Royal Conservatoire of Scotlandhttps://hdl.handle.net/10023/47242024-03-29T11:01:38Z2024-03-29T11:01:38ZA portfolio of original compositions exploring relationships between humans and the natural environmentRobertson, Lisahttps://hdl.handle.net/10023/295322024-03-23T03:02:21Z2022-06-13T00:00:00ZThis submission comprises a portfolio of 18 original compositions exploring relationships between humans and the natural environment. This musical examination, coming from a personal perspective, is mainly rooted in the natural environment with which I have the deepest relationship: the West Highlands of Scotland.
A commentary outlines my musical language, where human sounds, including traditional music influences, interact with representations of natural sounds. It discusses how these interactions in the pieces illustrate and explore different human/ natural environment relationships. It details influences from my personal background and influential composers, including Hans Abrahamsen, Bent Sørensen and Igor Stravinsky, then explores each of the portfolio’s pieces in turn whilst examining each of eight sub-topics.
Bheanna for flute, clarinet, viola, violoncello and piano and Sanderling for string ensemble, consider the first sub-topic, appreciation of my local landscapes. the light through forest leaves for solo violoncello, Seabird Cities for chamber orchestra, Birds of Migration for SSA vocal ensemble and of a liminal nature for chamber orchestra explore emotions/ spirituality prompted by nature. leum fèidh for symphony orchestra and Can we not hear the birds that sing? for solo violin, examine humans damaging the environment. Deglaciation for violin and violoncello, The Arctic Rose for two pianos, flightless birds. for flute, oboe, clarinet and trombone and to tell it like it is. for SSAATTBB choir refer to climate change. Machair for string quartet, the inimitable brightness of the air for flute, viola and violoncello explore environmental threats to my local landscapes. Lichen for string quartet and Heartwood for solo clarinet examine environmental guilt. Right to Roam for clarinet, violoncello and piano looks at land ownership and The Wet Desert: a Collection of Highland Perspectives for flute, clarinet, percussion, piano, violin and violoncello considers the cultural significance of land, concluding the exploration of human/ natural environment relationships.
2022-06-13T00:00:00ZRobertson, LisaThis submission comprises a portfolio of 18 original compositions exploring relationships between humans and the natural environment. This musical examination, coming from a personal perspective, is mainly rooted in the natural environment with which I have the deepest relationship: the West Highlands of Scotland.
A commentary outlines my musical language, where human sounds, including traditional music influences, interact with representations of natural sounds. It discusses how these interactions in the pieces illustrate and explore different human/ natural environment relationships. It details influences from my personal background and influential composers, including Hans Abrahamsen, Bent Sørensen and Igor Stravinsky, then explores each of the portfolio’s pieces in turn whilst examining each of eight sub-topics.
Bheanna for flute, clarinet, viola, violoncello and piano and Sanderling for string ensemble, consider the first sub-topic, appreciation of my local landscapes. the light through forest leaves for solo violoncello, Seabird Cities for chamber orchestra, Birds of Migration for SSA vocal ensemble and of a liminal nature for chamber orchestra explore emotions/ spirituality prompted by nature. leum fèidh for symphony orchestra and Can we not hear the birds that sing? for solo violin, examine humans damaging the environment. Deglaciation for violin and violoncello, The Arctic Rose for two pianos, flightless birds. for flute, oboe, clarinet and trombone and to tell it like it is. for SSAATTBB choir refer to climate change. Machair for string quartet, the inimitable brightness of the air for flute, viola and violoncello explore environmental threats to my local landscapes. Lichen for string quartet and Heartwood for solo clarinet examine environmental guilt. Right to Roam for clarinet, violoncello and piano looks at land ownership and The Wet Desert: a Collection of Highland Perspectives for flute, clarinet, percussion, piano, violin and violoncello considers the cultural significance of land, concluding the exploration of human/ natural environment relationships.The composer is present : a creative exploration of the role of the composer within the workMackay, Shonahttps://hdl.handle.net/10023/294222024-03-05T10:30:43Z2019-06-24T00:00:00ZThis thesis comprises eight new works written between 2011 and 2018 which incorporate music, video and performance. These works are the result of a practice-as-research creative exploration which problematizes the traditional role of the composer by making the composer present within the work and its performance in a number of non-musical ways.
The commentary begins with a discussion of the personal background which led to this period of practice-based research, including the influences of John Berger’s 'Ways of Seeing', Jennifer Walshe’s 'The New Discipline', and the works of performance artists Carolee Schneemann, Adrian Howells and Marina Abramović. Each composition is then discussed in greater detail to highlight my creative process and reflective practice.
In order to foreground my journey through the research process, the works will be discussed in chronological order and are exhibited as a combination of musical scores, videos (including additional performance materials where applicable), and recordings which document their performance.
2019-06-24T00:00:00ZMackay, ShonaThis thesis comprises eight new works written between 2011 and 2018 which incorporate music, video and performance. These works are the result of a practice-as-research creative exploration which problematizes the traditional role of the composer by making the composer present within the work and its performance in a number of non-musical ways.
The commentary begins with a discussion of the personal background which led to this period of practice-based research, including the influences of John Berger’s 'Ways of Seeing', Jennifer Walshe’s 'The New Discipline', and the works of performance artists Carolee Schneemann, Adrian Howells and Marina Abramović. Each composition is then discussed in greater detail to highlight my creative process and reflective practice.
In order to foreground my journey through the research process, the works will be discussed in chronological order and are exhibited as a combination of musical scores, videos (including additional performance materials where applicable), and recordings which document their performance.You can't do that! A journey into vocal composition through an exploration of musical genres and the subversion of normsKlose, Katrinhttps://hdl.handle.net/10023/288862024-01-04T03:06:23Z2024-06-13T00:00:00ZThe composition of vocal parts and their relation to instrumentation poses several challenges to the composer. Linked to the issue is the question of how to deal with language. In this submission, I explore diverse vocal techniques ranging from traditional singing in manifold tonal or atonal contexts to the use of the human voice in modes such as speaking, screaming, shouting, whispering or whistling. This research develops ways to extend these techniques and to find an individual approach to singing in stage works.
I tread this path in a portfolio of ten works exploring the use of the voice in various instrumentations. Eight of these compositions are structured around an assortment of historically popular line-ups such as Kunstlied, Orchesterlied, Ensemblelied, a capella choir work or chamber opera. Later, I expanded the compilation and incorporated works with a less traditional setup such as a piano concerto, amalgamating genres by including singers in the ensemble, and a piece for solo voice and electronics. The influence of the orchestration on the use of the voice is also considered within the new works.
In each of the ten pieces, I approach the voice from a different angle and focus on a specific compositional parameter. This parametric approach allows me to change perspective and to adapt the applied vocal techniques according to the instrumentation and the characteristics of the underlying text. I aim to combine semantic immediacy and comprehensibility with the drawing of clear characters and atmospheres.
2024-06-13T00:00:00ZKlose, KatrinThe composition of vocal parts and their relation to instrumentation poses several challenges to the composer. Linked to the issue is the question of how to deal with language. In this submission, I explore diverse vocal techniques ranging from traditional singing in manifold tonal or atonal contexts to the use of the human voice in modes such as speaking, screaming, shouting, whispering or whistling. This research develops ways to extend these techniques and to find an individual approach to singing in stage works.
I tread this path in a portfolio of ten works exploring the use of the voice in various instrumentations. Eight of these compositions are structured around an assortment of historically popular line-ups such as Kunstlied, Orchesterlied, Ensemblelied, a capella choir work or chamber opera. Later, I expanded the compilation and incorporated works with a less traditional setup such as a piano concerto, amalgamating genres by including singers in the ensemble, and a piece for solo voice and electronics. The influence of the orchestration on the use of the voice is also considered within the new works.
In each of the ten pieces, I approach the voice from a different angle and focus on a specific compositional parameter. This parametric approach allows me to change perspective and to adapt the applied vocal techniques according to the instrumentation and the characteristics of the underlying text. I aim to combine semantic immediacy and comprehensibility with the drawing of clear characters and atmospheres.Portfolio of original compositionsCooper, Timothyhttps://hdl.handle.net/10023/281292023-09-26T10:40:38Z2023-06-12T00:00:00ZThis submission comprises six works made between 2015 and 2022 including:
Four concert works for instruments, voice, and electroacoustic resources that explore different relationships between the live musicians and the electroacoustic parts projected by loudspeakers. The process in making these works examines levels of engagement experienced by the performers, which was foregrounded through a collaborative composition process;
One interactive, kinetic sound installation exploring the engagement between the participants and the installation;
One site-responsive work, made in collaboration with Laura Bissell (writer), exploring engagement with place;
This critical commentary that outlines the creative process undertaken in the works, focussing on engagement, collaboration and my compositional practice which is rooted in the electroacoustic studio.
2023-06-12T00:00:00ZCooper, TimothyThis submission comprises six works made between 2015 and 2022 including:
Four concert works for instruments, voice, and electroacoustic resources that explore different relationships between the live musicians and the electroacoustic parts projected by loudspeakers. The process in making these works examines levels of engagement experienced by the performers, which was foregrounded through a collaborative composition process;
One interactive, kinetic sound installation exploring the engagement between the participants and the installation;
One site-responsive work, made in collaboration with Laura Bissell (writer), exploring engagement with place;
This critical commentary that outlines the creative process undertaken in the works, focussing on engagement, collaboration and my compositional practice which is rooted in the electroacoustic studio.Competitive Scottish bagpipe repertoire from 1947–2015 : convention, change, and innovationBova, Andrew Nicholashttps://hdl.handle.net/10023/279462023-07-13T02:02:19Z2020-12-02T00:00:00ZThis thesis examines the development of competitive Scottish bagpipe repertoire from 1947 through 2015, focusing on the concepts of convention, change, and innovation within the highest levels of light music competition. Research encompasses both solo and band competition, focusing on The Northern Meeting, The Argyllshire Gathering, The Glenfiddich Solo Piping Championships, The Uist and Barra Annual Invitational Piping Competition, and The World Pipe Band Championships. The inauguration of the modern iteration of The World Pipe Band Championships in 1947 serves as the starting point for this study. As a member of the communities in question, emic observation and reflexive exercises throughout the course of study have shaped my role as researcher and informed my own performance practice. Chapter three explores concepts fundamental to this thesis: tradition, convention, change, and innovation. Chapter four offers an introduction to repertoire data collection and the synthesis of quantitative data with interview evidence from key figures in the pipiing community. Chapters five, six, and seven explore the solo march, strathspey, and reel competition; the pipe band march, strathspey and reel competition; and the pipe band medley, respectively, focusing on the development of repertoire and community reflections on these competitions and the decision-making processes of competing pipers. Building on this analysis, chaper eight explores the concept of repertoire canons in competitive piping, both identifying areas where canons do and do not exist and listing the repertoire that comprises said canons. Chapter nine offers commentary on the organological development of the bagpipe within the specified time period, identified as having had a key impact on competitive practices through analysis of interview data. Finally, these findings are synthesised, identifying areas in which convention, change, and innovation have occurrred in competitive piping and the complex relationships that have influenced and driven the artform from 1947-2015.
2020-12-02T00:00:00ZBova, Andrew NicholasThis thesis examines the development of competitive Scottish bagpipe repertoire from 1947 through 2015, focusing on the concepts of convention, change, and innovation within the highest levels of light music competition. Research encompasses both solo and band competition, focusing on The Northern Meeting, The Argyllshire Gathering, The Glenfiddich Solo Piping Championships, The Uist and Barra Annual Invitational Piping Competition, and The World Pipe Band Championships. The inauguration of the modern iteration of The World Pipe Band Championships in 1947 serves as the starting point for this study. As a member of the communities in question, emic observation and reflexive exercises throughout the course of study have shaped my role as researcher and informed my own performance practice. Chapter three explores concepts fundamental to this thesis: tradition, convention, change, and innovation. Chapter four offers an introduction to repertoire data collection and the synthesis of quantitative data with interview evidence from key figures in the pipiing community. Chapters five, six, and seven explore the solo march, strathspey, and reel competition; the pipe band march, strathspey and reel competition; and the pipe band medley, respectively, focusing on the development of repertoire and community reflections on these competitions and the decision-making processes of competing pipers. Building on this analysis, chaper eight explores the concept of repertoire canons in competitive piping, both identifying areas where canons do and do not exist and listing the repertoire that comprises said canons. Chapter nine offers commentary on the organological development of the bagpipe within the specified time period, identified as having had a key impact on competitive practices through analysis of interview data. Finally, these findings are synthesised, identifying areas in which convention, change, and innovation have occurrred in competitive piping and the complex relationships that have influenced and driven the artform from 1947-2015.A critical investigation of self-determination theory in the context of a music conservatoire : basic needs satisfaction, autonomy support, and motivation of BMus and MMus Performance studentsStrehle, Ralphhttps://hdl.handle.net/10023/274872023-05-04T02:08:58Z2023-06-12T00:00:00ZThis thesis applies and critically examines Self-Determination Theory’s concepts of basic need satisfaction, autonomy support and motivational types in the context of a major UK music conservatoire.
