Melbourne Conservatorium of Music - Theses
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ItemFolio of works( 2019)Master of Music Composition - Folio of Compositions Six original compositions, written from 2016 to 2019, comprising of: - 'On the Inside' for flute, clarinet, cello, and piano. Recording duration of 9 minutes 34 seconds - 'Ode to Damascus' for flute, clarinet, violin, cello, and piano. Recording duration of 9 minutes 15 seconds - 'The Fate of Phaethon' for soprano, horn, and string quartet. Recording duration of 15 minutes 51 seconds - 'Echo' for soprano and horn. Video recording duration of 4 minutes three seconds - 'Phosphorus' for solo percussion. Video recording duration of 10 minutes 26 seconds - 'Ignition' for orchestra. Recording duration of 9 minutes 47 seconds
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ItemAnalysing depictions of carnival in Robert Schumann's papillons, Op. 2( 2016)This dissertation analyses how Robert Schumann’s piano collection, Papillons Op. 2, is influenced by aspects of the Carnival festival, including the masquerade ball. Through the use of descriptive analysis in combination with the utilisation of primary and secondary material, this research examines the various musical elements which conjure themes and ideas of Carnival, as well as programmatic associations with Jean Paul's novel, Flegeljahre. This paper addresses the previous absence of a full, detailed analysis of Papillons in the literature, provides a framework for the analysis of Schumann's other Carnival-related music, and finally, serves to aid performers and audiences in understanding the intentions of Schumann upon composing the work.
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ItemPercy Grainger and new worlds of concert pianism: a study of repertoire and programming (1901-1926)( 2013)This thesis presents an overview of Percy Grainger’s piano repertoire and programming on his tours in the United States and elsewhere in the period 1914-1926. In the United States, Percy Grainger encountered a new and wider audience, which gave him the recognition he desired to become well established as a concert pianist, and allowed him the freedom to explore a wider range of piano repertoire, as well as perform his own piano works. He developed an individual approach to programming his piano recitals and committed himself to a role as ambassador for the piano works of selected modern composers throughout America, Scandinavia and Australia. This thesis briefly explores Grainger’s performing career in London from 1901 to 1914, to provide background on Grainger’s roles as a pianist, the diversity of the piano repertoire he performed, and the restrictive circumstances surrounding his early career whilst under the management of his mother Rose. Through new research conducted on concert programmes and other relevant archival material available at the Grainger Museum, this thesis examines Grainger’s transformation as a pianist, the evolution of his selection of piano repertoire and his innovative and maturing approach to recital programming in the United States from 1914 to 1926. In addition, this study explores Grainger’s developing professional role as an educator and promoter of his preferred piano repertoire in the United States.
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ItemRagging the classics: an examination of ragtime in piano compositions by Claude Debussy, Percy Grainger and Igor Stravinsky( 2013)The beginning of the twentieth century, a time marked by constant re-evaluation and invention, saw a new style of music travel from America across the Atlantic into the music halls of Europe. This vernacular music, labelled ragtime and marked by its syncopated rhythms and improvisatory style, was soon highly popular in European societies. This thesis investigates the influence on American ragtime in Europe by exploring engagements with the genre by art music composers. This will be achieved by analysing three ragtime-inspired works, one each by Claude Debussy, Percy Grainger and Igor Stravinsky. It will deal with music composed specifically for the piano as this instrument was pivotal to the development and integration of ragtime in both America and Europe. The thesis is divided into three chapters arranged chronologically, each providing a contextual background followed by an analysis of a particular ragtime-inspired work. Chapter One investigates the emergence of ragtime in America and its emigration to Europe, chiefly through the popularity of the cakewalk dance in France. This will serve as a background to an analysis of Debussy’s first ragtime work, ‘Golliwogg’s Cakewalk’ (1908), and his adoption of the cakewalk property of satire. Chapter Two looks at the emergence of American vernacular music in the music halls of London and analyses how Grainger utilised ragtime for his modernist experimentation with piano technique in In Dahomey: Cakewalk Smasher (1909). Chapter Three investigates the evolution of ragtime in the second decade of the century. Included here is a discussion of Stravinsky’s engagement with ragtime, which culminated with his so-called ‘portrait’ of the genre, Piano-Rag-Music (1917). Finally a conclusion compares these three works and seeks to evaluate how they relate to the modernist tendency to redefine ‘high’ and ‘low’ music categories. This thesis will show that Debussy, Grainger and Stravinsky were among the first ‘highbrow’ composers to interact with American popular music by integrating ragtime into their compositions. It will also demonstrate how each composer borrows and manipulates the properties of ragtime as a point of departure for their own modernist experimentations.
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ItemSilent Spring: eight original music compositions by Mark Clement Pollard( 2012)This folio contains the following eight original music compositions: The Flames, The Tears, The Stones, for percussion duo; Under Simple Stars, for alto flute and electronics; Dusting off Roses for guitar duo; All Fired Up for brass and percussion; Colouring in the Sky, for bass clarinet and orchestra; Beating the Rusty Nail for violin and piano; The Forty-seventh Theorem for piano solo and Silent Spring for full orchestra. These works are a sample of the author’s creative output between 1987 and 2012 and are indicative of the author’s stylistic changes and artistic influences. They are evidence of an eclectic compositional style and representative of works for solo, duo, large ensemble and orchestra. Notably, The Flames, The Tears, The stones (1987) explores the timbre of metal and is based on long serially derived note patterns that move in large cycles. Under Simple Stars (1989) is a free atonal work exploring electronic audio enhancement, the ritual of performance and the nature of melody as pitch and timbre. Dusting off Roses (1995) is based on the cyclic and interlocking processes of Javanese Gamelan and realised within a diatonic environment. All Fired Up (2000) incorporates aspects of the big band sound and the process of firing up a groove. Colouring in the Sky (2003) is influenced by the transforming dot painting process of the indigenous people of the Utopia region of the Northern Territory. The Forty-seventh Theorem (2005) deconstructs aspects of Chopin’s piano Sonata Op 35 (no.2) and rebuilds them through a series, textural, timbral, rhythmic, harmonic and melodic development processes. Beating the Rusty Nail (2006) blends Taiko drumming rhythms and basic funk patterns. Silent Spring (2012) is written to fulfil the Doctor of Music requirement for a new major work. It is inspired by the Rachel Carson book of the same name and is a collection of environmental sound images using five approaches to diatonicism. The folio works have a total duration of approximately 152 minutes and are submitted in three volumes both as notated scores and audio recordings.