This thesis looks at how sound and visuals may be linked in a musical instrument, with a view to creating such an instrument. Though it appears to be an area of significant interest, at the time of writing there is very little existing - written, or theoretical - research available in this domain. Therefore, based on Michel Chion’s notion of synchresis in film, the concept of a fused, inseparable audiovisual material is presented. The thesis then looks at how such a material may be created and manipulated in a performance situation. A software environment named Heilan was developed in order to provide a base for experimenting with different approaches to the creation of audiovisual instruments. The software and a number of experimental instruments are discussed prior to a discussion and evaluation of the final ‘Ashitaka’ instrument. This instrument represents the culmination of the work carried out for this thesis, and is intended as a first step in identifying the issues and complications involved in the creation of such an instrument.

The goal of my dissertation research is to uncover a tertium quid between two inadequate modern positions on the function of words within motets produced by the so-called ‘Josquin generation’ of composers whose careers ended around 1520. Modern reception has usually approached these motets retrospectively, through the text-focused perspective of the post-Reformation era. Where this has not been the case, they have been appreciated as proto-symphonic ‘absolute music’ - an equally anachronistic position. My dissertation presents a more contemporary view of the relationship between words and music, informed by contemporary writings on the subject and formal analysis. The formal structures of music and poetry often overlap and need not indicate a superior function of one or the other. The salient formal elements of late-fifteenth century motets readily lend themselves to the setting of formally divided text, be it poetry or prose. Likewise, motet texts, and particularly compiled ones, are readily divided for the purposes of musical setting. In some instances we can postulate a priority of text or of music but in many more instances it is impossible and perhaps anachronistic to judge, given the way both words and music function towards the same goal of formal coherence. Composers certainly went to some effort to compile or compose meaningful texts for their motets. It is clear from the settings of these texts, however, that composers were not operating with an unwritten theory about word-tone relations - certainly not an agenda to make music and words relate in more than a general way.

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This thesis examines the development of the amateur wind band in Britain during the nineteenth century, with special reference to the increasing domination of the brass band, particularly in northern England. After a preliminary review of British amateur wind bands generally, the growth of the brass band competition is investigated, showing how the contesting bands were initially concentrated in Yorkshire. The effects of industrial sponsorship and the emergence of the volunteer movement from 1859 are examined, along with the consequent shift in the concentration of bands from Yorkshire - mainly to Lancashire but also, to a limited degree, to other parts of the north and to the north midlands. Instrumentation and repertoire are also discussed, along with some collections of early band music. Part 2 of the thesis looks specifically at developments during the final quarter of the century, first of all in terms of repertoire, then through some of the personalities involved - conductors and players - before investigating the roles played by the best of the bands. Finally, having shown how a regional brass band movement grew from a nationwide net-work of wind bands, the thesis looks at ways in which the fledgling brass band movement began to spread, paving the way for the national and, indeed, international brass band movement of the twentieth century.

The last fifteen years of Alun Hoddinott’s life witnessed an unprecedented outpouring of works for solo voice, which seemed to coincide with a notable change of style – towards simpler textures, melodic lyricism and a greater concision of musical thought. This thesis examines the context and nature of this apparent change of style, focusing on text setting, poetic rhetoric, and harmonic and rhythmic vocabulary, with particular reference to the song cycle Five Poems of Gustavo Adolfo Bécquer, Op. 152 no. 2 (1994). Chapter 1 contextualizes the vocal music since 1994 within Hoddinott’s oeuvre, considering whether the later songs mark a genuine ‘late style’ or merely a shift of emphasis within an already established compositional approach. Chapter 2 examines in detail the rhetoric and structure of the poetry chosen by Hoddinott and the reflection of these poetic devices in the musical settings. Chapter 3 investigates the combination of modality and serialism in Hoddinott’s harmonic language, concluding with an analysis of the opening Andante of the Trio for violin, cello and piano, Op. 77 (1970). This chapter assesses his acknowledged debt to the modal writing of Bartók and the serial practices of Berg, manifested in Hoddinott’s use of whole-tone and octatonic scales as a basis for hexachordal structure. All these elements are then brought together in Chapter 4, an analysis of the Bécquer settings, which assesses the interaction of text and music. While the underlying structure of Hoddinott’s later music remains serial, its reduced rate of chromatic circulation means that the modal elements long present in his note rows now come clearly to the fore, contributing to the songs’ often striking changes of colour and texture. The appendices contain translations of the texts for the late solo baritone works (with original punctuation restored), along with a full works list, bibliography and discography.

This thesis describes and analyses stylistic change in violin performance (c. 1900-1960) by examining the so-called Hungarian violin school as an exemplar of stylistic change in this period. The thesis uses examples from both written and recorded sources to examine shifts in the use of expressive fingering, vibrato and flexibility of rhythm and tempo. The sources used include: performing editions; treatises; and recordings. In respect of the study of stylistic change, the thesis argues that recordings provide a valuable research resource for assessing the theoretical use of expressive devices, as well as the prominence, character and actual application in performance of such devices. The thesis focuses on the relationship between a player's formal training and the cultural-aesthetic influences to which he/she was subsequently exposed, and also considers the relationship between performing theory and performing practice. Chapter one explores nineteenth-century French and German antecedents to the Hungarian school, before discussing the syllabus and pedagogy of Jeno Hubay in Budapest. The cheaper concludes with a case study of the changing approaches to technique and expression of Hubay's pupil, Josef Szigeti. Chapters two, three and four concentrate on the expressive devices used in the performances of violinists in the twentieth century: chapter two explores fingering; chapter three concerns vibrato; and chapter four addresses rhythm and tempo. The thesis shows that, in the case of the Hungarian school, players retained aspects of their initial training, but that other influences played a more decisive role in their evolution as mature artists. The thesis concludes by arguing that recorded sources have a vital and significant contribution to make to the field of twentieth-century performance practice.