The study is a mixed methods study with an explanatory, concurrent and independent design. The quantitative analysis involved a survey questionnaire, the qualitative analysis involved repertory grid interviews and follow-up interviews. Results of the quantitative analysis show overall medium basic need satisfaction, high autonomy support and high self-determined forms of motivation. There are no significant differences between departments, undergraduate and postgraduate students and between male and female students. Whilst the case study findings support the results with regard to basic needs satisfaction, in six of the nine case studies, aspects of performance environments emerged which are not autonomy supportive and led students to experience introjected avoidance motivation in the form of fear of failure and not living up to the perceived expectations of important others. This is particularly the case in performance classes, assessment situations and auditions. The discrepancy between findings on the domain and situation levels question SDT’s top-down model of motivation.
The qualitative case studies suggest that this institution’s concept of a proto-professional environment might in some instances contribute to the creation of ego-involving climates. Finally, SDT’s teleological outlook with its emphasis on self-actualization, reflected in the conservatoire’s drive for excellence, might itself be a source of stress. In the case studies this is evident in participants’ experience of pressure with regard to achieving integrated motivation.
SDT’s newer strand of Integrative Emotion Regulation (IER) and a pedagogical framework based on Acceptance and Commitment Coaching (ACC) are introduced as noteworthy recent developments which might go some way in alleviating the pressures experienced at music conservatoires by students and staff alike.
2023-06-12T00:00:00ZStrehle, RalphThis thesis applies and critically examines Self-Determination Theory’s concepts of basic need satisfaction, autonomy support and motivational types in the context of a major UK music conservatoire.
The study is a mixed methods study with an explanatory, concurrent and independent design. The quantitative analysis involved a survey questionnaire, the qualitative analysis involved repertory grid interviews and follow-up interviews. Results of the quantitative analysis show overall medium basic need satisfaction, high autonomy support and high self-determined forms of motivation. There are no significant differences between departments, undergraduate and postgraduate students and between male and female students. Whilst the case study findings support the results with regard to basic needs satisfaction, in six of the nine case studies, aspects of performance environments emerged which are not autonomy supportive and led students to experience introjected avoidance motivation in the form of fear of failure and not living up to the perceived expectations of important others. This is particularly the case in performance classes, assessment situations and auditions. The discrepancy between findings on the domain and situation levels question SDT’s top-down model of motivation.
The qualitative case studies suggest that this institution’s concept of a proto-professional environment might in some instances contribute to the creation of ego-involving climates. Finally, SDT’s teleological outlook with its emphasis on self-actualization, reflected in the conservatoire’s drive for excellence, might itself be a source of stress. In the case studies this is evident in participants’ experience of pressure with regard to achieving integrated motivation.
SDT’s newer strand of Integrative Emotion Regulation (IER) and a pedagogical framework based on Acceptance and Commitment Coaching (ACC) are introduced as noteworthy recent developments which might go some way in alleviating the pressures experienced at music conservatoires by students and staff alike.The use of videoconferencing and low-latency technologies for instrumental music teachingRedman, Benjamin Paulhttps://hdl.handle.net/10023/267782023-01-20T03:00:34Z2022-06-13T00:00:00ZVideoconferencing platforms have been used for a number of years in the UK and other countries to facilitate instrumental music lessons between remote parties. However, videoconferencing is typically not optimised for music performance which results in poor audio quality and musicians not being able to play together. Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, this led to some resistance to using the technology.
Low-latency technologies such as LoLa and JackTrip offer high-quality audio and facilitate synchronous musical interaction so that remote parties can play music together in real time. However, limited research has been conducted on how effective these technologies are when used for instrumental music teaching. This study aimed to address this gap through the following research questions:
• What changes in the quality of the interactions and the learning and teaching experience between face-to-face, standard videoconferencing, and low-latency environments?
• Are some elements of music instruction more or less effective in these different environments?
• What are the barriers to using these technologies in educational settings, and how can these be overcome?
I deployed a mixed methods concurrent nested design. My research was primarily qualitative and conducted through a series of small-scale trials, interviews, and autoethnographic studies, together with analysis of data from a larger set of LoLa trials in three European conservatoires, and a small-scale quantitative study. Participants included music teachers and students in Higher Education and school settings across a range of instrument types and musical genres.
Several themes emerged from a synthesis of the findings across the 17 studies, including: teachers’ attitudes became more favourable to the various technologies after trialling them; the visual element of technologies was important for musical cues and diagnosing technical and postural problems in students; each learning environment had its own advantages and disadvantages, but participants preferred the face-to-face environment.
My research makes an original contribution to literature by reporting findings showing that: playing together can form a significant element of face-to-face lessons, LoLa and JackTrip low-latency technologies improved musical interactions compared to standard videoconferencing platforms, LoLa can be used in conjunction with an institutional firewall, JackTrip can be used with multiple players on domestic internet connections.
I conclude that low-latency technologies have an important role in the future of music education by offering increased interaction between teachers and students from different institutions, and by offering new teaching and learning possibilities, including collaborative learning, and teaching through playing.
2022-06-13T00:00:00ZRedman, Benjamin PaulVideoconferencing platforms have been used for a number of years in the UK and other countries to facilitate instrumental music lessons between remote parties. However, videoconferencing is typically not optimised for music performance which results in poor audio quality and musicians not being able to play together. Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, this led to some resistance to using the technology.
Low-latency technologies such as LoLa and JackTrip offer high-quality audio and facilitate synchronous musical interaction so that remote parties can play music together in real time. However, limited research has been conducted on how effective these technologies are when used for instrumental music teaching. This study aimed to address this gap through the following research questions:
• What changes in the quality of the interactions and the learning and teaching experience between face-to-face, standard videoconferencing, and low-latency environments?
• Are some elements of music instruction more or less effective in these different environments?
• What are the barriers to using these technologies in educational settings, and how can these be overcome?
I deployed a mixed methods concurrent nested design. My research was primarily qualitative and conducted through a series of small-scale trials, interviews, and autoethnographic studies, together with analysis of data from a larger set of LoLa trials in three European conservatoires, and a small-scale quantitative study. Participants included music teachers and students in Higher Education and school settings across a range of instrument types and musical genres.
Several themes emerged from a synthesis of the findings across the 17 studies, including: teachers’ attitudes became more favourable to the various technologies after trialling them; the visual element of technologies was important for musical cues and diagnosing technical and postural problems in students; each learning environment had its own advantages and disadvantages, but participants preferred the face-to-face environment.
My research makes an original contribution to literature by reporting findings showing that: playing together can form a significant element of face-to-face lessons, LoLa and JackTrip low-latency technologies improved musical interactions compared to standard videoconferencing platforms, LoLa can be used in conjunction with an institutional firewall, JackTrip can be used with multiple players on domestic internet connections.
I conclude that low-latency technologies have an important role in the future of music education by offering increased interaction between teachers and students from different institutions, and by offering new teaching and learning possibilities, including collaborative learning, and teaching through playing.Choral blend: sound or sensation? : an interpretative phenomenological analysis of proto-professional singers’ perceptions of ensemble singingSlimings, James Leehttps://hdl.handle.net/10023/262922022-11-03T03:04:01Z2022-11-30T00:00:00Z‘Choral blend’ is ill defined in the literature surrounding ensemble singing. The phenomenon is
variously described as a noun, the aesthetic product of a choir singing; and as a verb, the technique of
singing associated with ensembles. With such wildly varying definitions, the use of this term in
rehearsals has become a topic of contention between singing teachers and ensemble directors. This
thesis takes a singer-centric approach to investigate the phenomenon of ensemble singing, with a
particular focus on ‘choral blend’.
Twelve proto-professional training singers with experience of expert ensemble singing were recorded
both individually and collectively during a rehearsal led by the researcher. These two auditory
perspectives were given as an interview stimulus for participants. Interview data was then analysed
using Interpretive Phenomenological Analysis. The use of close microphone techniques in ensemble
settings, and their use as auditory interview stimuli, are novel methodological techniques in IPA.
Key findings reveal the significance of familiarity in the building up of auditory images, and
expectancies as a way to describe the individual modifications needed in an ensemble. These two
concepts are drawn together through the Embodied Music Cognition paradigm, and blend as a
dynamic and ever-changing concept is advocated.
Community of Practice frameworks are proposed as a useful tool for describing the ensemble
experience of participants. These communities of practice are created afresh with each group in every
session they meet. Some elements of the joint repertoire that spans across experiences are discussed.
With these communities of practice being created by singers, the role of the conductor and the agency
of choral sound is also interrogated.
The sensation of an individual singing well in a choral group is attributed to their being in a flow state.
A discussion of how participants achieve flow in peak ensemble experience, and the prerequisites for
this state, form a major finding of this thesis. The conflation of blend technique with flow state is
interrogated.
While individual flow state is equated with blend the verb, the aesthetic object of the choir is equated
to blend the noun. This sensation of group flow can lead to an emergent choral instrument being cocreated
by singers during performance. This new choral instrument, greater than the sum of the parts
of the individual singers goes some way to explaining the physical sensation of being ‘within the choir’.
The word blend is used in many different contexts, and participants had an embodied knowledge of
that concept. This thesis argues that use of the word blend can be unhelpful in attempting to form a
particular aesthetic, and that acknowledging the agency of singers over the creation of the choral
sound is more likely to result in a peak ensemble experience for all stakeholders.
2022-11-30T00:00:00ZSlimings, James Lee‘Choral blend’ is ill defined in the literature surrounding ensemble singing. The phenomenon is
variously described as a noun, the aesthetic product of a choir singing; and as a verb, the technique of
singing associated with ensembles. With such wildly varying definitions, the use of this term in
rehearsals has become a topic of contention between singing teachers and ensemble directors. This
thesis takes a singer-centric approach to investigate the phenomenon of ensemble singing, with a
particular focus on ‘choral blend’.
Twelve proto-professional training singers with experience of expert ensemble singing were recorded
both individually and collectively during a rehearsal led by the researcher. These two auditory
perspectives were given as an interview stimulus for participants. Interview data was then analysed
using Interpretive Phenomenological Analysis. The use of close microphone techniques in ensemble
settings, and their use as auditory interview stimuli, are novel methodological techniques in IPA.
Key findings reveal the significance of familiarity in the building up of auditory images, and
expectancies as a way to describe the individual modifications needed in an ensemble. These two
concepts are drawn together through the Embodied Music Cognition paradigm, and blend as a
dynamic and ever-changing concept is advocated.
Community of Practice frameworks are proposed as a useful tool for describing the ensemble
experience of participants. These communities of practice are created afresh with each group in every
session they meet. Some elements of the joint repertoire that spans across experiences are discussed.
With these communities of practice being created by singers, the role of the conductor and the agency
of choral sound is also interrogated.
The sensation of an individual singing well in a choral group is attributed to their being in a flow state.
A discussion of how participants achieve flow in peak ensemble experience, and the prerequisites for
this state, form a major finding of this thesis. The conflation of blend technique with flow state is
interrogated.
While individual flow state is equated with blend the verb, the aesthetic object of the choir is equated
to blend the noun. This sensation of group flow can lead to an emergent choral instrument being cocreated
by singers during performance. This new choral instrument, greater than the sum of the parts
of the individual singers goes some way to explaining the physical sensation of being ‘within the choir’.
