The thesis, Seeking a Voice, comprising a portfolio of original musical compositions and a written commentary, is submitted to the University of Bristol for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Music. The seven pieces in the portfolio of compositions portray my journey of looking for a personal musical voice during my research years at Bristol. They are for a range of instrumental and vocal forces, and are of various musical genres. The written commentary is divided into four chapters. The introduction is a reflection on my position of being a Hong Kong Chinese composer with a background consisting of eastern and western influences that determine my approach to musical composition. The first chapter is a self-evaluation of my research and compositions written during the past four years. The second chapter provides a discussion of the potential in applying certain elements of the folk songs, traditional music and instrumental techniques of China to pieces composed for western musical ensembles. The third chapter is a series of commentaries on individual pieces in the portfolio: Five Haikus for soprano, clarinet and percussion, Alive for orchestra, Confrontation for string quartet, Death and Tenderness for eleven players, Demise of the Cherry Blossoms for orchestra, Winter Poetry for woodwind quintet and Diary of a Jasmine Flower for solo piano. They present the inspiration and personal thoughts behind the compositions, analyses of how they are constructed, and also how they were influenced by my cultural background. The fourth chapter presents a glimpse of the direction of future compositions.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:bl.uk/oai:ethos.bl.uk:629120 |
| Date | January 2011 |
| Creators | Yau, May Kay |
| Publisher | University of Bristol |
| Source Sets | Ethos UK |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Electronic Thesis or Dissertation |
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