Composition Commons^™

The Early String Chamber Music Of Agnes Zimmermann, Miranda Dyskin

Theses : Honours

This dissertation focusses on the early string chamber music of German-English composer and pianist Agnes Zimmermann (1847-1925), written whilst she was a student at the Royal Academy of Music in London. Whilst almost unknown today, Zimmermann was one of the finest pianists of the late[1]Nineteenth Century, appearing throughout Europe both as a concerto soloist and as a distinguished chamber music collaborator. She was also an accomplished composer, writing piano pieces, songs, music for the church and, especially, chamber music. Her models were the great Germanic figures of the Nineteenth Century, especially Beethoven, Schubert, Mendelssohn and Brahms.

This dissertation examines two …

Producing ‘Bedroom Pop’ Music: A Compositional Project That Employs Production And Compositional Techniques Identified Through Analysis Of Select Chelsea Cutler Songs, Anna Therese Dabbs

Theses : Honours

This study explores key production and compositional techniques in popular music, specifically within the genre of ‘bedroom pop,’ focusing on the distinctive style of artist and producer Chelsea Cutler. The aim of this project was to compose an entirely new work grounded in existing genre structures and shaped by Cutler’s unique approach. To achieve this, available literature on popular music production and composition, specifically ‘bedroom pop’, was reviewed to identify common processes and techniques. A listening analysis featuring five of Cutler’s songs was conducted to establish her unique production and compositional style, with findings applied in an original song, ‘You …

Developing A Music Composition Practice: Exploring The Choreography Of Cymatics, Joshua Jervis

Theses : Honours

Cymatics is an area of physics popularised by Hans Jenny that observes the influence of sound but more simply vibration on physical matter. When sound is directly applied to a substance, for example, water, the vibrations create kaleidoscopic movement within the medium. Specific variables primarily of pitch, container size, and water volume contribute to creating a variety of geometric shapes. Without sound cymatics does not exist and is, therefore, a visual characteristic of sound itself.

With an investigation into the behaviour and application of cymatics, this research uses the findings of an investigation to develop a ‘choreographical’ language that can …

Exploring A Compositional Practice Through The Lens Of The Butterfly Lovers Violin Concerto, Jie Hong Yang

Theses : Honours

Asian music was an important influence upon some Western composers such as Claude Debussy, Giacomo Puccini, Maurice Ravel, Henry Cowell, Oliver Messiaen, John Cage and Lou Harrison. Since the 1960s, Australian composers such as Peter Sculthorpe, Anne Boyd, Richard Meale, and Julian Yu have similarly been influenced by music of Asia. In 2007, Chou Wen-chung wrote about today’s commercially oriented ‘world music’ environment, and addressed the need for Chinese composers to provide more meaningful contribution to the musical culture by writing music informed by knowledge drawn from their cultural heritage. As an Australian born Chinese composer, this exegesis was an …

Exploring And Reapplying Wayne Krantz’S Method Of Constructing The Album Greenwich Mean, Christian A. Meares

Theses : Honours

Praised for his non-traditional approach to improvised music, his idiosyncratic chordal voicings and strong sense of time, Wayne Krantz has become a touchstone in modern jazz and a unique voice on the guitar. In 1999, Krantz self-released Greenwich Mean, an album comprising of small vignettes spliced together from a year’s worth of recorded live improvisation from his weekly residency gig at the esteemed 55 Bar in New York’s Greenwich Village. This album marks a fundamental shift in Krantz’s approach to composition from through-composed works to smaller, novel arrangements with a strong emphasis on group improvisation.

Using a practice-led research …

The Performer-Composer: A Reimagined Career Pathway For The Modern-Day Saxophonist, Jazmin Ealden

Theses : Honours

The ambiguity of the twenty-first century classical musician career pathway has resulted in a change of professional traditions and opportunities for musicians both within Australia and internationally. The literature discussing the portfolio career model of musicians demonstrates a clear place for this career in the current music industry; one such pathway is that of the performercomposer musician. The aim of this research project was to explore the career pathways of three performer-composer saxophonists. Specifically, this study aimed to identify the change and development of traditional composer-performer roles, explore the fluidity in the spectrum of composer and performer led creative outputs, …

Exploring The Mediality Of Live And Studio Composition: The Case Of Computer Music, And Its Implications In “Ambivalence Of Density”, Michael Terren

Theses : Honours

This dissertation attempts to apply the communications theory concept of “mediality,” as described by Jonathan Sterne, to the context of music composition for different mediums, namely the media of the live performance and the studio work (the recording, the concrete work). Mediality denotes the complex “web of practice and reference” between different media—how we interact with and perceive media, and how this affects the content of the medium. The mediality of live and studio composition is posited as cross-referential, non-hierarchical and non-dichotomous—a relationship of “dependence and imbrication” rather than antagonistic binaries.