The word blend is used in many different contexts, and participants had an embodied knowledge of
that concept. This thesis argues that use of the word blend can be unhelpful in attempting to form a
particular aesthetic, and that acknowledging the agency of singers over the creation of the choral
sound is more likely to result in a peak ensemble experience for all stakeholders.Pre-tertiary transitions in the performing arts : a qualitative study of the tensions and hierarchies in widening access to a conservatoire's cultural systemsSmillie, Graeme Johnhttps://hdl.handle.net/10023/234382021-07-22T13:55:14Z2021-06-28T00:00:00ZThis study investigates the lived experiences of students on ‘Transitions
20/40’, a pre-tertiary widening access initiative at the Royal Conservatoire of
Scotland. Transitions 20/40 funded participants from statistically identified
deprived areas in Scotland to attend ‘Junior’ conservatoire and short course
programmes. This thesis aims to improve understanding of the implicit and
explicit ways conservatoire cultures may exclude individuals from these
under-represented backgrounds. The research explores the social and
cultural conditions of conservatoire participation and asks if facilitating student
participation in existing pre-tertiary structures is enough to meaningfully widen
participation to the institution. The research also investigates how the
Conservatoire can diversify its cultures, practices and priorities to include
more diverse students, and if examples of good practice are already seen
across different artistic disciplines.
Semi-structured interviews were conducted over a four-year period with a
sample of 47 student participants across the disciplines of music, drama,
dance, production and screen. The tools of Pierre Bourdieu informed the data
collection and are used to conceptualise learner trajectories from peripheral
positions as they move towards full participation in the Conservatoire.
Analysis shows that participants who continued into undergraduate study
found legitimised institutional practices that reflect their prior learning, valued
their existing social and cultural capital and allowed them to focus on their
creative practice. Those who had learned their creative practice outside of
specific conservatoire adherent cultural systems experienced a dissonance,
and laboured to gain social and cultural legitimisation there, often undertaking
a degree of expectation and identity reformulation as part of Transitions
20/40.
This discussion challenges the institution to connect with more diverse
communities of practice, build further on the bespoke learning opportunities extended to students in Transitions 20/40, and further embed the widening
participation agenda as a core institutional priority, to better reflect the broader
society in which the Conservatoire is situated.
2021-06-28T00:00:00ZSmillie, Graeme JohnThis study investigates the lived experiences of students on ‘Transitions
20/40’, a pre-tertiary widening access initiative at the Royal Conservatoire of
Scotland. Transitions 20/40 funded participants from statistically identified
deprived areas in Scotland to attend ‘Junior’ conservatoire and short course
programmes. This thesis aims to improve understanding of the implicit and
explicit ways conservatoire cultures may exclude individuals from these
under-represented backgrounds. The research explores the social and
cultural conditions of conservatoire participation and asks if facilitating student
participation in existing pre-tertiary structures is enough to meaningfully widen
participation to the institution. The research also investigates how the
Conservatoire can diversify its cultures, practices and priorities to include
more diverse students, and if examples of good practice are already seen
across different artistic disciplines.
Semi-structured interviews were conducted over a four-year period with a
sample of 47 student participants across the disciplines of music, drama,
dance, production and screen. The tools of Pierre Bourdieu informed the data
collection and are used to conceptualise learner trajectories from peripheral
positions as they move towards full participation in the Conservatoire.
Analysis shows that participants who continued into undergraduate study
found legitimised institutional practices that reflect their prior learning, valued
their existing social and cultural capital and allowed them to focus on their
creative practice. Those who had learned their creative practice outside of
specific conservatoire adherent cultural systems experienced a dissonance,
and laboured to gain social and cultural legitimisation there, often undertaking
a degree of expectation and identity reformulation as part of Transitions
20/40.
This discussion challenges the institution to connect with more diverse
communities of practice, build further on the bespoke learning opportunities extended to students in Transitions 20/40, and further embed the widening
participation agenda as a core institutional priority, to better reflect the broader
society in which the Conservatoire is situated.A woman who writes music : a creative feminist autobiographyHollingworth, Lucy Antoniahttps://hdl.handle.net/10023/216402023-12-14T12:01:49Z2020-07-27T00:00:00ZIn the male-dominated profession of composition, women may find themselves having to surmount extra hurdles because the industry and society itself circumscribes their role. These challenges stand between women and their creative goals, and it may require great courage and long periods of time in the wilderness of non-acceptance before success at any level becomes possible. I stopped composing for almost twenty years. When I returned I discovered that I was not alone in having abandoned my chosen path. I found many women composers historically whose careers had not progressed with the same levels of exposure as their male counterparts, and many who had also stopped composing either temporarily or permanently.
This dissertation and portfolio takes the form of a creative feminist autobiography and is presented as a website in order to facilitate the process of storytelling through a multimedia format. By composing The Poetess, a music theatre work for actors and an instrumental ensemble; Out of the Snowstorm, an Owl for string quartet; Mycorrhizal Ecology for two pianos; What The Living Do for solo piano; I Lay Down By The Riverside And Dreamed for large instrumental ensemble; and Let Me Speak for solo clarinet with poetry, I represent my own and other women’s lives creatively, covering themes including abuse, bereavement, transformation, and love. These works form a living enquiry into women’s experiences. Through an imagined dialogue between myself and composers Ethel Smyth, Ruth Crawford, Avril Coleridge-Taylor, Enid Luff and Laurie Anderson, using their own words taken from their various autobiographies, letters, journals and interviews, I investigate shared issues in women composers’ lives and their struggles for creative self-expression. These stories show how it is ultimately possible to find one’s voice as a woman in music, and how I, in particular, returned from the wilderness, and became a composer again.
2020-07-27T00:00:00ZHollingworth, Lucy AntoniaIn the male-dominated profession of composition, women may find themselves having to surmount extra hurdles because the industry and society itself circumscribes their role. These challenges stand between women and their creative goals, and it may require great courage and long periods of time in the wilderness of non-acceptance before success at any level becomes possible. I stopped composing for almost twenty years. When I returned I discovered that I was not alone in having abandoned my chosen path. I found many women composers historically whose careers had not progressed with the same levels of exposure as their male counterparts, and many who had also stopped composing either temporarily or permanently.
This dissertation and portfolio takes the form of a creative feminist autobiography and is presented as a website in order to facilitate the process of storytelling through a multimedia format. By composing The Poetess, a music theatre work for actors and an instrumental ensemble; Out of the Snowstorm, an Owl for string quartet; Mycorrhizal Ecology for two pianos; What The Living Do for solo piano; I Lay Down By The Riverside And Dreamed for large instrumental ensemble; and Let Me Speak for solo clarinet with poetry, I represent my own and other women’s lives creatively, covering themes including abuse, bereavement, transformation, and love. These works form a living enquiry into women’s experiences. Through an imagined dialogue between myself and composers Ethel Smyth, Ruth Crawford, Avril Coleridge-Taylor, Enid Luff and Laurie Anderson, using their own words taken from their various autobiographies, letters, journals and interviews, I investigate shared issues in women composers’ lives and their struggles for creative self-expression. These stories show how it is ultimately possible to find one’s voice as a woman in music, and how I, in particular, returned from the wilderness, and became a composer again.Transcription, performance and recording of Johann Sebastian Bach's works for lute on a ten-string guitarPyrounaki, Sofiahttps://hdl.handle.net/10023/211242020-12-10T03:02:20Z2018-12-07T00:00:00Z'Transcription, Performance and Recording of Johann Sebastian Bach’s Works for Lute on a ten-string
Guitar' is research that participates in the wide discourse on transcribing and performing Bach’s lute
works on the guitar. Building upon an examination of the primary sources and previous guitar
transcriptions, but also presenting new information and points of differentiation, the research sheds
new light on an area of interest that is rightly shared by performers and scholars.
The submission comprises of five elements: in the written discussion, I consider selected issues from
my research, describing the course that led to specific choices, but also the concerns and lines of
enquiry that influenced or derived from my practical musical experience. In the commentary upon
the examination of the primary sources, I justify my editorial choices in detail, commenting further
upon details that can be inferred from this examination, elements that support the interpretive
process of editorial decision-making, but also the features of an editorial process that pertains to
musical works. The transcriptions condense the knowledge derived from my editorial engagement
and my performance practice, but present it in such a way that aims at, and awaits, the individual
performer’s further unfolding of the music. The recordings capture a possible way of completing this
process, but also contribute to the argument that the use of a ten-string instrument offers new
perspectives on these crucial works. Finally, facsimiles of certain primary and secondary sources are
presented to further facilitate the critical reading of my choices and my concerns – to support the
continued discourse in this area.
This submission is, therefore, a record of my engagement with the works in question, but also an
invitation for continued dialogue.
2018-12-07T00:00:00ZPyrounaki, Sofia'Transcription, Performance and Recording of Johann Sebastian Bach’s Works for Lute on a ten-string
Guitar' is research that participates in the wide discourse on transcribing and performing Bach’s lute
works on the guitar. Building upon an examination of the primary sources and previous guitar
transcriptions, but also presenting new information and points of differentiation, the research sheds
new light on an area of interest that is rightly shared by performers and scholars.
The submission comprises of five elements: in the written discussion, I consider selected issues from
my research, describing the course that led to specific choices, but also the concerns and lines of
enquiry that influenced or derived from my practical musical experience. In the commentary upon
the examination of the primary sources, I justify my editorial choices in detail, commenting further
upon details that can be inferred from this examination, elements that support the interpretive
process of editorial decision-making, but also the features of an editorial process that pertains to
musical works. The transcriptions condense the knowledge derived from my editorial engagement
and my performance practice, but present it in such a way that aims at, and awaits, the individual
performer’s further unfolding of the music. The recordings capture a possible way of completing this
process, but also contribute to the argument that the use of a ten-string instrument offers new
perspectives on these crucial works. Finally, facsimiles of certain primary and secondary sources are
presented to further facilitate the critical reading of my choices and my concerns – to support the
continued discourse in this area.
This submission is, therefore, a record of my engagement with the works in question, but also an
invitation for continued dialogue.A portfolio of new compositions, exploring aspects of Sichuan traditionsLi, Huanhttps://hdl.handle.net/10023/205242021-01-28T17:00:02Z2020-12-01T00:00:00ZMy research reflects Sichuan traditional and folk culture through the composition of eight original works: Shi for String Orchestra; Qin Song for flute, piano, violin and cello; Armour Dance for a large ensemble; Ink and Colour for clarinet, cello and piano; Yi suite for a large ensemble; Lost and Renewed for string quintet; Silhouette for prepared piano; Impression of Sichuan Drama for soprano and two percussionists.
These works are presented through musical scores, one recording (Yi) and a written commentary. The commentary accompanying this portfolio of new compositions begins by drawing and translating tone colour from a fundamental element: yin qiang - a concept of single tone - in Sichuan classical and traditional music, influenced by Chou Wen-Chung and Isang Yun and their concepts, towards the creation of timbral structures (with my own work). Through exploring Sichuan traditions, including the music of Tan Dun and Chen Yi, I utilise the characteristics of Sichuan folk customs, reimagined through contemporary compositional practice, including contemporary performing techniques and styles, in order to explore the balance of sonority when combining Chinese traditional instruments with Western forces. Inspired by the different approaches and musical ideas of Unsuk Chin, Ge Gan-Ru, and John Cage, my compositions were gradually created by a broader thinking, not only focusing on sound balance, but also exploring tone colours through the extension of sound layers.
This commentary reveals the process of my influences, creative approaches and aesthetics on a variety of themes within Sichuan traditions of music and folk customs. Finally, it concludes with some ideas and experiences for further research including working with performers, artists and places.
2020-12-01T00:00:00ZLi, HuanMy research reflects Sichuan traditional and folk culture through the composition of eight original works: Shi for String Orchestra; Qin Song for flute, piano, violin and cello; Armour Dance for a large ensemble; Ink and Colour for clarinet, cello and piano; Yi suite for a large ensemble; Lost and Renewed for string quintet; Silhouette for prepared piano; Impression of Sichuan Drama for soprano and two percussionists.
