic compositions." Thesis, University of Birmingham, 2014. http://etheses.bham.ac.uk//id/eprint/5208/.
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This portfolio comprises of a collection of acousmatic works which investigate the role of source bonding in music – the tendency of listeners to relate sounds to their real-world sources and the signifying implication of such a link – with a particular focus on how spatial design can contribute towards source-bonding in the music’s perception as a holistic spatio-sonic entity. A number of compositional strategies, multichannel formats and spatial audio technologies are investigated, with their merits assessed based on their suitability for shaping the qualities of musical space explored. The discussion in this commentary will show how these holistic spaces can have similar qualities of perceived ‘reality’ and ‘abstraction’ to the individual sounds, and how this is investigated in the musical works. I shall also show how the contrasting environmental qualities of these spaces became a source of of inspiration for structuring the development of my music, and how they might evoke subsequent meaning in their experience based on the listener’s understanding of the spatial source bonds.
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Miles, Natasha Frances. "Approaches to accompaniment on the Baroque guitar, c.1590-c.1730." Thesis, University of Birmingham, 2014. http://etheses.bham.ac.uk//id/eprint/5149/.
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The five-course guitar was used as an instrument of accompaniment from the mid-sixteenth to the late-eighteenth century, yet its importance in this role has largely been overlooked in scholarship to date. While there are some isolated studies of individual sources, this is the first comprehensive study of the substantial body of extant guidelines with a view to understanding the styles of accompaniment on the instrument and how their practices developed during this period. This thesis documents the chronological development of the performance practices in such a way that parallels may be drawn between these sources and treatises for other instruments of accompaniment. Guitar accompaniments were, however, also strongly influenced by the performance practices associated with alfabeto chord symbols. Thus, to enable an understanding of the more idiomatic characteristics of guitar accompaniment stemming from alfabeto practices, a detailed evaluation of the true sophistication of the language of alfabeto is provided for the first time. This study provides a complete re-evaluation of the five-course guitar as an instrument of accompaniment; it challenges the past relegation of the instrument to ‘light’ or ‘frivolous’ musical repertoires; and it highlights the various approaches that were adopted in diverse performance contexts.
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Dunster-Sigtermans, Richard. "Developments in British organ design, 1945-1970 : a player's perspective." Thesis, University of Birmingham, 2017. http://etheses.bham.ac.uk//id/eprint/7217/.
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This research forms part of a performance practice degree and focuses on the performance of British organ music written in the period 1945 to 1970. This period was a turbulent time for all those with an interest in the pipe organ, whether they were performers, consultants, organ builders or listeners. The considerable change in the approach to the design, construction and voicing of pipe organs, influenced by the Organ Reform Movement (Orgelbewegung), resulted in strong feelings both for and against the neo-classic organ, and the consequent tensions tested the typical British reserve of many of those directly involved. The challenge for the performer of today is to understand the strengths and weaknesses of British organs in the period and to connect these instruments with the music written for them. The original contribution this research provides is to focus firstly on the organ's mechanisms, including key actions, registration aids and console design and, secondly, on the tonal designs of the organs of the period. Case studies of music are presented, featuring three composers for the organ in this period, Howells, Leighton and Whitlock, the findings of which inform the associated recital which features contrasting pieces from the period 1945 to 1970.
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Squillante, Maurizio. "'The Wings of Daedalus' and 'Alexandros' : two tragic operas inspired by the theory of the affections." Thesis, University of Birmingham, 2012. http://etheses.bham.ac.uk//id/eprint/7606/.
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This thesis presents the librettos, scores and CD recordings of two contemporary operas – The Wings of Daedalus and Alexandros – conceived, composed and, in the case of The Wings of Daedalus staged, by myself, along with detailed analysis of the development phases of various different aspects (such as dramaturgy, libretto, staging and characterisation, and particularly the composition of the vocal line and electronic accompaniment of each opera), following them from the initial idea to the final result. All this is paralleled with the period in the development of Western music four hundred years ago that led to the birth of opera. That transitional phase is correlated with my work and its contemporary context, as seen from various viewpoints. I have chosen The Theory of the Affections as an exemplary connecting point between these chronologically distant eras in music, and used it to identify important links between compositional intention and vocal practice in the years leading up to 1600 and those leading up to 2000. This in turn leads me to explain specifically my own compositional techniques - many of which are radically unusual and correlate them with The Theory of the Affections as approaches to creating opera.
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Magas, Diego Sebastián Castro. "Body, mimesis and image : a gesture based approach to interpretation in contemporary guitar performing practice." Thesis, University of Huddersfield, 2016. http://eprints.hud.ac.uk/id/eprint/30238/.
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This thesis addresses interpretative issues arising from notated music, particularly recent guitar music typifying progressive notational and aesthetic trends, from a perspective based on the concepts of mimesis and gesture. Drawing on Adorno’s theory of musical reproduction, scholarship on musical gesture and recent models of performers’ relationship to notation, I propose interpretative strategies aiming at the vindication of the role of the body in the discussion of musical works, while also examining the performing conventions challenged by recent developments in guitar notation. Artistic practice is fundamental to this thesis as it accounts for the exploration of various interpretative strategies and choices derived from the application of the aforementioned concepts. An accompanying folio of videos and recordings documents the impact of these theoretical concepts upon my performing practice. The starting point is a discussion of the performing issues of Brian Ferneyhough’s Kurze Schatten II, a peak of complexity in the guitar literature, and the relationship between musical gesture and the metaphorical domains to which this work alludes. Subsequently, the interpretative strategies proposed here are applied to aesthetic models differing from that of Ferneyhough as well as to music appealing to multi-parametric notation – here considered as a strand deriving from Ferneyhough’s aesthetics – requiring a paradigm shift in its interpretative approach.
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Birkby, Peter R. "A twenty-first century light music composer : sailing on : composing light music in the twenty-first century." Thesis, University of Huddersfield, 2016. http://eprints.hud.ac.uk/id/eprint/31097/.
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Sailing on is an investigation into how light music has evolved from its origins into a style of music for the twenty-first century. I am a light music composer and a contemporary use of the style is explored in a portfolio of compositions, all in score form, substantiated by an autoethnographical commentary. Light as a term to describe music was first used in the nineteenth-century to label music that was created for the entertainment of the masses and it was sometimes used to explain the more accessible works of ‘serious’ composers. The music enjoyed a golden age of approximately one hundred years between 1870 and 1970 and this study contextualises light music in respect of the functions that it fulfils and the relationships it has undergone with serious and popular music during the period and to the present day. Entertainment and accessibility to mass markets are terms used more in relation to commercial music rather than art music and the thesis includes an exploration into the role of light music as part of the industrialised music businesses as well as being at the forefront of technological developments. The relationship between art and money has been difficult for some to reconcile and part of the reason for the criticism and neglect of light music by many in the music establishment and these aspects are considered as part of the contextualisation. I have identified a number of common musical and expressive elements in light music and an analysis of techniques is presented as a means to describe the characteristics of the style. The works surveyed have been selected from a period that embraces the golden age to the present with examples from records, radio, television, film, games and web based media. All these influences plus my own experiences in music have been considered during the composition of the portfolio of music that proffers my interpretation of light music for the twenty-first century.
