Melbourne Conservatorium of Music - Theses
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ItemNo Preview AvailableLiminaire: Performance Contexts and Cultural Dynamics of the Saxophone in Australia, 1853–1938( 2023-06)This project explores the largely untold first eighty-five years of the saxophone in Australia. For a unique Australian context it examines, and ultimately challenges, the long- and widely-held view that the instrument was solely a product and expression of popular or ‘lowbrow’ musical culture; instead, it argues that the saxophone’s character in Australia between 1853 and 1938 was enduringly cosmopolitan, stylistically diverse across the cultural strata, and a mirror to evolving notions of Australian identity. A five-chapter dissertation, weighted at 80%, details the saxophone’s Australian efflorescence in a variety of performance contexts from the goldrush to the cusp of the Second World War. A number of landmark performers and performances are established, including the headline discovery that the instrument debuted in Australia before being first heard in the United States. Drawing on categories established by John Whiteoak, this study incorporates ‘approved’ musical settings that were seen to reinforce social cohesion, such as the concert stage and the bandstand, and ‘anonymous’ settings, including the commercially-oriented domains of minstrelsy, vaudeville, and jazz. Notions of liminality are employed to explain and contextualise the saxophone’s marginal, and yet still remarkably potent, place in musical and wider cultural and social life over this time. This argument is built on research into a wide range of primary sources, including historical newspaper and journal articles, sheet music, sound recordings, silent and sound film, and interviews with notable Australian musicians. An accompanying audio-visual folio, weighted at 20%, features 33 minutes of new recordings for saxophone ensemble, saxophone and piano, and concert band in march and art music transcription forms.
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ItemIn Dowland's Own Words: Lachrimae and Flow my teares( 2022)This research project connects the historical performance practice conventions of John Dowland’s lute songs to related music in his solo lute repertory. Through a written dissertation and live recorded recital, I explore the influences of vocal music on Dowland’s compositions, and discover tangible performance insights that are informed by the relationship between Dowland’s songs and solo lute pieces. John Dowland (1563-1626) was amongst the finest lute players of his time and is widely recognised as the greatest English composer of lute music and lute song. Despite there being nearly one hundred sources containing Dowland’s music, only ten percent of these can be directly connected to Dowland, and only four published under his supervision. The dilution of Dowland’s original source material is particularly acute because Renaissance tablature manuscripts lack phrase markings, dynamic markings, tempo indications and articulation markings. This means modern scholar-performers are often required to look beyond the tablature manuscript in pursuit of interpretive justification for performance decisions in other historical sources. There is a small but important collection of Dowland’s compositions that exist in two forms: songs and instrumental dances. Many performers and scholars are aware of Dowland’s practice of recycling musical content, but less commonly explored are the specific insights that may be gained into the performance practice of Dowland’s music by studying these sources. Because Dowland was directly involved with the publication of his lute songs, they are particularly reliable and undiluted examples of his work. Unlike the vast collection of tablature attributed to Dowland from disparate manuscript sources, his published lute songs provide an insightful opportunity to directly examine the original composition and draw parallels between Dowland’s songs and their related solo pieces. The links are not always immediately clear or easy to identify, but once established, provide opportunities to learn from the vocal music when interpreting a related solo piece. This performance-led research thesis comprises a recorded recital (60%) and written dissertation (40%). The recital aims to highlight the inherit melodiousness of Dowland’s compositions, alongside other lute composers that are equally indebted to the voice and song. The written dissertation examines the most famous example of a Dowland piece existing in two forms, the lute solo “Lachrimae pavane” and the lute song “Flow my teares”. An examination of these two pieces reveals insights into interpretative details such as the accentuation, articulation and phrasing relevant to the performance of both versions.
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ItemMelodic Excursions: The Brazilian cavaquinho’s global journey( 2021)This research project explores the long and diverse history of the cavaquinho through a combination of practical performance and archival research. This four-string soprano guitar is a ubiquitous instrument in several musical cultures and its origins may be traced to Portugal where very similar instruments have been in use since the seventeenth century. The cavaquinho, and closely related instruments, spread across the globe along routes of migration and this study will focus on four key traditions, those of Brazil, Portugal, Indonesia, and Hawaii. These historical links will be investigated through recorded performances played on the modern Brazilian cavaquinho, together with written analysis of historical and performance contexts. A diverse portfolio of recordings showcases performance practices and repertoires from the nineteenth century, through to the flourishing tradition of the twentieth century and new and emerging contemporary genres. The Brazilian cavaquinho is the instrument through which I engage with these contrasting repertoires, drawing on the richness of the instrument’s technique and performance style. The recordings are not presented as historical recreations, but as extensions of the distinct evolving traditions through the application of contemporary practices. Collaborations with renowned international practitioners feature on many of the recordings, and the creative element of this thesis extends to original arrangements and compositions. Through a combination of performance recordings, research, analysis and original arrangements and compositions, this project demonstrates how the cavaquinho is the perfect vehicle to illuminate and reinvigorate historically linked traditions and styles.
