Australian piano music 1980-2010 from a pianist’s perspective: a presentation of two performance events Rohan David Murray Submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy (by creative work and dissertation) 21 December 2011 Faculty of the Victorian College of the Arts and Music The University of Melbourne Abstract The interpretation and performance of new Australian solo piano music 1980- 2010 are both under-researched. The ten representative solo piano works upon which this thesis is based were written by two distinct generations of composers between 1980 and 1994, and 1994 and 2010 respectively. These two periods contain a wealth of compositions that range across numerous genres, styles, compositional methods, idioms and musical languages which, as I shall argue below, nevertheless constitute a degree of consistency in style and approach in each case. Due to a number of key historical, socio-cultural and professional factors, examination of the two periods reveals a multi-faceted shift in compositional style between the first and second generations. These factors include the composer‟s professional development; the impact of Australianism, modernism, post-modernism and polystylism; the extraordinary growth of emphasis on pianistic virtuosity resulting from the commissioning of new works; and the reduction in the emphasis on national identity as expressed in references to the Australian landscape and Indigenous Australian music. External factors such as the support of commissions by the Australian Council for new works also play a role. This dissertation delineates the role of the pianist in the interpretation of the selected works and formulates a theory of performance that may be applied more generally to this oeuvre. I based my interpretations of this mostly atonal literature on a new model of dynamic form, derived from my assessment of the composers‟ compositional methods, including the form or „shape‟ of the dynamic markings throughout the score. In interpreting the styles, idioms and character, I examined the implications in the scores for the pianist‟s gestures and approach to dynamic markings and sonic qualities. My theory of dynamic form is based on the notion that the dynamic markings throughout the score – referred to as „dynamic scheme‟ – provide a general indication of dynamic intensity throughout a work. As the interpretative process progresses, the resulting „sketch‟ of the dynamic form is tempered, or at times significantly altered, as other factors that influence variations in the dynamic intensity are taken into account. 2 Traditional models of dynamic form, which tend to assume the inevitability of links between such musical elements as tempo, rhythmic vigour and harmony, run the risk of ignoring surprising new musical relationships that are continually presented by composers of new music. From the performer‟s perspective, this methodology also has the benefit of ensuring that every facet of the music has been rigorously examined. 3 Declaration of Originality This is to certify that i. the portfolio comprises only my original work towards the PhD, except where indicated in the Preface, ii. due acknowledgement has been made in the text to all other material used, iii. the thesis is of fewer than 100,000 words in length, exclusive of tables, maps, bibliographies and appendices. ……………………………….. Rohan David Murray Dated this 21st day of December 2011 4 Acknowledgements This research would not have been possible without the untiring efforts and skill of Professor Margaret Kartomi, Dr. Donna Coleman, Dr. David Kram, Associate Professor Tony Gould, Professor Gary McPherson, Dr. Barry Bignell, Dr. Robert Vincs and Associate Professor Mark Pollard. I also wish to thank Elizabeth Sellars, who has been of great help and support throughout the PhD project. I wish to thank Professor Max Cooke, O.A.M., whose teaching over many years has given me the necessary musical and technical skills to understand and perform this challenging repertoire. The help and support of the Australian Music Centre has also been crucial in obtaining scores and publications. 5 Contents Index of Figures ................................................................................................................ 10 Index of Tables ................................................................................................................. 10 Chapter One ...................................................................................................................... 11 Introduction ................................................................................................................... 11 Organisation of the study .............................................................................................. 16 Methodology ................................................................................................................. 17 Methodology applied .................................................................................................... 21 Rationale ....................................................................................................................... 29 Chapter Two – Literature Review and Repertoire Review ............................................... 33 Literature Review.......................................................................................................... 33 Texts that focus on a particular composition in detail .................................................. 34 Analysis and performance practice ............................................................................... 34 Biographical and autobiographical texts on individual composers .............................. 36 Historical surveys.......................................................................................................... 38 Survey of the repertoire ................................................................................................ 42 Character pieces and miniatures ................................................................................... 43 Works with descriptive titles ........................................................................................ 44 Large scale multi-movement works .............................................................................. 44 Shorter sonatas and sonatinas ....................................................................................... 45 Single-movement virtuoso works ................................................................................. 46 Summary of the “themes” ............................................................................................. 47 Colonialism and instrumentation .................................................................................. 49 Historical context and the tyranny of distance .............................................................. 50 Creative development ................................................................................................... 51 Globalisation and technology ....................................................................................... 51 Modernism .................................................................................................................... 52 Eclecticism and post-modernism .................................................................................. 53 Patronage....................................................................................................................... 55 Indigenous culture and „Jindyworobakism‟ .................................................................. 57 Commissions of New Piano Music by Virtuoso Pianists ............................................. 58 Chapter Three – Works from 1980 to 2000 ...................................................................... 60 Cambewarra (1980) by David Lumsdaine (1931 - ) ................................................ 62 Kumari (1983) by Ross Edwards (1943 - ) ............................................................... 74 Mountains (1982) by Peter Sculthorpe (1929 - ) ...................................................... 83 Eight Bagatelles (1992) by Keith Humble (1927 - 1995) ......................................... 91 Four Bagatelles (1994) by Ann Ghandar (1943 - ) ................................................ 109 Concluding Comments to Chapter 3 ........................................................................... 125 Chapter Four – Works written between 1994 and 2010 ................................................. 128 Fas/Nefas for solo piano (2001) by Jane Stanley (1976 - ) .................................... 128 Fas........................................................................................................................... 139 Nefarious Dance ..................................................................................................... 147 Alba (1994) by Tim Dargaville (1962 - ) ................................................................ 153 Five Bagatelles (1994) by Carl Vine (1954 - ) ....................................................... 171 Third Piano Sonata (2007) by Carl Vine (1954 - ) ................................................. 183 6 Abraço (2000) by Gerard Brophy (1953 - ) ............................................................ 196 Concluding Comments to Chapter 4 ........................................................................... 206 Chapter Five – Summary and conclusions.....................................................................