Melbourne Conservatorium of Music - Theses
Permanent URI for this collection
Search Results
1 - 10 of 196
-
ItemFolio of compositions( 2014)A folio of compositions including orchestral, choral and solo instrumental works. The music eschews overtly dramatic structures based on narrative, focusing rather on subtle explorations of colour, harmony and mood, with the concision and detailing of miniature forms as a touchstone.
-
ItemFolio of compositions( 2015)Elliott Hughes completed this folio of compositions including works for orchestra, large jazz ensemble, trombone choir and instrumental duo. A distinct voice is created through a hybridity of contemporary classical and jazz styles, building small (sometimes borrowed) musical fragments back into multiple larger structures, conceived to affect body and mind.
-
ItemFootprints: the assimilation of extra-Classical elements in a compositional language( 2015)Footprints: The Assimilation Of Extra-Classical Elements In A Compositional Language consists of a folio of compositions in two volumes, and a dissertation. Both the folio and the dissertation explore a range of extra-Classical elements that are assimilated into my artistic output. The dissertation also investigates the musical genesis of each element, and how their assimilation creates my own compositional language. A preliminary discussion defines applicable terms, and the differences between borrowing and stylistic allusion, before moving into a broad literature review. An array of extra-Classical influences are investigated, along with their role in my compositional process. The focus then moves to a progressive analysis of my orchestral work Ithaka. The integration of extra-Classical elements within the work is examined, followed by a similar investigation into my chamber works Organica and Concertino. An analysis of the presence of extra-Classical influences in my other folio works concludes the investigation. An overall conclusion revises the diverse elements present in my creative output, how they interact to form my unique compositional language, and what directions the assimilation of these elements might take in the future.
-
ItemThe reception of Dmitri Shostakovich in twentieth-century France( 2015-11-06)This dissertation assesses the reception of Soviet composer Dmitri Shostakovich in twentieth-century France, focusing on the opera Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk District (1932), and Symphony No. 5 (1937). These works represent artistic responses to the development of Socialist Realism and censorship under the Stalin regime. The research draws predominantly upon primary source material taken from archives at the Bibliothèque Nationale de France and the Association Internationale “Dimitri Chostakovitch”. The results of this study demonstrate how Franco-Soviet relations influenced French critical perspectives on Shostakovich throughout the twentieth century.
-
ItemKaija Saariaho's Près: a case study in the analysis of mixed electroacoustic music( 2015-11-06)This dissertation broadly deals with the relatively new field of electroacoustic music analysis, with an overview of its brief history and developing analytical techniques culminating in a case study of Kaija Saariaho's Près. The paper examines some problems inherent to the analysis of this repertoire and assesses new analytical methods proposed by Denis Smalley, Leigh Landy and Judith Lochhead. Taking aspects from these approaches, a methodology is constructed to perform an analysis of Kaija Saariaho’s Près for solo cello and live electronics. The analysis itself relies primarily on aural analytical techniques, using the score to supplement observations. This hybrid approach to the analysis of mixed electroacoustic music has the possibility to be adapted to other works in this genre.
-
ItemFolio of compositions( 2015)My thesis consists of a folio six musical compositions and subsequent recordings of those compositions amounting to 55 minutes of music. Across my masters candidature I have been focused on developing musical compositions with cohesive and engaging sound worlds and exploring the musical possibilities inherent in placing limits on the compositional process. The folio includes two orchestral pieces for varying orchestral forces, a work for clarinet quartet, a duet for trumpet and trombone, a duet for cello and piano, and a trio for flute, cor anglais and piano.
