Academically, Chopin's two visits to Britain in 1837 and 1848 remain unexplored. This thesis aims to rectify this, using extensive published and manuscript material in Edinburgh, London, Paris, Cracow and Warsaw, and topographical and other illustrations. On the first of Chopin's visits, in July 1837, he travelled from Paris to London with Camille Pleyel, whose family firm of Pleyel et Cie manufactured Chopin's favourite pianos. In London for only eleven days, Chopin visited the Broadwoods at No 46 Bryanston Square, went to the opera, and signed contracts with Wessel. On his second visit, in 1848, the year before he died, Chopin spent seven months in England and Scotland at the prompting of his aristocratic Scots pupil, Jane Stirling. In London, he gave recitals for the Duke and Duchess of Sutherland, Mrs Adelaide Sartoris, the Earl of Falmouth, and the Countess of Blessington. On 5 August, accompanied by John Muir Wood, Chopin took the train from Euston to Edinburgh, where he was met by the Stirlings' Polish physician, Dr Adam Lyschifiski. Subsequently, Chopin was a guest at Scottish country seats - notably Calder, Johnstone, Strachur, Wishaw, Keir, and Hamilton Palace. Aside from playing privately for his hosts, Chopin gave public concerts in the Gentlemen's Concert Hall in Manchester, the Merchants' Hall in Glasgow, and the Hopetoun Rooms in Edinburgh. Returning to London on 31 October, Chopin performed in Guildhall, the last concert of his life. On 23 November he left London for Paris, dying there on 17 October the next year. His funeral in the Madeleine was partly financed by Jane Stirling, who later published a seven-volume edition of his music, preserved Chopin memorabilia, studied with his former pupil Thomas Tellefsen, and cherished the composer's memory until her own death in 1859.

The slow movement has often been overlooked by writers on the Classical style, who typically gloss over its formal and expressive intricacies in favour of sonata form analyses of first movements and finales. But closer study reveals that the slow movement may be due greater prominence – that it may even be ‘richer than the entire rest of the [multi-movement] form’. The present study seeks to redress the balance and to correct the perception that the slow movement is simply a ‘simplification’ or ‘deformation’ of sonata form types. Lyrical forms, I argue, present their own unique set of characteristics, which demand to be judged on their own terms. Tracing the development of the slow movement through the Classical style also reveals the growing importance of the slow movement to nineteenth century composers, and suggests that Beethoven’s works represent a turning point in the characterisation of the genre. Detailed comparative analyses of Beethoven’s slow movements, alongside those by Haydn, Mozart and C.P.E. Bach, present a compelling picture of the slow movement as centrepiece, rather than parenthesis. As Dahlhaus suggests, this creates a reversal of priorities and causes us to re-evaluate our perception of Classical form: ‘The lyricism that is confined to an enclave in the classical sonata became the predominant structural principle, causing a crisis for the idea of thematic process.’

The thesis argues that the absence of traditional referential elements, such as tonality and metre, affects the exactitude with which the listener perceives certain aspects of nontonal music. It claims that the listener might impose his own interpretation on a work in which the musical patterns are too complex to be perceived exactly and that, in extreme cases, the patterns which the listener reads into the music may be completely subjective. The thesis examines the extent to which Webern and some post-Webernian composers determine the listener's response to their music and shows that certain aspects of Webern's music are simple enough to be easily grasped and to be perceived exactly and that these aspects control the way in which the listener understands Webern's music. It suggests that the nature of the musical material and the procedures employed in much post-Webernian music precludes the use of many of the controls found in Webern, but that other methods of determining the listener's response to the music can be found in some of the works of the post-Webernian composers. It argues, however, that in some post-Webernian music, and particularly in that composed using chance or serial methods, the listener's response to the music may not be determined by the composer. The thesis claims' that many of the important formal problems facing post-Webernian music must be considered in relation to the problems of auditory perception.