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Item‘Darling Kath’: Benjamin Britten’s music for Kathleen Ferrier( 2018)This thesis examines the career of contralto Kathleen Ferrier (1912–1953), and her collaborations with composer Benjamin Britten (1913–1976). In the late 1940s, Kathleen Ferrier was among the most famous classical singers of her day. Britten was the pre-eminent composer in Britain, composing solos for Ferrier in three major works: the title role in The Rape of Lucretia (1946), the contralto solos in Spring Symphony (1949), and the part of Isaac in Canticle II: Abraham and Isaac (1952). Although their collaboration ceased with Ferrier’s untimely death, Britten’s work with Ferrier was musically and personally significant, and proved influential for the course of Britten’s career and for shaping Ferrier’s legacy. Drawing on diaries, correspondence, and recordings, this thesis examines Britten’s intricate understanding of Ferrier’s voice and ability, the unusual way in which he exploited them, and how Ferrier in turn interpreted and created the premiere performances. In addition, with reference to the writings of J.P.E. Harper-Scott and Carolyn Abbate, this thesis evaluates the nature of the relationship between an influential male composer and the woman who gives voice to a work or role, to address the vexed question whether it is the composer or interpreter who creates that role.
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ItemBorder crossing: tracing the influences of Brazilian guitarist Yamandu Costa( 2018)Born in 1980 in Rio Grande do Sul, Yamandu Costa is one of Brazil’s most celebrated guitarists. Yamandu Costa began his musical journey at the age of seven, taking informal guitar lessons from his father, Algacir Costa. Raised in a musical family, his childhood was marked by extensive touring alongside the family band, who made their living from entertaining at vibrant dance parties across Brazil. His father was the leader of the band Os Fronteiriços, whose music was rooted in the regional music of southern Brazil, known there as música gaúcha (gaúcho music). Amidst this inherently regional upbringing, Yamandu Costa’s music was shaped and influenced by the gaúcho culture and music of southern Brazil and Argentina. In addition, the migration of Argentinian guitarist Lucio Yanel to Rio Grande do Sul in 1982 had a major impact on the life and music of Yamandu Costa. Finding lodging at the Costa family home in Passo Fundo during the initial period of his migration, Yanel brought with him to Brazil his guitar music, rooted heavily in the folkloric regional styles of Argentina. The young Yamandu Costa found a musical mentor in Yanel, resulting in a musical career that would come to be heavily influenced by Yanel’s pioneering approach to gaúcho music as a guitar soloist. A composer and virtuoso guitarist, the presence of Yamandu Costa’s gaúcho identity is unmistakable. Yamandu Costa frequently draws upon idiomatic instrumental and compositional techniques indicative of his gaúcho music influences. His music is eclectic, as he pieces together a mosaic of diverse Brazilian music styles like choro with Argentinian chamamé, chacarera and zamba. Through an analysis of five original works, this thesis illuminates the influences of Yamandu Costa and demonstrates the presence of gaúcho musical idioms in his music. The analysis is contextualised amidst biographical details, and investigates his formative years spent in Rio Grande do Sul and his relationship with Lucio Yanel, which are critical to his musical formation. The legacy of Yanel’s presence in Rio Grande do Sul is measured by an analysis of parallels in guitar technique between Yanel and Yamandu Costa, and demonstrates the musical cues the protégé has taken from his mentor. This thesis shows that Yamandu Costa’s roots in gaúcho music distinguish him amongst the Brazilian guitar landscape.
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ItemA synthesis of Schenkerian and Neo-Riemannian theories: the first movement of Paul Hindemith’s Piano Sonata No. 1 as a case study( 2017)This thesis explores the possibility of synthesising some aspects of Schenkerian and Neo-Riemannian theories and seeks to demonstrate the effectiveness of this approach in the analysis of a twentieth-century sonata. Although this study begins with a thorough understanding of Neo-Riemannian theory (NRT), the final hybrid method is not a strict application of NRT, employing its core principles rather than its specific method. Paul Hindemith’s Piano Sonata No. 1 is selected for this study as this work contains vestiges of tonic-dominant tonality (inviting Schenkerian analysis) but also employs a non-traditional post-tonal harmonic structure (inviting a NRT approach). The Schenkerian method has been long recognised as a useful tool to analyse primarily tonal repertoire whereas Neo- Riemannian theory is useful in analysing the heavily chromatic harmony of the nineteenth century. A hybrid analytical method encompassing aspects of the two approaches is designed to potentially strike a balance between a subjective and objective understanding of the music. A chart is designed with three systems: the Urlinie, pitch collections, and the Bassbrechung. Different sets of data are obtained to describe the transformation from one chord (or more loosely, “pitch collection”) to the next. In calculating these movements between the pitch collections, this NRT-inspired approach will substitute for a traditional harmonic analysis. The synthesis of the two theories will be illustrated through a line graph that charts the amount of intervallic movement between pitch collections against the Urlinie to observe the relationships between the two. Findings indicate that graphical representations deepen our understanding of the connections between one chord and the next through common tones, and furthermore, accommodate all types of chords and not just major and minor triads. Additional notes can then be added to the Urlinie as a result of the identification of significant movements in the graph. The synthesis of these two methods when combined with an analysis of performance recordings will allow a deeper understanding of Hindemith’s Piano Sonata to emerge. This suggests the importance of adopting this hybrid method in approaching Neo-Classical works and indicates how this approach might shape the performer’s interpretation. Therefore, this research can be seen to contribute to the formation of a bridge between music theory and performance.
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ItemHurdy-gurdy: new articulations( 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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ItemJan Dismas Zelenka's Missa Sancti Spiritus, ZWV 4: a critical edition and study of the manuscript sources( 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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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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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.