The Guitarist and the Non-Guitarist Composer
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The Guitarist and the Non-Guitarist Composer: an analysis of contrasting collaborative models and their impact on new works for solo classical guitar Benjamin Peter Ellerby BMus (Honours Class I) A thesis submitted for the degree of Master of Philosophy at The University of Queensland in 2020 School of Music Abstract Composer-performer collaboration in the creation of new works for solo classical guitar is shaped by several distinctive challenges, specifically related to notation and technical guitar idioms that often do not make up a part of a composer’s training or experience. In practice, these challenges have typically been overcome through the collaboration of guitarists and non-guitarist composers—leading to the creation of some of the instrument’s most beloved repertoire. While the benefits of compositional collaboration between performers and composers generally are widely documented, questions have been raised regarding the potential for guitarists to inhibit the creative process of non-guitarist composers in collaborative situations involving new works for solo classical guitar. This exegesis explores the issue via two intrinsic case studies, documenting the potential advantages and disadvantages of contrasting collaborative models with a focus on two key components: the composer’s understanding of how to write for the guitar, and the performer’s influence on the composition. Each case study explores the collaboration between a non-guitarist composer and myself as the performer from the earliest stages of a new composition through to its premiere. Aligning with a practice-led research paradigm, my role as both researcher and participant in the project shapes the narrative of the analysis. Alongside looking at the effect of the collaborative models, other variables that influenced the compositions are discussed, notably the influence of the composer’s approach to writing for the guitar, and the influence of their inherent compositional processes. This project aims to provide new insights into composer-performer collaborations in the guitar repertoire as well as suggest potential strategies for future collaborations that are relevant to both non-guitarist composers and performers. 2 Declaration by Author This thesis is composed of my original work, and contains no material previously published or written by another person except where due reference has been made in the text. I have clearly stated the contribution by others to jointly-authored works that I have included in my thesis. I have clearly stated the contribution of others to my thesis as a whole, including statistical assistance, survey design, data analysis, significant technical procedures, professional editorial advice, financial support and any other original research work used or reported in my thesis. The content of my thesis is the result of work I have carried out since the commencement of my higher degree by research candidature and does not include a substantial part of work that has been submitted to qualify for the award of any other degree or diploma in any university or other tertiary institution. I have clearly stated which parts of my thesis, if any, have been submitted to qualify for another award. I acknowledge that an electronic copy of my thesis must be lodged with the University Library and, subject to the policy and procedures of The University of Queensland, the thesis be made available for research and study in accordance with the Copyright Act 1968 unless a period of embargo has been approved by the Dean of the Graduate School. I acknowledge that copyright of all material contained in my thesis resides with the copyright holder(s) of that material. Where appropriate I have obtained copyright permission from the copyright holder to reproduce material in this thesis and have sought permission from co-authors for any jointly authored works included in the thesis. 3 Publications Included in this Thesis No publications included. Submitted Manuscripts Included in this Thesis No manuscripts submitted for publication. Other Publications During Candidature No other publications. Contributions by Others to the Thesis The two compositions that were created for the purposes of the research: Preludes and Soundscapes – Benjamin Heim Tarantism – Connor D’Netto Statement of Parts of the Thesis Submitted to Qualify for the Award of Another Degree No works submitted towards another degree have been included in this thesis. Research Involving Human or Animal Subjects Ethics approval number: SoM-ETH14-12/BE Approving Committee: School of Music Ethical Review Panel “This project complies with the provisions contained in the National Statement on Ethical Conduct in Human Research and complies with the regulations governing experimentation on humans.” See Appendix D for copy of ethics approval letter. 4 Acknowledgements This was a challenging research project, and its completion is purely thanks to the support and encouragement that I have been fortunate enough to receive over the past few years. I would firstly like to thank the two most important characters in this story: Benjamin Heim and Connor D’Netto. It is difficult to imagine how this project would have developed without their enthusiastic participation. Both Ben and Connor are brilliant composers and I am incredibly grateful that they chose to sign up for this journey. To my supervisors over the past few years, Dr. Liam Viney, and Dr. Robert Davidson, thank you both for your advice and expertise. In particular I would like to thank Liam for helping nudge me across the finish line and pushing me to create something that I can be proud of. I would also like to thank my co-supervisor and teacher Karin Schaupp, who not only provided great insight into the world of composer- performer collaboration but has also been a tremendous influence on my own development as a musician. Finally, I would like to thank my family and friends. I am incredibly lucky to have been able to fall into the career that I have, and the support from my family has always been immense and unfaltering. To my partner Molly—thank you for putting up with the endless hours of practice, for reading through draft after draft, for supporting this crazy thing I do that is being a musician, and then still being there for me day after day. 5 Financial Support No financial support was provided to fund this research. Keywords classical guitar, guitar, non-guitarist composer, collaboration, performer, composer- performer collaboration, performer-composer collaboration Australian and New Zealand Standard Research Classifications (ANZSRC) ANZSRC code: 190407, Music Performance, 100% Fields of Research (FoR) Classification FoR code: 1904, Performing Arts and Creative Writing, 100% 6 Table of Contents Abstract ........................................................................................................................... 2 Declaration by Author..................................................................................................... 3 Acknowledgements ......................................................................................................... 5 Introduction ................................................................................................................... 11 Chapter 1 – Literature Review ...................................................................................... 15 1.1 Writing for the Guitar ..................................................................................... 15 1.2 The Non-Guitarist Composers and the Guitar ................................................ 16 1.3 Collaborative Models – The Non-Guitarist Composer in Collaboration ........ 17 1.4 Research Design.............................................................................................. 18 Chapter 2 – Methodology ............................................................................................. 19 2.1 The Participants .............................................................................................. 19 2.1.1 Complementarity Collaborative Model (Heim) ............................... 19 2.1.2 Minimal Impact Collaborative Model (D’Netto) ............................. 19 2.2 Participant Criteria and Project Requirements ................................................ 20 2.3 Establishing the Collaborative Models ........................................................... 21 2.4 The Performance ............................................................................................. 22 2.5 Data Collection Procedures............................................................................. 22 2.6 Data Analysis Methods ................................................................................... 23 Chapter 3 – Case A ....................................................................................................... 25 3.1 Introduction to the Case .................................................................................. 25 3.2. Content Analysis in Case A ........................................................................... 25 3.3 Benjamin Heim ............................................................................................... 27 3.3.1 Composer-Performer Relationship Prior to the Project ................... 27 3.3.2 Previous Experiences with the Guitar .............................................. 27 3.4 Stage 1 (Session 1 – Session 8)....................................................................... 27 3.5 Stage 2 (Session 9 – Session