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Portelli, Daniel. "Mapping the dynamic life of lines in a multimodal compositional practice." Thesis, University of Huddersfield, 2016. http://eprints.hud.ac.uk/id/eprint/32048/.
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This thesis tracks my journey through eight creative works which employ a broad range of methodologies to map the dynamic life of lines and that focus on concepts of ephemerality, gestural tracing, grains and swarms of sound, and temporal independence. My original contribution to knowledge in composition is led by my personal relationship to sound as mediated through physical gesture in performance. Drawing upon the work of anthropologist Tim Ingold, I have worked with video as a medium for my own sketch processes and as a scoring platform. Video is used to capture and document qualities of motion that bring choreographic and multimodal thinking into my music, propagating divergent approaches to structuring and determining parameters. Through this I have developed ways of thinking compositionally through the visual medium and worked with micro and macro qualities in timbre and movement to achieve effects that I term 'dynamic stasis'. Central to my thinking is an expanded concept of the line as gestalts of sound, video, bodily and mechanical movement, with form arising from a meshwork of such lines. The line as represented in video and musical action contributes to the tendencies and behaviours of precisely notated sound and physical movements in my music, that are reflected in irregular divisions of time and frequent fluctuations of sound characteristics. My discussion of the visual and choreographic perspectives of my notation and multimodal ways of thinking about composition is contextualised with examples from composers such as Jennifer Walshe, Simon Steen- Andersen and Stefan Prins, and the video scoring systems of Cat Hope.
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Weng, Chih-Hung. "Symbolism and Chinese culture : conceptual and practical resources in the composition of electroacoustic music." Thesis, City, University of London, 2007. http://openaccess.city.ac.uk/16240/.
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This thesis accompanies the five electroacoustic compositions of the Bardo series and presents a discussion of symbolism within contexts of Chinese culture and the electroacoustic medium. The work develops a view of interaction between cultures of East and West, considering issues raised in terms of philosophical research and as a substantial creative resource for composers and listeners.
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Guitry, Amy Beth. "The Baroque flute as a modern voice : extended techniques and their practical integration through performance and improvisation." Thesis, City, University of London, 2010. http://openaccess.city.ac.uk/17424/.
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The baroque, one-keyed flute has, within the last half century, been rediscovered for performance, particularly within early music settings, and more recently has been welcomed into the area of contemporary music. This research continues to widen the boundaries of the modern baroque flute by building on its rich history in both technical aspects and practical performance, and by continuing to expand its musical and technical horizon through the extension of historical ideas and the introduction of new ideas within a contemporary idiom. This document begins with a general description of the instrument itself, and explains tonal concepts and technical concerns of the baroque flute. An overview of historical ideas regarding tone production with descriptions by musicians of the 18th through the 21st century provides a basis from which to proceed to new techniques for tone production and their expressive potential. Audio examples are given of all new techniques. Lastly, an explanation is given of how the practice of new tonal-technique exercises a positive influence on conventional sound production. An historical basis is provided by surveying a selection of major tutors from the 18th century through to the 21st and is illustrated with examples showing the evolution of ideas for articulation. An explanation of new, 'extended techniques' focussed on articulation is given and all are demonstrated with audio examples. The effects on conventional flute playing that are enhanced by the practice and integration of new techniques into the musician's sonic repertoire are also described. Practical musical integration of new techniques into a composition and within ecosonic improvisation is explored. A brief explanation of the ecosonic system is given and the process used in developing directional ecosonic improvisation and new techniques for performance within the piece, Less, by Jo Thomas is explained. Notated and sound examples are used to illustrate the aptitude of the baroque flute as a contemporary musical voice. The final section asserts the expressive potential of new techniques, as regards both tone production and articulation, within various models employed through ecosonic improvisation. Finally, the mapping of multiphonics for the baroque flute is documented in two complete catalogues; one is organised based on ecosonic fingering and the other is based on conventional fingering. Each catalogue entry is demonstrated with recorded examples.
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Cooper, Kathryn Lavinia. "Robert Edward's Commonplace Book : the context and function of a seventeenth-century Scottish music manuscript (GB-En MS.9450), with an edition of the musical content." Thesis, University of Glasgow, 2016. http://theses.gla.ac.uk/7394/.
Full textAbstract:
This study concerns the manuscript music book of Robert Edward (c. 1614–c. 1697), minister, author and musician. The manuscript, formerly part of the library at Panmure House, is now held in the National Library of Scotland and is commonly referred to as ‘Robert Edward’s Commonplace Book’ (GB-En MS.9450). The present study is in two parts and begins with an exploration of the physical book, including the structure, compilation, hands and ownership before a second chapter explores the biography of the eponymous owner, contextualising GB-En MS.9450 locally and nationally. The third chapter concerns the function of the manuscript which, it is argued, is closely related to pedagogy. The final three chapters discuss the content of the manuscript, taking in turn the vocal music, instrumental music and the selection of Italian three-part villanelle.
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Glover, Richard. "Music of sustained tones." Thesis, University of Huddersfield, 2010. http://eprints.hud.ac.uk/id/eprint/9612/.
Full textAbstract:
This thesis accompanies the portfolio of compositions written between 2006 and 2010 and discusses both the overall theoretical concepts, and the specific musical tools, that lie behind their construction. Chapter 1 presents theories of perceptual grouping mechanisms and temporality in reductive music, and applies these to the transformational surface layer from the sustained tones in my music. The use of repetition and gradual process in my music is explored, leading to the application of a decentralised approach towards my structural models. The notion of a 'closure spectrum' contextualises my own music with others, and facilitates a discussion of the teleological nature of my music. Chapter 2 describes the tools which are used in the application of these concepts; in particular, the use of harmony, glissando, duration, use of instruments and notation are reviewed. The individual portfolio pieces are discussed in chapter 3, detailing the various employments of the these tools in different instrumental contexts. This chapter also demonstrates the overall refinement in my compositional approach which took place throughout the doctoral course: my gradual shift towards simpler processes, indeterminacy in notation, and extended note-duration. Less successful aspects of these pieces are also considered in the context of this evolution, along with those aspects which were retained and employed in future pieces. The conclusion evaluates the overall progression, and discusses areas for future development which have arisen from my own research through composition.