I investigate the mediality of live and studio composition …

Explorations In Double-Stops: Three New Pieces For Expanding The Role Of The Double Bass In The Jazz Ensemble, Ashley De Neef

Theses : Honours

This dissertation investigates the potential for using double-stops - the sounding of two or more simultaneous notes - as a means for extending the traditional role of the double bass, within compositions for a small jazz ensemble. It is the contention of this dissertation that it is possible to use double-stops to perform a more advanced function within the jazz ensemble, without compromising the double bass’ primary harmonic and rhythmic duties.

A historical overview of the history of the double bass within western classical and jazz music will be provided, as to outline and define what the double bass’ role …

Joe Henderson's Harmonic Approach To Improvisation Within The Duo Setting In His 1992 Quintet Album, Lush Life: The Music Of Billy Strayhorn, Patrick Van Der Moezel

Theses : Honours

Jazz improvisation can be greatly influenced by the combination of instrumentation, influencing the role of the instruments and the way they relate to each other. Notably, the stripped-back nature of the duo emphasises these differences. Musicians such as Sonny Rollins, Stan Getz and Joe Henderson are three of many saxophonists who have employed this particular combination to explore different ways of improvisation.

This paper will draw on Joe Henderson’s 1992 album Lush Life: The Music of Billy Strayhorn, which uses the duo setting on three tracks. Each of these three tracks has a slightly different combination (saxophone with bass, with …

Exploring The Multi-Generational Influence Of American Ragtime Music Through The Works Of Charles Ives, William Walton And William Bolcom, Rebecca E. Smith

Theses : Honours

Ragtime music is a style of popular music established in America that came to prominence between the years of 1896 and 1918. It is believed to have its roots in Blackface minstrel shows, it's defining feature, the heavily syncopated rhythm, quickly becoming a stereotype of African-American music. This thesis will explore the multi-generational influence of American Ragtime music on the art-music world through the works of Charles Ives (1874-1954), William Walton (1902-1983), and William Bolcom (1938-). It will timeline the undulating influence of Ragtime music on these subsequent generations of composers, noting in particular the revivals of the 1940's and …

An Interactive Music System Based On The Technology Of The Reactable, James Herrington

Theses : Honours

The purpose of this dissertation is to investigate and document a research project undertaken in the designing, constructing and performing of an interactive music system. The project involved building a multi-user electro-acoustic music instrument with a tangible user interface, based on the technology of the reacTable. The main concept of the instrument was to integrate the ideas of 1) interpreting gestural movement into music, 2) multi-touch/multi-user technology, and 3) the exploration of timbre in computer music. The dissertation discusses the definition, basics and essentials of interactive music systems and examines the past history and key features of the three …

The Analysis Of Composition Techniques In Utp_: Synthetic Composition For Electroacoustic Ensembles, Kynan Tan

Theses : Honours

This thesis attempts to analyse and describe a number of spectrally oriented composition techniques for composing music for electroacoustic ensemble. These techniques aim to achieve a synthetic approach to combining electronic and acoustic sound sources in live performance. To achieve this, an in-depth analysis of utp_ (2008) by Alva Noto and Ryuichi Sakamoto in collaboration with Ensemble Modern is conducted. utp_ utilises a large acoustic ensemble, live electronic processing, prerecorded electronic sound and video projections in performance. The discussion also queries the possible problems of electroacoustic performance, and examines ways to resolve the most prevalent issues. This involves a discussion …

Kenny Wheeler: Melody, Harmony And Structure : An Analysis Of The Melodic, Harmonic And Structural Techniques In The Compositions Of Kenny Wheeler, And The Implementation Of Those Techniques Into The Authors Own Creative Process, Alice Humphries

Theses : Honours

Kenny Wheeler is a Canadian born trumpeter and composer who has gained the respect and admiration of musicians and critics alike for his distinct and beautiful compositions. Despite this acclaim, am extensive search of relevant literature has revealed very little academic study of his compositional technique. Through an analysis of the melodic, harmonic and structural techniques evident in selected compositions by Kenny Wheeler, this dissertation offers insight into what gives Wheeler's music its distinct sound. The influence of these techniques on the author's own creative work is discussed through an exegesis. The dissertation consists of three chapters. The first chapter …

New Indeterminate Music: The Influence Of The Cagean Trajectory In The Importance Of Being Earmarked, Brett Philip Murray

Theses : Honours

This paper explores the influence of John Cage (1912-1992) on contemporary experimental music focusing on the indeterminate work The Importance of Being Earmarked (2008). Firstly through an investigation of selected works from Cage (written between the 1930s- 1960's) and the concepts that form a Cagean trajectory, and secondly by showing how a contemporary composer has adopted this trajectory in the composition of a new work that combines sound-installation, theatre, and Max/MSP programming.

