The Aqueduct

A chamber opera in three acts, The Aqueduct weaves together the enthralling sounds of Middle Eastern musical traditions, western art music and jazz to underscore the human side of the Israel-Palestine conflict. Talia is a middle-class Jew from Melbourne who has grown up with an idealistic view of Israel as her true home; 'the land of milk and honey'. Amal, a Palestinian Muslim is a single mother who lives with her young children in a squalid settlement just outside Israeli borders. The two women meet at the Aqueduct, a tourist attraction built under the 'old city' of Jerusalem during Roman times. They connect instantly, but can they rise above personal tragedy, cultural differences and bigotry

Combining Formal and Informal Approaches to Meet the Challenges of Teaching Music Performance in a Contemporary, Tertiary, Online Environment

Reflecting global trends, music in tertiary institutions in Australia has been in a state of flux for many years. Increasing diversity and numbers of students along with a widening of genres studied and changes to the regulatory environment, have all contributed to this situation. Evolving industry needs and standards indicate students require an increasingly flexible skill base. Furthermore, financial constraints and online learning platforms are changing the way performance in music is taught. In this context, the traditional western individual lesson model of teaching has become less normative, and is increasingly being replaced with a combination of informal learning processes. This article examines the ongoing review and renovation of performance curricula by the University of New England (UNE) in Armidale, New South Wales, Australia in response to the nationwide introduction of central, industry-specific Threshold Learning Outcomes (TLOs) for the Creative and Performing Arts, developed by government, as part of a raft of regulatory approaches similarly applied to other discipline sectors. At the University of New England, informal learning processes are being identified and developed as objectives for the Bachelor of Music to generate dynamic learning in music which is 'practice-led' or informed by professional practices. The combination of informal and formal approaches to teaching is an effective strategy for meeting threshold learning outcomes in a contemporary, tertiary, online environment. Focusing on the performance units within the Bachelor of Music at UNE, this paper examines the way informal and formal processes work together to produce a 'scaffolded learning environment' - one which provides support for students, enabling them to build on prior knowledge and internalise central concepts

Nozart: for two horns in F

Noz-art is a duet for horns. As a contemporary art music composition, it explores synergies between contemporary horn techniques and attributes of middle eastern music

The Aqueduct : investigating an intercultural synergy between Western, Arab and Jewish musical traditions in the composition of a chamber opera

In The Aqueduct, aspects of Arab, Jewish, jazz and Western art music represent themes of identity, cultural diversity and difference within a chamber opera setting. By bringing to light the spaces where stylistic or conceptual borders and meeting places may be found, the music in The Aqueduct becomes a metaphor for the central theme of the libretto – that preconceived notions of cultural difference must be challenged. Through a confluence of musical references, The Aqueduct negotiates a paradox: while music might exploit recognisable styles and genres based on preconceived notions, the individual interpretation of these elements can ensure a break-down of assumptions of how ethnicity is represented by music. Musical references are invoked to represent the ethnic, emotional and conceptual barriers faced by the characters, however materials and techniques are reshaped as a metaphor for challenging assumptions of identity and difference, disassociating but not necessarily masking cultural origins. The music also mediates between the central and surrounding characters and draws upon a variety of concepts and elements such as tarab, a tool used in traditional Arab music for enhancing dramatic effect. Integration of these musical elements, including the Arab maqāmāt, iqa’at and Jewish klezmer ornaments, with Western techniques suggests that it is necessary for identity to be constantly redefined and for difference to be transcended before peace can be achieved

Divine Art: Three Musicians Reveal the Nature of the Profession in Early Twentieth-Century Australia

Review of Brennan Keats 'A Poet's Composer: The Biography of Horace Keats, 1895-1945' Wollongong, NSW: Wirripang, 2011, xiv, 246 pp. and 2 audio CDs ISBN 978 1 87682922 3, Lynne Douglas 'The Golden Age: Clive Douglas, Composer, Conductor' Wollongong, NSW: Wirripang, 2011, ii, 51 pp. and audio CD ISBN 978 1 87682921 6, and Patrick Thomas 'Upbeats and Downbeats: A Conductor's Life' Wollongong, NSW: Wirripang, 2010, x, 267 pp. ISBN 978 1 87682920 9. "Music is a divine art, but a dirty business" (George Bizet), muses Patrick Thomas in his autobiography 'Upbeats and Downbeats' (p. 180). There is a touch of bitterness in his recollections, born from the frustration of setbacks, rejection and bureaucratic insult he endures. This underlying theme is reflected in 'A Poet's Composer' and 'The Golden Age' biographies of composers Horace Keats and Clive Douglas, which were written by their children Brennan Keats and Lynne Douglas, respectively. The latter two books include representative CDs of compositions, and all three contain worthwhile general information about musical life for players, composers and conductors in Australia from 1917 to recent times. They present, almost as a subtext, history of the Australian Broadcasting Commission, later the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, as the careers of all three men were inextricably linked with 'Aunty' (the ABC). While strong in their portrayal of the musician's dilemma, the books are, however, also united in their depiction of largely self-taught, highly motivated and dedicated Australians who leave valuable legacies to the nation

