I consider my one act opera Anya 17 to be a summation of my compositional work so far, as well as a new direction in my output. It brings together my concerns with drama, musical structure and collaboration, and the issues of writing an operatic work in the present century. The opera, which lasts just under 70 minutes is the main work of this thesis, was written with the librettist Ben Kaye and is set in the present day. The subject of Anya 17 is drawn from films dealing with sex trafficking between Eastern and Western Europe. As well as an analysis of the work I have outlined the practical issues of writing an opera from start to finish. A short piece Dancing in the Ghetto is also included, as this provided a good deal of the material for the opera as well as giving an example of writing on a smaller scale. I have included another large scale work, an oratorio for chorus and Wind Ensemble Eternal Voices, also in collaboration with Ben Kaye, and also dealing with a contemporary issue; that of War in the 21st century.

This composition portfolio contains seven pieces which explore different ways to create strategies for composing and performing with instrumentalists when digital technology is involved. Through these works, I aim to create musical dialogues exploring the following broad relationships: composer-performer, performer-improviser, pre-recorded and live sound, and open and fixed forms. These relationships are regarded as continua, rather than binary opposites – I aim to compose with the musical dialogues that emerge from them. Working with these relationships has led to an approach which is largely a synthesis of processes borrowed from experimental practice found in jazz, improvisation, classical, and electronic music production techniques. The dialogues found in the works rely mainly on a solo instrumentalist providing sound as a source material, either performed live or pre-sampled. Two of the pieces rely on pre-recorded instrumental sound and require no live instrumentalist in their presentation; the rest are for laptop and another instrumentalist. Part of my submission refers to soundfiles, and performance materials. The Max patches submitted are personal improvisation tools. My performances with those tools have been guided by the scores submitted.

Grime is a Black British music genre originating from London in the early 2000s. Linked to inner-city street/road culture, it is a subaltern subculture that initially experienced criminalisation, racialisation and marginalisation through the media and music industries, politicians, legislation, policing – mainstream British society. This ethnographic project reclaims power from the mainstream marginalising gaze by enabling the scene's predominantly Black and White working class members to elucidate and direct Grime's narrative from its inception. The project uses Foucault’s (1997) definition of genealogy to interrogate Grime's emergence musically and subculturally. It uses Lena’s AgSIT (2012) genre model to examine Grime's development teleologically. Hall's (1978) 'Internal Colonies' and Baker's Black Public Sphere (1996) are used in conjunction to examine the significance of local (tangible) and cultural (intangible) influences on Grime and how these connect to African diasporic cultural and spiritual practice (Mbiti 1991). Scene directed narrative highlights subcultural understandings of British society, the world, universe and sublime. It interrogates communal and personal identifications, subcultural fan practices and affective investments, to draw out subversive or normative meaning making with respect to politics, religion/spirituality, race, class, gender and technological democratisation. Ethnographic data was captured through in-depth semi-structured interviews, participant observation (events and Twitter) and Musicological Discourse Analysis (sonic and lyrics), to enable the exploration of 21st century inner-city subaltern youth experience; independent from, and, in dialogue with wider British society. Thematic analysis was applied across all data collection methods. This enabled the triangulation of Grime subcultural experience through various vantage points. This project makes a scholarly contribution by creating a new narrative for Grime, identifying the substantive issues of music, ‘race’, religion/spirituality, subalternity and technological democratisation, in addition to developing theories for musical analysis and affective investment through music, culture and spirituality for the social sciences.

As a Hong Kong-born concert-music composer operating in the historically Western-centric art form of concert music, with only Cantonese popular music qualified to be considered as my true musical tradition, I am awkwardly situated outside of two strong musical traditions, namely European art music and traditional Chinese traditional folk music. This thesis addresses the idea of the composers’ perceived musical traditions and the impact this has on their work, particularly for those who come from a place where there is no conceivably strong musical heritage. The inspiration for this work has been my own personal experience. The concept of musical tradition runs deep in my work and thinking, but before it became a source of inspiration to me, it was a cause of ‘composer's block’. Dealing with this through research and talking to other composers has helped me to overcome this block, and at the same time, given me new insights, transforming the way I think about composing. Most of all, I hope the findings taken from this research will continue to shape my future works. In Part 1, I will give a general overview of my own development as a composer and the genesis of my interest in the notion of musical traditions. Part 2 considers the meaning of ‘tradition’ in the context of this research. Part 3 will look at the processes and approaches some of the more relevant Western classical composers have taken in locating themselves in the increasing complex musical landscape of the twentieth/twenty-first century and their respective findings. As an Asian composer myself, special attention will be paid in Part 4 to composers from Asia who found ways to deal with being ‘outsiders’. Part 5 will consider how memory as an integral part of the construction of one’s musical tradition. In Part 6, I will summarise all the ideas and approaches in dealing with the musical traditions discussed, and consider them selectively as the foundation for my own framework to contextualise (i.e. imagining) my musical traditions. Part 7 is an overview of my works, drawing findings from my research, i.e. the ‘re-invention’ of my heritage. Through these works, I aim to provide an over-arching narrative and some possible solutions for composers faced with the issue of finding their compositional voices when they come from a less prominent musical culture.

