Mémoire (M.A.) - Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières, 2000. / Bibliogr. : f. [141]-146.

Thesis (Doctoral)--Martin-Luther-Universität, Halle, 1986.

This study of contemporary opera in Britain considers first, the theoretical aspects of the creation of an opera, then moves to a survey of British opera companies and their productions of modern opera over the past 40 years. There follows a detailed study of three works produced in Britain during this time, all of which are of particular significance to this composer: Maxwell Davies’s The Lighthouse, Saariaho’s L’amour de loin, and Birtwistle’s The Minotaur. The final chapter concerns the production of my own opera, The Moonflower (2011). The study was informed by established theories about opera and its history; an examination of scores, libretti and programme booklets for some operas produced in Britain, 1970 – 2010; direct contact between the author and composers, co-creators, and the works themselves (including attendance at many recent operatic productions in London), and the analysis of excerpts from the three contemporary operas mentioned above, while investigation of opera companies active in the period aimed to identify some possible trends in programming. The creation and performance of the author´s own opera was the culmination of this investigation; it illuminated many of the issues raised above, concerning the process of composing, designing and staging an operatic work in the early twenty-first century.

This thesis examines twentieth-century Irish fiddle performance practices in the search for the avant-garde of Irish traditional music. The central analysis focuses on processes of music structuring, particularly at a macro-structural level. Music structure defines the “terms of tradition” by way of permanent symmetric constructs, whereas it defines the avant-garde by way of transitory asymmetric constructs. If musical individualism is represented exclusively by traditional micro-structural ornaments that are inconsequential to traditional macrostructure, then the musical individual contributes to the permanency of macrostructure under of the terms of tradition. Instead, the avant-garde fiddler seeks musical transitoriness where macrostructure can define and redefine, or be defined and redefined by, both itself and its micro-structural parts throughout the progression of a single musical event. The determining nature of the fiddler’s musical interaction with the fiddle is that both human and artefact follow (thus become influenced by) the procedural dimensions of each other. Therefore, the method of analysis in this thesis has an ergonomic basis, which furthermore benefits from the emic perspective and practical expertise of its author. Accordingly, some of the more demanding performances by a selection of the country’s leading exponents are drawn upon to illustrate distinct aspects of where the fiddle instigates the negation of traditional modes of music structuring. Each example represents a different quarter point of the last century. Ultimately, this thesis not only provides a clearer and more radical conception of the musical past, but it also provokes a traditional music avant-garde that emerges from inside fiddle performance practices of the recent century.

This portfolio of original works and commentary is submitted for the qualification of PhD in June 2013. Its intention is to give a representative account of my compositional journey since I began reading for the qualification in 2005. The portfolio contains small-scale works and large-scale works of varying durations with the intention being to display a high level of understanding of the subject matter combined with compositional flair and talent. At the outset, the challenges were to develop my compositional skills to a higher level, compose longer-scale works and find a medium I felt comfortable writing for that also complimented my writing style. My aim has been to show the distinct difference in my work from the beginning and the end of the course in this portfolio. I feel that I am much more of an accomplished composer now who has a distinctive style and character to my music. This portfolio and commentary will act as a guide to my thought process during the compositional tasks in addition to my personal musical and compositional background and influences.

Music as a reflection of a wider culture provides a fruitful area in which to investigate the complex relationship between gender, sexuality and culture. Bearing in mind that many accounts of the changes in Western violin playing concentrate almost entirely upon male virtuosi this thesis investigates the extent to which gender and the corresponding socially constructed identity influenced how pioneer female violinists are seen in the history of the violin. In particular, this thesis investigates the lives and careers of the American Maud Powell, Australianborn Alma Moodie and Briton Marie Hall in order to establish their role in promoting then-contemporary music, as well as considering their contribution to the history of early recordings and in the case of Maud Powell, her significance in the development of the solo recital. At the dawn of the twentieth century these women captivated the public with their artistry. Moreover, they inspired, collaborated and premiered important then-contemporary violin works. Powell’s and Hall’s progressive outlook also embraced the new technology of recording, recognising its importance for the popularisation of art music. However they were assigned, at best, second place by historians. Therefore this research, by a modification of the traditional, patriarchal estimations of their legacy, aims for a more profound assessment of their merits as players and a re-evaluation of their place in the history of the violin.

This thesis explores Robert Schumann's influence on the two very different versions of Johannes Brahms' Piano Trio in B major, Op. 8 – the first version of 1854 and the revised version of 1889 (or Op. 8a and Op. 8b, respectively) – by establishing a biographical and compositional relationship with Schumann's Piano Trio in D minor, Op. 63 (1847), with particular reference to his writings. This comparative study firstly examines Schumann's important contribution to the piano trio genre and the musical aesthetics inherent in his work. His impact on the genesis of Brahms' Op. 8a beyond the biographical is considered in depth here for the first time in a scholarly study. By identifying Schumann's compositional methods from his middle-late period and his musical aesthetics as manifested in relevant compositions, my hypothesis argues that the young Brahms modeled his Op. 8a on Schumann's Op. 63; it also suggests a parallel performing tradition between the two works. In contrast to the continuing musicological enquiries concerning the two versions of Op. 8, performers have paid little attention to Op. 8a owing to a number of misconceptions. The reconstruction of a performing tradition of the first version did not get under way until the 1980s, when the first recording appeared. Although it would seem reasonable to seek clues as to its interpretation from the performing tradition of Brahms' Op. 8b, the more widely known version, my hypothesis instead seeks to align Brahms' Op. 8a with Schumann's seminal work in the same genre, while also reframing Op. 8b in this context. The notion of the 'Schumannesque' with respect to the composer's middle-late period will be examined, alongside a set of musical aesthetics based on Schumann's early Davidsbündler ideology. The ways in which these issues relate to Brahms' Op. 8a are reflected in my proposed performance guidelines for the work, which are substantiated through methods of practice-based research.

