Melbourne Conservatorium of Music - Theses
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ItemNo Preview AvailableFolio of Compositions( 2023-04)Master of Music Composition - Folio of Compositions Four original compositions composed between 2021 and 2022 comprising of: - [looped square symbol], for orchestra. Recording duration 11 minutes and 28 seconds - You Can Call Me CV01, for contrabassoon. Recording duration 8 minutes and 50 seconds - 8 Preludes to the Deepsea Metro, for piano. Recording durations of each movement: 1 minute and 4 seconds, 1 minute and 35 seconds, 2 minutes and 28 seconds, 1 minute and 13 seconds, 1 minute and 8 seconds, 1 minute and 28 seconds, 2 minutes and 33 seconds, 1 minute and 17 seconds - The Second Sound of the Future (Overture and Act 1), for triple chamber ocarina in C, double bell bass trombone, Hatsune Miku and electronics. Recording duration 29 minutes and 17 seconds.
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ItemBeyond revolution: the journeys of Luigi Nono’s politically engaged music( 2014)The works of Italian composer Luigi Nono (1924-1990) present a special opportunity to examine the interactions between music and history. A committed communist, Nono explored political and social issues in works such as La victoire de Guernica (1954), Il canto sospeso (1955-56) and Intolleranza 1960 (1961). His musical materials were progressive, representing the cutting-edge of the 1950s European avant-garde. This seems to present a contradiction: how could one express political and social issues to a wide audience through such an arcane and elite musical language? After presenting an overview of Nono’s life and work and questioning previous approaches to the production and analysis of ‘engaged’ music, this thesis will present case studies investigating the three works above. La victoire and Il canto sospeso have had diverging political meanings since Nono’s death, and an analysis of the historical and musical aspects of each will be presented in an attempt to explain these trajectories. The musical language will be contrasted with the contemporary and post-premiere reception with close reference to primary sources. The opera Intolleranza 1960 has been revived on numerous occasions since its premiere in 1961, predominantly in German-speaking countries. This thesis argues that the work allows theatrical artists to create a form of ‘coming to terms with the past’ (Vergangenheitsbewältigung) that is sufficiently abstract as not to be overly confronting. The final chapters describe the transformation of the work from a hypertopical, engaged piece of political musical theatre into an abstract and timeless parable. It is argued that this transformation is the reason for the work’s enduring popularity, and is a direct result of its troubled and chaotic genesis.