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Kudirka, Joseph. "Extending the invitation : composing notated experimental music for performance." Thesis, University of Huddersfield, 2012. http://eprints.hud.ac.uk/id/eprint/17533/.
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This body of writing serves to accompany a portfolio of scored works composed between 2007 and 2011. The first chapter deals with the definition of “experimental music,” first asking the question “what is experimental music?”, and then by giving a possible working definition of the term based on certain processes informed not only by music, but also by historiography and philosophy. The second chapter lays out the relationship between a piece of music and the score in relation to a mathematical model of understanding. This chapter further explores the different ways in which scores operate in terms of performer interaction, the different types of notation that composers can use in these scores, and how these topics may be related in practice. The third chapter deals specifically with performance of scored experimental works. “Audience” is considered as the performers who receive scores from composers. This relationship is then explored in various ways, based not only on the types of scores and notation presented in the previous chapter, but also on the different types of performers who may encounter the work. Aspects inherent to the performance of experimental music are often discussed. Finally, the question is raised as whether or not such a thing exists as experimental music performance practice, and if this can be catered to by a composer through scores and notation. In these first three chapters, numerous visual examples and quotes from other composers are provided to give context for the work in the portfolio. In contrast, final chapter consists of commentaries on pieces within the accompanying portfolio. Appendices after the first three chapters lie somewhere in tone between these commentaries on individual works and the main chapters, by way of personalising the abstract concepts laid out therein.
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Evanoff, Raymond. "Survey of a woven landscape." Thesis, University of Huddersfield, 2012. http://eprints.hud.ac.uk/id/eprint/17568/.
Full textAbstract:
This research project consists of a portfolio of musical compositions and an accompanying commentary on these works. It was undertaken from the fall of 2009 to the summer of 2012. I am concerned in this project with developing a wide range of musical materials to serve as a pool of resources that I may draw upon when composing. I engage with these materials in a painterly fashion, repeatedly reworking them with respect to their physical reality much like a painter reshapes an image on canvas. I cultivate different emphases within materials ― such as the tac)lity of sound produc)on, superimposed rhythmic layers, and stasis ― to explore diverse musical functionalities. I interweave common source materials to create extensive networks of relationships within and across individual pieces. These relationships lead to composite and multipartite structures built from material inter references. Transferring materials into different contexts allows me to develop the same musical idea in multiple directions, leading to a diversity of forms and durations, from five-second solos isolating a specific gesture to twenty-plus minute pieces incorporating a range of instrumental groupings and material combinations. This diversity is most evident in An Incomplete Survey of the Act of Impingement, an extended project integrating a variety of materials, structures, and independent compositions into a composite whose interconnections allow for multiple programming possibilities. My understanding of such interconnection between heterogeneous elements is extended through resonance with the work of other artists and philosophers: for instance, Gilles Deleuze's and Felix Guattari's concept of the rhizome, Anthony Braxton's interwoven musical system, Ben Marcus's approach to organizing and categorizing his writings, and Matthew Ritchie's multimedia installations. The materials and methodologies cultivated in this project provide a foundation for future developments in my work.
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Bokowiec, Mark A. "Interconnecting forms of expressivity as a compositional process : the evolution of an interactive practice with specific reference to the Bodycoder System." Thesis, University of Huddersfield, 2011. http://eprints.hud.ac.uk/id/eprint/10990/.
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The main focus of this commentary is the examination of the Vox Circuit Trilogy (2007) consisting of The Suicided Voice (2003/2007), Hand-to-Mouth (2007) and Etch (2007). The innovative use of interactive technologies and the architecture of the Bodycoder System in terms of its software, hardware and human-computer interface will be examined. Kinaesonics will be discussed in relation to the coding of real-time one-to-one mapping of sound to gesture and its expression in terms of hardware and software design. The compositional processes will be discussed, in particular: the use of performance simulations, workshop collaboration with the performer and the negotiation of creation, composition and performance in the final work. Rehearsal processes will be examined with particular reference to The Suicided Voice. The notion of expressivity will be interrogated and how four principle forms of expressivity are interconnected, modelled and realized to generate a totally integrated performance modality.
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Roche, Heather. "Dialogue and collaboration in the creation of new works for clarinet." Thesis, University of Huddersfield, 2011. http://eprints.hud.ac.uk/id/eprint/17512/.
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This PhD thesis explores dialogue-based, “intimate” collaboration through the creation of new works for clarinet. It borrows from Grounded Theory in order to facilitate an analysis through which emergent themes within a dialogue-based collaboration are discovered. The aim has not been to insist on one model of collaboration, but to discover methods for improving one’s collaborative skills and to identify ways in which one benefits from a focus on dialogue in collaboration. Furthermore, it aims to suggest that through collaboration one can make discoveries about the instrument: original contributions to clarinet technique are made within this thesis. The literature from which the research draws inspiration to further collaborative “technique” is cross-disciplinary and wide-ranging: it draws from social theory, collaborative creative writing, dance, the visual arts and of course, music. Added to this is a select discussion of collaboration throughout the repertoire of the clarinet. Finally, this consists of practice-based research. Seven new pieces for clarinet accompany the text.
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Harrison, Iain. "An exploration into the uses of extended techniques in works for the saxophone, and how their application may be informed by a contextual understanding of the works themselves." Thesis, University of Huddersfield, 2012. http://eprints.hud.ac.uk/id/eprint/18047/.
Full textAbstract:
This thesis investigates how the specific manipulation of a range of extended techniques for the saxophone can help the performer to highlight key aspects of the music. These techniques can be performed with varying levels of nuance through which the implicit thematic relationships within a composition can be emphasised. The performer's interpretation is therefore aided by the controlled manipulation of extended techniques, with the intention of using these techniques to serve the overall analysis of the composition. A brief summary of the acoustical phenomena which produces the saxophone's range of extended techniques is included, leading to discussion of the necessary physical manipulations of the oral cavity, alterations of fingerings systems, and other such physiological issues. The differences from performer to performer of the resulting sounds of the saxophone's extended techniques are considered through reference to recorded material. A discussion is presented regarding individual performers' attitudes to these techniques including the preparation of extended techniques, the importance of equipment, and the performer's opinion of the composer's utilisation of extended techniques within a composition. The final section outlines the preparation of seven compositions which use extended techniques: four of which are taken from the saxophone's standard repertoire and three of which were written in collaboration with the author. It is not the author's intention to present a global methodology by which extended techniques can be sounded in performance; rather it is the author's intention to highlight how the manipulation of these techniques, through an understanding of the acoustical and physiological nature of their production, can be performed with a nuanced production technique that can enhance the interpretation of the work as a whole.
