DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY A Portfolio of Original Compositions (Anselm McDonnell) McDonnell, Anselm Award date: 2020 Awarding institution: Queen's University Belfast Link to publication Terms of use All those accessing thesis content in Queen’s University Belfast Research Portal are subject to the following terms and conditions of use • Copyright is subject to the Copyright, Designs and Patent Act 1988, or as modified by any successor legislation • Copyright and moral rights for thesis content are retained by the author and/or other copyright owners • A copy of a thesis may be downloaded for personal non-commercial research/study without the need for permission or charge • Distribution or reproduction of thesis content in any format is not permitted without the permission of the copyright holder • When citing this work, full bibliographic details should be supplied, including the author, title, awarding institution and date of thesis Take down policy A thesis can be removed from the Research Portal if there has been a breach of copyright, or a similarly robust reason. 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Oct. 2021 Portfolio of Compositions with Commentary Anselm Elis McDonnell B.Mus, M.A. Submitted in accordance with the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy Queen's University Belfast School of Arts, English and Languages 04-20 Page | ii Declaration The candidate confirms that he is the author of this commentary and the compositions included in this portfolio. This commentary has not been presented or submitted previously to any other institution for any other degree, diploma or qualification. Approximate word count: 28,000 © 2020 Queen's University Belfast and Anselm McDonnell The right of Anselm McDonnell to be identified as author of this work has been asserted by him in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988. Page | iii Table of Contents Portfolio Contents…………………………………………………………………………iv Recordings…………………………………………………………………………………..v Acknowledgements………………………………………………………………………..vi Abstract…………………………………………………………………………………....vii List of Examples………………………………………………………………………...viii Context……………………………………………………………………...………….…1 Portfolio Overview…………………………………………………………………..3 0.1 Choral Works………………………………………………………………….3 0.2 Vocal Works…………………………………………………………………..13 0.3 Solo Works……………………………………………………………………16 0.4 Chamber Works……………………………………………………………..29 0.5 Orchestral Work……………………………………………………………..41 Harmonic Language………………………………………………………………45 1.1 Vertical Concerns…………………………………………………………...46 1.2 Horizontal Concerns……………………………………………………...…59 1.3 Gaelic Psalm-Singing……………………………………………………….66 Aleatoric Music……………………………………………………………….…......74 2.1 Definitions and the Aleatoric Continuum……………………………….76 2.2 Aleatoric Counterpoint in my work………………………………………82 2.3 Aleatoric Counterpoint & Practicality…………………………………...87 2.4 Beyond Aleatoric Counterpoint…………………………………………...93 Writing for the Voice…………………………………………………………….101 3.1 Textures using Multiple Voices………………………………………….103 3.2 The Decomposed Voice……………………………………………………109 3.3 The Disembodied & Expanded Voice…………………………………...116 3.4 The Voice in Instrumental Ensembles…………………………………120 Appendix………………………………………………………………………………….126 Bibliography………………………………………………………………………….….127 Page | iv Portfolio Contents Scores in Chronological Order: SSAATTBB Choir (2016) – 3:36 יִנְנִה Hinneni Eyewitnesses of His Majesty Classical Guitar (2017) – 28:30 Two Baptisms in Solway Firth Piccolo, B. Clarinet & Strings (2017) – 11:10 The Testimony of John Paton Viola (2017) – 26:24 A Slave in the Land of Liberty SSAATTBB Choir & Narrator (2017) – 6:10 Ezer Two Mezzo-Sopranos (2018) – 6:56 Enturfment String Quartet (2018) – 6:45 On a Stone Pillow, Jacob Dreamt of Salvation Piano (2018) – 7:51 Asphyxiate SSAATTBB Choir (2018) – 5:57 Threads & Ribbons Solo Baritone (2018 rev. 2019) – 6:43 Engines of Babel Large Chamber Ensemble (2019) – 8:54 Stutter Open work for trio & electronics (2019) – indefinite duration Esau’s Hunger Double Guitar Orchestra & Electronics (2019) – 9:07 Tearing as it is Woven SATB Choir (2019) – 6:18 Shards on a Beach Double Bass & Electronics (2019) – 8:36 Total Duration of Portfolio: 150 minutes Page | v Recordings USB Flash Drive 1. Hinneni – 3:36 minutes (St. Salvator’s Chapel Choir) 2. A Slave in the Land of Liberty – 6:10 minutes (C4 Collective) 3. Asphyxiate – 5:57 minutes (St. Salvator’s Chapel Choir) 4. Tearing as it is