Melbourne Conservatorium of Music - Theses
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ItemFolio of compositions( 2012)The selection of works presented here represents an attempt to refine and give direction to my artistic aesthetic through the exploration and synthesis of some ideas and approaches that have interested me for some years. The works consist of a set of three sonatas and two orchestral movements. (From introduction)
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ItemDe-trivialising music torture as torture-lite( 2012)Music torture is an important interdisciplinary issue in need of great research, particularly in the wake of the events of 11 September 2001. It is an issue that ties into the broader context of torture, a topic of heated debate in the US-led “War on Terror”. Arising from this debate is the concept of “torture-lite”, a term that has emerged within political, social and academic discourse. Although using music as torture is not a new phenomenon, its importance as a research topic is heightened within the current political and social climate sensitive to the ethics of torture. Such sensitivities have resulted in certain interrogation methods, one of which is music torture, being loosely categorised as torture-lite. However, this categorisation is fraught with misconceived ideas on the relationship between sound and body, and mitigates the destructive potential of music torture. Thus, I am arguing that music torture is not torture-lite, as the term “torture-lite” trivialises the severity of music torture and favours the continuation of its use.
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ItemHurdy-gurdy: contemporary destinations( 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due to its inaccurate etymology and – oddly enough – suffering a stigma of marginalisation which originated from outdated social class divisions throughout our history of culture.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.
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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.
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ItemThe New York Philharmonic behind the Iron Curtain: goodwill tour or Cold War propaganda?( 2012)In 1959, the New York Philharmonic embarked on its longest and most ambitious venture to date: a ten-week tour of the Soviet Union and Europe. At the height of Cold War hostilities, Leonard Bernstein led the orchestra abroad under the sponsorship of President Eisenhower’s Special International Program for Cultural Presentations. US-Soviet cultural exchanges had been occurring since the early 1950s to bring about mutual understanding and benefit amid the tensions of the Cold War. The Philharmonic’s 1959 tour provides a specific insight into the cultural exchange process and illuminates the musical and political ramifications of cultural tours of this period. The promotion of American music was a significant aspect of the 1959 tour, and the Philharmonic’s programs reflected the influence of Bernstein’s personal and professional relationships with American composers of the period. By examining the American press coverage of the tour, it is possible to see how Bernstein and the Philharmonic were utilised to promote the United States’s cultural achievements at a time of intense political and scientific rivalry with the Soviet Union. Bernstein shed his image of the early 1950s of a radical leftist implicated in McCarthyism to become the model of the new breed of American-born and -trained musicians and a representative of American values. Through him and the Philharmonic, the United States sought to show that it was a cultural leader as well as a world power. The Philharmonic’s tour demonstrated how notions of goodwill were overshadowed by unavoidable Cold War competition and that the tour’s success contributed to the shaping of American national identity.
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ItemImaging mastery: applying the PETTLEP model of imagery to music performance practice( 2011)Imagery is widely reported as a tool used by elite performers to improve their performance. Despite this, there is little clear information about the integration of imagery into music performance practice. A review of the research in this area reveals that the term imagery is an extremely broad description of the ways that mental imagery is used in almost any area or performance. In this paper I have selected a specific approach, the PETTLEP model of motor imagery rehearsal that is aimed at one specific area of performance, motor imagery. The PETTLEP model is based on an understanding, from research in neuroscience, of how the brain works in relation to motor imagery. After applying the model to music performance practice, a number of findings emerged. The model is well suited for the demands of music performance practice and had a positive effect on performance outcomes. There also emerged ways in which further use of the journaling and analysis method may be improved. The clarity and successful application of this model demonstrates that it would be possible to develop specific approaches to mental imagery in music performance practice.
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ItemMotivational forces that influence the career aspirations of undergraduate music majors( 2011)Every year, cohorts of music students enter music conservatories aspiring to progress their musical development to a level where they can succeed within the challenging profession of performing music. The reality is however, that only a handful actually succeed to being able to perform or compose professionally as their chosen career. Rarely have studies examined the career aspirations of musicians and much less how social and psychological influences impact on the career aspirations of music students. The purpose of this study is to identify the range of motivational forces as defined in Self-Determination Theory that influence the career aspirations of undergraduate music majors, as well as to investigate relationships between students’ aspirations and basic needs, on selected career development factors. Self-Determination Theory's framework of psychological needs and continuum of depth of intrinsic motivation consequently conveys an understanding of how a behaviour is developed, sustained, and satisfies needs. This theory was deemed as a suitable theoretical framework from which to examine how intending professional musicians define and explain their career aspirations. Findings suggest that the motivational aspirations of music undergraduates at the University of Melbourne ranged across the Self-Determination Theory dimensions from intrinsic motivation, integrated regulation, to identified regulation. These show that these students derived some enjoyment and pleasure from their musical involvement, with music satisfying their psychological needs, through a musical education that feeds their drive to become accomplished musicians. Parents, teachers, and peers were all reported by the students as influential in shaping their musical motivations. Discussion of these findings demonstrates how the students themselves personally reacted to the (external) influence of these significant others. Self-Determination Theory was found to be a useful tool in understanding career aspirations in music albeit partially, as there are other aspects within an individual’s behaviour that remain elusive and require further study. Findings from the study also suggest that the actual motives for one’s musical pursuit were even more extensive to those of which Self-Determination Theory encompasses.
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ItemFolio of compositions 2010 – 2011( 2011)A folio of several works and their recordings, full duration of the folio is 50 - 60 minutes, submitted in accordance with the requirements of the Degree of Master of Music, Composition. As per these requirements, one piece is of extended length, being over fifteen minutes long, and one is of extended instrumentation, being of over fifteen independent lines.
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ItemMusic and collaboration: rapport, leadership and the role of the individual in collaborative processes( 2010)This research investigates the collaborative processes that occur when new creative work is born, with a particular focus on musical collaborations. This thesis is based upon the responses to interviews that were conducted with 25 artists currently engaged in professional collaborative arts practice. Each artist was asked to define collaboration, then to give details of past collaborative experiences. All of the artists’ answers and experiences varied, but there were three areas that were of particular interest to all of the participants. These were: the relevance (if any) of rapport within collaborative arts practice, the role of the individual in collaborations, and the place of leadership in collaborations. This thesis shows that many of the artists involved in this study valued some kind of personal rapport within a collaborative project. A number of the artists claimed that it was not possible to separate artistic and personal rapport, and that they only wished to work with artists with whom they had that kind of rapport. But in the absence of a close personal relationship many of the participants in this study valued mutual respect, openness and understanding of personal differences within collaborative processes. Each artist had different experiences of the roles of the individual and of leadership within collaborative projects. This study found that the answers to these questions varied mostly depending on the individual artist’s role in a particular project, their understanding of that role and their relationship to others in the collaboration. All the artists agreed that it is of utmost importance to be clear of one’s role in collaboration in order to function successfully and creatively with other artists. Many of the artists involved in this study also agreed that if a collaborative project is to be led then it should be done so in a non-dictatorial fashion, and that if this is not possible then the project should not be labeled ‘collaborative’. With this in mind some of the participants in this study amended their definition of collaboration throughout the interview process, as close examination of their experiences sometimes didn’t match up with their initial thoughts on the subject. The overall results of this thesis are many and varied, and give a detailed insight into current thinking on collaborative processes within music.