Review of Rosalind Appleby 'Women of Note: The Rise of Australian Women Composers' Freemantle, Western Australia: Freemantle Press, 2012, 184 pp. ISBN 978 1 928 88762 (hardback)

As the title suggests, 'Women of Note: The Rise of Australian Women Composers' provides a sumptuous feast of facts, anecdotes, struggles and biographical information pertaining to selected women composers. However, it might have been more aptly named the 'Quiet Achievers: The Increasing Numbers of Australian Women Composers'. While not so catchy, it comes closer to the underlying narrative that tells the story of an ever-increasing number of women choosing composition as a career, without the corresponding exposure enjoyed by their male colleagues. Appleby provides a list of suggested listening, although an accompanying CD would have been a tremendous addition to the book. She points out that she approached the book with a "double focus on the music and the person" (p. 6). This focus, however, is on musical description, not analysis. If readers are looking for scholarly analysis they will be disappointed; nevertheless, it makes an excellent starting point for anyone interested in exploring the music of Australian women composers. The descriptions are detailed enough to direct the astute reader to the artists they may wish to pursue in greater musical detail

Turing and the Innovative use of Reverb in the film score of 'Blade Runner'

In 1982 composer Evangelos Odysseas Papathanassiou (Vangelis) generated a vast spacial distance in his soundtrack to Ridley Scott's science fiction film Blade Runner by running his instruments through the first commercially available digital reverberation sound processor (the Lexicon 224). By using digital reverb to add depth and space to his instrumentation, he generated a rich musical milieu to complement the film's futuristic cityscapes, and redefined meanings associated with a reverb in music. The process by which reverberation algorithms were applied to an audio input signal was enabled by Alan Turing's digital computer outlined in 1936. Just as the Turing machine proved a harbinger of the digital age, Vangelis was a pioneer user of digital delay, which he helped to make famous in his soundtrack to Blade Runner. His use of digital signal processing and delay processes that imitate analogue audio signals and natural reverberation, parallels Blade Runner's narrative, which explores the replication of human behaviour in bio-machines or Replicants. Vangelis achieves this with a multi operational process of composition that relies on a highly interactive, creative spontaneity more than a clearly defined or imitable structure

860: A Poem by Emily Dickinson: for soprano, vibraphone and piano

'860' is a contemporary setting of Emily Dickinson's poem (number 860). Themes of love, loss and anguish are represented with colourful modal harmonies and rhythmic phasing

A Study of the Critical Reception and the Dissemination of Luciano Berio's Works

This thesis focuses on the critical reception and the dissemination of Luciano Berio's works in North America, the United Kingdom and Australia. The ongoing performances and recordings of Berio's music rely on public interest. This study investigates the critical reception of Berio's music in order to differentiate the composer's accessible works from those that the public and music promoters shun. I evaluate the critical reception of Berio's music within the parameters of psychological, cultural and sociological theories to provide an insight as to why some works will have continuing performances within the commercial arena. Conversely, I examine Berio's and other modernist composers' attitudes towards their listening and purchasing audiences. I also discuss Berio's perceptions of the press and whether the composer felt misrepresented or misunderstood by critics. Audiences attuned to tonal classical repertoire describe modernist music as ‘complex' and ‘difficult' for the listener. In turn, this becomes a major impediment to the promotion of modernist music via concert halls and recordings, as music promoters and entrepreneurs are unwilling to back performances that are unlikely to be financially viable. Yet some modernist works have secured enduring popularity. This thesis addresses that divergence. The longevity of Berio's music within the public domain is also dependent on future musicians who continue to perform and record his works. Focusing on the composer's fourteen virtuosic Sequenzas, I examine the players' reception of these solo works. Another area of study in this thesis concerns the role of Cathy Berberian in enhancing the critical reception and the general reception of Berio's work in collaboration with the vocalist

Metaphor, Narrative and Musical Analysis: György Ligeti's Compositions from 'Atmosphéres' to His Second String Quartet

This study shows that understanding (appreciating) music can be enriched by formal analysis, as well as hermeneutical insight and experience. The motivation for such a study is derived from this author's experience as a former freelance professional musician and long-term music educator with an interest in research. The connections between analysis and hermeneutical insight have been so valuable over the years in exploring a multitude of traditions east and west, orchestral repertoires as a violist, medieval repertoires, and as an observer through rock and jazz. Whilst the main focus has been on education and viola playing, other experiences such as singing Gregorian chant and Ockeghem, playing sitar whilst working in India, teaching Javanese gamelan in the Netherlands, learning erhu and djembe have all been so enriching as experiences. Teaching year 12 students in Australia and some tertiary students in Indonesia were valuable in broadening this author's views on jazz and rock, traditional music and, interestingly, how non-western students perceive and relate to western musical traditions. This perspective has been emphasized by teaching in international schools in India, Indonesia, Singapore and the Netherlands, as well as 20 years of prior teaching in Australia. ... This study will examine the relationship between formalism and hermeneutics, using Ligeti's compositions from 'Atmosphéres' (1961) to the Second String Quartet (1968) as a case study. Each chapter heading will include the word 'balance', as balancing analysis with the personal and perceptual is the central theme of this study. Importantly, this study closely references Ligeti's analytical and personal statements bout his own music to better understand this balance