This thesis examines the author’s practice of the chordal realisation of recitative by the cello in Handel opera. The realisation of recitative has a long pedagogical history from 1774–1877; it is, however, rarely part of current practice. The decline of realisation in the nineteenth century and its consequences for current practice is considered. The realisation of recitative first appears in cello pedagogy as a fully formed practice. Its origins are unclear. The first chapter demonstrates that the development of cello technique at the turn of the eighteenth century provided Italian émigré composer-cellists with the techniques to realise recitative. The use of the cello as a harmonising instrument is traced through its repertoire from the late seventeenth century to the unexpected pedagogical source of Geminiani’s The Art of Playing the Guitar. An analysis of this important and neglected source for the cello is offered. Opera manuscripts that appear to reveal traces of realisation by the cello are examined. Initially promising Handel sources are debunked. Handel harpsichord scores suggest that the continuo group was more homogeneous than in current recorded practice. This is considered alongside the poor acoustics of eighteenth-century theatres, suggesting a motive for the realisation of recitative by the cello. Cello methods from 1741–1877 are analysed. They reveal an increasingly elaborate practice of realisation of recitative by the cello in the early nineteenth century. Tensions emerge in the methods between Affekt, technique, and stagecraft. The author’s own practice is described. Common techniques between chordal realisation and current practice are examined. A method for acquiring a vocabulary of chords is offered that improves on those in the historical methods. Transcriptions of the author’s realisations together with a report from rehearsals and performances of Handel’s Agrippina at the Vlaamse Opera illustrate the author’s practice. The thesis concludes with a response to critical reception to the author’s practice.

For over 150 years the names Boosey and Hawkes dominated the British music scene, at first independently, and from 1930, in response to the difficult trading conditions of the Depression, as a single firm – Boosey & Hawkes. Although it was run as one company it comprised two divisions – the publishing business and instrument manufacturing. This thesis examines the history, role and significance of Boosey & Hawkes and its associated companies as musical instrument makers. Acquisition of new firms played an important part in business expansion, and particular focus is given here to the complex and lengthy incorporation of Besson & Co. into Boosey & Hawkes. The influence of Boosey & Hawkes extended far beyond Great Britain; in its heyday, besides providing wind instruments for the numerous civilian bands at home, the company supplied instruments to military regiments of the British armed forces, resulting in global distribution. Consequently the company became a symbol both of the British Empire and of British music. After the upheaval of the Second World War hand-crafting instruments gave way to mass production with many instruments made for educational purposes. Productivity increased, but quality-control declined, and it has been argued that the more successful new instruments were essentially the result of old-fashioned craftsmanship. These changing methods of manufacture are appraised here, and instrument design and innovation are examined and evaluated. During the 1960s and 1970s Boosey & Hawkes monopolised the market and the firm became one of the largest and most successful instrument manufacturing companies in the world. However, competition from companies abroad, mismanagement and bad workmanship caused the demise and eventual closure of Boosey & Hawkes instrument-making division in 2003.