These works are presented through musical scores, one recording (Yi) and a written commentary. The commentary accompanying this portfolio of new compositions begins by drawing and translating tone colour from a fundamental element: yin qiang - a concept of single tone - in Sichuan classical and traditional music, influenced by Chou Wen-Chung and Isang Yun and their concepts, towards the creation of timbral structures (with my own work). Through exploring Sichuan traditions, including the music of Tan Dun and Chen Yi, I utilise the characteristics of Sichuan folk customs, reimagined through contemporary compositional practice, including contemporary performing techniques and styles, in order to explore the balance of sonority when combining Chinese traditional instruments with Western forces. Inspired by the different approaches and musical ideas of Unsuk Chin, Ge Gan-Ru, and John Cage, my compositions were gradually created by a broader thinking, not only focusing on sound balance, but also exploring tone colours through the extension of sound layers.
This commentary reveals the process of my influences, creative approaches and aesthetics on a variety of themes within Sichuan traditions of music and folk customs. Finally, it concludes with some ideas and experiences for further research including working with performers, artists and places.Book Review: Musicians in the making: pathways to creative performance, edited by John Rink, Helena Gaunt, Aaron WilliamonRedman, Benjaminhttps://hdl.handle.net/10023/175732019-04-23T02:06:04Z2018-09-30T00:00:00ZReview of: Musicians in the making: pathways to creative performance, edited by John Rink, Helena Gaunt, Aaron Williamon. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2017; ISBN: 9780199346677 (£47.99)
2018-09-30T00:00:00ZRedman, BenjaminReview of: Musicians in the making: pathways to creative performance, edited by John Rink, Helena Gaunt, Aaron Williamon. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2017; ISBN: 9780199346677 (£47.99)Book review: Gender, subjectivity, and cultural work: the classical music profession, by Christina ScharffHollingworth, Lucyhttps://hdl.handle.net/10023/175722019-04-23T02:06:09Z2018-09-30T00:00:00ZReview of: Gender, subjectivity, and cultural work: the classical music profession, by Christina Scharff. London: Routledge, 2018; ISBN: 9781138942561 (hbk) (£105), ISBN: 9781315673080 (ebk) (£35.99)
2018-09-30T00:00:00ZHollingworth, LucyReview of: Gender, subjectivity, and cultural work: the classical music profession, by Christina Scharff. London: Routledge, 2018; ISBN: 9781138942561 (hbk) (£105), ISBN: 9781315673080 (ebk) (£35.99)Book review: Reasons to be Graeae: a work in progress, edited by Jenny SealeyFletcher-Watson, Benhttps://hdl.handle.net/10023/175712019-04-23T02:06:09Z2018-09-30T00:00:00ZReview of: Reasons to be Graeae: a work in progress, edited by Jenny Sealey. London: Oberon Books Ltd, 2018; ISBN: 9781786823946 (£22.50)
2018-09-30T00:00:00ZFletcher-Watson, BenReview of: Reasons to be Graeae: a work in progress, edited by Jenny Sealey. London: Oberon Books Ltd, 2018; ISBN: 9781786823946 (£22.50)Interview: Trio HLKRedman, Benjaminhttps://hdl.handle.net/10023/175702019-04-23T02:06:04Z2018-09-30T00:00:00ZTrio HLK is an ensemble that draws on elements of jazz and contemporary classical music, and pushes the boundaries of both genres. They recently collaborated with Dame Evelyn Glennie (arguably the world’s foremost solo classical percussionist) and Dr Steve Lehman (contemporary jazz saxophonist and Guggenheim Fellow) on their debut album recording, Standard time. The trio launched Standard time at a concert featuring Evelyn Glennie at the Queen’s Hall, Edinburgh, on 13 May 2018. This article is based on extracts from an interview conducted several days after the concert with Richard Harrold and Richard Kass, in which they discussed a wide range of topics, including their rehearsal and compositional processes, collaborations, performing, and development as an ensemble.
2018-09-30T00:00:00ZRedman, BenjaminTrio HLK is an ensemble that draws on elements of jazz and contemporary classical music, and pushes the boundaries of both genres. They recently collaborated with Dame Evelyn Glennie (arguably the world’s foremost solo classical percussionist) and Dr Steve Lehman (contemporary jazz saxophonist and Guggenheim Fellow) on their debut album recording, Standard time. The trio launched Standard time at a concert featuring Evelyn Glennie at the Queen’s Hall, Edinburgh, on 13 May 2018. This article is based on extracts from an interview conducted several days after the concert with Richard Harrold and Richard Kass, in which they discussed a wide range of topics, including their rehearsal and compositional processes, collaborations, performing, and development as an ensemble.Practitioner report: I Gladly Strained My Eyes to Follow You: a guided tour of Pollok HouseMcMullan, Shaunahttps://hdl.handle.net/10023/175692019-04-23T02:06:03Z2018-09-30T00:00:00ZI Gladly Strained My Eyes to Follow You took the form of a guided tour of Pollok House focusing on a selection of portraits of women from the house's historically significant collection of art and artefacts. The tours, led by Pollok House volunteers and scheduled at 2pm daily between 20 April and 7 May, were included in the exhibition Cabinet Interventions, part of Glasgow International 2018. Acknowledging the absence of information surrounding the women portrayed in the House, the artist invited writers, academics, fellow artists, and Pollok House staff to respond to individual portraits. Their reflections, thoughts, provocations and questions make up the content of this artwork.
Including a selection of texts specially written for the tour, this paper will contextualise and describe the project, setting it against the wider frames of reference that fed into and supported its development.
2018-09-30T00:00:00ZMcMullan, ShaunaI Gladly Strained My Eyes to Follow You took the form of a guided tour of Pollok House focusing on a selection of portraits of women from the house's historically significant collection of art and artefacts. The tours, led by Pollok House volunteers and scheduled at 2pm daily between 20 April and 7 May, were included in the exhibition Cabinet Interventions, part of Glasgow International 2018. Acknowledging the absence of information surrounding the women portrayed in the House, the artist invited writers, academics, fellow artists, and Pollok House staff to respond to individual portraits. Their reflections, thoughts, provocations and questions make up the content of this artwork.
Including a selection of texts specially written for the tour, this paper will contextualise and describe the project, setting it against the wider frames of reference that fed into and supported its development.Practitioner report: Composing interaction: performativity in MechanicalCooper, Timothyhttps://hdl.handle.net/10023/175682019-04-23T02:06:09Z2018-09-30T00:00:00ZThis paper explores the creation of Mechanical (2016), an interactive sound installation that explores the sound and physicality of old, worn and broken bicycle parts. In the paper I examine the question: what is the nature of the interaction in Mechanical? I will argue that the interaction elicits performative actions by the audience. I will contextualise this action through Sarah Rubidge’s ‘Performing installations’ (2009). These performative actions are enabled by the specific nature of the interactive system which I will contextualise through Simon Emmerson’s notion of meaningful response (2012; 2013). I will conclude that the specific nature of the interaction is characterised by the network formed by the system between audience members and the ‘bikes’, and the types of behaviour engaged in by the audience.
2018-09-30T00:00:00ZCooper, TimothyThis paper explores the creation of Mechanical (2016), an interactive sound installation that explores the sound and physicality of old, worn and broken bicycle parts. In the paper I examine the question: what is the nature of the interaction in Mechanical? I will argue that the interaction elicits performative actions by the audience. I will contextualise this action through Sarah Rubidge’s ‘Performing installations’ (2009). These performative actions are enabled by the specific nature of the interactive system which I will contextualise through Simon Emmerson’s notion of meaningful response (2012; 2013). I will conclude that the specific nature of the interaction is characterised by the network formed by the system between audience members and the ‘bikes’, and the types of behaviour engaged in by the audience.Deaf people and the theatrical public sphereRichardson, MichaelThompson, Davidhttps://hdl.handle.net/10023/175672019-04-23T02:06:06Z2018-09-30T00:00:00ZThe nature of any public sphere is that it embraces all private citizens: it is, in current parlance, accessible. The British theatre institution demonstrates a commitment to accessibility in its funding structures and performance programming. Much of the modern theatrical public sphere is, however, mediated not through performance itself, but rather through various framing activities. Marketing and audience development initiatives constitute the means by which theatre institutions engage in communication with their audiences and have more recently become increasingly dialogic through the use of social media and online criticism.
2018-09-30T00:00:00ZRichardson, MichaelThompson, DavidThe nature of any public sphere is that it embraces all private citizens: it is, in current parlance, accessible. The British theatre institution demonstrates a commitment to accessibility in its funding structures and performance programming. Much of the modern theatrical public sphere is, however, mediated not through performance itself, but rather through various framing activities. Marketing and audience development initiatives constitute the means by which theatre institutions engage in communication with their audiences and have more recently become increasingly dialogic through the use of social media and online criticism.Editorial: Scottish Journal of Performance, Vol 5, Issue 2Redman, Benjaminhttps://hdl.handle.net/10023/175662019-04-23T02:06:05Z2018-09-30T00:00:00Z2018-09-30T00:00:00ZRedman, BenjaminTitle redactedErmolaeva, Katyahttps://hdl.handle.net/10023/166762018-12-12T12:53:56Z2018-06-28T00:00:00Z2018-06-28T00:00:00ZErmolaeva, KatyaDocumenting developing performance : rethinking Nikolai Medtner at the pianoChoi, Hannahttps://hdl.handle.net/10023/165282018-11-23T09:30:45Z2017-12-07T00:00:00ZThis research illustrates the performer-researcher’s artistic process of reaching an understanding of music through performance, and explores how an effort to understand music at the instrument and in the context of music-making could influence our critical evaluation of the music.
Engaged in the process of learning music, I seek to document my artistic practices as a reflective practitioner: to open up the performer-researcher's workspace, communicate the performativity of the music, and reveal my embodied doing-thinking as a performer. By involving in the performer-researcher's physical and intellectual trajectory, the focus of musicological research could be shifted from the study of music as writing to a practice-based study that communicates and values music as performance.
This shift provides a chance to rethink musical works at the piano and place the music in a context in which music can be understood, communicated, and valued through performance. This has the potential to shed light on the performative value of music, and may challenge the existing critique of musical works by emphasising the centrality of musical performance in the realm of music research, perhaps revealing what has been neglected by the text and outcome-focused approaches to music. I believe this could lead us to assess musical works in a different value system by considering the music in and as performance.
2017-12-07T00:00:00ZChoi, HannaThis research illustrates the performer-researcher’s artistic process of reaching an understanding of music through performance, and explores how an effort to understand music at the instrument and in the context of music-making could influence our critical evaluation of the music.
Engaged in the process of learning music, I seek to document my artistic practices as a reflective practitioner: to open up the performer-researcher's workspace, communicate the performativity of the music, and reveal my embodied doing-thinking as a performer. By involving in the performer-researcher's physical and intellectual trajectory, the focus of musicological research could be shifted from the study of music as writing to a practice-based study that communicates and values music as performance.
This shift provides a chance to rethink musical works at the piano and place the music in a context in which music can be understood, communicated, and valued through performance. This has the potential to shed light on the performative value of music, and may challenge the existing critique of musical works by emphasising the centrality of musical performance in the realm of music research, perhaps revealing what has been neglected by the text and outcome-focused approaches to music. I believe this could lead us to assess musical works in a different value system by considering the music in and as performance.The trombone in Portugal before 1850De Oliveira Alves, Rui Pedrohttps://hdl.handle.net/10023/163532019-04-01T12:11:05Z2014-06-26T00:00:00ZThis thesis examines the use of the trombone in Portugal between the first references
to its use in the early sixteenth century and the mid nineteenth century. It is primarily
based on archival research and supplemented by literary and iconographical
references. This material is presented in calendar form in Volume II as Appendix 1.
Volume I consists of a series of chapters that analyse and contextualise material from
the Calendar.