That France was the undisputed leader in the application of electromagnets to the pipe-organ, is confirmed. C.S. Barker was the builder of the first electric organ at Salon, Bouches due Rhone, in 1866, but the honour for the invention must be accorded to Pierre Stein for his prophetic patent of 1852. Albert Peschard's electric action patents of 1862-3 represent a defining moment when electric action became the basis for a reality that was exploited by Barker until 1870. Thereafter, it fell to the Brycesons to continue the development of the Peschard-Barker system, but the challenges proved too much: the early actions were faced with technical challenges, and above all, the inherent conservatism of a traditional trade. The last electric-action organ build by Bryceson Brothers was the instrument for the 1885 Inventions Exhibition in London, at which the firms was awarded a Gold Medal for its electrical developments. Bryceson also built several important instruments along conventional lines during the 1860-1880s

This PhD study starts with a single question: 'how do songwriters collaborate to write effective songs?' I will test several hypotheses, including 'amateur and professional songwriters demonstrate different behaviours','songwriting represents the collision of existing ideas', 'song form is market-driven', 'songwriters learn by hearing extant songs' and 'process and product are interrelated and it is possible to change the latter by consciously manipulating the former'. In testing the hypotheses, I will discuss the titular 'Four Cs' - Constraint, Creativity, Copyright and Collaboration. The last is explained easily in the central question; the first is necessitated by the inescapable fact that popular song exhibits statistically probable norms relating to characteristics such as harmony, form, lyric theme and rhyme. The second (Creativity) obviously requires originality, which in music manifests itself as the third - Copyright. Therefore, it is necessary to explore the constraints of song, and to consider songwriters' ability to cross the lower originality threshold of creativity defined by copyright. The research is itself constrained to a study of the work of 'professional' songwriters, defined as individuals whose work has generated income through royalties. I take the philosophical position that songs can only exist when there is an additional listener to hear them. Historically and culturally I define 'songwriting' as British and American popular songwriting as practised between 1952 and 2012 (the first 60 years of the 'singles chart' in the UK), although in some cases it will be necessary to make reference to slightly earlier sources . Three evidence bases are used: real-time recqrdings of songwriting sessions, immediate retrospective reports by songwriters, and later retrospective interviews. The first of these is auto-ethnographic; I have documented my own collaborative processes across a variety of real-world composition and songwriting projects. The research draws on existing academic literature, particularly in the fields of popular musicology and cognitive psychology, but also making reference to tertiary fields such as law, sociology, literature and philosophy. This thesis does not posit a 'template method' for songwriting - even a cursory examination of the evidence suggests that no such thing exists. Rather, the intention is to identify and analyse the way songwriting teams negotiate the creative and problem-solving challenges of writing effective songs.

Viols made in England c.1580-1660 held a leading reputation, yet few survive and little is known about their makers. This study describes a new protocol for gathering information from such instruments. Images of thirty-eight viols, and data collected from them by applying the protocol, are discussed, showing that antique viols provide unreliable evidence about their original state. On top of the effects of wear, damage and alteration, changes in the structural wood of viols over time mean they cannot retain their precise original shape or dimensions. These viols, therefore, are not amenable to the sort of geometric-proportional analysis of shape which is widely considered to describe their makers’ intentions. It is also shown to be highly unlikely that either viol-makers or their clients would have mathematically-sophisticated predilections or capabilities, so such techniques would not be employed. Images of viols in a range of media are shown to give an unreliable record of the viols that were played in England, and to provide good evidence of the shapes and decoration that were familiar to those who made and used viols. The commercial organisation of viol-making is examined, demonstrating that although apprenticeship was important, it was not essential for instrument-making. Viols are shown to have been made in other places besides London, and by non-specialist woodworkers, typically described as joiners. Viol-makers are investigated by replacing conventional ideas of ‘schools’ of making with a detailed consideration of makers’ place in society. The five viol-makers praised by Thomas Mace (1676) are discussed in detail along with others, some of whom are identified for the first time. This characterisation of viol-makers and consideration of extant instruments suggests reforms for our understanding of the nature of viol-making, and calls into question traditional attributions of viols to particular makers.

This thesis presents improvised practice with accompanying contextualisation alongside a discussion of the broader issues involved in improvising music in contemporary Western culture. The first chapter explores aesthetic and philosophical issues relating to improvisation in general while also establishing a context for the practice that follows. Starting by examining the role of a musical instrument in an improvising situation, this chapter goes on to discuss how improvisation challenges distinctions such as art and craft or subject and object. The issues of risk, vulnerability, dialogue and collaboration are then considered leading to an exploration of the role that memory, the familiar and habit play in improvisation. The chapter finishes with an investigation into the relationship between ethics and improvisation. The second chapter consists of improvised practice presented as four separate projects: The Quartet, Spock, CCCU Scratch Orchestra and a duo with Matthew Wright. Each of these projects consists of a commentary discussing particular issues raised through this research followed by the presentation of the relevant improvised practice. This practice is documented through and presented in the form of audio recordings. A concluding section reprises and identifies the overall themes of the thesis and provides contextualisation for the final live performance that forms an important practical component of this research.