This thesis presents a body of eight original musical compositions inspired by the phenomenology of mental imagery, together with a written commentary which describes in depth the compositional process undertaken whilst composing them, defines the concept 'mental imagery' as applied to this process. and sets the concept within a broad theoretical framework which addresses cognitive sciences, the philosophy of meaning and perception, and music historiography. The study codifies a new and original methodology for music composition based on the author's personal account of mental imagery and its influence or permeation into his practice as a composer. The written commentary is structured in two chapters. Chapter One begins with a detailed description of the author's notion of mental imagery, which arose as a natural outcome of his subjective compositional practice. Mental imagery is then compared with ideas, concepts and arguments that address extrinsic elements in music and cross-modal categories in perception. The concept of 'mental imagery' proposed by the author, and therefore the whole compositional process described, is discussed through the lens of the ecological theory of perception and the virtual representation of music, which places mental imagery squarely within contemporary accounts in the field of cognitive sciences and the philosophy of perception. A discussion on the topic of musical meaning follows, addressing arguments that define meaning as a multiform, interdisciplinary concept. Chapter One ends with an insight into music analysis research from the second half of the 20th century, leading to the statement that mental imagery might have been neglected by some music theorists in the recent past. It is argued that this is due to a prevailing epistemological framework that gave priority to formal and technical features of musical material. Chapter Two of this written commentary undertakes a deep and detailed analysis of four of the compositions presented. This analysis gives mental imagery a central role in the descriptive discourse, being sensitive to all the arguments discussed in Chapter One. The analytical style resonates with other accounts such as 'performative analysis' by Nicholas Cook (2002) and 'analog mode of discourse' by John Rahn (1979), and borrows key terms from 'vitality affects' by David Stern (1985). The whole thesis aims to be a valuable example of compositional process inspired by an original, unique and well-described concept: mental imagery. This compositional process codifies new methods or models for compositional practice that may be disseminated to fellow composers. Moreover, the study could also inform performers, theorists and listeners, who may approach their practice in a different light through reflection on the topic of mental imagery and all the associated processes that are here described.

This project explores the practice of copying as a choreographic methodology raising the issue of illegitimacy despite the use of copying by choreographers for the creation of their works. Thus, my intention is to shed more light on various aspects regarding the practice of copying in order to provide a study and initiate a discussion around this issue. In total this project: • Situates and contextualises copying as a methodology within dance and performance discourses. • Identifies and examines the reasons that induced its disavowal as a legitimate choreographic methodology. • Provides a study in copying as a choreographic methodology both through the creation and analysis of new work as well as through the discussion of other artists’ pre-existing works. • Discusses the role of copying in relation to the establishment of the choreographer as author and to the inclusion of choreographic works in the dance canon. • Unravels the ‘modes’ and ‘networks’ produced through the creation of choreographic works that use copying as a methodology. • Unpicks the values that copying as a methodology puts forth. As practice-based research, this project exists both in a written thesis and in artistic practice. The practice includes the production of original video works, included here in the DVDs as well as the presentation of performances, the documentation of which is presented in the appendices. In support of my practice-based PhD research I submit a written thesis and three pieces of work. The thesis is developed in four chapters: 1) The first chapter touches upon theoretical concepts relating to the analysis of the practice. Thus, it aims to provide a theoretical context of concepts and terms that are later used for the analysis and the discussion of the works in the other three chapters. The main three subject areas discussed here are: copying, the author function and the canon. These constitute the main topics for the next three chapters. In the first chapter, the topics discussed are copying as a creative tool in dance and the issue of copyrights, the emergence of the choreographer as author and the writing of history. The analysis of the practical works is discussed separately in chapters 2, 3 and 4. 2) The second chapter discusses copying as a methodology asking which are the values expressed through copying. Acknowledging the rising importance of video and copying mechanisms proposes copying-via-video as a tool of access to knowledge and looks further into the potentials of this methodology. It also proposes the idea of the ‘poor copy’ to discuss the values that this methodology puts forth. The main works discussed here are: Rosas danst Rosas (1997) by Anne Teresa De Keersmaeker, Repeat After Me (2008) by Martin Nachbar and Frauen danst Frauen (2011) by Stella Dimitrakopoulou. 3) Acknowledging copying as an integral part for the creation of a signature, the third chapter discusses whether it can also become a tool for its rupture. Here copying is proposed as a useful tool in a contemporary choreographers toolbox to disrupt a choreographer’s status as author-genius. More specifically, remix is discussed as a creative methodology and a critical tool that leads to authorship as a mode of performance within an artistic network. The main works discussed are: The last performance (a lecture) (2004) by Jérôme Bel and The last lecture (a performance) (2011/2016) by Stella Dimitrakopoulou. 4) Having linked copying to the creation of value, to the circulation of dance works within the market and to canonisation; the fourth chapter questions whether copying can also be a tool for the rupture of the canon. Copying is an integral methodology for the formation of a canon, therefore also for the legitimisation of a work. Through the works Trio A (1966) by Yvonne Rainer and without respect but with love (2012 / 2015) by Stella Dimitrakopoulou, this chapter examines how copying, as part of an illegitimate process, influences the formation of a canon and the attribution of values to propose copying as act of love. Generally it is argued that copying is not a methodology that produces illegitimate artworks but rather that ‘(il)legitimacy’ is a status externally attributed to an artwork, depending on its position within a historical and artistic context.

