The seven pieces of published work gathered together here aim collectively to re-evaluate some of the established concepts and techniques operative within the domains of music theory and analysis. This process of reassessment is conducted in the broad interests of developing an interpretative orientation more responsive to the interdisciplinary consequences of contemporary critical thought.

This thesis examines the prevalent supposition, within Western culture, concerning the existence of an inherently 'musical' type of human being. It outlines, through its eight chapters, the history and development of the idea and suggests possible reasons for the assumption. The thesis commences by examining musicianship in respect of musical ontology it describes and criticises the notion that the essence of musical performance is necessarily concerned with the reproduction of identifiable works. It then, in chapter two, questions the validity of the hierarchical categorisation of music and musicians in respect to concepts of art, and identifies the economically dictated relativity of such classifications. In chapter three, associations of musicianship with spiritual ideas, such as a natural or numinous realm, are outlined and countered. Chapter four summarises issues of music as a language, in respect of notation, discourse and symbol, which leads into a discussion, in chapter five, of the ways in which music can convey meanings, whether thought of as intrinsic to 'the work itself or as culturally constructed and defined. Chapter six clarifies the epistemological issues of musical experience through an outline of its significance in respect of being intrinsic, phenomenal and experiential. In chapter seven, the identity of the musician is examined through the questions of authenticity, proficiency and cultivation. It describes how and why some musical activities are marginalized and trivialised, and how the education system plays a fundamental role in perpetuating the values and perception of musical performance as being an activity relevant to quite specific types of individuals. The final chapter outlines the functional roles of musical performance in respect of ethics, social coherence and economics. The conclusion evaluates the arguments presented in the thesis and contends that the concept of musicianship, being a characteristic of only certain people, is an ideologically perpetuated myth.

My Practice-as-Research doctoral dissertation, Sourcing Within: A Reflexive Investigation of a Creative Path explores potential sources for performer training and the creative process in performance work. I draw extensively from my embodied research in Taijiquan and songs from my Chinese cultural source, which I have explored since the early 1990s. Stemming from this embodied practice, I examine the notion of "care of the self" since Greco-Roman time, and how it can enhance the work of the performer via her physical and vocal presence. My research methodology draws upon Robin Nelson's writings on Practice as Research, Foucault's ideas in Practice of Self and Clark Moustakas's Phenomenological Research, primarily Heuristic Inquiry with the practitioner and her experiences as key resources. In parallel to care of the self runs the idea of care of the craft as in Konstantin Stanislavski's notion. What I argue for is a persistent practice on/through the source techniques that can lead to a unity of the bodymind, thus elevating the quality of the performer's practice. My hands-on experiences have also nourished my pedagogical work with cross-disciplinary and cross-cultural performing practitioners through my Sourcing Within project (since 2006). All these human interactions and shared experiences have enriched and expanded the scope of my research, as evidenced in my writing. Part of my Practice-as-Research is a creative synthesis entitled Wandering Sounds which I have created in collaboration with musician Nickolai D. Nickolov. Our collaboration explores the coalescence of text, song, music, and movement within a performance. The performance encompasses "musicality" and asks whether musical and performative integration can yield a renewed path for creativity. It aims at reaching audiences from various cultural and linguistic backgrounds. This piece has served as an important platform in my investigation of whether or not it is possible to transmit the insight gained in a performer's self-practice to the audience in the performance context. Wandering Sounds has also facilitated my inquiry into whether or not the audience can follow the performer's process of self-transformation by watching it in performance.

No description available.

The aim of the following thesis is to provide a study of the life and music of Benigno Zerafa (1726-1804), a mid-18th-century Maltese composer of sacred music. As a model adopted in this dissertation, research on Benigno Zerafa is divided into four categories which the author chose as important points of evidence in musicology: i) biographical, historical and literary studies (based mainly on official documents, the musical documents, and the informative descriptions of performances at the Cathedral, all housed in the archives of the Cathedral Museum) dealing with the composer's life, the environment in which he was brought up and in which he worked, the liturgy and local religious life, the texts he used for his vocal works, performance practice, the reception of his music, and its performance history; these are given in chapters one, two, three and four; ii) source studies - (i) gathering the sources, (ii) identifying the composer's musical and textual handwriting, (iii) determining the authenticity of works attributed to him - involving documentary or external evidence, provenance, paper studies of handwriting, watermarks and staving (rastrography), methods of dating, etc.: these are discussed in chapter four and the thematic catalogue; iii) style analysis concerned with internal evidence deriving from the music itself, and ultimately confronting questions of eesthetics, the place of the composer in music history and, especially, his influence on the development of the Maltese Baroque style - chapters five, six and seven. Empirical methods involving analysis of motifs, phrase structure, harmony, style characteristics, texture, form and word-painting are all considered. The arguments presented demonstrate how topoi, rhetorical figures and systematic overall planning are essential features of Zerafa's works in general; iv) a thematic catalogue of Zerafa's 148 works - volumes three and four - in chronological order concludes this study; a general preface and various indexes to facilitate quick reference are also included. A critical edition of Zerafa's Z116, Nisi Dominus for soprano solo, is presented as appendix A. Other appendices (B to G) follow as aids to the main text. To the best of my knowledge (as of 31 October 2001), no critical editions, books, papers and theses on the composer have yet been published and are in the process of being published. The present author's critical edition of Z2, Messa a due cori (1743), has appeared as part-fulfilment of requirements for the M. Mus. degree (Liverpool, 1997) in a computerised version, and was performed professionally in four locations in France in 1998 under the direction of French conductor Jean-Marc Labylle . One or two dissertations on Zerafa have now appeared. A doctoral thesis by Franco Bruni (Sorbonne, 1998) entitled La Cappella musicale della Cattedrale di Malta nel diciasettesimo e diciottesimo secolo presents a detailed study of the Cappella Musicale of the Cathedral up to the 18th century; a concise biographical note on Benigno Zerafa and an analysis of watermarks of the manuscript paper used are included. There is also a brief analysis of a small number of works, followed by a general thematic catalogue of the works according to manuscript number. The aims of this thesis and the results achieved lie within the context of . the composer's life and career, and are intended to promote a better understanding of the man and his music.

No description available.

No description available.

No description available.

No description available.

No description available.