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Pullinger, Stuart. "A system for the analysis of musical data." Thesis, University of Glasgow, 2010. http://theses.gla.ac.uk/2133/.
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The role of music analysis is to enlighten our understanding of a piece of music. The role of musical performance analysis is to help us understand how a performer interprets a piece of music. The current work provides a tool which combines music analysis with performance analysis. By combining music and performance analysis in one system new questions can be asked of a piece of music: how is the structure of a piece reflected in the performance and how can the performance enlighten our understanding of the piece's structure? The current work describes a unified database which can store and present musical score alongside associated performance data and musical analysis. Using a general purpose representation language, Performance Mark-up Language (PML), aspects of performance are recorded and analysed. Data thus acquired from one project is made available to others. Presentation involves high-quality scores suitably annotated with the requested information. Such output is easily and directly accessible to musicians, performance scientists and analysts. We define a set of data structures and operators which can operate on musical pitch and musical time, and use them to form the basis of a query language for a musical database. The database can store musical information (score, gestural data, etc.). Querying the database results in annotations of the musical score. The database is capable of storing musical score information and performance data and cross-referencing them. It is equipped with the necessary primitives to execute music-analytical queries, and highlight notes identified from the score and display performance data alongside the score.
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Ford, Elizabeth Cary. "The flute in musical life in eighteenth-century Scotland." Thesis, University of Glasgow, 2016. http://theses.gla.ac.uk/7351/.
Full textAbstract:
All history of the flute in Scotland begins with William Tytler’s 1792 assertion that the flute was unknown in Scotland prior to 1725. Other generally accepted beliefs about the flute in Scotland are that it was only played by wealthy male amateurs and had no role in traditional music. Upon examination, all of these beliefs are false. This thesis explores the role of the flute in eighteenth-century Scottish musical life, including players, repertoire, manuscripts, and instruments. Evidence for ladies having played flute is also examined, as are possible connections between flute playing and bagpipe playing. What emerges is a more complete picture of the flute’s role in eighteenth-century Scottish musical life.
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Underhill, Jodie. "Musical participation and school diversity : an ethnography of six secondary schools." Thesis, Keele University, 2015. http://eprints.keele.ac.uk/2239/.
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Previous research has explored children’s musical participation in relation to motivation, instrumental lessons, extracurricular activities and the historically low uptake of GCSE and A Level music. This ethnographic study set out to investigate pupils’ musical participation in different school settings, the musical culture within these schools and the place of music in children’s everyday lives, including the wider contexts of home and school. Observations, questionnaires, aural and photo elicitation and focus group interviews were conducted with pupils, parents and teachers and revealed more differences than similarities in four main areas. The results are explored through the themes of teaching and learning, attitudes towards music, continuation of music education and the ‘triad’ of home, school and child. Schools attracting pupils from more middle-class backgrounds had more established musical cultures compared to those with an intake from economically deprived areas. This was apparent through the resources available to the music departments, the range of instrumental lessons on offer, the number of pupils learning an instrument, the amount of extracurricular provision present and the attitudes of pupils, parents and teachers. The findings from this study also showed that the views children experienced at home, whether positive or negative, were strongly influential. The results of this study showed the imbalance in provision between school type and socio-economic background and the importance of positive school-parent relationships in pupil engagement and have wider implications for schools and their pupils.
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Alderaiwaish, Ahmad. "Teaching the clarinet in Kuwait : creating a curriculum for the Public Authority for Applied Education and Training." Thesis, University of Southampton, 2014. https://eprints.soton.ac.uk/370714/.
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Kuwait, post-oil (1932), invested heavily in educational development at all levels. A curriculum was developed which included music, both Eastern and Western. Initially the piano was adopted, but the curriculum was broadened to include other Western instruments, more recently the clarinet. A need for a programme of training to produce versatile clarinet teachers in Kuwait was therefore identified. In order to ensure that the curriculum to be designed met the specific needs of Kuwaiti clarinet students, an analysis was made of the social, historical and geographical situation of the country, Kuwaiti Folk Music, Music in Islam, and curriculum and instrumental music teaching in Kuwaiti schools. From these initial findings the specific needs of Kuwaiti clarinet students were identified. These include adult beginners, no aural model of the clarinet, little familiarity with the clarinet repertoire, and no transferable instrumental technical skills. In order to support these students in their learning, theories of motivation were analysed, and situation-specific teaching strategies have been identified and developed. Simultaneously an analysis was made of clarinet teaching, past and present in Kuwait. From these recommendations best practice was identified. These informed curriculum development. As a consequence the Ahmad Alderaiwaish Clarinet Curriculum (AACC) for the Public Authority for Applied Education and Training, Kuwait, was developed. Peer review and critical response followed. The AACC, which is in the form of five parts, delivers the clarinet teacher education element of the Bachelor of Arts programme. These parts are designed primarily for the student and include scales,arpeggios, exercises, pieces and recommended sources, both Eastern folk and classical, and Western music. The former have the additional benefit of preserving and promoting Kuwait’s cultural heritage. Complementary teaching equipment has been invented to introduce students to specific playing techniques with which they were not familiar, for example, breath control.
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Gale, Michael. "Learning the lute in early modern England, c.1550 - c.1640." Thesis, University of Southampton, 2014. https://eprints.soton.ac.uk/366434/.
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This study explores the popularity of lute instruction in late sixteenth- and early seventeenth-century England and the ways in which this accomplishment was used in constructions of social status. The opening chapter outlines the functions of the lute in early modern English culture and surveys previous research on the instrument and its repertory. Chapter 2 provides an overview of the hierarchical structure of Elizabethan society, highlighting shifting conceptions of “gentle” status during the sixteenth century. The complex position of music within early modern discourses on elite identity is discussed, alongside the potential of lute-playing skills to contribute towards social advancement. Four case studies follow, each exploring the uses of lute-playing amongst practitioners located on the hazily defined boundaries between “gentle” and lower-class status. Chapter 3 uses the autobiography of Thomas Whythorne as a focal point in order to examine the ambiguous role of musicians in household service. By teaching coveted “courtly” skills to their social superiors, these music tutors were in an advantageous position to secure further rewards and enhance their status. Chapter 4 reassesses the Mynshall lutebook, highlighting the roles of music-making and literary production amongst a circle of mercantile-class men in provincial England. It reveals how lute-playing and poetic exchange facilitated social interaction and consolidated kinship bonds within this group as they sought to forge a collective identity grounded in the cultural practices of more elite circles. The role of recreational music-making amongst university men is examined in Chapter 5 through a reappraisal of the Dallis lutebook, showing how playing and collecting lute music could form a strand in the fashioning of a distinctively learned “scholarly” identity. My final case study assesses the printed tutor books marketed from the 1560s onwards, paying close attention to the material forms of extant copies (as evidence of their usage) and their paratextual materials. A close reading of Thomas Robinson’s Schoole of Musicke (1603) reveals how this publication was designed to appeal simultaneously to two very different markets: aspirant middle-class autodidacts, and wealthier “gentleman” readers who could provide further patronage and career advancement to the author.