In ‘Making More of Music’ (2009a) Ofsted reported that primary music curriculum delivery was inconsistent and too much provision was inadequate. They specifically commented on teachers’ lack of understanding of ‘making musical progress’. However, pre-study empirical research found that teachers were uncertain as to what Ofsted meant by this. A literature review also confirmed a lack of consensus in this area. Therefore, for teachers to ensure children are ‘making musical progress’ this required further exploration. In the main empirical study, seven music specialists were interviewed in order to ascertain their perceptions of what musical progression is, ‘what making musical progress looks like’ (ibid.) and how teachers could nurture progression in order to support primary teachers improve their curriculum delivery. The data was analysed following the process of template analysis (King, 2004) and relational models were produced to illustrate the findings, including a practitioner definition of musical progression. This research suggests that the teacher’s journey is as individual as the child’s and therefore there is not only one way to teach that will ensure progression. What appeared to be important was that practitioners had a clearly thought-out approach to progression which influenced and underpinned their teaching and consequently ensured children’s progressive musical learning. The importance of the teacher’s own musicality and musical understanding in their comprehension of musical progression and their practice was highlighted. Another emergent finding was the necessity of responsive teaching and the need to interrelate all aspects of what it is to be musical in order to lead to a more holistic progression in pupils. Improving teacher knowledge and understanding of holistic progression would help teachers to understand what they were aiming for and consequently improve their curriculum delivery. The main aim of the research was to gain insight and understanding to assist primary teachers to improve their practice and address Ofsted’s concerns. It also makes suggestions for music ITE provision, CPD and Ofsted. Further research would explore in more detail the content of teacher guidance material that could be used on a national scale to raise teacher knowledge and understanding of progression.

Although he describes himself as a ‘modernist’, tradition has been an integral aspect of the music of James MacMillan from the beginning of his compositional career. Three traditions in particular permeate his works: the cultural tradition of his native Scotland; the religious tradition of the Catholic Church; and the tradition of music from past models to the present day. These three traditions and their relationship to the present are explored in depth in this thesis, which argues that MacMillan should be termed a ‘retrospective modernist’, given the emphasis he places on the relationship between past traditions and the present. Part I examines MacMillan’s political and cultural retrospective modernism, initially in the general context of autonomous and political music, and then more specifically in relation to Liberation Theology, while the remainder explores MacMillan’s complex relationship with Scotland, past and present. Part II discusses religious retrospective modernism, comparing MacMillan with Wagner and Bach. The theological implications of Wagner’s Tristan und Isolde are discussed in conjunction with The Sacrifice and St John Passion, and the following chapter addresses three liturgical issues concerning both MacMillan and Bach: musical settings of the Christian Passion narrative; the composition of music for congregational participation; and the practice of recycling music in mass settings. Part III continues with this topic of musical recycling and quotation in MacMillan’s works, first in comparison with Mahler, and then extending to consider the technique of polystylism in the music of Ives, Berio, Schnittke and Maxwell Davies, all of whom have been significant influences on MacMillan. Finally, an in-depth examination of the tension between the concepts of tradition and modernism concludes the study. While some modernists see this tension as irreconcilable, MacMillan considers it to be a positive, creative tension. Issues relating to high modernism, antimodernism, postmodernism, pluralist modernism and finally retrospective modernism are discussed here, demonstrating why the latter is the most appropriate term to describe the music MacMillan composed in the period 1982-2010.

Portfolio Contents: Symphony No. 104 - for orchestra From The Eumenides - for mezzo soprano and cello Lost Words - for large ensemble and singers String Quartet No. 2 - for string quartet String Quartet No. 3 - for string quartet 12 Miniatures - for amplified classical guitar Non-Stable Equilibrium - for violin and piano Commentary The portfolio of compositions contains seven pieces for a variety of vocal and instrumental and forces. Symphony No. 104, From The Eumenides, Lost Words, String Quartet No. 2 and 12 Miniatures are cycles of miniatures, while String Quartet No. 3 and Non-Stable Equilibrium are throughcomposed. The latter two pieces were also conceived in brief musical sections. Each individual miniature or section is typified by focus on a single musical idea and their sequence was determined with the aim of contrasting and complementing different musical characters and styles. As a rule, the musical material was instinctively conceived and the music intuitively written. In the compositional process, particular attention was paid to clarity of form and musical expression. It is the composer?s desire that each section or movement be perceived as a coherent unit with an individual musical identity. The commentary for the portfolio is divided into two parts. The first explores the theoretical framework behind the music. A number of different issues are addressed, the most prominent of which are the miniature format, the concept of experiential form and the notions of intuition and musical style. The second part of the commentary presents the individual compositions in a chronological order with a particular focus on compositional process, structure and form.