This study explores concepts of time and temporality in the music of three twentiethcentury composers, John Cage (1912-1922), George Crumb (born 1929), and Tōru Takemitsu (1930-1996). This thesis also examines the role that the performer plays in conveying temporal aspects of body of work. These three composers were interested in nonlinear conceptions of time, which they sought to express in musical terms. I have chosen a selection of works by each composer, which epitomize these conceptions, for in-depth study. I also discuss cultural influences upon conceptions of time, and the meanings of nonlinearity in different contexts. All three composers were interested in and influenced by Eastern Asian music and philosophy; I investigate the manifestation of this in their music. The expression of temporal nonlinearity presents equal challenges to both composers and performers. With this in mind, I focus on the relationship of the performer to the specific notational practices of each composer. I investigate how this has been realized by earlier performers through a comparative study of recordings. Where possible, I have consulted primary sources (i.e., sketches and manuscripts) and also articles and programme notes written by the composers in question. Furthermore, I have investigated recorded interviews with composers and expert performers, the latter of which provided valuable insights into composers’ intentions. I also draw upon my experience as a performer. Following the introduction (Chapter 1) in which Jonathan Kramer’s definition of linearity and nonlinearity is introduced, Chapter 2 considers issues related to musical time and temporality, and to the notation and interpretation of twentieth-century music. Three central chapters 3, 4, and 5 apply these in consideration of the works of Cage, Crumb, and Takemitsu, respectively. Chapter 6 focuses more specifically to the performance of these works, drawing upon the result of earlier chapters. Chapter 7 discusses wider implications of this study through examining Edward Cone’s approach to structure and proportion in performance, Stephan Davies’ view of the proper interpretation of a score, and responding to a question regarding performance ideal addressed by Lydia Goehr. This research aims to contribute to the knowledge of the analysts of twentieth-century music, and also provides valuable information which can inform future performances of such music.

This portfolio consists of seven compositions accompanied by a written commentary and recordings/mock ups of the works. The compositions span a wide variety of instrumentations ranging from solo works to vocal, choral, chamber and orchestral works. The commentary provides some background to the works' conception and places them in the larger context of postmodern composition. A brief history of postmodern music is outlined and the reasons for locating my work in this area are explored. Special emphasis is placed on 'the past' as a musical preoccupation, a focus which manifests itself in various ways in all the works included. In some cases, the past acts simply as an inspiration; no attempt is made to reference it in any concrete musical way. In other works, the past is invoked using musical quotation, pastiche, or templates. A multitude of ways in which past music might appear in the present, techniques which allow such importations to achieve a number of different effects, and how these manifest themselves in my works, are all explored. Analogous compositional approaches in the music of Berio (restoration/repair), Schnittke (quotation), Holloway (composing 'upon another work'), Goehr (modeling), Chadburn (text setting) and Adès (defamiliarization) are also explored.

This thesis examines the phenomenon of performance in dance and music as experienced by the performer. Previous research studies have generally been directed towards examining specific facets of dance and music performance, with a lack of understanding concerning the performer's experiences of them. Although these studies have often focused on gaining insight into what constitutes a performance, their attention to isolated aspects of performance has precluded understanding of how these elements form the experience of the performer in a holistic sense. Inspired by a personal quest for insight into the subjective awareness of what underlies dance and music performance, the following thesis aims to better understand the phenomenon of performance from the perspective of the performing dancer and musician. In strengthening the originality of this research, the qualitative and quantitative research paradigms provided a framework that allowed in-depth exploration of the phenomenon under investigation. Two qualitative research studies, together with a questionnaire, were carried out to investigate the thoughts and perceptions of the performer in relation to what it means to be a performer and more generally on the phenomenon of performance. This thesis also includes two separate chapters on the concepts of performance enhancement and reflective practice with a view to establishing whether they might usefully be applied within the artistic disciplines of dance and music. Findings from the two research studies and questionnaire revealed that performers place high importance on the concept of the 'self', which they experience and perceive differently as an 'individual', a 'person' and a 'performer'. Performers were also shown to view themselves as embodied entities, evincing a strong sense of individuality and a subjective awareness of being a performer, alongside conveying technical and expressive abilities. Findings illustrate the subjective nature of how participants experience and understand performance and performing, revealing the potential for application to other artistic disciplines. It is hoped that, through offering performers the opportunity to speak openly about what is of importance to them, researchers and educators might productively address the components that exist within the experience of the performer, in order to better and more widely understand the performer and the phenomenon of performance.