Woven – 6:18 minutes (Chamber Choir Ireland) 5. Ezer – 6:30 minutes (Peridot Duo: Rose Hegele & Ciera Cope) 6. Threads & Ribbons – 6:43 minutes (Vojtěch Šembera) 7. Eyewitnesses of His Majesty movements I & III (Anselm McDonnell) Movement VI (Mitsuo Nagata) – 4:12, 4:17 & 5:57 minutes 8. Shards on a Beach – 8:36 minutes (William Cole) 9. Enturfment – 6:45 minutes (ConTempo Quartet) 10. On a Stone Pillow, Jacob Dreamt of Salvation – 7:51 minutes (Isabelle O’Connell) 11. Stutter Early & Later Versions provided for comparison – 9:00 minutes (PANIC Music Ensemble) 12. Two Baptisms in Solway Firth – 11:10 minutes (The Assembly Project) 13. Engines of Babel – 8:54 minutes (CRASH Ensemble) 14. Esau’s Hunger – 9:07 minutes (Ottawa Guitar Society Orchestra & the composer on electronics) 15. The Testimony of John Paton – 24:11 minutes (Laura Sinnerton) Given the strong visual element in three of these works, it is recommended that The Testimony of John Paton, Esau’s Hunger and Shards on a Beach are watched on YouTube. They can be found through the search engine or at the following playlist link: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLYXD7wTO- OUMR_jtVgDn5uBmqszKoOOaq Page | vi Acknowledgements With thanks: to my first supervisor Professor Piers Hellawell for his commitment, musical insight, and unfailing patience – his constant support and promotion of my work is greatly valued; my second supervisor Dr. Simon Mawhinney for his availability, and all the staff at the AEL School of Queen’s University Belfast; to the performers, conductors, audio engineers, programmers, broadcasters, publishers, and other mentors of my work during the time of this PhD; while too many to name, it has been a pleasure to work alongside them and I am thankful for the skill, enthusiasm, and insight they have brought to the realisation of this music; to my family: immediate, extended, and in-laws, who have been constantly supportive and inspiring, particularly my parents, whose own artistic practice and endeavours cultivated an environment of creativity in our home; to Sarah, my wife and companion, for her love, encouragement, and help in every aspect of this creative journey, and her enthusiasm and interest in a vast spectrum of music; “to the only God, our Saviour, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion, and authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen.” – Jude 1:25 Page | vii Abstract This composition portfolio consists of fifteen musical scores and recordings, supplemented by this written commentary. The included works represent my broad interest in different musical mediums: solo instruments, chamber music, vocal ensembles, and electroacoustic groups. The intention of this commentary is to provide an overview of the pieces within the portfolio and, using examples from these, discuss three strands of my compositional language that have developed through the duration of the PhD. The commentary begins with a detailed overview of the works in the portfolio, categorised by ensemble and presented in chronological order from earliest to most recent. This overview is provided to establish each piece as an independent artistic endeavour, contextualising the later examples that are drawn from them. In the three chapters which discuss my compositional language, the portfolio is used as a pool of examples to highlight strands in my work that are diffuse across my oeuvre, but not necessarily the primary focus in the individual works themselves.1 Occasionally, brief references in the commentary may be made to music which has been excluded from the portfolio for the purpose of brevity, to show how a given trajectory has been further explored in other works. The three overarching research themes discussed in this commentary are: Harmonic Language, Aleatoric Techniques, and Writing for the Voice. These represent the primary areas of my musical interests and prominent features that unite the portfolio works. Each of these aspects will be contextualised by the research of composers who have informed my own writing, including discussion of how my music relates to historical trends. 1 Works used extensively as examples in these chapters are discussed more briefly in the overview. Page | viii List of Examples Example 0.1.1: Hinneni (2016) b.30-32……………………………………..………….4 Example 0.1.2: ibid. b.3 & 52…………………………………………………………….5 Example 0.1.3: ibid. b.13………………………………………………………………….5 Example 0.1.4: ibid. b.33-35……………………………………………………………...6