The Memory of Music And
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
1 The Memory of Music and 2 Music of Memory: 3 A Portfolio of Original Compositions 4 5 6 7 Julia E. Howell 8 9 10 Volume 3 of 3: Academic Commentary 11 12 13 14 Cardiff University School of Music 15 2017 16 17 18 19 Presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree 20 Doctor of Philosophy (Music) in Composition 21 22 23 24 25 1 ii 1 Summary of thesis 2 3 The thesis explores through composition the processes of listening, remembering, storing, 4 and recalling music and the ephemeral nature of these same actions, recognising that musical 5 experiences can never truly be preserved. To explore preservation and entropy in memory and 6 music, the portfolio of works is guided by three research areas: multi-level systemisation in 7 compositional methods; reflection on the experience of music itself; and integration of acoustic 8 and electronic techniques. The research concepts draw from the fields of ecological 9 psychoacoustics, music cognition, memory studies, history of music technology, and philosophy 10 and aesthetics. 11 The thesis consists of three volumes with accompanying supplemental materials. The first 12 two volumes present a portfolio of original compositions, comprising sixteen works ranging 13 from three to twenty minutes and from soloist to large string ensemble, including six 14 electroacoustic pieces, with a combined duration of circa 100 minutes. Appendix One contains 15 one piece, Artefacts for symphony orchestra, the composition of which provided the foundation 16 for this project. 17 The third volume is a commentary on the portfolio (c. 27,000 words), providing context for 18 the works and their compositional processes in terms of conceptual and theoretical bases, 19 academic context, musical techniques and analysis, employment of electronic technology, the 20 influence of other composers and artists, and placement of my work within the field of 21 composition. 22 The commentary is divided into five parts. Part One covers research concepts and context; 23 Part Two examines structural use of systemisation and collage; Part Three outlines approaches to 24 harmony; Part Four describes the use of electronics in the portfolio, connecting these techniques 25 to the research concepts; Part Five presents a detailed description and analysis of three pieces 26 that illustrate a synthesis of the methods explored over the course of composing the portfolio. 27 The supplementary materials include recordings of the works and Max/MSP patches 28 accompanying the electroacoustic works. 29 iii 1 2 DECLARATION 3 4 This work has not been submitted in substance for any other degree or award at this or any other 5 university or place of learning, nor is being submitted concurrently in candidature for any degree or other 6 award. 7 8 9 Signed ………………………………………… (candidate) Date ………26/06/2017…… 10 11 12 STATEMENT 1 13 14 This thesis is being submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of 15 Philosophy (Music) in Composition. 16 17 Signed ………………………………………… (candidate) Date ………26/06/2017…… 18 19 20 STATEMENT 2 21 22 This thesis is the result of my own independent work/investigation, except where otherwise stated. 23 Other sources are acknowledged by explicit references. The views expressed are my own. 24 25 Signed ………………………………………… (candidate) Date ………26/06/2017…… 26 27 28 STATEMENT 3 29 30 I hereby give consent for my thesis, if accepted, to be available for photocopying and for inter-library 31 loan, and for the title and summary to be made available to outside organisations. 32 33 Signed ………………………………………… (candidate) Date ………26/06/2017…… 34 35 iv 1 Acknowledgements 2 3 I am indebted to many for their kind support during this degree. First and foremost, I wish to 4 express my great gratitude to my supervisor Dr. Arlene Sierra for her guidance, encouragement, 5 and assistance in myriad areas throughout the degree process. I also thank John Howell and Joe 6 Hillyard for generously taking on the time-consuming task of proofreading the portfolio and 7 commentary. 8 9 This portfolio would not have been possible without the generous assistance of the 10 performers, conductors, composers, producers, and ensembles who have workshopped, 11 performed, recorded my works as well as advised and encouraged me along the way: Carla Rees, 12 Odaline de la Martinez, Lontano, Robert Fokkens, Carducci Quartet, Dennis Russell Davies, 13 Maki Namegawa, Bruckner Orchester Linz, Igor Retschitsky, Judith Weir, BBC National 14 Orchestra of Wales, Jac van Steen, Frank Zielhorst, Cardiff University School of Music 15 Contemporary Music Group, Heather Roche, Xenia Pestova, David Beard, Thomas Wilkinson, 16 Sebastian Walker, Magnard Ensemble, Kenneth Hesketh, Signum Quartet, Michael Oliva, Dr. K 17 Sextet, Gina Forsyth, Laura Beardsmore, Sorcha Rudgley, Lisa Nelsen, Gwenllian Llyr, Sarah 18 Dacey, juice Vocal Ensemble, Louise Chartron, Elin Hâf Taylor, Orion Orchestra, Kelvin Lee, 19 Maria Minguella, Lucy Fflur Jones, Thomas Goddard, Fiona Solenne Howell, Rich McReynolds, 20 Blair Boyd, Leona Jones, Ivor Davies, Ashley Long, Karen Ní Bhroin, Jack Lewis, Daniel 21 Bickerton, Alexander Davis, Matthew Poad, Michael Hearty, Sarah Vaughan Jones, Heidi 22 Evans, National Museum Wales, Benjamin Atkinson, Alessandra Palidda, Kate Willetts, Emily 23 Wenman, Andrew Mabey, Hope Vaughan-Hughes, and Matt Phenix. 24 25 I would also like to thank the faculty, staff, and postgraduate community at Cardiff 26 University School of Music and my family for unstinting and gracious friendship and moral 27 support. I extend my gratitude to Cardiff University School of Music for financial and logistical 28 support over the course of this degree. 29 v 1 Table of Contents 2 3 Summary of thesis ............................................................................................................................... iii 4 Declaration .............................................................................................................................................. iv 5 Acknowledgements .............................................................................................................................. v 6 Table of Contents .................................................................................................................................. vi 7 List of illustrations ............................................................................................................................ viii 8 Introduction ............................................................................................................................................. 1 9 Portfolio Contents ................................................................................................................................. 4 10 Part One - Research Aims .................................................................................................................. 6 11 Chapter One - Research Aims and Context ............................................................................................... 6 12 Systems designed to structure the work at multiple structural levels ................................... 6 13 Reflection and/or commentary on the experience of music itself ............................................ 8 14 Memory and perceptual concepts ........................................................................................................... 9 15 Overview of collage techniques .............................................................................................................. 10 16 Scope of ‘reflective space’ ......................................................................................................................... 13 17 Integration of acoustic and electronic elements ............................................................................. 14 18 Collage and electronic audio technologies ........................................................................................ 16 19 Liveness ............................................................................................................................................................ 17 20 Electronic technologies and memory .................................................................................................. 19 21 22 Part Two - Structural Aspects ....................................................................................................... 23 23 Chapter Two - Systemisation of methods for creating multi-level structures ....................... 23 24 Motivic development and generative systems ................................................................................ 23 25 Concepts in Phyllotaxis ............................................................................................................................... 23 26 Generative and systematic compositional processes in Phyllotaxis ....................................... 26 27 Analysis of results of sonification and systematic processes in Phyllotaxis ....................... 29 28 Use of systematic techniques in subsequent works ...................................................................... 31 29 Concepts and processes in Mojennoù .................................................................................................. 32 30 Instances and influence of systematic techniques in other works ......................................... 34 31 32 Chapter Three - ‘Found’ sounds and collage as conceptual and structural basis .................