In the eighteenth century, Durham City was an important centre of political power, the nucleus of which was the cathedral whose own wealth and power was immense. The Bishop, as the King’s representative, governed County Durham, and Durham City, as the capital of the palatinate, was a vibrant socio-economic centre. Those with means spent much of their free time patronising the large number of concerts, balls, assemblies, or theatrical productions that were frequently held in the city. For a musician, these public events provided ample opportunities to make a living. There were also opportunities to teach the children of wealthy patrons and to publish compositions. In consequence a large number of musicians came to the city, either to live or to visit, with race and assize weeks (the busiest time of the year) as a major focus of their employment. The centre of musical life in Durham was the cathedral which dominated the production of both sacred and secular music. In order to attract good quality singers to the north, the cathedral’s Chapter offered unusually high salaries to its lay-clerks. The clerks, as able singers, forged a high reputation as a musical force in the region at a time when the quality of sacred music and cathedral choirs was in serious decline. Some of the lay-clerks, most notably Edward Meredith and William Evance, would travel large distances to perform. Until 1763 the cathedral organist was James Hesletine who was succeeded by Thomas Ebdon. Both men were also involved in the local concert scene, although, under Hesletine, a significant dispute with the Newcastle musician Charles Avison took place which ultimately led to the establishment of a rival subscription series by Avison in partnership with John Garth. Music permeated all levels of society at Durham. In addition to what was produced for concerts and at the cathedral, music was prevalent in many other arenas. Music formed part of worship in all of the city’s churches, although it was only at St. Mary le Bow that it reached an appreciable standard. As part of the broader matrix of performances of secular music, Durham possessed its own musical society, and, as part of its wider public role, music performed a key role in civic and other ceremonial occasions as well as for local freemasonry, an organisation to which many of Durham’s musicians belonged. Other forms of music-making took place in the domestic environment, but it was also possible to find music performed in the city’s taverns. Furthermore, the performance of folk music and the presence of the town waits and military bands meant that music was commonly heard on the city’s streets. This thesis is based on a detailed study of several primary sources. The most important of these is the local newspapers, but ecclesiastical records, diaries, personal letters, published books on music and local history, and the music itself (both printed and in manuscript), have also been closely examined. By means of this archival work it has been possible to examine the whole spectrum of musical life across the city, a study which amply demonstrates that Durham was one of the most important provincial musical centres outside London. In fact, notwithstanding its provincial location, Durham was by no means insular in its outlook, nor was it entirely backward-looking, as can be seen in the distinctly innovative and inventive work of Garth.

This project explores how longstanding conflicts in Taiwanese society have been reflected in the development of popular song in Taiwan in the period of martial law from the late 1940s to the late 1980s, and in the light of the periods of colonisation experienced by the country (i.e. Japanese colonial rule from 1895-1945, and the rule of the Chinese Nationalists from 1945-1987). The research methodology employed is sociological as well as historical and ethnomusicological in orientation. It is argued that popular song offers a significant focus for two main reasons: (i) it is a shared medium through which ordinary people interpret and make sense of their everyday life experiences; and (ii) it provides a rich resource in terms of the diversity of linguistic usage in the two main language groups in which popular song is produced in Taiwan – Mandarin Chinese and Minnan-Taiwanese, each of which has come to represent conflicting attitudes to social class and national identity. Genres of popular song like the ‘patriotic popular song’, the ‘campus song’, the love song, ‘dialogue’ songs, and songs of migration and separation are examined and interpreted in relation to the larger historical and political context of this period. The dissertation is organised into two parts. Part I (Chapters One to Three) focuses on how the Chinese Nationalist government propagated a particular version of Chinese cultural hegemony through cultural policies, control of the mass media and the education system, and support for the notion of ‘patriotic popular song’. Part II (Chapters Four and Five) explores the post-war period by examining Taiwanese-language popular song and its musical structures and lyric narratives, together with the starkly contrasting world-view that emerges from these songs. Through an examination of popular songs and their lyrics in the period of martial law it is shown how the split in Taiwanese society is represented in the songs of these years of change – the move from the countryside to the cities, the role of work, the differing social status of immigrant Chinese and indigenous Taiwanese, and the status of women. What emerges from this study is an awareness that the conflict is not only that between the immigrant Chinese and the indigenous Taiwanese communities, but also the conflict of identity within the Taiwanese Minnan-speaking community itself.