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Sequera, Hector. "House music for recusants in Elizabethan England : performance practice in the music collection of Edward Paston (1550-1630)." Thesis, University of Birmingham, 2010. http://etheses.bham.ac.uk//id/eprint/1028/.
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Edward Paston (1550-1630) was very skilled in liberal arts, especially music and poetry. His love of music is reflected in his having gathered one of the largest collections of music manuscripts from Elizabethan and early Jacobean times. The collection is very important as it holds unique copies of many compositions by some of the best-known composers from the Renaissance including Byrd. This thesis investigates the idea of the Paston collection as a performing collection within the historical, cultural, and musical context of 16th century England. The study presents Edward Paston as a personification of some of the ideals in Castiglione’s The Courtier, and it also discusses Paston’s role within his social milieu mostly formed by the recusants’circle. This is followed by a presentation of the musical traditions that Paston presumably knew as well as a study of the collection within this context. By presenting this socio-cultural and musical framework, the intent is to arrive at a better understanding of the collection in relation to house music making in Edward Paston’s household and within his circle. The final section of the thesis investigates how the collection was used and how it can be applied to current performance practice.
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Rosas, Cobian Michael. "Electroacoustic music composition : myth, symbol and image." Thesis, City, University of London, 1997. http://openaccess.city.ac.uk/17771/.
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This thesis presents the author's musical compositions through the elucidation of their source impulse. In order to facilitate the unveiling of the works presented in this thesis I have subdivided it into sections thus: Section 1 - Here I introduce the reader to the motivation behind my music composition work and discuss the elements which inform my cosmology through the elucidation of the concepts and methods used in the realisation of the compositions. Section 2 - An introduction, discussion and conclusion to the series heading of Raza. The compositions and chapters are as follows: Chapter 3, Lucero for charango and tape; Chapter 4, Gato's Raid for marimba and tape; Chapter 6, De Luna a Luna ... for two percussionists and tape. In this section I address that particular musical imagery which is directly related to my cultural roots. Section 3 - An introduction, discussion and conclusion to the series heading of Urbis. The compositions and chapters are as follows: Chapter 9, Urbis #2 'passing moments/riffs & raffs' for bass clarinet and tape; Chapter 10, Urbis #3 'Alter ego' for electric guitar, live electronics and tape; Chapter 11, Urbis #4 for tape. In this section I address the use of modern urban culture symbols in order to create a contemporary mythological canon. Section 4 - A conclusion to this thesis.
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Haley, Margaret Anne. "Drawing sound in time : a commentary on my recent music." Thesis, University of Huddersfield, 2010. http://eprints.hud.ac.uk/id/eprint/9088/.
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Drawing Sound in Time reflects on how I have attempted, in the music written over the period of my doctoral studies (2004-2010) to use time as a basis for the mapping of sonic activity and how this aesthetical concern has helped me develop a teleological approach to form and structure. The shaping of time in my work often has its origins in the visual, either from my own drawings or from other visual stimuli. As well as considering the visual appearance of my music, I will draw on the correlation of music and art by abstract painters (most notably Paul Klee) alongside composers Iannis Xenakis and John Cage whose philosophy represent for me a way forward, not only aesthetically but also on a technical level. Additionally, the discussion will refer to astronomy as certain aspects of the subject relate to the development of techniques in my compositional language, and furthermore will often draw on the titles of the pieces (stars and constellations) as a basis for generating materials. I will address in particular the use of coding in my music that is an integral part of the way I work. My commentary will examine the main aspects of my musical language using examples from selected works in the accompanying portfolio.
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Pluta, Agnieszka. "The pianism of Paderewski." Thesis, Cardiff University, 2014. http://orca.cf.ac.uk/73065/.
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Many aspects of Ignaz Jan Paderewski’s life and career have been the subject of previous research, but some important areas remain uninvestigated. Moreover, many biographies, especially those written in English, have hitherto rarely adopted a critical stance. My aim here is to examine those elements of Paderewski’s performance style that have not hitherto been fully studied. Unique Polish sources include unpublished letters written to his father and Helena Górska, his secretaries’ letters written in 1935 and between 1938-39, and of course his correspondence with his pupils, which sheds considerable new light on his views on, and success in, piano teaching. This dissertation discusses in detail his stylistic approach, attitude towards piano playing, preparation for performance and methods of interpretation. Unpublished letters between Paderewski and his pupils deal with such issues as: choosing concert programmes, techniques of pedalling and advanced interpretational issues. To further evaluate changes in Paderewski’s playing style over his career I have analysed a representative selection of his recordings made over the course of his career. Although Paderewski’s style did not change radically, some of the recorded pieces do demonstrate significant differences in interpretation, and his experiments in phrasing, dynamics, tempo and pedaling. I additionally compare some of the recordings of the same pieces by Paderewski and his contemporaries. For instance, Arthur Friedheim’s recording of Liszt’s Hungarian Rhapsody No. 2 in C sharp minor. An approach such as this will illuminate, for example, some differences in style between representatives of the ‘Liszt School’ (of which Friedheim was one of the most celebrated exponents) and that of Leschetizky (as represented by Paderewski). This documentation and evaluation of Paderewski’s performance style has naturally influenced my own performances of his works. The accompanying recital therefore includes one of Paderewski’s most substantial piano pieces, the Sonata in E flat minor, contrasted by a Sonata by Paderewski’s contemporary, Sergei Rachmaninov, and completed by works of Chopin in Paderewski’s repertoire, and a piece by his pupil, Ernest Schelling, also recorded by Paderewski. The recital therefore constitutes a practical application of Paderewski’s performance and programming styles as discussed in the dissertation.
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Wang, Yuan. "Observations on the Chinese metal scene (1990-2013) : history, identity, industry, and social interpretation." Thesis, University of Glasgow, 2017. http://theses.gla.ac.uk/8172/.