For the earlier period the thesis focuses on the use of the trombone in royal service,
and in doing so provides a detailed survey of the Portuguese royal shawm band. The
use of the trombone outwith royal service it is also examined. Issues relating to
terminology and instrument making in Portugal are discussed. By examining sixteenth
century iconographical sources with links to Portugal, this study addresses questions
concerning aspects of trombone technique that have not previously been considered
and have implication elsewhere in Europe. It considers the decline of the trombone
during the second half of the seventeenth century and its resurgence in the later years
of the eighteenth century. It identifies the earliest orchestral repertoire containing
trombones that emerges in Portugal during the last decade of the eighteenth century,
as well as the first trombone players of the beginning of the nineteenth century in
military bands and orchestras in Lisbon. Finally, the thesis considers the class of brass
instruments of the Royal Conservatoire of Lisbon and its professors, and examines the
earliest surviving trombone methods in Portugal, which introduce aspects of
performance practice that are not mentioned in other contemporary sources.
2014-06-26T00:00:00ZDe Oliveira Alves, Rui PedroThis thesis examines the use of the trombone in Portugal between the first references
to its use in the early sixteenth century and the mid nineteenth century. It is primarily
based on archival research and supplemented by literary and iconographical
references. This material is presented in calendar form in Volume II as Appendix 1.
Volume I consists of a series of chapters that analyse and contextualise material from
the Calendar.
For the earlier period the thesis focuses on the use of the trombone in royal service,
and in doing so provides a detailed survey of the Portuguese royal shawm band. The
use of the trombone outwith royal service it is also examined. Issues relating to
terminology and instrument making in Portugal are discussed. By examining sixteenth
century iconographical sources with links to Portugal, this study addresses questions
concerning aspects of trombone technique that have not previously been considered
and have implication elsewhere in Europe. It considers the decline of the trombone
during the second half of the seventeenth century and its resurgence in the later years
of the eighteenth century. It identifies the earliest orchestral repertoire containing
trombones that emerges in Portugal during the last decade of the eighteenth century,
as well as the first trombone players of the beginning of the nineteenth century in
military bands and orchestras in Lisbon. Finally, the thesis considers the class of brass
instruments of the Royal Conservatoire of Lisbon and its professors, and examines the
earliest surviving trombone methods in Portugal, which introduce aspects of
performance practice that are not mentioned in other contemporary sources.Afterword: acts of careBissell, LauraGonzález, LauraHeddon, DeeMurray, Simonhttps://hdl.handle.net/10023/154102019-04-01T12:11:26Z2018-04-06T00:00:00Z2018-04-06T00:00:00ZBissell, LauraGonzález, LauraHeddon, DeeMurray, SimonWhat I wish I had saidFraser, Stevenhttps://hdl.handle.net/10023/154092019-04-01T12:12:24Z2018-04-06T00:00:00Z2018-04-06T00:00:00ZFraser, StevenYou do not have to walk on your kneesMcMaster, Peterhttps://hdl.handle.net/10023/154082019-04-01T12:11:36Z2018-04-06T00:00:00Z2018-04-06T00:00:00ZMcMaster, PeterCare and reciprocity: a conversation between Rhiannon Armstrong and Mel EvansArmstrong, RhiannonEvans, Melhttps://hdl.handle.net/10023/154072019-04-01T12:11:32Z2018-04-06T00:00:00Z2018-04-06T00:00:00ZArmstrong, RhiannonEvans, MelInside the hos(t)pitalHarrison, Benhttps://hdl.handle.net/10023/154062019-04-01T12:12:08Z2018-04-06T00:00:00Z2018-04-06T00:00:00ZHarrison, BenA reciprocity of care: a dialogical reflection on the artwork WinterHammersley, John MarkDavies, RachelSaul, Danielhttps://hdl.handle.net/10023/154052019-04-01T12:11:09Z2018-04-06T00:00:00Z2018-04-06T00:00:00ZHammersley, John MarkDavies, RachelSaul, DanielSalad lunch and gift instructionsThe Art of Care-full Practice Symposiumhttps://hdl.handle.net/10023/154042019-04-01T12:11:51Z2018-04-06T00:00:00Z2018-04-06T00:00:00ZThe Art of Care-full Practice SymposiumLunchThe Art of Care-full Practice Symposiumhttps://hdl.handle.net/10023/154032019-04-01T12:11:55Z2018-04-06T00:00:00Z2018-04-06T00:00:00ZThe Art of Care-full Practice SymposiumCare Café: a chronology and a protocolWeaver, LoisMaxwell, Hannahhttps://hdl.handle.net/10023/154012019-04-01T12:12:25Z2018-04-06T00:00:00Z2018-04-06T00:00:00ZWeaver, LoisMaxwell, HannahDiscussion etiquette: (inspired by Lois Weaver’s Long Table)The Art of Care-full Practice Symposiumhttps://hdl.handle.net/10023/154002019-04-01T12:12:00Z2018-04-06T00:00:00Z2018-04-06T00:00:00ZThe Art of Care-full Practice SymposiumLong tableThe Art of Care-full Practice Symposiumhttps://hdl.handle.net/10023/153992019-04-01T12:12:05Z2018-04-06T00:00:00Z2018-04-06T00:00:00ZThe Art of Care-full Practice SymposiumListen to the others: the rehearsal process as a constant act of careBento-Coelho, Inêshttps://hdl.handle.net/10023/153982019-04-01T12:11:45Z2018-04-05T00:00:00ZWhile artists and performance makers use different strategies when engaging with participants in the rehearsal room, their presence provides the practitioner with a chance to care and ethically embed the other’s agency in the making process. In performance, care has often been discussed in the context of performance’s relationship with the viewer. In this article, I argue for listening as a rehearsal practice using a framework grounded in care. I propose DAR—Direction, Action, and Reflection, a way of making which fosters awareness of the other—that may be incorporated, adapted, and applied by practitioners across different creative fields. I discuss the rehearsal process of This is Not About Dance, a performative installation presented at the Reid Gallery in 2016, to argue for a conception of the rehearsal as a constant act of care, one that has the potential to grow one’s practice through co-listening.
2018-04-05T00:00:00ZBento-Coelho, InêsWhile artists and performance makers use different strategies when engaging with participants in the rehearsal room, their presence provides the practitioner with a chance to care and ethically embed the other’s agency in the making process. In performance, care has often been discussed in the context of performance’s relationship with the viewer. In this article, I argue for listening as a rehearsal practice using a framework grounded in care. I propose DAR—Direction, Action, and Reflection, a way of making which fosters awareness of the other—that may be incorporated, adapted, and applied by practitioners across different creative fields. I discuss the rehearsal process of This is Not About Dance, a performative installation presented at the Reid Gallery in 2016, to argue for a conception of the rehearsal as a constant act of care, one that has the potential to grow one’s practice through co-listening.Negotiating care: an exploration of non-place within a deafblind performance projectStringer, Willhttps://hdl.handle.net/10023/153972019-04-01T12:12:05Z2018-04-06T00:00:00ZThis article brings together diverse theories on disability, place, non-place and care to explore a process involving deafblind performers. The article is based upon work within a five-month residency with a performance group in a social care organisation. The article seeks to unpick and uncover the role of care in the creation of performance with disabled performers.
2018-04-06T00:00:00ZStringer, WillThis article brings together diverse theories on disability, place, non-place and care to explore a process involving deafblind performers. The article is based upon work within a five-month residency with a performance group in a social care organisation. The article seeks to unpick and uncover the role of care in the creation of performance with disabled performers.Between care and self-care: dramaturgies of mindfulness in the work of the vacuum cleanerGreer, Stephenhttps://hdl.handle.net/10023/153962019-04-01T12:11:46Z2018-04-06T00:00:00ZSince 2009, the performance work of ‘art and activist collective of one’ James Leadbitter—better known as the vacuum cleaner—has repeatedly engaged with issues surrounding mental illness, ‘madness’ and mental health discrimination. This paper explores the relationship of that work to the discourse of ‘mindfulness’, a form of cognitive therapy centred on cultivating a non-judgmental and present-focused attentiveness to one’s own mental state. While an increasing body of evidence suggests the potential health benefits of mindfulness, its broader application has been challenged for invoking forms of self-critique which elide the social factors that undermine well-being.
In response, this paper examines how Leadbitter’s staging of the relationships between care and self-care might challenge the imperatives of individuated responsibility that are characteristic of neoliberal discourses. Rather than reproducing existing social relations, Leadbitter’s dramaturgies of mindfulness suggest how an attentiveness to one’s own wellbeing may be extended outwards as a response to others in prefigurative encounters which allow us to imagine and rehearse alternatives.
2018-04-06T00:00:00ZGreer, StephenSince 2009, the performance work of ‘art and activist collective of one’ James Leadbitter—better known as the vacuum cleaner—has repeatedly engaged with issues surrounding mental illness, ‘madness’ and mental health discrimination. This paper explores the relationship of that work to the discourse of ‘mindfulness’, a form of cognitive therapy centred on cultivating a non-judgmental and present-focused attentiveness to one’s own mental state. While an increasing body of evidence suggests the potential health benefits of mindfulness, its broader application has been challenged for invoking forms of self-critique which elide the social factors that undermine well-being.
In response, this paper examines how Leadbitter’s staging of the relationships between care and self-care might challenge the imperatives of individuated responsibility that are characteristic of neoliberal discourses. Rather than reproducing existing social relations, Leadbitter’s dramaturgies of mindfulness suggest how an attentiveness to one’s own wellbeing may be extended outwards as a response to others in prefigurative encounters which allow us to imagine and rehearse alternatives.Dear selfCade, Rosanahttps://hdl.handle.net/10023/153952019-04-01T12:12:01Z2018-04-06T00:00:00ZThis text was originally read by Rosana Cade at the The Art of Care-full Practice Symposium on 5 March 2017.
2018-04-06T00:00:00ZCade, RosanaThis text was originally read by Rosana Cade at the The Art of Care-full Practice Symposium on 5 March 2017.Dedication: It’s all allowed: inspired by AdrianBissell, Laurahttps://hdl.handle.net/10023/153942019-04-01T12:12:09Z2018-04-06T00:00:00Z2018-04-06T00:00:00ZBissell, LauraEditorial: Scottish Journal of Performance, Vol 5, Issue 1 Bissell, LauraBozdog, MonaGonzález, LauraWatson, Abyhttps://hdl.handle.net/10023/153932019-04-01T12:12:13Z2018-04-06T00:00:00Z2018-04-06T00:00:00ZBissell, LauraBozdog, MonaGonzález, LauraWatson, AbyBook review: It’s all allowed: the performances of Adrian Howells, edited by Deirdre Heddon and Dominic JohnsonMackay, Shonahttps://hdl.handle.net/10023/117972019-04-01T12:11:08Z2017-09-17T00:00:00ZReview of: It’s all allowed: the performances of Adrian Howells, edited by Deirdre Heddon and Dominic Johnson. London: Live Art Development Agency and Bristol: Intellect, 2016; ISBN: 9781783205899 (£20.00)
2017-09-17T00:00:00ZMackay, ShonaReview of: It’s all allowed: the performances of Adrian Howells, edited by Deirdre Heddon and Dominic Johnson. London: Live Art Development Agency and Bristol: Intellect, 2016; ISBN: 9781783205899 (£20.00)Book review: The kaleidoscope of women’s sounds in music of the late 20th and early 21st centuries, by Kheng K. KoayHollingworth, Lucyhttps://hdl.handle.net/10023/117962019-04-01T12:11:50Z2017-09-17T00:00:00ZReview of: The kaleidoscope of women’s sounds in music of the late 20th and early 21st centuries, by Kheng K. Koay. Newcastle upon Tyne: Cambridge Scholars Publishing, 2015; ISBN: 9781443876520 (£54.30)
2017-09-17T00:00:00ZHollingworth, LucyReview of: The kaleidoscope of women’s sounds in music of the late 20th and early 21st centuries, by Kheng K. Koay. Newcastle upon Tyne: Cambridge Scholars Publishing, 2015; ISBN: 9781443876520 (£54.30)Book review: British theatre companies: from fringe to mainstream, edited by Graham Saunders and John BullFletcher-Watson, Benhttps://hdl.handle.net/10023/117952019-04-01T12:12:08Z2017-09-17T00:00:00ZReview of: British theatre companies: 1965–1979. CAST, The People Show, Portable Theatre, Pip Simmons Theatre Group, Welfare State International, 7:84 Theatre Companies, edited by John Bull. London: Bloomsbury Methuen Drama, 2016; ISBN: 9781408175439 (£21.99).
