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A Portfolio of Compositions in Response to a Study of the Aesthetic Function of Folklore in Modern Polish Music Alex Chilvers A thesis and composition portfolio submitted in fulfilment of requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy (Composition) Sydney Conservatorium of Music The University of Sydney 2019 Volume I: Thesis ii Abstract There is an overwhelming tendency for scholars of Polish music to politicise the presence of folk music references when they appear in art music compositions. This has particularly been the case in studies of Frédéric Chopin, where certain myths pertaining to that composer’s extramusical intentions long dominated how his music was unpacked in musicological discourse. In this thesis, I demonstrate that our understanding of later Polish composers suffers similarly from this tendency. In an examination of the discourse surrounding both Karol Szymanowski and Henryk Mikołaj Górecki, I show that a myopic understanding of the compositional possibilities bound up in folk music engagement has limited the scope of our interrogations into their compositional practices. I then reposition folk music as an aesthetic tool in their works that has enabled these artists to negotiate the compositional challenges confronting their respective generations. In addition to improving our understanding of these two composers’ methods, my analyses highlight how folk music models can lend a sense of familiarity and cohesion to the modern musical aesthetic. I then take these findings and define a framework for categorising the aesthetic function of folklore in modern Polish music. Turning to my own compositional practice, I analyse a portfolio of original works that have been influenced by my concurrent study of Polish composers and Polish folk music. With this I demonstrate how these categories of aesthetic function have enabled me to engage with a wide range of traditional sources, including Polish folk music, folk music from other cultures, and other non-musical artefacts of Polish culture. I further show that, within iii this breadth of historical sources, there exists a significant amount of aesthetic potential waiting to be unpacked by any modern composer who shares my goal to create music that is cohesive, conveys a clear musical narrative, and possesses a strong individual identity. iv Acknowledgements I would like to begin by acknowledging and sincerely thanking my supervisors, Associate Professor Michael Smetanin and Dr. Christopher Coady. Without their ongoing support, infectious enthusiasm and expert advice, this project would not have been possible. I would also like to acknowledge the important contribution made by my postgraduate and part-time staff colleagues at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music: my time here would be far less meaningful without the friendships formed in room 2131. I extend my gratitude to all of the wonderful musicians with whom I was able to collaborate and share ideas throughout this project, and to those who have so honoured me by premiering the works within this portfolio: Dave Lockeridge, Bernie Lagana, Calista Yeoh, Alex Tunnicliffe, Scott Frankcombe, Niki Johnson, Dr. Brad Gill, Dr. Peter McNamara, Dr. Michael Duke, Jeremy Tatar, Suzanne Sherrington, Anna Murakawa, Anthony Abouhamad, Dr. Pat O’Grady, Gabriella Smart and Soundstream, Daryl Pratt and his 2015 MME students, Professor Szymon Bywalec and Orkiestra Muzyki Nowej, Roman Kreslenko and the Phoenix ensemble, AJ America and the Luminescence Chamber Singers, and Tess Said So. Thanks must also go to Professor Adrian Thomas, Dr. Robert Curry, and Dr. Anya Masłowiec for assisting me in finding contacts in Poland prior to my travels there. A number of people in Poland are directly responsible for the way in which my bond with their country has strengthened over these past four years. I sincerely thank Professor Aleksander Lasoń, Professor Marcin Trzęsiok, Dr. Aleksander Nowak, and v Przemek Scheller for the generosity with which they welcomed me to the Karol Szymanowski Academy of Music in Katowice. My most heartfelt thanks go to the life-long friends I made in Parczew: Michał Zgorzałek, Łukasz Kuliczanka, Beata and Andrzej Chodacki, and their families. I am so grateful for the time we shared together, and I hope to one day reciprocate that hospitality here in Sydney. I could not have completed this project without the support of my family. I thank my parents, Marilyn (née Chmielewska, the source of my Polish blood) and Greg, for their unwavering support, love, interest, and willingness to patiently proof-read this thesis. That support spans back well beyond the four years of this project, and I will be forever grateful. To that end, I also thank my sister Natalie and the Johnstons, and my in-laws the McElduffs (in particular, special mention must go to Kevin and Julie for their unforeseen involvement during these final months). Finally, and most emphatically, I thank my wife Michelle. We were married just weeks before I began working on this project, and we have been through so much over the past four years. Her love, kindness, and wisdom have kept me going. My work is dedicated to her. vi Table of Contents Abstract........................................................................................................................iii Acknowledgements.......................................................................................................v Introduction...................................................................................................................1 Method and Presentation....................................................................................... 8 Chapter One: Lessons from Chopin, Szymanowski, and Górecki..............................12 Frédéric Chopin................................................................................................... 16 Karol Szymanowski.............................................................................................24 Henryk Mikołaj Górecki......................................................................................44 Chapter Two: Notes on the Accompanying Portfolio of Compositions.....................62 Theoretical Framework........................................................................................62 Research/Practice Paradigm................................................................................ 68 Portfolio Overview.............................................................................................. 69 Work #1: o Śląsku for chamber orchestra............................................................71 Work #2: coûte que coûte? for SSAATB choir, piano and percussion................80 Work #3: Tatra for solo marimba........................................................................ 91 Work #4: Chamber Music for Tereska for chamber orchestra...........................104 Work #5: Bells & Crosses for tuba and percussion............................................113 Work #6: Drowning Trio for flute, clarinet and violin.......................................124 Work #7: Trio I for bass clarinet, violin and piano............................................132 Work #8: Mundana•Humana•Instrumentalis for two pianos............................141 Work #9: Carvings for alto saxophone, baritone saxophone and percussion....148 Conclusion................................................................................................................ 153 Bibliography............................................................................................................. 158 vii List of Figures Figure 1.1: Bars 1–4 (harp and soprano only) of Litany to the Virgin Mary (1933) first movement, “Dwunastodźwięczna Cytaro”..........................................................34 Figure 1.2: “Dwunastodźwięczna Cytaro” main theme.............................................36 Figure 1.3: Introduction of “Dwunastodźwięczna Cytaro” main theme (bars 5–10 shown).........................................................................................................................37 Figure 1.4: First repetition of main theme, “Dwunastodźwięczna Cytaro” (from bar 13)............................................................................................................................... 38 Figure 1.5: Climactic theme of Litany to the Virgin Mary, second movement, “Jak Krzak Skarlały”...........................................................................................................39 Figure 1.6: Bars 1–2 of Stabat Mater (1925–26).......................................................40 Figure 1.7: Bars 1–4 of “Jak Krzak Skarlały”........................................................... 41 Figure 1.8: Third Symphony (1914–16) principal motive exposition (violin 1, bars 3–6)............................................................................................................................. 43 Figure 1.9: Excerpt (bars 147–154) from Muzyczka 3 (1967)...................................51 Figure 1.10: Division of ensemble in Already it is Dusk (1988), Allegro (bars 159– 165)............................................................................................................................. 53 Figure 1.11: Sudden contrasts in Quasi una fantasia (1991), second movement (bars 81–86)......................................................................................................................... 55 Figure 1.12: Pulsating viola and cello in Quasi una fantasia, first movement