Melbourne Conservatorium of Music - Theses

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    Hurdy-gurdy: new articulations
    Nowotnik, Piotr ( 2016)
    The purpose of this thesis is to expand existing literature concerning the hurdy-gurdy as a contemporary musical instrument. Notably, it addresses the lack of hurdy-gurdy literature in the context of contemporary composition and performance. Research into this subject has been triggered by the author’s experience as a hurdy-gurdy performer and composer and the importance of investigating and documenting the hurdy-gurdy as an instrument capable of performing well outside the idioms of traditional music. This thesis consists of a collection of new works for hurdy-gurdy and investigation of existing literature including reference to the author’s personal experience as a hurdy-gurdy composer and performer. It will catalogue and systematically document a selection of hurdy-gurdy techniques and extended performance techniques, and demonstrate these within the practical context of new music compositions created by the author. This creative work and technique investigation and documentation is a valuable resource for those seeking deeper practical and academic understanding of the hurdy-gurdy within the context of contemporary music making.
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    Jan Dismas Zelenka's Missa Sancti Spiritus, ZWV 4: a critical edition and study of the manuscript sources
    Frampton, Andrew Leslie ( 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.
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    Percy Grainger and new worlds of concert pianism: a study of repertoire and programming (1901-1926)
    Bellio, Natalie Stephanie ( 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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    Hurdy-gurdy: contemporary destinations
    Nowotnik, Piotr ( 2012)
    The aim of this dissertation is to bring the fact of presence of a relatively unknown musical instrument – the hurdy-gurdy – to reader’s attention while focusing on the musicality of the instrument and its constant evolution throughout the history to modern times. The hurdy-gurdy is often considered a musical oddity – a novelty – often misunderstood due to its inaccurate etymology and – oddly enough – suffering a stigma of marginalisation which originated from outdated social class divisions throughout our history of culture. Those who decided to uncover the true past of the instrument often had to confront problems of a logistic or economic nature – e.g. the hurdy-gurdy is not easy to acquire, to build or to purchase. Those conditions though lead to the creation of a special bond with the instrument, which I as a composer, researcher and hurdy-gurdy player, find unique and very rewarding; a bond which I could not successfully form with any popular and widely available musical instrument. While enthusiasm and dedication is necessary to become a competent player, the appreciation of the past of the hurdy-gurdy is very satisfying and inspirational adventure taking aspiring players through the sounds and musical idioms which are not easily found in popular streams originating from past three centuries of popularized tradition. By presenting the current status quo of this instrument, I am aiming at delivering an accessible compendium of information and insight into the plethora of potential musical application for the hurdy-gurdy, – with respect to currently available instruments, performed and recorded music and areas for further experimentation and development. In doing so, I decided to utilise descriptive analyses of samples of existing music representing different artistic approach to the instrument; interviews with selected players and makers and my own personal experience with technical aspects of the hurdy-gurdy. Knowing the instrument without hearing its traditional oeuvre and playing it for the first time without knowing ‘what to play’ is probably one of the most important moments in one’s own discovery of a new world of sounds. While the chronological brief included in this work addresses a wide historical scope, the main objective is to present the hurdy-gurdy as an able and adequate instrument for music students today, amateur and professional performers and enthusiasts alike, as well as for musicologists. The chapters discussing technical solutions allowing the hurdy-gurdy to be adequately incorporated into contemporary styles of music and its idioms require an intermediate level of understanding of musical terminology and physical aspects of sound-production, conductivity of the sound waves and a basic level of knowledge on instrument maintenance and handling. A certain level of knowledge on electrification, amplification, recording and MIDI equipment is advised yet not critical for an understanding of this dissertation. The existing knowledge about the instrument suffers from inadequacies in its scope – historical treaties are lacking musical application for contemporary player and many modern-day enthusiasts of the instrument are often limited in perceiving their instrument as a passable tool for contemporary improvisation and musical experiments. I therefore believe that this dissertation will encapsulate the majority of the aspects of the instrument and shed a wider light on its presence in musical culture.