Melbourne Conservatorium of Music - Theses
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ItemFanny Hensel and virtuosity( 2002)Fanny Hensel occupied a unique position in the history of music. She received an exceptional music education, and revealed a rare ability as performer and composer. In the early years of her life, she was often compared favourably to her brother, Felix Mendelssohn. However, Hensel was discouraged by her father, and later by her brother, Felix Mendelssohn, from practising her art in public, as composer or performer. Most of her musical life was enacted in the 'semi-public' space of her Sonntagsmusiken, the series of concerts she staged in the Mendelssohn family home. The thesis examines the results of these restrictions on Hensel's musical life, as performer and composer. It situates Hensel in relation to various public/private dichotomies: 'virtuosity' versus 'accomplishment'; 'public' versus 'private' genres of music; and the published as opposed to the amateur composer. Chapter 1 provides a background of the life of Fanny Hensel. Chapter 2 seeks a definition of 'virtuosity', and explores Fanny Hensel as a pianist in relation to this concept. It draws on contemporary records of her playing and her performance history, and explores her deep-seated ambivalence about virtuosity. It concludes that Fanny Hensel can indeed by labelled a 'virtuoso', albeit a conflicted one. Chapter 3 explores Fanny Hensel as a composer, and Felix Mendelssohn's impact on her compositional life. Felix Mendelssohn urged her to write, but discouraged publication: a restriction she was only able to overcome in the last year of her life. The effect of Hensel's enforced privacy on her compositions is explored. The last chapter takes Fanny Hensel's piano trio in D minor as a specific focus, and tabulates its virtuoso textures. Hensel's trio is situated in the context of its genre, which highlights the originality of her choices. This chapter draws on my own experience as pianist, as I examine the way the trio both celebrates and suppresses virtuosity.
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ItemAlice Ellen Charbonnet: a French musician in nineteenth-century Australia( 2006)Alice Ellen Charbonnet (1860-1914) was one of the key French émigré artists of late nineteenth-century Australia. She was highly respected and sought after as a performer, teacher and composer. As little is known about her life and achievements, this thesis firstly provides an extended biographical outline of her life. It also studies the musical, social and cultural context of late nineteenth-century Australia with a focus on the French influence and presence. Charbonnet's role as a virtuoso performer is evaluated through her concert performances and reception. Her wide and varied solo piano and chamber music repertoire provides evidence of her outstanding technique. The programming of her concert series, recitals as well as her contributions at numerous charitable functions provides insight into the musical taste of nineteenth-century Australia. An investigation of her compositions sheds light on her writing style as well as the domestic consumption of music-making prevalent at the time. Charbonnet's contribution to music pedagogy is assessed through a close look at her French-inspired Conservatoire de Musique as well her Australian Musical Association examination board. The appendices include the complete programmes of her Sydney and Melbourne concert series in 1878-1881 and a comprehensive listing of her compositions. Charbonnet is arguably one of the foremost women musicians in late nineteenth-century Australia. Through an assessment of her life and accomplishments, this thesis recognises her important influence on Australian musical life.
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ItemMaidservants to the muse: professional female musicians in Roman Italy, 200 BC - 400 AD: a consideration of the contexts in which female musicians were employed in Roman Italy, the demographics of this group and the socioeconomic implications of their profession( 2002)The thesis is presented in four chapters. Chapters One to Three discuss three key areas in which professional female musicians found employment; in the home, in the community, and in association with the public stage. Chapter Four considers professional female musicians collectively, and seeks to provide a preliminary overview of this group’s demographic composition and socio-economic position. The areas covered in this chapter have relatively limited direct evidence from primary sources, yet much can be surmised by considering the broader Roman context. Ultimately, this thesis seeks not only to question the role of professional female musicians in Roman Italy, but challenge our understanding of Roman musical culture.