This dissertation examines the gajde (bagpipe) music tradition of Serbia in the context of the increasing marginality of such cultural identities (i.e. musician, performer) over the period of rapid modernisation since 1945. It is argued that the process of marginalisation of gajde music in the second half of the twentieth century reached a critical point where social and ideological developments intertwined and resulted in radical changes to the cultural and musical identity of this tradition. The gradual decline in the number of the gajde performers, contextual changes, political influences and the dissolution of traditional values led to a stage where a once central and popular musical practice became marginalised and relocated into relative cultural obscurity. In this project the employed concepts of marginality and identity are derived from a range of sociological and anthropological sources and perspectives, including Bhabha (1994), Sennett (1974, 2008), Lee (1995), and Rice (2007). The research into the process of marginalisation itself, as a dynamic category, has served to generate a theoretical dialogue between ethnomusicological and sociological discourses, the individual experiences of the performers of gajde music, fieldwork data, and other relevant sources that include archival materials and personal statements. The articulation of distinctive features of this musical tradition, such as the technical features of the music-making process itself, performance practice and its function in different localities, formal characteristics of the music, its expressive potential, and the kinds of meanings attributed to it, provide a space for discussion and understanding of the fundamental characteristics of this music and its context. This also serves to raise a wider range of issues regarding musical identities and their location within culture. It is the argument of this dissertation that the concept of marginality offers a way of understanding identities that are in a state of flux, particularly in the collision between tradition and modernity. It examines the kinds of fundamental meanings that traditional music creates, for example in relation to nature, and it follows significant aspects of the music-making process as a distinctive type of human creativity, regarding music as a specific craft. This study also provides a space for understanding the broader social, cultural and political conditions in which gajde practice developed, identifying the polarities that arise between the traditional and the modern, the shifts between centres and margins, and the politics that have informed these processes.

In October 1900 Henry Hadow delivered a damning appraisal of Stainer’s Hymn Tunes, and in so doing, castigated an earlier generation of Victorian poets and composers who had been inspired by the Tractarian revival. Hadow’s aesthetic judgment was formed by a new generation intent on the promulgation of ‘good taste’ which regarded the hymn repertoire of earlier Victorians as insincere, cloying and sentimental, with little regard for craftsmanship, artifice or spiritual expression. The objective of this thesis is to examine in detail the genre of the ‘Tractarian hymn’ in terms of its theological origins and content and its musical manifestations. The first half is essentially a discussion of Tractarianism as a revival movement (and precursor to the Oxford Movement) and how it found its roots in the political reaction to state interference in ecclesiastical affairs (the ‘Erastian Sacrilege’). The Tracts for the Times, which were widely disseminated, are used as a basis for a more thorough investigation of Anglicanism’s revival in the 1830s and renewal of commitment to liturgical order, the authority of the church (through the agency of the Book of Common Prayer) and personal holiness of life, as well as to the appropriateness of music to divine service. Tractarianism rapidly spawned an artistic creativity which, through its natural affinity with Romanticism, excited a major movement in religious poetry, much in evidence in Keble’s compendium The Christian Year but also in a generation of Tractarian poets such as Caswall, Faber, Lyte, Elliott, Chandler, Thring, Neale, Ellerton, Chatterton Dix, Plumptre and Baker, and in the benchmark publication of Hymns Ancient & Modern in 1861. The second half of the thesis is devoted exclusively to a detailed musical analysis of hymns from this period in order to assess the appropriateness of the musical response to the poetry. Initially a discussion is devoted to the evolution of the hymn from its origins in metrical psalmody (in Redhead, Gauntlett, Elvey and Ouseley), to increasingly more sophisticated organic examples by Monk, E. J. Hopkins, A. H. Brown and Oakeley where the influence of song and the expressive capacity of chromaticism are in evidence. Moreover, in conjunction with this artistic development, the concurrent evolution of the choir, organ and the imperative of harmony are discussed as a major factor in the expansion of the genre. Central, however, to the model of the Tractarian hymn was John Bacchus Dykes. His settings of Tractarian poetry brought the hymn more readily within the confines of Romantic art music with their reference not only to broader mainland European influences (especially in terms of harmony) but to other genres as partsong, oratorio chorus, lieder and chant. Using the model of Dykes, a later generation of ‘professional’ composers – Barnby, Stainer and Sullivan – were ready to continue the transformation of the Tractarian hymn still further, with more marked reference to secular influences. In Stainer’s case, the hymn became more of a cerebral vehicle in which musical artifice and contrivance played a major role. In this regard, Stainer’s promotion of the genre confirmed it as a serious form of composition, worthy of Ruskinian artistic ethics of the time. In summary, the hymns of Dykes, Stainer, Barnby and Sullivan, with their earnest attention to harmony, form and genre, serve both to accentuate the sophistication of Tractarian hymnody and refute Hadow’s accusation of superficiality.