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This thesis examines Chinese metal of the mainland China as a contemporary cultural phenomenon, which consists of seven chapters. It begins with three premise chapters providing the necessary definitions and terminology about Chinese metal, reviewing the relevant literature, and explaining the multiple methodologies applied, respectively. Based on that, the following chapters explore Chinese metal from four perspectives, including the history, identity, industry, and social meaning. More specifically, Chapter 4 defines the history of Chinese metal as two waves, the heavy rock era (1990-1996) and extreme metal era (2000-2013). This overall trajectory had been moving forward with the country’s economic growth, technological progress, and cultural liberalism, showing a unique U-shape curve: starting in the mainstream field in the early 1990s, declining in the late 1990s, booming underground in the early 2000s, and rising again in the 2010s. Chapter 5 illustrates that the development of Chinese metal underwent a tension between globalisation and localisation, which were reflected in the texts of the music, MV, cover art, and folk metal subgenre. Particularly, this tension resulted in an identity struggle of the current Chinese metal musicians, which was realised by a mechanism of original identity suspension, textual deconstruction, and identity reconstruction. Chapter 6 proposes that the Chinese metal industries made great progress driven by the country’s rapid economic growth and cultural diversity, and a relatively maturely industrial system with different capitals and fields had been established by the 2000s, including the sections of labels, recordings, lives, media, merchandise, and a few peripheral activities. Chapter 7 argues that because of its essence of symbolic transgression, Chinese metal provided the musicians and audiences with a quasi-ritual catharsis to temporarily escape from the pressures of the reality. Meanwhile, Chinese metal presented a unique attribute of “pseudo-evil” as an intentional reaction against the general hypocrisy which is the most severe social pathology in the contemporary Chinese society.
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Robertson-Kirkland, Brianna Elyse. "Are we all castrati? : Venanzio Rauzzini - 'The father of a new style in English singing'." Thesis, University of Glasgow, 2016. http://theses.gla.ac.uk/7399/.
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Though the castrato has been absent from the operatic stage since the nineteenth century, this voice is often described as the mysterious link in understanding the vocal techniques attributed to bel canto. The mystery lies in the fact that the voice of the operatic castrato cannot be heard by modern ears; and yet its legacy can be seen in the vocal tuition of several successful opera singers at the turn of the nineteenth century. What is unusual about this period is that some of the most successful singers of the day, including Nancy Storace, John Braham and Elizabeth Billington were British and shared the same vocal teacher. The castrato Venanzio Rauzzini (1746-1810) began his career as a primo uomo on the continent and while he established himself in various areas of musical activity, his main contribution and legacy was as a vocal teacher. During his residency in Britain from 1774 until his death, he trained several leading British professional singers who were the stars of opera in London and on the continent. They each demonstrated a use of techniques associated with the castrato vocal aesthetic and popularised a new vocal style, which can be traced to Rauzzini. Through this thesis, I will draw attention to the importance of Rauzzini’s impact on vocal teaching practice in Britain and his wider influence on the development of vocal style. I will demonstrate that Rauzzini should be considered part of the vocal teaching canon to which Pier Francesco Tosi (c.1653-1732), Nicola Porpora (1686-1768) and Manual García II (1805-1906), three other foreign vocal teachers, who were resident in Britain, already belong. By examining exactly what the expected vocal aesthetics were for all singers, castrato, non-castrated male and female during the period in which Rauzzini was active, I will demystify the castrato technique and provide a more tangible understanding of what this encompassed, demonstrating that many of these techniques were learned, performed and popularised by other voice types such as the female soprano and the male tenor.
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Parkinson, Tom. "Values of higher popular music education : perspectives from the UK." Thesis, University of Reading, 2014. https://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.762218.
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In the 23 years since the first undergraduate popular music degree programme opened in the United Kingdom, the academic discipline of popular music has burgeoned to encompass over 160 programmes delivered across the higher education sector, by private institutions, Royal-chartered conservatoires, post-92 universities and Russell Group universities. This doctoral research project seeks to understand the values underpinning and informing educational practice in this growing academic discipline. It proceeds from an understanding of higher education and popular music as two highly complex domains in their own right, and from the proposition that values inhering at their nexus- Higher Popular Music Education- derive from and are borne by multiple human, institutional and disciplinary sources, and bear the trace of socio-cultural, economic and historical contexts related to each domain. It takes an inductive approach to a multiple-case study of four popular music degree programmes at different higher education institutions across the United Kingdom. Acknowledging from the outset the impossibility of identifying a conclusive ‘roster’ of itemisable values, this study draws on a combination of institutional literature, semi-structured interview and field observation data to explore the interplay of musical, educational and other values within the educational message systems of pedagogy, curriculum, institution, assessment, lifestyle and market. Analysis of the data suggested that seemingly unrelated values such as, for example, those relating to musical aesthetics and social justice, could in fact be oppositional in practice, resulting in surprising tensions and impacting on such areas as curricula and student lifestyles. Moreover, values enshrined in policy, or perceived by interviewees to be dominant within the higher education sector, appeared often to be at odds with individuals’ personal opinions regarding the value of knowledge and education, or with what they saw to be the core values of popular music as an art form. This interdisciplinary study sits across the research fields of music education, the sociology of higher education and popular music studies, and makes original contributions to knowledge in each of these fields.
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Curran, Sara. "'Why aren't we doing more with music?' : an exploration of two integrative mainstream-special school music projects." Thesis, University of Birmingham, 2016. http://etheses.bham.ac.uk//id/eprint/6622/.
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Secondary school music curricula often alienate young people because of the disjuncture between their experiences of music outside and inside school (Spruce and Matthews, 2012). Music also continues having to justify its place in many secondary schools (Philpott, 2012). Offering ideas to expand music educational thinking and increase its social relevance, this research explores two secondary mainstream-special school integrative musical projects using the theoretical framework of ‘musicking’ (Small, 1998), which asserts the centrality of relationships in any form of musical performance. Using two case studies, the relationships between teacher and pupil participants are explored. Small makes no mention of musicking in the context of children with special educational needs, and this study extends his ideas by developing the notion of an inclusive form of musicking in secondary music education, achieved through the musical integration of mainstream pupils with their special school peers whose verbal communication is severely limited. The self-efficacy of participating teachers is considered an important contributing factor to the projects’ perceived success, enhancing or limiting the likelihood of their application in other secondary educational contexts. Possible ways of augmenting the self-efficacy of teachers from both settings are offered, together with suggestions for future research in this field.
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Martin, Stephanie Parke. "An exploration of factors which have an impact on the vocal performance and vocal effectiveness of newly qualified teachers/lecturers." Thesis, University of Greenwich, 2003. http://gala.gre.ac.uk/8761/.