This PhD thesis presents a thorough investigation of the relevance and importance of cardiorespiratory fitness in contemporary dance training and performance. Through an initial introduction and literature review, gaps in the current understanding of, and challenges presented by, dance training and performance practices are highlighted, as are five commonly presented conclusions of previous research. Firstly, it is often stated that dance activity predominantly consists of intermittent work periods of varying intensities, secondly that significant differences exist in the cardiorespiratory demands of class, rehearsal, and performance, thirdly that class and rehearsal intensity is insufficient to elicit an aerobic training response, fourth that the aerobic capacity of dancers is relatively low, and, lastly that high injury rates in dancers are often attributed to fatigue and overwork. However methodological limitations of previous research put into question the accuracy and validity of these statements. In order to develop understanding and overcome some of these limitations, five research studies were designed as extensions and enhancements of previous studies in this area. Three aims of the PhD were stated: 1) to investigate cardiorespiratory demands of contemporary dance performance repertoire, 2) to investigate cardiorespiratory adaptation to contemporary dance training and performance, and 3) to critically appraise methods commonly used in physiological investigation into dance and propose recommendations for future research. The main findings are that cardiorespiratory adaptation in relation to dance training and performance is highly specific and only detected through relative change in the demand of dance activity itself. Findings suggest that measures of cardiorespiratory fitness related to aerobic capacity (VO2peak) and anaerobic threshold do not change over time and are not correlated to dance performance competence. It is emphasised throughout that current methodological limitations restrict our ability to accurately document the relative cardiorespiratory demands of dance performance and change in these across a period of extended training and/or performance. The highly varied nature of contemporary dance performance is discussed throughout, including fluctuations in demand experienced by individuals, and it is emphasised that this needs to be taken into consideration in future research. Potential implications of findings from the perspective of both the researcher and the dance educator are postulated as are the contributions made to the knowledge base.

In experimental turntablism, sound artists and musicians encounter not only the pre-recorded sound of the vinyl records, as is common in DJ culture and hip hop turntablism, but also accentuate the materiality of the records and turntables themselves. The thesis shows that the record player is itself the key concept within which each experimental turntablist unfolds an intricate dialogue between mediation and materiality. Through these media-specific practices, these sound artists raise to the surface the fact that our listening habits tend to dissolve the reproduction medium from our awareness. This thesis explores experimental turntablism in live performance and presents an innovative methodology that establishes the ideas and tools for a potentially generalisable approach to performance analysis for concerts using live electronics. The analytical framework, disclosing the medial and sensual significance of experimental turntablism performances in a digital era, broadens the perspective on sound with theories of performativity, materiality, mediality and instrumentality in electronic music. The thesis methodology includes performance analysis, artist interviews, video and audio recordings and interactive graphical transcriptions based on the current music analysis software EAnalysis. Three case studies examine three distinct artistic approaches: the specific focus of each experimental turntablist varies from playing techniques, to sculptural objects, to mechanical operations. Joke Lanz’s direct and embodied playing negotiates a sound production between signal and noise, musicalises samples, and leads to spontaneous acts with site-specific aspects. Vinyl -terror & -horror destruct playback devices and vinyl records to re-structure samples in chance processes; the duo accompany their sculptural objects with movie soundtracks and ‘unfinished compositions’ from their own records to engender cinematic soundscapes and imaginary scenes. Graham Dunning’s turntable construction sequences patterned discs, which trigger auxiliary instruments through the turntable’s rotary motor operations. These mechanical movements embody rhythmic loop structures with temporal inconsistencies, creating a mechanical techno. Having been considered redundant following the introduction of digital media, the vinyl record has recently witnessed a revival. As a post-digital tendency, contemporary musicians using live electronics seek to recover tactile and physical actions in performance. This thesis shows the ways in which the turntable allows artists to develop personal instruments from ready-made products and to emphasise specific sensual-bodily aspects.