British theatre companies: 1980–1994. Joint Stock, Gay Sweatshop, Complicite, Forced Entertainment, Women's Theatre Group, Talawa, edited by Graham Saunders. London: Bloomsbury Methuen Drama, 2016; ISBN: 9781408175484 (£21.99).
British theatre companies: 1995–2014. Mind the Gap, Kneehigh Theatre, Suspect Culture, Stan's Cafe, Blast Theory, Punchdrunk, edited by Liz Tomlin. London: Bloomsbury Methuen Drama, 2016; ISBN: 9781408177273 (£21.99)
2017-09-17T00:00:00ZFletcher-Watson, BenReview of: British theatre companies: 1965–1979. CAST, The People Show, Portable Theatre, Pip Simmons Theatre Group, Welfare State International, 7:84 Theatre Companies, edited by John Bull. London: Bloomsbury Methuen Drama, 2016; ISBN: 9781408175439 (£21.99).
British theatre companies: 1980–1994. Joint Stock, Gay Sweatshop, Complicite, Forced Entertainment, Women's Theatre Group, Talawa, edited by Graham Saunders. London: Bloomsbury Methuen Drama, 2016; ISBN: 9781408175484 (£21.99).
British theatre companies: 1995–2014. Mind the Gap, Kneehigh Theatre, Suspect Culture, Stan's Cafe, Blast Theory, Punchdrunk, edited by Liz Tomlin. London: Bloomsbury Methuen Drama, 2016; ISBN: 9781408177273 (£21.99)Book review: Semiotics and pragmatics of stage improvisation, by Domenico PietropaoloD'Avila, Flaviahttps://hdl.handle.net/10023/117942019-04-01T12:11:11Z2017-09-17T00:00:00ZReview of: Semiotics and pragmatics of stage improvisation, by Domenico Pietropaolo. London: Bloomsbury Academic, 2016; ISBN: 9781474225793 (£28.99)
2017-09-17T00:00:00ZD'Avila, FlaviaReview of: Semiotics and pragmatics of stage improvisation, by Domenico Pietropaolo. London: Bloomsbury Academic, 2016; ISBN: 9781474225793 (£28.99)Identifying canons in competitive light music for the Great Highland Bagpipe, 1947–2015Bova, A.https://hdl.handle.net/10023/117932019-04-01T12:11:55Z2017-09-17T00:00:00ZCompetitions for players of the Scottish Great Highland Bagpipe are regarded by many pipers and enthusiasts as the pinnacle of the art form, though some pipers who participate in these competitions have identified a trend of repertoire stagnation within certain disciplines of competition. Focusing on the solo competitive 2/4 march, this article presents the premise and methodology used to study competitive solo and band piping. This article aims to present the groundwork for further research into canon formation within competitive piping by: identifying the methods by which musical canons are formed in genres outside bagpipe competitions; identifying how those methods may be compared and applied to the formation of canons of competitive bagpipe music; identifying the various canons of competitive bagpipe music between 1947 and 2015 by way of quantitative data collection and analysis; and comparing a canonical list of tunes against a list previously compiled by another scholar.
2017-09-17T00:00:00ZBova, A.Competitions for players of the Scottish Great Highland Bagpipe are regarded by many pipers and enthusiasts as the pinnacle of the art form, though some pipers who participate in these competitions have identified a trend of repertoire stagnation within certain disciplines of competition. Focusing on the solo competitive 2/4 march, this article presents the premise and methodology used to study competitive solo and band piping. This article aims to present the groundwork for further research into canon formation within competitive piping by: identifying the methods by which musical canons are formed in genres outside bagpipe competitions; identifying how those methods may be compared and applied to the formation of canons of competitive bagpipe music; identifying the various canons of competitive bagpipe music between 1947 and 2015 by way of quantitative data collection and analysis; and comparing a canonical list of tunes against a list previously compiled by another scholar.Devolutionary sites: NVA, Grid Iron and Scottish site-specificity in the 1990sBeck, Andráshttps://hdl.handle.net/10023/117922019-04-01T12:12:23Z2017-09-17T00:00:00ZThe aim of this article is to analyse the ways in which the productions of Scottish site-specific companies NVA and Grid Iron responded to the main political processes in Scotland in the 1990s, such as devolution. NVA’s initial engagement with post-industrial landscapes was motivated by political protest, but their later projects focused on technology and global connectivity through cross-media collaborations until the end of the decade, when they ventured to rural areas in their exploration of spirituality in the human-nature relationship. In all of their projects, site-specificity proved to be a convenient and highly innovative tool for creating a symbiosis between a site and the ethical concerns raised in it, whether economic, political, scientific or ecological. On the other hand, Grid Iron has been distinguished by its equal interest in new writing and site-specificity, thus contributing to the growing corpus of contemporary Scottish writing as well as engaging with identity politics.
2017-09-17T00:00:00ZBeck, AndrásThe aim of this article is to analyse the ways in which the productions of Scottish site-specific companies NVA and Grid Iron responded to the main political processes in Scotland in the 1990s, such as devolution. NVA’s initial engagement with post-industrial landscapes was motivated by political protest, but their later projects focused on technology and global connectivity through cross-media collaborations until the end of the decade, when they ventured to rural areas in their exploration of spirituality in the human-nature relationship. In all of their projects, site-specificity proved to be a convenient and highly innovative tool for creating a symbiosis between a site and the ethical concerns raised in it, whether economic, political, scientific or ecological. On the other hand, Grid Iron has been distinguished by its equal interest in new writing and site-specificity, thus contributing to the growing corpus of contemporary Scottish writing as well as engaging with identity politics.Practitioner report: The burning circle: (pre)history, performance and public engagementBerger, CaraRobertson-Kirkland, Brianna E.https://hdl.handle.net/10023/117912019-04-01T12:12:12Z2017-09-17T00:00:00ZIn recent years, there has been a change of culture in the academic environment: researchers are now strongly encouraged to collaborate across disciplines and develop strategies to engage non-specialist publics with the processes and results of their work. Often, artistic researchers are brought in to provide the ‘window dressing’ that allows other research disciplines to more effectively communicate their ‘hard data’. However, in Burning the Circle, a project that emerged from a collaboration between researchers in Archaeology, History, Music and Theatre Studies, and industry partners Northlight Heritage and National Trust for Scotland, emphasis was given to how artistic activities, in this case performance, produce formally specific insights through their particular mediality and the modes of sensorial engagement they produce. In this article, we approach the event from our perspective as artist-scholars in performance-based disciplines to begin to consider how performance might play a more central and productive role in interdisciplinary public engagement events.
2017-09-17T00:00:00ZBerger, CaraRobertson-Kirkland, Brianna E.In recent years, there has been a change of culture in the academic environment: researchers are now strongly encouraged to collaborate across disciplines and develop strategies to engage non-specialist publics with the processes and results of their work. Often, artistic researchers are brought in to provide the ‘window dressing’ that allows other research disciplines to more effectively communicate their ‘hard data’. However, in Burning the Circle, a project that emerged from a collaboration between researchers in Archaeology, History, Music and Theatre Studies, and industry partners Northlight Heritage and National Trust for Scotland, emphasis was given to how artistic activities, in this case performance, produce formally specific insights through their particular mediality and the modes of sensorial engagement they produce. In this article, we approach the event from our perspective as artist-scholars in performance-based disciplines to begin to consider how performance might play a more central and productive role in interdisciplinary public engagement events.Practitioner report: Play between worlds: Inchcolm ProjectBozdog, MonaGalloway, Daynahttps://hdl.handle.net/10023/117852019-04-01T12:11:32Z2017-09-17T00:00:00ZInchcolm Project was a proof of concept that aimed to make apparent the connections between video games and performance, and to blur the lines between physical and virtual worlds and bodies. In designing the two-hour experience on Inchcolm Island in the Firth of Forth we drew on both theatre and game design methods and brought the world of a video game, Dear Esther (The Chinese Room, 2012), to life on Inchcolm. What resulted was an interplay between two islands, one real and one virtual, and three experiential worlds, the world of the performance (Dear Rachel), the world of the game (Dear Esther) and Inchcolm Island, as a world in and of itself, its physical presence in constant tension with the visiting worlds.
2017-09-17T00:00:00ZBozdog, MonaGalloway, DaynaInchcolm Project was a proof of concept that aimed to make apparent the connections between video games and performance, and to blur the lines between physical and virtual worlds and bodies. In designing the two-hour experience on Inchcolm Island in the Firth of Forth we drew on both theatre and game design methods and brought the world of a video game, Dear Esther (The Chinese Room, 2012), to life on Inchcolm. What resulted was an interplay between two islands, one real and one virtual, and three experiential worlds, the world of the performance (Dear Rachel), the world of the game (Dear Esther) and Inchcolm Island, as a world in and of itself, its physical presence in constant tension with the visiting worlds.Editorial: Scottish Journal of Performance, Vol 4, Issue 1 Kay, KirstyRedman, Benjaminhttps://hdl.handle.net/10023/117842019-04-01T12:11:57Z2017-09-17T00:00:00Z2017-09-17T00:00:00ZKay, KirstyRedman, BenjaminThe hidden dancers : a Goffmanian analysis of participatory dance activity and practice in Glasgow, ScotlandWhiteside, Bethanyhttps://hdl.handle.net/10023/110172019-04-01T12:10:56Z2017-06-22T00:00:00ZSociology of dance is an evolving discipline that takes as a central focus the social makeup of dance – the societal structures and individual agency that are inherent within dance activity and practice. Relevant ethnographic literature that adopts particular sociological concepts and models is generally narrow in focus, with attention centred on the frameworks of Pierre Bourdieu and Michel Foucault and the conformation of vocational and professional ballet and contemporary dancer minds and bodies, to particular practice-specific behaviours and beliefs.
Through drawing on Erving Goffman’s (1959/1990) model of dramaturgy, this interdisciplinary thesis uncovers and interrogates the two-way relationship between sociological micro relations (social interactions), and various types of dance activity and practice. Six case studies undertaken encompass a wide range of dance and social settings; the professional ballet class, inclusive creative dance class, line dancing class, salsa club, Highland dancing class, and dance in primary education.
Data was collected through undertaking participant observation (primary method) and qualitative interviews (secondary method): each specific combination was influenced by the reflexive approach followed, the nature and setting of each case study and as researcher, my own dance ability. The transcripts and field notes were analysed and situated within Goffman’s (1959/1990) framework to interrogate the social and dance ‘performances’ given. The research aims to firstly, uncover and present the nature of the ‘realities’ (Goffman, 1959/1990) within each setting and secondly, to interrogate and demonstrate the applicability of the dramaturgical model to dance scholarship. The findings reflect the sociological binary of individual agency and societal structures as realities were shaped by the ‘place’ of each dance activity and practice in the field of dance, and challenged, maintained or supported existing dominant perceptions.
2017-06-22T00:00:00ZWhiteside, BethanySociology of dance is an evolving discipline that takes as a central focus the social makeup of dance – the societal structures and individual agency that are inherent within dance activity and practice. Relevant ethnographic literature that adopts particular sociological concepts and models is generally narrow in focus, with attention centred on the frameworks of Pierre Bourdieu and Michel Foucault and the conformation of vocational and professional ballet and contemporary dancer minds and bodies, to particular practice-specific behaviours and beliefs.
Through drawing on Erving Goffman’s (1959/1990) model of dramaturgy, this interdisciplinary thesis uncovers and interrogates the two-way relationship between sociological micro relations (social interactions), and various types of dance activity and practice. Six case studies undertaken encompass a wide range of dance and social settings; the professional ballet class, inclusive creative dance class, line dancing class, salsa club, Highland dancing class, and dance in primary education.