Electronic Music Compositional Techniques In Instrumental Music: A Study Of Effect In Helmut Lachenmann's 'Pression', Lisa James

Theses : Honours

The ability of new technologies of the early twentieth century to record, copy and manipulate music has permanently changed many of the basic conceptions of musical structure that have held true for centuries. With the development of musique concrete in France (1948) and elektronische musik in Germany (1951), traditional compositional elements of classical music such as melody, harmony and rhythm, which had survived even the drastic revolutions of the serial composers, began to take a secondary role to new structural and developmental techniques. Although there have been many technological and musical advances in the field of electronic music since these …

Redefining Electro-Acoustic: Applying Techniques From Electronic Music To The Composition Of Pivot, An Acoustic Work For Percussion Quartet, Joe Stawarz

Theses : Honours

There are a number of characteristics that distinguish acoustic and electronic music. The most apparent difference is the nature of their sound sources, but there is also substantial variation in the compositional process and in the techniques available to composers of each medium. The history electronic music extends from two traditions: Western Ali Music and popular music. During the 20th Century, composers and popular musicians alike took advantage of the many advances in electronic equipment technology to create new styles of music. The development of electronic instruments and recording equipment offered new sounds and provided new methods for the creation …

Transforming Messiaen : The Application Of Elements Of The Musical Language Of Olivier Messiaen To The Contemporary Jazz Orchestra, Johannes Luebbers

Theses : Honours

The music of Olivier Messiaen is a unique and interesting contribution to the canon of 20^th Century art music, but one that has received little attention from the jazz world. Through a detailed study of his music, this dissertation aims to gain a deeper understanding of Messiaen's musical language and investigate the possibilities of applying that language within the jazz idiom. In addition to a discussion of Messiaen and his music, a detailed analysis of the author's own composition for pipe organ and jazz orchestra, Auguries of Innocence, will explore the results of this application. The complete scores and …

Bob Brookmeyer: Composer, Performer, Pedagogue, Mace Francis

Theses : Honours

Before my California stay (1968-1978) I considered myself a player first and a writer second, although I did a lot of writing, from Ray Charles to Thad [Jones] and Mel [Lewis].1 Since 1979 I have come to view myself as a composer who also plays trombone; add conducting and teaching and that gives me 4 hats to wear. I do not have a swollen head, so they all fit nicely. (Brookmeyer, 1997, n.p.)

Although acknowledged as one of the pivotal figures in twentieth-century jazz, the career and the music of Bob Brookmeyer has received scant attention in secondary literature. This …

New Method Of Rhythmic Improvisation For The Jazz Bassist : An Interdisciplinary Study Of Dave Holland's Rhythmic Approach To Bass Improvisation And North Indian Rhythmic Patterns, Linda M. Oh

Theses : Honours

The focus of this honours dissertation is rhythm in jazz-bass improvisation. It is an exploration of the rhythmic devices employed by cutting-edge bassist, Dave Holland (b. 1946). Through transcription and analysis of Holland's improvisation over a selection of compositions recorded by the award-winning Dave Holland Quintet, this study isolates the key rhythmic tools he uses to create engaging solos. Furthermore this study examines rhythmic concepts from North Indian Classical music (a primary influence on Holland) through transcription and analysis of rhythm in certain tabla compositions. Consequently, a synthesis of the explored rhythmic devices is presented in the form of an …

"Everything I'Ve Listened To With Love" : A Study Of Guitarist Wolfgang Muthspiel And His Integration Of Classical Music Elements Into Jazz, Johanne Druitt

Theses : Honours

No abstract provided.

Algorithmic Composition In Contrasting Musical Styles, Tristan Mcauley

Theses : Honours

The aim of this project is to create software that will give non-musical people the ability to compose convincingly 'real' music in specific musical genres. By 'real' music we mean music which is not obviously "machine generated", recognisable as being of the selected genre, of an aesthetically pleasing quality (a very subjective concept) and usable in a commercial context. To achieve this goal various computational techniques are used including genetic algorithms and finite state automata. The process involves an original, top down approach and a bottom up approach based on previous studies. A novel, skeletal structure is formed to depict …