Aesthetics is to do with relations. Relational aesthetics can be considered to offer conclusions about how one thinks about the ontology of art, the nature of' the relationship of artworks with space and time, appropriate analytical approaches to artworks, and the debate as to whether music can 'do' philosophy. The practice-led component of this research has been an important aspect of the illustration and elucidation of my points. My practice-as-methodology approach allows me to do conceptual analysis through practice which crucially allows me to make conclusions without having arrived at them through language. By explaining the concept of relational aesthetics, and analysing whether it is an epistemological construct arising from existing artworks or an ontological construct from which artworks arise it is possible to show how practice-led research has an important contribution to make to the consideration of aesthetic problems. These aesthetic problems relate to the particular case of music and its prior consideration as a special or different case within the ontology of artworks themselves: considering the case of music from the starting points of practice and theory, relational aesthetics can prove the music is not an exceptional case at all. A combination of poststructuralist analysis of existing (theoretical and musical) work and practice-led conceptual analysis allows further conclusions to be drawn regarding the 'work' itself, its ontology and definition, and other musical features such as quotation and borrowing, and the relationship with time and space. Existing thought, music, and philosophy, have a contribution to make to all of these discussions, but the inclusion of relational aesthetics in these individual investigations makes it possible to conclude that: the work does not exist; there can be supposed to be a work-function which creates the illusion of the work; time and space should be considered topologic ally different from the real line in order to define them correctly with respect to the work; quotation can be used as a material exemplar in all of these cases. Indeed, the historicity of material and its consequences for aesthetic and artistic autonomy are important factors in the re-reading of all of the aspects of the work presented here. The result of this investigation is the conclusion of the ontological basis of relations, with respect to the work of art, and the assertion that an experiential rather than creator-led approach to the art work is most appropriate when assessing works of music, and indeed all works of art. ABSTRACTS FOR PIECES in the back there was a pigeon (e) [open instrumentation] This piece considers various settings of the tantum ergo and their status now and at the time of their composition. It approaches the performative nature of liturgy and musical canon from the stand point of examining whether in their structural repetition the creation of their meaning can be identified. as a name i am a myth [bcl; vln; hpschd; voices on tape; public address loudspeaker] This piece reviews the status of chamber music within the concert hall by examining the possible forms it might take and the messages that these forms might send. It also places chamber music within a larger tradition of writing and thinking about music, and questions whether this tradition is itself legitimate. love speed and thrills {open instrumentation; tape; public address loudspeaker; video projection] . love speed and thrills analyses the effect of a proliferation of signifiers within one piece by making them explicitly distinct from each other. Thus music, image, instruction, and text all become seemingly separate and yet integrated within the course of the piece. the empiricist view {large ensemble] the empiricist view examines the relationship between an ensemble as a unit, its members, the concert hall, and the music which is played. This is exemplified in the kaleidoscopic nature of the musical material and the construction of a 'concert' for solo 'cello within this theatre which itself is built from a solo 'cello piece intended to be a performance within a theatrical performance. the enigma machine the enigma machine I: hendecaptych of hans memling [mezzosoprano; bfl; vco] the enigma machine 2a.properties and essence: [pc; afl] the enigma machine 2b: {no subtitle] [tr, hn] the enigma machine 3: archipelago [music boxes] the enigma machine 4: the historicity of cartography [cl; pno; perc} the enigma machine 5: de nostra re: [organ] As a project the enigma machine: examines different kinds of structural and mediaeval relationships in a variety of chamber works. These pieces explore quotation and relationships with other art works as their starting points and demonstrate the multitude of interrelationships possible from the construction of music from limited material. green angel [a chamber opera] green angel is a collaborative opera written between Adam Strickson (librettist) and myself. It combines aspects of opera, Noh theatre, mediaevalism, quotation, intertextuality, and interrelationships in exploring the emotional journey of a single character. As such it also touches on themes of nature, metamorphosis, and identity
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:bl.uk/oai:ethos.bl.uk:578685 |
| Date | January 2011 |
| Creators | Redhead, Lauren Anne |
| Publisher | University of Leeds |
| Source Sets | Ethos UK |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Electronic Thesis or Dissertation |
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