-
ItemSpanish music and its representations in London (1878-1930): from the exotic to the modern( 2013)This thesis argues that the landscape of Spanish music in London evolved between 1878 and 1930 from Romantic exotic constructions to a recognition and appreciation of Spanish musical nationalism, which reflected some of the concerns of post-war musical modernism in a newly cosmopolitan context. This transformation will be traced through the study of specific protagonists and events that contributed to the English reception of Spanish music during this period. While the development of Spanish nationalist music and its important intersections with French music have been studied in numerous texts, little has been written on the English engagement with Spanish music. A key event in defining musical and theatrical Spain in the latter part of the nineteenth century came from France in the guise of George Bizet's Carmen (1875, London 1878). The opera, and its many parodies and theatrical re-workings in London, provides a foundation for discussions of Spanishness in late nineteenth-century England, and influenced the reception of Pablo Sarasate and Isaac Albéniz. In the Edwardian era, closer ties between England and Spain, increased travel possibilities and specialist writers rekindled enthusiasm for Spanish music. The anti- German currents of the pre-war years and the influence of French writers and musicians set the scene for the further English appreciation of Spanish music in the aftermath of the death of Enrique Granados in 1916. The English success of the Ballets Russes production of The Three-Cornered Hat (1919), with music by Manuel de Falla, marked the broader acceptance of Spanish musical nationalism. With the critical recognition of Falla's neoclassical works of the 1920s Spanish music achieved further acknowledgement in England from cosmopolitan critics. At the same time the Spanish guitar was seen to embody many aspects of post-war Spanish music, and through the concerts of Andrés Segovia established itself in a new guise in London. By 1930, the recognition and popularity of Spanish music indicated the extent to which it had integrated and evolved beyond the Romantic stereotypes prevalent half a century earlier.
-
ItemPuppy love: understanding identity and emotion through the dog/human bond( 2015)The central research focus is an exploration of identity, my childhood and my mother, told through the story of Irma-Dream, my dog. It examines the symbiotic relationship between dogs and humans; the banality and comforts of home life; and the ubiquity of amateur aesthetics. The works are informed by photography, with varying manifestations including photographic books, videos and images brought together in installation. The studio practice is contextualised with reference to contemporary artists and contemporary research.
-
ItemTradition bearer Andy Hunter’s formation as a Scots narrative singer, and influences as a songwriter in the folk idiom, within the context of the folk music revival in Scotland( 2015)The focus of this dissertation is Andy Hunter, Scots narrative singer and songwriter. Hunter’s early mentor was folk activist Morris Blythman. Highly praised by folklorist and poet Hamish Henderson, Hunter is now an esteemed tradition bearer in his own right. He had the opportunity to learn directly from the great Traveller ballad singer Jeannie Robertson, with whom he formed a close bond. The dissertation explores Hunter’s formation as a traditional singer against the backdrop of the folk music revival in Scotland in the 1950 and 60s. It examines the influences on his songwriting as well as his relationship to the wider folk scene in Scotland.
-
ItemJan Dismas Zelenka's Missa Sancti Spiritus, ZWV 4: a critical edition and study of the manuscript sources( 2015)The rapidly growing interest from both scholars and performers in the music of Jan Dismas Zelenka (1679–1745), a leading Bohemian composer who worked at the court of Dresden in the late Baroque period, is creating an increasing need for reliable scholarly-critical editions of his music. This thesis presents a critical edition of Zelenka’s Missa Sancti Spiritus (ZWV 4), accompanied by a study of the relevant manuscript sources. Part I offers the full score of ZWV 4 in a critical edition for the first time. Part II opens with background information on the work’s place in Zelenka’s output of mass settings, its performance history and the ensembles active at the court of Dresden during the 1720s. This is followed by a detailed study of the surviving manuscripts pertaining to this work. A close codicological and palaeographic analysis of the autograph manuscript reveals a complex compositional history: approximately six years after the first version of the work was composed, Zelenka expanded it into a missa tota and also made numerous revisions to the already existing sections. The study uncovers striking new evidence in the autograph of extensive recopying, rewriting and reorchestration, highlighting the differences between multiple versions of the work and providing new insight into Zelenka’s working methods. An examination of the non-autograph manuscript copies then follows, showing how the work was transmitted from Dresden to Leipzig and Berlin and presenting intriguing evidence of possible performances in the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries. Drawing on the discoveries presented in Part II, Part III of the thesis outlines the general editorial policy and methods employed in the edition. It also provides a critical commentary detailing all significant variant readings and specific editorial emendations. A visual summary of the dating features found in Zelenka’s autograph manuscript of this work is given in the appendix.