Current literature agrees that British clarinet playing between c. 1930 and c. 1980 was linked to a particular clarinet manufacturer: Boosey & Hawkes. The unusually wide-bored 1010 clarinet is represented as particularly iconic of this period but scholars have not provided details of why this is so nor explored the impact of other B&H clarinets. This thesis presents an empirical overview of all clarinet manufacturing which took place at B&H (and Boosey & Co). Every clarinet model manufactured by B&H is discussed and the first and last serial numbers and total outputs of all individually-crafted clarinets are given. Developments in organology are also highlighted, emphasising changing preferences among British – and other – clarinettists, as reflected by manufacturing trends at B&H. Connections are made between the socio-economic climate in Britain and the design, advertising and popularity of clarinet models. The empirical evidence is taken from Boosey & Hawkes’ archival records, most notably the Workshop Order Books which present a nearly-complete record of every B&H woodwind instrument. This thesis provides the date upon which the first 1010 was manufactured and demonstrates that the initial popularity of the model was a result of developments in British orchestral playing in the 1920s and early 1930s. World War II is shown to have been a catalyst for mass production, enabling B&H’s influence to reach a greater proportion of British society. The thesis argues that post-war consumerism facilitated the continued popularity of B&H clarinets, but the drive to provide ever-cheaper student clarinets created dramatic reductions in profit margins and rendered clarinet manufacturing financially unviable. Ultimately this thesis presents B&H as having become inextricably linked to British clarinet playing by constantly responding to the changing demands of British musicians with new designs and brandings which captured the zeitgeist of musical Britain throughout the century.

Spectral Immersions: A Comprehensive Guide To The Theory And Practice Of Bass Clarinet Multiphonics is a multi-component thesis that looks into the entire area of multiphonic analysis and composition for the bass clarinet. A literary section of the thesis looks at past publications and the problems associated with using this contemporary technique, in terms of both compositional and performance issues. A theoretical analysis of Type One multiphonics gives an insight into how multiphonics on the bass clarinet work in a more scientific way and their close relationship with the harmonic series. A complete analysis of Type Two multiphonics using past charts and new-found fingerings results in the creation of the new SW multiphonic charts for the bass clarinet. The new SW charts are fully tested by correcting problems in past compositions by means of several student compositional projects at various UK universities. Finally, a new set of études and pieces have been commissioned by composers from the UK and abroad. The results and successes of the pieces and new SW charts are analysed and can be listened to via accompanying audio and data CDs. The results of this thesis provide both performers and composers with an accurate, exhaustive and up-to-date usable publication. Not only does this thesis provide a new set of multiphonic charts, but the addition of compositional examples using multiphonics provides both practice and recital material for performers and useful compositional technique hints and advice for composers wishing to use this resource in the future.

In this thesis I present an overview of my approach to free improvisation with particular reference to the clarinet's instrumentality (its intended function) and its materiality (its accidental characteristics). Acknowledging an influence from the clarinet, I set out to discover its role in defining the music I make. After outlining debates surrounding improvisation in terms of its compositional capacity, I then consider free improvisation in terms of relational aesthetics. The remainder of the thesis is divided into three main parts. The first part explores philosophical and practical issues related to tool-use. In chapter one I discuss observations about objects, leading to conceptions of instrumental design. Discussing the special case of artistic tools I suggest an intrinsic link between intent and possibility, considering this relationship in terms of working with an instrument's design and materials. In chapter two I elaborate on ways in which instruments can lead towards musical material while addressing issues of culture, uncertainty and relationships. I describe a veneration of instruments as guides in free improvisation and suggest subverting traditional gestures as a strategy to advance an instrument's capacity. I address issues of uncertainty and posit failure as a viable aesthetic stance, welcoming rethought into performance. Part two sees greater emphasis placed on my own praxis. In chapter three I outline uses of the clarinet with particular focus on its materiality. In chapter four I discuss recent recordings in light of the issues raised in the thesis. This part is accompanied by a DVD (also available online1) containing examples for chapter three and recordings for chapter four. After a conclusion, which provides a summary of findings alongside a discussion of my current praxis, I present part three, a recording of a final performance made on 13/01/16 with Benedict Taylor (viola) and Daniel Thompson (guitar).

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.

This thesis examines creativity in performance through the study of the performance practices of professional clarinettists. Creativity research has tended to emphasise the innovative, revelatory qualities of the creative process, rather than the more pragmatic activities related to notated performance. This corresponds to a tension between the perceived creative opportunities of improvisation and notated music, and has resulted in a discourse that associates improvisation with spontaneity and novelty, and notated performance with repetition and reproduction. How might this discourse be challenged? Through a series of case studies documenting clarinettists working in a variety of collaborative settings, I examine how performers' constructions of creativity might complement or challenge the perceived creative affordances of notated music, and how the presence of, and/or collaboration with a living composer affects the creative process. A broadly ethnographic methodology is employed, drawing on thematic analysis of qualitative data obtained through semi-structured interviews with musicians, and audio-visual footage of workshops, rehearsals and performances. Conceptually, the thesis adopts an ecological perspective (Ingold 2011; Clarke, Doffman, and Lim 2013), proposing that creativity is a distributed phenomenon, entangled within a complex interweaving of social, material, and historical influences. It draws on work by Richard Sennett (2008) and Tim Ingold (2013) on craft and material engagement, suggesting that the interaction between a practitioner and a tradition entails a synthesis of action, perception and prior experience. I argue that this orientation is useful for developing an analytical framework that accounts for the dimensions of performance that might otherwise be taken for granted. The research offers insights into the performance practices of contemporary concert musics - a line of inquiry that remains largely unaddressed. More broadly, it makes room for a more forward-looking model of creativity based on processes rather than outcomes, and one that better appreciates the fluid pathways between performers and scores.