Data was collected through undertaking participant observation (primary method) and qualitative interviews (secondary method): each specific combination was influenced by the reflexive approach followed, the nature and setting of each case study and as researcher, my own dance ability. The transcripts and field notes were analysed and situated within Goffman’s (1959/1990) framework to interrogate the social and dance ‘performances’ given. The research aims to firstly, uncover and present the nature of the ‘realities’ (Goffman, 1959/1990) within each setting and secondly, to interrogate and demonstrate the applicability of the dramaturgical model to dance scholarship. The findings reflect the sociological binary of individual agency and societal structures as realities were shaped by the ‘place’ of each dance activity and practice in the field of dance, and challenged, maintained or supported existing dominant perceptions.Performance review: Hinterland, by NVABerger, Carahttps://hdl.handle.net/10023/107652019-04-01T12:11:38Z2016-06-29T00:00:00ZPerformance review of: Hinterland, by NVA
2016-06-29T00:00:00ZBerger, CaraPerformance review of: Hinterland, by NVACD review: Dichroic light: music for soloists, chamber ensembles and electronic, by Matthew WhitesideHammond, Drewhttps://hdl.handle.net/10023/107642019-04-01T12:11:24Z2016-06-29T00:00:00ZCD review of: Dichroic light: music for soloists, chamber ensembles and electronic, by Matthew Whiteside
2016-06-29T00:00:00ZHammond, DrewCD review of: Dichroic light: music for soloists, chamber ensembles and electronic, by Matthew WhitesideBook review: Moving sites: investigating site-specific dance performance, edited by Victoria HunterWhiteside, Bethanyhttps://hdl.handle.net/10023/107632019-04-01T12:12:30Z2016-07-29T00:00:00ZBook review of: Moving sites: investigating site-specific dance performance, edited by Victoria Hunter
2016-07-29T00:00:00ZWhiteside, BethanyBook review of: Moving sites: investigating site-specific dance performance, edited by Victoria HunterBook review: Theatre for youth third space: performance, democracy, and community cultural development, by Stephani Etheridge WoodsonFletcher-Watson, Benhttps://hdl.handle.net/10023/107622019-04-01T12:12:15Z2016-06-29T00:00:00ZBook review of: Theatre for youth third space: performance, democracy, and community cultural development, by Stephani Etheridge Woodson.
2016-06-29T00:00:00ZFletcher-Watson, BenBook review of: Theatre for youth third space: performance, democracy, and community cultural development, by Stephani Etheridge Woodson.Book review: Conducting for a new era, by Edwin RoxburghDownes, Michaelhttps://hdl.handle.net/10023/107612019-04-01T12:11:28Z2016-06-29T00:00:00ZBook review of: Conducting for a new era, by Edwin Roxburgh.
2016-06-29T00:00:00ZDownes, MichaelBook review of: Conducting for a new era, by Edwin Roxburgh.Book review: The actor training reader, edited by Mark Evansde Souza, Alihttps://hdl.handle.net/10023/107602019-04-01T12:12:27Z2016-06-29T00:00:00ZBook review of: The actor training reader, edited by Mark Evans
2016-06-29T00:00:00Zde Souza, AliBook review of: The actor training reader, edited by Mark EvansInterview: Tony ReekieFletcher-Watson, Benhttps://hdl.handle.net/10023/105632019-04-01T12:12:32Z2016-06-28T00:00:00ZIn 2015, Tony Reekie stood down as Director of Imaginate, Scotland’s national art-form development organisation for theatre for young audiences. Tony had programmed the annual Imaginate Festival of performing arts for children and young people since 2000, bringing companies from around the world to Edinburgh each May to share their work. Prior to joining Imaginate in 1996, Tony worked with a host of well-known Scottish theatre companies, including 7:84, TAG and Visible Fictions. In this interview, he reflects on the changes he’s observed within children’s theatre over the past two decades. He discusses taboos, funding, art for babies, nationhood and theatre as a political act, presenting Scotland as a site of distinctive practices and aesthetic modalities.
2016-06-28T00:00:00ZFletcher-Watson, BenIn 2015, Tony Reekie stood down as Director of Imaginate, Scotland’s national art-form development organisation for theatre for young audiences. Tony had programmed the annual Imaginate Festival of performing arts for children and young people since 2000, bringing companies from around the world to Edinburgh each May to share their work. Prior to joining Imaginate in 1996, Tony worked with a host of well-known Scottish theatre companies, including 7:84, TAG and Visible Fictions. In this interview, he reflects on the changes he’s observed within children’s theatre over the past two decades. He discusses taboos, funding, art for babies, nationhood and theatre as a political act, presenting Scotland as a site of distinctive practices and aesthetic modalities.Symposium abstracts: Thresholds and permeability in performanceFletcher-Watson, BenOng, AdelinaRush, AdamFielding, RosieZezulka, KelliGraham, KatherineVenn, JonathanDumitriu, SilviaShyldkrot, YaronFinbow, AcatiaWillett, JenniferSlator, SarahMoore, BridieMurphy, LauraShoji, MoeMilburn, LauraSmith, EveSurgey, Kirstyhttps://hdl.handle.net/10023/105622019-04-01T12:11:14Z2016-06-29T00:00:00Z2016-06-29T00:00:00ZFletcher-Watson, BenOng, AdelinaRush, AdamFielding, RosieZezulka, KelliGraham, KatherineVenn, JonathanDumitriu, SilviaShyldkrot, YaronFinbow, AcatiaWillett, JenniferSlator, SarahMoore, BridieMurphy, LauraShoji, MoeMilburn, LauraSmith, EveSurgey, KirstyPractitioner report: SHINEWilliams, BedeWeijmans, Anne-MarieMcGuire, EddieFitzpatrick, Timhttps://hdl.handle.net/10023/105612019-04-01T12:12:03Z2016-06-29T00:00:00Z2016-06-29T00:00:00ZWilliams, BedeWeijmans, Anne-MarieMcGuire, EddieFitzpatrick, TimBook review: Studying musical theatre: theory and practice, by Millie Taylor and Dominic SymondsCoatman, Lucyhttps://hdl.handle.net/10023/105602019-04-01T12:12:19Z2016-06-29T00:00:00Z2016-06-29T00:00:00ZCoatman, LucyPractitioner report: Calton Hill ConstellationsJoyner, SiriolSmith, Philhttps://hdl.handle.net/10023/105592019-04-01T12:11:22Z2016-06-29T00:00:00ZArtist and choreographer Siriol Joyner (Aberystwyth, Cymru) and writer and mythogeographer Phil Smith (Exeter, England) worked together with overlaps and collisions of place, dance, description, objects and narratives as part of a series of Opening Line events by Artlink. They combined description, history and storytelling in response to locations around Edinburgh in performances for sighted, partially sighted and blind audiences.
Working for three days in Cramond, Siriol and Phil explored an edge-place, drawing both on research about it and on their physical and emotional encounters with it. Playing at the edges of overlapping senses and spaces, they explored the meeting place of sacred and non-sacred space; searching for what is there and what is changing there; for what can be told, performed, what can be felt and touched; reaching for what eludes, listening and waiting for what might emerge.
They next took a group on an exploratory journey around the grounds of the Old City Observatory on Edinburgh’s Calton Hill. This descriptive performance, designed for sighted, non-sighted and blind audiences, responded to the historic and evocative site of Calton Hill by overlapping and colliding place, dance, description, objects and narratives. Phil and Siriol invited the group to experience the site in different ways, challenging our perception of the space through a series of actions, moments and stories.
This is their report on the two events.
2016-06-29T00:00:00ZJoyner, SiriolSmith, PhilArtist and choreographer Siriol Joyner (Aberystwyth, Cymru) and writer and mythogeographer Phil Smith (Exeter, England) worked together with overlaps and collisions of place, dance, description, objects and narratives as part of a series of Opening Line events by Artlink. They combined description, history and storytelling in response to locations around Edinburgh in performances for sighted, partially sighted and blind audiences.
Working for three days in Cramond, Siriol and Phil explored an edge-place, drawing both on research about it and on their physical and emotional encounters with it. Playing at the edges of overlapping senses and spaces, they explored the meeting place of sacred and non-sacred space; searching for what is there and what is changing there; for what can be told, performed, what can be felt and touched; reaching for what eludes, listening and waiting for what might emerge.
They next took a group on an exploratory journey around the grounds of the Old City Observatory on Edinburgh’s Calton Hill. This descriptive performance, designed for sighted, non-sighted and blind audiences, responded to the historic and evocative site of Calton Hill by overlapping and colliding place, dance, description, objects and narratives. Phil and Siriol invited the group to experience the site in different ways, challenging our perception of the space through a series of actions, moments and stories.
This is their report on the two events.Re-constructing heritage: the National Theatre of Scotland’s Calum’s RoadCarner, Niccolehttps://hdl.handle.net/10023/105582019-04-01T12:11:35Z2016-06-29T00:00:00ZDavid Harrower’s adaptation of Roger Hutchinson’s novel, Calum’s Road (2011, 2013) tells the real-life story of Calum MacLeod, and his quest to build a road from Arnish to South Arnish on the island of Raasay in the Inner Hebrides. Calum is representative of the everyday hero that can be found throughout Scottish texts and stories—one that remains true to himself, and fights for the cause he believes in, no matter how small it may seem to the government, or the people around him. The play highlights a dying age, and yet emphasizes the importance of merging the past with the ever changing present and is ultimately a celebration of failure. This article explores the role of heritage and heroism within Harrower’s play and, by extension, contemporary Scotland, by examining the relationship between struggle and failure, as well as the mutual responsibility within the national community to work to create a new image of the Scottish nation.
2016-06-29T00:00:00ZCarner, NiccoleDavid Harrower’s adaptation of Roger Hutchinson’s novel, Calum’s Road (2011, 2013) tells the real-life story of Calum MacLeod, and his quest to build a road from Arnish to South Arnish on the island of Raasay in the Inner Hebrides. Calum is representative of the everyday hero that can be found throughout Scottish texts and stories—one that remains true to himself, and fights for the cause he believes in, no matter how small it may seem to the government, or the people around him. The play highlights a dying age, and yet emphasizes the importance of merging the past with the ever changing present and is ultimately a celebration of failure. This article explores the role of heritage and heroism within Harrower’s play and, by extension, contemporary Scotland, by examining the relationship between struggle and failure, as well as the mutual responsibility within the national community to work to create a new image of the Scottish nation.Editorial: Scottish Journal of Performance, Vol 3, Issue 1 Kay, KirstyWilliams, Bedehttps://hdl.handle.net/10023/105572019-04-01T12:11:17Z2016-06-29T00:00:00Z2016-06-29T00:00:00ZKay, KirstyWilliams, BedeTowards a queer theatre for very young audiences in Scotland and the United StatesAmer, Lindsayhttps://hdl.handle.net/10023/105562019-04-01T12:12:00Z2016-06-29T00:00:00ZQueer performance practice and production has emerged over the past four decades as an increasingly visible if contentious modality, particularly in relation to theatre for children and teenagers. Kathryn Bond Stockton and Matthew Reason’s respective theories of the queer child and the impossibility of theatre for young audiences underpin arguments for the importance of queer themes within performance for young people. This paper looks specifically at Catherine Wheels Theatre Company’s production of White (2010) where colour invades a completely white world in a metaphor for diversity, and Emily Freeman’s play And Then Came Tango (2012) for elementary school audiences about a controversial same-sex penguin couple at New York’s Central Park Zoo. It is proposed that these plays may serve as examples of queer theatre pioneering progressive narratives specifically for young people. By contrasting the cultural contexts in which these plays have been performed, this paper contends that queer themes must be effectively depicted in cultural content for young people in order to destabilise global stigmas of LGBTQ+ people.