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The aim of this project was to explore whether voice care and development, prior to qualification, could mitigate potential vocal attrition in newly qualified teachers/lecturers within their first year of teaching. A specific focus of the research was to see if any causative relationship could be seen to exist between vocal change, specifically change in vocal quality, and the exigencies of the teaching role. Vocal quality in this instance is defined as the way in which individual voices demonstrate discrete features of pitch, resonance, degree of breathiness and clarity of the note. The sum of these features is perceived as voice/vocal quality. The study sought to gain a deeper knowledge of the vocal demands of the teaching role with a particular focus on the experiences of newly qualified teachers and lecturers. It was hoped, that information gained as a result of the study, would add to the current canon of knowledge regarding the vocal demands on teachers as a feature of their professional role. As a result of the study a number of important elements were identified, some of which go beyond the original focus of the research but arise from data gathered doing it. A number of recommendations are made which, it is hoped, will inform future working practice and increase vocal health within the teaching profession.
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Harman-Bishop, Caroline Marguerite. "Aristotelian virtue and teaching and learning in music performance." Thesis, University of Glasgow, 2018. http://theses.gla.ac.uk/9009/.
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This study investigates the significance of Aristotelian virtue in teaching and learning in music performance. In response to a number of critical issues in professional practice, it is argued that virtue, framed within eudaimonistic happiness, should form an integral part of teaching and learning. Through an examination of Aristotle’s analysis of virtue, and primarily through his Nicomachean Ethics, virtue is presented as having the hallmarks of dynamic and responsive action and therefore as being of potential interest to teachers of music. Having acknowledged that music performance can be a particularly challenging arena, this study also considers why Aristotle, via his analysis in Politics of the reasons for educating students in music, provides further underlying reasons for its inclusion. By considering the work of one of his students, Aristoxenus, the investigation also establishes that here in Aristotle is a philosopher-teacher who is, we can be reassured, very much an informed music ‘amateur’. Noting the twofold importance that Aristotle gives to music in education, that is, how music contributes to our development and the worthwhile nature of understanding music for itself, the discussion explores and clarifies the notion of music performance. A range of frameworks are analysed and, after Godlovitch, personalism is defended as a framework. This is significant because personalism recognises the individual as both musician and human being. Thus, the demands, on both character and intellect, emerge strongly here as they do in Nicomachean Ethics. Having established that music performance is demanding, of both character and intellect, the virtue of courage is argued as crucial. The Aristotelian notion of courage is tested and its reaches extended, partly through the analysis of case studies. Ultimately, it is posited that courageous action forms part of eudaimonistic happiness. This study also considers Egan’s theory that intellectual disturbance occurs during stages of learning, thus providing further demands. It is argued that, in responding to such disturbance, teachers’ practice should embody characteristics of Aristotelian practical wisdom. In this way, it is posited that teachers act as valuable role models, both to their students and to their colleagues, including those colleagues new to the profession. With these challenges now identified and analysed, music performance is conceptualised as gift making. Importantly, this contributes to foregrounding the significant aspect of pleasure that is integral to Aristotelian virtuous action. The discussion closes by providing a defence of the position that Aristotelian virtue is of significance to teachers and students as they navigate their daily existence within the world of music performance.
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Tandon, Rekha. "Classicism on the threshold of modernity : expanding the physical parameters of Odissi Dance for contemporary audiences." Thesis, City University London, 2005. http://openaccess.city.ac.uk/14148/.
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This thesis examines the present practice of Odissi, the classical dance form of Orissa in Eastern India, with the view to identifying its strengths as a performing art and building on them. The objectives were to share this dance tradition both on stage and in the studio, not just as a stylised Indian movement form of limited interest, but as an integrating dance experience of relevance to today's multicultural world. The primary concern has been determining parallels with yoga and ritual and addressing the question of transcendence through dance, as understood in the Indian tradition. A choreological perspective has been adopted for this study and Odissi viewed from the position of the student, performer, choreographer, teacher and audience member, all roles which this researcher has performed personally. The basic parameters of Odissi's movement and dance techniques have been analysed informed by this discipline. Odissi has been reviewed historically, both when it was a medieval temple ritual and more recently when it was reconstructed as a classical Indian art after the country's Independence. The hypothesis that the practice of this dance was unconsciously governed by a bedrock of tantric thought forming its covert structures has been explored. Choreographic works have been created in collaboration with traditional musicians using established forms of composition to explain working methods within the tradition and experience its limitations. An alternate way of embodying Odissi based on tantric practices has been outlined. Works that explore this and that stretch the traditional sound-movement nexus of this dance form in the process, have also been created. The results of this research project hence fall broadly into the following inter-related areas: an understanding of Odissi dance and movement in relation to its culture and society; a hypothesis about the phenomenological nature of the medieval Orissan temple dance ritual; an outline of an alternate way of practicing Odissi based on tantric principles; and a choreological documentation of compositions created that make the practice of dance a form of yoga as defined by the Indian tradition.
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Keventsidou, Eleni. "Max Reger's variations and fugue on an original theme Op.73 : issues of musical structure, performance practice and interpretation." Thesis, Canterbury Christ Church University, 2016. http://create.canterbury.ac.uk/16226/.
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The thesis investigates Max Reger's Variations and Fugue on an Original Theme Op. 73, demonstrates the refinement of Reger's composition, and underlines his connection to the great performer Karl Straube. His musical language, dynamic markings and technical problems regarding the tempo, registration and acoustics will be examined by an actual performance in Canterbury Cathedral. Several issues such as cathedral acoustics, mechanical or pneumatic actions and choice of tempi have underpinned this study. Within each variation, the characteristics and techniques of Reger's compositions express his exceptional connection with the art of fugue and, of course, the use of variation technique in the rest of his organ works. The long Introduction falls into five clear sections and is, followed by the wistful mood and resignation of the Original Theme, where the great role of the third bar is often quoted in the course of the variations. Due to the all-pervading chromaticism Op. 73 gives the impression of being completely pantonal. Canterbury Cathedral organ's electro-pneumatic action and acoustics are close to the Leipzig Sauer instrument, and it seems well capable of meeting the challenges of control, polyphonic harmony, mystery and chromatic moods of Op. 73. Approaching the interpretation of Reger's highly demanding Variations and Fugue on an Original Theme Op. 73 through formal analysis and the complicated background of early twentieth century performance practice will be the final goal of the live performance.
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King, Martin S. ""Running like big daft girls" : a multi-method study of representations of and reflections on men and masculinities through "The Beatles"." Thesis, University of Huddersfield, 2009. http://eprints.hud.ac.uk/id/eprint/9054/.
