Arts and Humanities Commons^™

Breakdown: Vol 1: Text And Music, A Survey Of Methodology And Process, Vol 2: In Full Score., Andrew Synnott

Doctoral

The work presented here is in two parts. The first part is an opera composed to a libretto by the Irish playwright, John Breen. This opera is in three acts and concerns the performance of four famous performance art pieces; Rhythm 0 by Marina Abramović, Breakdown by Michael Landy, Velocity Piece by Barry La Va and How To Explain Pictures To a Dead Hare by Joseph Beuys. These art works are presented as the action of the opera and happen concurrently on the stage during the first two acts. The third act reflects on the action of acts one and …

Frederick May Songs, Mark Fitzgerald

Compositions/Arrangements

This volume gathers together Frederick May's surviving songs in a new performing edition with a commentary by the editor. Individual string parts for the Four Romantic Songs are available from the editor.

The Preservation Of Subjectivity Through Form: The Radical Restructuring Of Disintegrated Material In The Music Of Gerald Barry, Kevin Volans And Raymond Deane., Adrian Smith

Doctoral

This thesis examines Adorno’s concept of ‘disintegrated musical material’ and applies it to the work of the Irish composers Raymond Deane (b. 1953), Gerald Barry (b. 1952) and Kevin Volans (b. 1949). Although all three of these composers have expressed firm commitments to the ideal of creating new and radical works, much of the material in their music is composed of elements abstracted from the tonal past. This feature of their work would seem contrary to the views of Adorno, who is commonly seen as advocating progressive composition using only the most advanced means. This view comes across most strongly …

On Constructing A Sonic Gangbang: System And Subversion In Gerald Barry’S Chevaux-De-Frise, Mark Fitzgerald

Articles

This paper examines Chevaux-de-frise by Gerald Barry. The work is from a transitional period in Barry's work forming a bridge between the work of the 1980s (most notably The Intelligence Park) and the more polyphonic work of the 1990s. The paper describes Barry's use of canonic devices and his manipulation of found material before making some brief links to later works from Barry's output.

Pierrots Fâchés Avec La Lune: Debussy, Fauré And Ravel During World War 1, Arun Rao

Dissertations

This dissertation proposes to consider the music of French composers Claude Debussy, Gabriel Fauré and Maurice Ravel written during the Great War, under tremendous professional, personal and cultural pressures. These pressures are examined largely through these composers’ correspondence and the writings of contemporary critics, composers and artists in the first two chapters; a selection of their output from the war years, in particular their piano works and their chamber music, is the subject of the third chapter. The aim of the dissertation is to reveal certain aspirations common to all three, aspirations that were motivated, dictated even, by the political …

The Influence Of Plainchant On French Organ Music After The Revolution, David Connolly

Doctoral

The period after the 1789 French Revolution was one of turbulence, musically, socially, culturally and politically. The violence against both people and property meant that the nineteenth century was a time of renewal and regrowth. At all times this was uncertain as numerous political upheavals took place as the French attempted to define their future direction. As with all aspects of culture, organ music experienced a slow regrowth over the course of the long nineteenth century, perhaps being at a particular disadvantage due to its role in the church, an institution which also went through a period of difficulty from …

Redesigning A Performance Practice: Synergising Woodwind Improvisation With Bespoke Software Technology., Seán Mac Erlaine

Doctoral

This research examines how the designing of a new performance practice based on the incorporation of custom digital signal processing software impacts on solo improvised woodwind performance. Through the development of bespoke software, I investigate how these new technologies can be integrated into solo woodwind performance practice. This research presents a new improvised music practice as well as a suite of new software tools and performance techniques. Through a workshop and performance-­‐based research process, a suite of software processors are developed which respond, and are complementary, to a personalised style of improvised performance. This electronic augmentation of the woodwind instrument …

In Search Of The Original "Skewball", Seán Ó Cadhla

Articles

The well-known horseracing ballad ‘Skewball’ has been widely documented in oral tradition on both sides of the Atlantic, as well as on numerous English broadside printings. It recounts the tale of a mid-eighteenth-century horserace held at The Curragh of Kildare, in which a heavily-backed mare is comprehensively beaten by a relatively unknown skewbald gelding leaving the mare’s owner — along with much of the assembled onlookers — significantly out of pocket. The ballad became widely popularised in North America where it was first published in a song book in 1826 (Benton 1826:3-4). It was later subsumed into African-American song tradition, …

Gerald Barry, Mark Fitzgerald

Books/Book Chapters

Gerald Barry (b 1952) Biography, List of Compositions, Bibliography

Horses For Discourses?: The Transition From Oral To Broadside Narrative In “Skewball”, Seán Ó Cadhla

Articles

The well-known horse-racing ballad ‘Skewball’ (hereafter, SB) has a well-established oral tradition in Ireland, with versions documented throughout the eighteenth-,nineteenth- and twentieth-centuries. The latest is a 1979 field-recording of Derry folksinger and storyteller, Eddie Butcher (Shields 2011:58-9). The ballad was also assimilated into African-American oral tradition, in which it was reconstructed and renamed ‘Stewball’ (Scarborough 1925:61-4; Lomax 1994:68-71), and was still being documented in American folk tradition as late as the 1930s (Flanders 1939:172-4). In common with countless other folk songs, SB was appropriated by broadside printers and subsequently enjoyed widespread public appeal throughout England in the early- to …

New Tools In Improvised Music Performance., Seán Mac Erlaine

Articles

This paper looks at the synthesis of computer technology and instrumental practice in improvised music performance. The emerging field of performers who use real-time signal processing as a technological extension of their instrument is discussed. How do new tools affect musical practice? Does the use of computers impose an associated aesthetic?

