S3646817 Phd Submission FINAL EDIT
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! ! ! ! ! Folio of Compositions and Critical Commentary Leah Kardos B.Mus, PGCE, AMusA A thesis submitted for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy at The University of Queensland in 2014 School of Music ii! Abstract This folio of compositions and accompanying exegesis presents a collection of my original music that demonstrates an individual approach to composition which often seeks to exploit the various unique creative opportunities made possible through the use of music technology applications. Within the folio there is experimentation, collaboration, muscle memory improvisation, sampling, triggering and the “mashing up” of styles and contexts. Various forms and formats range from piano solos to concept albums, song cycles to orchestral scores, electro cover versions and live laptop electronics. The folio demonstrates a fascination with the transient, spatial quality of performed music versus the unchanging, deliberate nature of recorded musical productions, and the subjective listening experience of both. Particular approaches to composition explored in this exegesis include: the life of the score and recycling score-based music materials through human filters; attempting to communicate ideas using “sonic vernacular,” referring to the subtle sound language built from musical clichés, samples of other recordings, perceived sound quality and colour; exploring personal narratives through experimentations with muscle memory improvisation. This folio presents five works to illustrate these creative processes that are aided, facilitated or actualised by technology. It includes two “concept albums,” Feather Hammer, a collection of productions for multi-tracked prepared piano, and Machines, a song cycle; Three Preludes, a work for solo piano that is designed to be remixed and sampled; a work for chamber orchestra, Kick, and You Can’t Hide Beat, a collection of David Bowie cover versions created using samples from his own famous recordings. iii! 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, 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 research higher degree 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 General Award Rules of The University of Queensland, immediately made available for research and study in accordance with the Copyright Act 1968. 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. ! iv! Publications during candidature Kardos, Leah. “How music technology can make sound and music worlds accessible to student composers in Further Education colleges.” British Journal of Music Education 29.02 (2012): 143–51. Publications included in this thesis None. Contributions by others to the thesis No contributions by others. Statement of parts of the thesis submitted to qualify for the award of another degree None. ! v! Acknowledgements Gratitude is owed to Dr. Robert Davidson, my mentor and supervisor, for all of the inspiration, wisdom, advice and guidance offered to me in preparing this dissertation. Sincerest appreciation is extended to Ben Dawson, Liz Tray, Dr. Pamela Burnard and Matt Roles for their invaluable assistance, kindness and understanding during my candidature. ! vi! Keywords New music, composition, music technology, music production, recording, creative practice Australian and New Zealand Standard Research Classifications (ANZSRC) ANZSRC code: 190406 Music Composition, 100% Fields of Research (FoR) Classification FoR code: 1904, Performing Arts and Creative Writing, 100% ! vii! Table of Contents Abstract ii Declaration by Author iii Publications During Candidature iv Publications Included in this Thesis iv Acknowledgements v Keywords and Research Classifications vi Table of Contents vii List of Figures viii Part One: Critical Commentary CHAPTER ONE 1 CHAPTER TWO 12 CHAPTER THREE 25 CHAPTER FOUR 40 CHAPTER FIVE 56 List of Works Consulted 62 List of Works Cited 68 Appendix - Final Texts and Original Sources for Machines 70 Part Two: Folio of Compositions Audio Credits 75 Kick (score) 78 Three Preludes (score) 96 ! viii! List of Figures Figure 1. Kick, reduction, viola/violin solos, bb. 120-140 14 Figure 2. Kick, violin melodies, bb. 45-75 15 Figure 3. Kick, “ducking” effect, bb. 161-162 16 Figure 4. “February,” note cypher 19 Figure 5. “February,” accompaniment cycles 20 Figure 6. “Hold Pattern,” cycle of harmonies 20 Figure 7. “Hold Pattern,” bb. 17-20 21 Figure 8. “Orann,” representation in Logic’s Piano Roll, bb. 37-42 22 Figure 9. Section of Prelude 1 forming the basis of “Correction/E17” 23 Figure 10. “Hollow Friends,” comparison of final text and source 27 Figure 11. Dissonant groove elements in “Highly Active Girls” 31 Figure 12. “Highly Active Girls” soundbox 32 Figure 13. Shared keyboard melody in “The Closeness of Distance,” bb. 11-18 33 Figure 14. “The Closeness of Distance” soundbox 34 Figure 15. “Credo Deus” soundbox 36 Figure 16. Cyclic melodic motifs in “DFACE (Practice This Video)” ______________________________________________________49 Figure 17. “DFACE (Practice This Video),” soundbox comparison 49 Figure 18. “The Waiting (Reprise),” transcribed improvisation, bb. 1-10 52 Figure 19. “The Waiting” and “The Waiting (Reprise)” soundboxes ______________________________________________________52 ! ix! Figure 20. Photo from Feather Hammer premiere performance Credit: Naresh Kaushal 54 ! 1! CHAPTER ONE Introduction It is an exciting time to be a musician. Rapidly evolving music technology applications and interfaces provide access to seemingly limitless sonic possibilities and unique forms of creativity, just as John Cage predicted1 (1937). There is a growing sense of stylistic freedom and the blurring of genre boundaries. Composers of new music are engaging with different styles and formats and flaunting the diverse influences that have fed into the development of a personal creative voice. It is not uncommon to see contemporary music makers such as Nico Muhly, Will Gregory and Clint Mansell working in different scenes simultaneously – from concert works to experimental electronica, from film and game soundtracks to pop songs. Such contextual shifts are not conscious efforts to “crossover” or create a “fusion” of styles, but rather they are part of a wider, more inclusive contemporary practice in music composition (Muhly 2007). New cultural theories suggest different intellectual and aesthetic directions coming after postmodernism, shaped by digital technologies, and unprecedented access to media and information on the internet; in the modern digital cultural landscape the genre boundaries relating to art are becoming increasingly irrelevant (Jameson 2003, Kirby 2009, Loīpez and Potter 2005). Technology has also empowered music makers to record and share their work easily and inexpensively with the world. No sound is impossible, no style is out of bounds, and a potential audience of millions is within clicking distance via the web. In this artistically tolerant environment, I have sought to develop a sonic and musical language that incorporates individualistic approaches to composition, performance practices and communicative musical gesture. In this introductory !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 1 Arguably the most infamous of Cage’s written texts, The Future of Music: Credo, reads today like a factual description of the sonic landscape available to and being used by composers currently. Amongst its predictions it accurately forecasts the use of noise as music, electronic instruments that can provide “any and all sounds that can be heard” and a shift from keyboard-influenced music to a percussion-influenced kind where non-musical sounds are explored readily (1937). ! 2! presented in the folio; looking at some of the unique opportunities and approaches made possible by music technology applications and introducing the key concepts relating to emergent trends and “personally situated knowledge” (Barrett and Bolt 2007: 2) resulting from self-reflective Practice- based Research (Winter and Brabazon 2010, Smith and Dean 2009). Practice-based Research is a research methodology in which an artifact is created by the researcher, in this case a portfolio of compositions comprising of scores and recorded productions. The aims of the accompanying exegesis are to illuminate processes, offer interpretation and highlight the interdisciplinary practices relating to music making and engaging with technology, thus conceptualising the “difference between making something and studying