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The aim of this thesis was to examine changing representations of men and masculinities in a particular historical period (“The Sixties”) and to explore the impact that this had in a period of rapid social change in the UK and the legacy of that impact. In order to do this, a multi-method study was developed, combining documentary research with a set of eleven semi-structured interviews. The documentary research took the form of a case study of The Beatles, arguing that their position as a group of men who became a global cultural phenomenon, in the period under study, made theme a suitable vehicle through which to read changing representations of masculinities in this period and to reflect on what this meant for men in UK society. The Beatles’ live action films were chosen as a sample of Beatle “texts” which allowed for the Beatles to be looked at at different points in the “The Sixties” and for possible changes over that time period to be tracked. Textual analysis within discourse analysis (based on a framework suggested by van Dijk [1993], Fairclough [1995] and McKee [2003]) was used to analyse the texts. Ideas advanced by the Popular Memory Group (1982) about the interaction of public representations of the past and private memory of that past were influential in the decision to combine this piece of documentary research with interviews with a sample of men, in an age range of 18 to 74. The interview stage was designed to elicit data on the perception of the participants of the role of representation (with particular reference to the Beatles) of masculinities on them as individuals and their ideas about how this may have had an impact in terms of longer term social change. Ehrenreich’s (1983) notion of a male revolt in the late 1950s, an emergence of a challenge to established ideas about men and masculinity, was also influential, particularly as it is an idea at odds with the “crisis in masculinity” discourse (Tolson, 1977; Kimmel, 1987; Whitehead, 2002) at work in a number of texts on men and masculinity. Examining further Inglis’ (2000b : 1) concept of The Beatles as “men of ideas” with a global reach, the chosen Beatle texts were examined for discourses of masculinity which appeared to be resistant to the dominant. What emerged were a number of findings around resistance, non-conformity, feminised appearance, pre-metrosexuality, the male star as object of desire and The Beatles as a global male phenomenon open to the radical diversity of the world in a period of rapid social change. The role of popular culture within this process was central to the thesis, given its focus on The Beatles as a case study. However, broader ideas about the role of the arts also emerged with a resultant conclusion that “the sixties” is where a recognition of the importance of representation begins as well as a period where representations of gender (as well as class and race) became more accessible due to the rise in popularity of TV in the UK and a resurgence in British cinema. The thesis offers a number of ideas for further research, building on the outcomes of this particular study. These include further work on the competing crisis/ revolt discourse at work in the field of critical men’s studies, ascertaining female perspectives on representations of masculinities and their impact, further work on the Beatles through fans and an application of some of the ideas at work in the thesis to other periods of British history.
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Dobson, Elizabeth. "An investigation of the processes of interdisciplinary creative collaboration : the case of music technology students working within the performing arts." Thesis, Open University, 2012. http://eprints.hud.ac.uk/14689/.
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This thesis addresses a gap in research on collaborative creativity. Prior research has investigated how groups of professionals, young people and children work together to co-create work, but the distinctive contribution of this thesis is a socioculturally framed understanding of undergraduates’ interdisciplinary practices over an extended period. Guided by a socioculturally framed theory of creativity, this thesis observed 4 students creating a 10 minute performance piece, and presents a longitudinal analysis of the co-creation process which occurred through a total of 28 meetings recorded over the course of a twelve-week term (24 hours of recordings in total). Specific episodes were selected from the full set of recordings, constituting 2 hours of recordings for in-depth analysis. Sociocultural discourse analysis was used to examine how social and cultural contexts constituted an ecology of undergraduate practice in interdisciplinary creative collaboration. Offering a new methodology, this discursive approach for studying context (Arvaja, 2008) was combined with interaction analysis (Kumpulainen & Wray, 2002; Scott, Mortimer & Aguiar, 2006) to analyse how moment-by-moment creative developments and contexts were resourced and constituted through dialogue, artifacts and physical settings. With implications for theory and practice, the analysis showed how the students’ collaborative contexts were constituted through dialogue, and how their emerging co- creative practice was mediated through multiple social and physical settings. It further evidenced how common knowledge was constructed through the process of collaboration, the value of peer feedback for fostering confidence, and students’ need for ‘silent witnessing’; for space to reflect and contribute to a long-term cumulative conversation. The thesis also discusses how resourceful the students were, in terms of negotiating unfamiliar and unpredictable co-creating activities. Evidence is provided for the collaborative value of creating and appropriating new tools to develop common knowledge, and for the significance of imagination as a psychological resource for building common knowledge about hypothetical future activities, showing how technology-mediated co-creating can be seen as a complex interactional accomplishment.
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Bechara, Silvia Regina de Camera Corrêa [UNESP]. "Jovens estudantes de música na cibercultura musical: facebook e educação musical 2.0." Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP), 2015. http://hdl.handle.net/11449/127999.
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Minhas experiências com jovens em sala de aula, observando sua dinâmica em transitar em diferentes contextos - online, offline, escola, música - despertou em mim a curiosidade de entender melhor como se davam essas relações, e em que isso implicava em uma Educação Musical na contemporaneidade. Assim, a presente pesquisa trata das interações entre jovens estudantes de música e a cibercultura musical na mídia social Facebook, e suas implicações para a área de educação musical. Propõe também desvelar as articulações dos compartilhamentos vinculados à música com a formação musical de jovens estudantes de música entre 18 e 29 anos. Por meio de uma pesquisa de campo baseada em recursos etnográficos virtuais, os dados foram coletados via observação participante virtual no Facebook e entrevistas online assíncronas. O referencial teórico constitui-se um mosaico de conceitos: cultura musical, mundos musicais, compartilhar, cibercultura, cibercultura musical, pós-modernidade e Educação Musical. A interpretação dos dados é mostrada por intermédio de uma galeria de arte, na qual suas várias alas trazem as reflexões das práticas da cibercultura musical e a Educação Musical. Neste âmbito, os estudantes compartilham suas emoções, pensamentos e opiniões e utilizam o Facebook amplamente para divulgar seu trabalho. Os resultados mostram que o Facebook utilizado no dia a dia não traz muita contribuição para a formação musical dos estudantes participantes, porém se mostra uma ferramenta relevante para a construção do conhecimento musical, desde que mediado por um educador
My experiences with young people in the classroom, observing their dynamics in transit in different contexts - online, offline, school, music - awakened in me the curiosity to better understand how to get along these relationshi ps, and in what this implied a Musical Education contemporaneity. Thus, this research deals with the interactions between young music students and music cyberculture in Facebook social media and its implications for the field of music education. It also proposes to unveil the joints of shares linked to the music with the musical training of young music students between 18 and 29 years. Through a field research based on virtual ethnographic resources, data were collected via virtual participant observation Facebook and asynchronous online interviews. The theoretical framework constitutes a mosaic of concepts: musical culture, musical worlds, share, cyberculture, musical cyberculture, postmodernity and Music Education. Interpretation of the data is shown through an art gallery, in which its various wings bring the reflections of the practices of musical cyberculture and Music Education. In this context, students share their emotions, thoughts and opinions and use Facebook extensively to publicize their work. The results show that Facebook used in daily lives does not bring much contribution to the musical education of participating students, but it shows a relevant tool for the construction of musical knowledge from that mediated by an educator