A number of key players are scrutinised including Evan Parker, La Monte Young, Terry Riley, Jon Hassell, Miles Davis, Pauline Oliveros, David Behrman. The research provides a historical context to these practices and explores how pre- and post-digital technologies have shaped their work.

This article identifies an innovative and …

Encyclopedia Of Music In Ireland: Siobhán Cleary, Adrian Smith

Articles

Encyclopedia of Music in Ireland entry on the Irish composer Siobhán Cleary

Encyclopedia Of Music In Ireland: Michael Holohan, Adrian Smith

Articles

Encyclopedia of Music in Ireland entry on the Irish composer Michael Holohan

Encyclopedia Of Music In Ireland: John Mclachlan, Adrian Smith

Articles

Encyclopedia of Music in Ireland entry on the Irish composer John McLachlan

Encyclopedia Of Music In Ireland: Crash Ensemble, Adrian Smith

Articles

Encyclopedia of Music in Ireland entry on the Crash Ensemble

Encyclopedia Of Music In Ireland: Deirdre Gribbin, Adrian Smith

Articles

Encyclopedia of Music in Ireland entry on the Irish composer Deirdre Gribbin

Tunepal: Searching A Digital Library Of Traditional Music Scores, Bryan Duggan, Brendan O'Shea

Reports

Purpose – This paper aims to describe the Tunepal project as an example of a music information retrieval (MIR) system that is having an impact on how musicians access, learn and play traditional Irish music around the world. Design/methodology/approach – This paper describes the functionality of the Tunepal system: consisting of the tune corpus, the web site tunepal.org and mobile apps supporting iOS and Android OS. Tunepal facilitates query-by-title and query-by-playing music (QBP) searches and allows a musician to retrieve and playback scores amongst other supported functions. Findings – Tunepal has been favorably received and musicians report that the system …

Encyclopedia Of Music In Ireland: Rob Canning, Adrian Smith

Articles

Encyclopedia of Music in Ireland entry on the Irish composer Rob Canning

Encyclopedia Of Music In Ireland: Kevin Volans, Adrian Smith

Articles

Encyclopedia of Music in Ireland entry on Kevin Volans

Encyclopedia Of Music In Ireland: Jonathan Nangle, Adrian Smith

Articles

Encyclopedia of Music in Ireland entry on the Irish composer Jonathan Nangle

Encyclopedia Of Music In Ireland: Point Theatre, Adrian Smith

Articles

Encyclopedia of Music in Ireland entry on the Point Theatre

Encyclopedia Of Music In Ireland: Royal Hospital Kilmainham, Adrian Smith

Articles

Encyclopedia of Music in Ireland entry on the Royal Hospital Kilmainham

Encyclopedia Of Music In Ireland: Gráinne Mulvey, Adrian Smith

Articles

Encyclopedia of Music in Ireland entry on the Irish composer Gráinne Mulvey

Poldowski Rediscovered, David Mooney

Articles

This is a brief magazine article, commissioned to celebrate the 75th anniversary of the death of Poldowski. It contains a biographical sketch and a description of compositions.

The Harper's Legacy: National Airs And Pianoforte Music., Una Hunt

Articles

No abstract provided.

Microtonality As An Expressive Device: An 
Approach
 For 
The 
Contemporary 
Saxophonist, Seán Mac Erlaine

Dissertations

This dissertation provides a critical examination of the use of microtonality as an expressive tool for the improvising saxophonist and offers a new method for quarter-tone production drawing on cultural references from European art music, Arabic Maqam and Contemporary Jazz. The thesis is underpinned by an historical, musicological analysis of tuning systems and theory necessary for the performer of microtonal music. The dissertation is presented in three chapters. In Chapter One, a discussion of tuning theory and a history of temperament systems contextualises the current uses of equal temperament and extensions of it including the quarter-tone tempered system. Chapter Two …

Unity Through Duality: An Exploration Of Paradox In Olivier Messiaen's Vingt Regards Sur L'Enfant-Jesus Vol Ii, Deirdre Hatch

Dissertations

Contemplation de l'Ellfant-Dieu de la creche et ReBards qui se posent sur lui : depuis le Regard indicible de Dieu le Pere jusqu'au Regard multiple de l'Kglise d'amour, en passant par le Regard inoui tie l'Esprit de joie, par le Regard si tendre de la Vierge, p'uis des Anges, des Mages et des creatures im'.naterieUes ou symboliques (le Temps, les Hauteurs, re Stlence, l'Etoile, la Croix). L'Etoile et la Croi:c ontle m!me theme parce que l'une ouvre etl'autre ferme la periode terre!\lre de Jesus. Le theme de Dieu se retrouve evidemment dans les "Regards du Pere", "du FiIs" et "de …

Unity Through Duality: An Exploration Of Paradox In Olivier Messiaen's Vingt Regards Sur L'Enfant-Jesus Vol. I, Deirdre Hatch

Dissertations

Olivier Messiaen is one of the major musical figures of the twentieth century. His music draws on a diverse set of influences, yet always remains unique and entirely his own. His unwavering religious beliefs constitute the source of inspiration behind most of his music. Vingt Regards sur ['Enfant-Jesus for solo piano was composed in 1944. It forms a powerful and personal musical statement concerning one of the central mysteries of the Catholic faith, the Incarnation. As such, it is an important work within Messiaen's output. Its musical language and spiritual message are typical ofMessiaen's style.