2016-06-29T00:00:00ZAmer, LindsayQueer performance practice and production has emerged over the past four decades as an increasingly visible if contentious modality, particularly in relation to theatre for children and teenagers. Kathryn Bond Stockton and Matthew Reason’s respective theories of the queer child and the impossibility of theatre for young audiences underpin arguments for the importance of queer themes within performance for young people. This paper looks specifically at Catherine Wheels Theatre Company’s production of White (2010) where colour invades a completely white world in a metaphor for diversity, and Emily Freeman’s play And Then Came Tango (2012) for elementary school audiences about a controversial same-sex penguin couple at New York’s Central Park Zoo. It is proposed that these plays may serve as examples of queer theatre pioneering progressive narratives specifically for young people. By contrasting the cultural contexts in which these plays have been performed, this paper contends that queer themes must be effectively depicted in cultural content for young people in order to destabilise global stigmas of LGBTQ+ people.Composition as the creation of a performance, music as a vehicle for non-musical thought : six new works.Butler, Thomashttps://hdl.handle.net/10023/98962019-04-01T12:10:56Z2016-12-01T00:00:00ZThis thesis comprises six new musical works composed between 2008 and 2015: ‘Struction (how I attempted to get the thoughts in my head into your head using only five instruments, five instrumentalists, metronome sound and MIDI’) for amplified ensemble and pre-recorded soundtrack (2011); ‘My Life in Ventriloquism’ for solo clarinet and pre-recorded soundtrack (2012); ‘Nightmusic’ for solo violin (2012); ‘Replaceable Parts for the Irreplaceable You’ for ensemble, pre-recorded soundtrack and video (2013); ‘Espial’, a video work featuring string quartet (2014); and ‘Elbow Room’ for amplified ensemble, pre-recorded soundtrack and video (2014). The works are presented in this thesis as musical scores (and other performance materials), accompanied by audio-visual documentation of performances. As a whole, these compositions reflect a period of practice-as-research into the role of metapraxis in musical performance and how it can be used to help convey non-musical thought through instrumental music. A commentary on this portfolio of new compositions begins by discussing two influential works — Mauricio Kagel's ‘Match’ (1964) and ‘Failing: A Difficult Piece for Solo String Bass’ (1975) by Tom Johnson — before examining each new work in detail in order to explicate the research and creative processes that led to their composition, to exteriorize a personal working practice and to document the reflection-on-practice which has furthered this research. The commentary details how I was able to write music on a variety of topics, including authority, technology and place, and concludes with some ideas for further research.
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2016-12-01T00:00:00ZButler, ThomasThis thesis comprises six new musical works composed between 2008 and 2015: ‘Struction (how I attempted to get the thoughts in my head into your head using only five instruments, five instrumentalists, metronome sound and MIDI’) for amplified ensemble and pre-recorded soundtrack (2011); ‘My Life in Ventriloquism’ for solo clarinet and pre-recorded soundtrack (2012); ‘Nightmusic’ for solo violin (2012); ‘Replaceable Parts for the Irreplaceable You’ for ensemble, pre-recorded soundtrack and video (2013); ‘Espial’, a video work featuring string quartet (2014); and ‘Elbow Room’ for amplified ensemble, pre-recorded soundtrack and video (2014). The works are presented in this thesis as musical scores (and other performance materials), accompanied by audio-visual documentation of performances. As a whole, these compositions reflect a period of practice-as-research into the role of metapraxis in musical performance and how it can be used to help convey non-musical thought through instrumental music. A commentary on this portfolio of new compositions begins by discussing two influential works — Mauricio Kagel's ‘Match’ (1964) and ‘Failing: A Difficult Piece for Solo String Bass’ (1975) by Tom Johnson — before examining each new work in detail in order to explicate the research and creative processes that led to their composition, to exteriorize a personal working practice and to document the reflection-on-practice which has furthered this research. The commentary details how I was able to write music on a variety of topics, including authority, technology and place, and concludes with some ideas for further research."More like a poem than a play" : towards a dramaturgy of performing arts for Early YearsFletcher-Watson, Benhttps://hdl.handle.net/10023/89742019-04-01T12:10:48Z2016-06-23T00:00:00ZThis thesis aims to further our understanding of the emergent phenomenon of Theatre for Early Years (TEY) in Scotland. It interrogates a series of artistic practices – traditional, postdramatic, participatory – with the aim of proposing a possible dramaturgy of arts for the very young.
Practice typically precedes theory in new fields of performance. TEY currently lacks a coherent theoretical framework or dramaturgy, instead drawing on interdisciplinary strands of psychology, pedagogy and existing dramaturgical practices from older forms of theatre for children. This study explores artists’ embodied knowledge as a repository of skill, while also recognising external factors that impact on creative production, from belief systems to training, the search for funding and the struggle for recognition.
Using Grounded Theory as a method to analyse interviews with 26 leading Scottish practitioners, this project undertakes a qualitative investigation of current practice in the devising and production of performing arts for very young audiences. The thesis also considers debates around legitimation and human rights for the very young, as well as cognitive models of infant development from psychology.
The process points towards a Grounded Theory which proposes that Scottish Early Years artists undergo an attitudinal shift towards a belief that children should access high-quality cultural experiences on the same basis as adults. Secondly, it suggests that these artists believe they possess a unique skill-set worthy of recognition. The theory points towards an associated dramaturgy centring on equality, and the generalisability of both is then assessed via an innovatory Practice-as-Research case study converting a TEY production into a digital app.
While the project is geographically limited to Scotland, its findings may have international applicability. This study could contribute to a wider praxis of arts for the very young beyond theatre, giving practitioners across the cultural sphere the opportunity to engage with the proposed dramaturgy.
2016-06-23T00:00:00ZFletcher-Watson, BenThis thesis aims to further our understanding of the emergent phenomenon of Theatre for Early Years (TEY) in Scotland. It interrogates a series of artistic practices – traditional, postdramatic, participatory – with the aim of proposing a possible dramaturgy of arts for the very young.
Practice typically precedes theory in new fields of performance. TEY currently lacks a coherent theoretical framework or dramaturgy, instead drawing on interdisciplinary strands of psychology, pedagogy and existing dramaturgical practices from older forms of theatre for children. This study explores artists’ embodied knowledge as a repository of skill, while also recognising external factors that impact on creative production, from belief systems to training, the search for funding and the struggle for recognition.
Using Grounded Theory as a method to analyse interviews with 26 leading Scottish practitioners, this project undertakes a qualitative investigation of current practice in the devising and production of performing arts for very young audiences. The thesis also considers debates around legitimation and human rights for the very young, as well as cognitive models of infant development from psychology.
The process points towards a Grounded Theory which proposes that Scottish Early Years artists undergo an attitudinal shift towards a belief that children should access high-quality cultural experiences on the same basis as adults. Secondly, it suggests that these artists believe they possess a unique skill-set worthy of recognition. The theory points towards an associated dramaturgy centring on equality, and the generalisability of both is then assessed via an innovatory Practice-as-Research case study converting a TEY production into a digital app.
While the project is geographically limited to Scotland, its findings may have international applicability. This study could contribute to a wider praxis of arts for the very young beyond theatre, giving practitioners across the cultural sphere the opportunity to engage with the proposed dramaturgy.Book review: Charles Mackerras, edited by Nigel Simeone and John TyrrellWatkin, Davidhttps://hdl.handle.net/10023/72422019-07-01T10:18:53Z2015-06-26T00:00:00ZBook review: Charles Mackerras, edited by Nigel Simeone and John Tyrrell.
Suffolk: Boydell and Brewer, 2015; ISBN: 9781843839668 (£25.00)
2015-06-26T00:00:00ZWatkin, DavidBook review: Charles Mackerras, edited by Nigel Simeone and John Tyrrell.
Suffolk: Boydell and Brewer, 2015; ISBN: 9781843839668 (£25.00)Book review: Sleeping in temples, by Susan TomesWilliams, Bedehttps://hdl.handle.net/10023/72412019-07-01T10:03:56Z2015-06-26T00:00:00ZBook review: Sleeping in temples, by Susan Tomes. Woodbridge: The Boydell
Press, 2014; ISBN: 9781843839750 (£19.99)
2015-06-26T00:00:00ZWilliams, BedeBook review: Sleeping in temples, by Susan Tomes. Woodbridge: The Boydell
Press, 2014; ISBN: 9781843839750 (£19.99)Book review: Dramaturging personal narratives: who am I and where is here?, by Judith RudakoffMackay, Shonahttps://hdl.handle.net/10023/72402019-07-01T10:05:32Z2015-06-26T00:00:00ZBook review: Dramaturging personal narratives: who am I and where is here?,
by Judith Rudakoff. Bristol: Intellect, 2015; ISBN: 9781783204199
(£37.00)
2015-06-26T00:00:00ZMackay, ShonaBook review: Dramaturging personal narratives: who am I and where is here?,
by Judith Rudakoff. Bristol: Intellect, 2015; ISBN: 9781783204199
(£37.00)Book review: Acting Shakespeare’s language, by Andy HindsSilberschatz, Marchttps://hdl.handle.net/10023/72382019-07-01T10:09:17Z2015-06-26T00:00:00ZBook review: Acting Shakespeare’s language, by Andy Hinds. London: Oberon
Books Ltd, 2015; ISBN: 9781783190089 (£14.99)
2015-06-26T00:00:00ZSilberschatz, MarcBook review: Acting Shakespeare’s language, by Andy Hinds. London: Oberon
Books Ltd, 2015; ISBN: 9781783190089 (£14.99)Book review: Contemporary Scottish plays, edited by Trish ReidFletcher-Watson, Benhttps://hdl.handle.net/10023/72372019-07-01T10:07:40Z2015-06-26T00:00:00ZBook review: Contemporary Scottish plays, edited by Trish Reid. London:
Bloomsbury, 2014; ISBN: 9781472574435 (£17.99)
2015-06-26T00:00:00ZFletcher-Watson, BenBook review: Contemporary Scottish plays, edited by Trish Reid. London:
Bloomsbury, 2014; ISBN: 9781472574435 (£17.99)Book review: Modernist and avant‑garde performance: an introduction, by Claire WardenHaddow, Samhttps://hdl.handle.net/10023/72332019-07-01T10:20:06Z2015-06-26T00:00:00ZBook review: Modernist and avant-garde performance: an introduction, by
Claire Warden. Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press, 2015;
ISBN: 9780748681556 (£19.99)
2015-06-26T00:00:00ZHaddow, SamBook review: Modernist and avant-garde performance: an introduction, by
Claire Warden. Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press, 2015;
ISBN: 9780748681556 (£19.99)Book review: El Sistema: orchestrating Venezuela’s youth, by Geoffrey BakerJourdan, Kathrynhttps://hdl.handle.net/10023/72322019-07-01T10:09:49Z2015-06-26T00:00:00ZBook review of: El Sistema: orchestrating Venezuela’s youth, by Geoffrey Baker.
New York, NY: Oxford University Press, 2014; ISBN: 9780199341559
($35.00)
2015-06-26T00:00:00ZJourdan, KathrynBook review of: El Sistema: orchestrating Venezuela’s youth, by Geoffrey Baker.
New York, NY: Oxford University Press, 2014; ISBN: 9780199341559
($35.00)Relaxed performance: audiences with autism in mainstream theatreFletcher-Watson, Benhttps://hdl.handle.net/10023/72292019-07-01T10:15:46Z2015-06-26T00:00:00ZEmerging less than a decade ago, ‘relaxed performances’
now take place at many theatres in the UK and USA. These
events encourage attendance at mainstream productions by
hitherto neglected audiences, particularly those with
autism. The changes made may include reduced intensity of
lighting and sound, the provision of visual stories to
familiarise theatregoers with the venue and production, and
trained staff on hand to assist visitors.
This paper examines the rise in relaxed performance since
2009, providing a synopsis of current practice. A short case
study of a relaxed performance of The Lion King then
prompts three questions: what do autistic theatregoers
want from a theatre performance? Do relaxed
performances alter the conventions of live theatre? What is
their impact on actors?
The paper also considers the role of human rights in
inclusive arts, and proposes several avenues for future
research into this challenging and exciting movement.
2015-06-26T00:00:00ZFletcher-Watson, BenEmerging less than a decade ago, ‘relaxed performances’
now take place at many theatres in the UK and USA. These
events encourage attendance at mainstream productions by
hitherto neglected audiences, particularly those with
autism. The changes made may include reduced intensity of
lighting and sound, the provision of visual stories to
familiarise theatregoers with the venue and production, and
trained staff on hand to assist visitors.
This paper examines the rise in relaxed performance since
2009, providing a synopsis of current practice. A short case
study of a relaxed performance of The Lion King then
prompts three questions: what do autistic theatregoers
want from a theatre performance? Do relaxed
performances alter the conventions of live theatre? What is
their impact on actors?
The paper also considers the role of human rights in
inclusive arts, and proposes several avenues for future
research into this challenging and exciting movement.Practitioner report: running walls: the performance of the limit in prisonMaccagno, Paolohttps://hdl.handle.net/10023/72262019-07-01T10:05:17Z2015-06-26T00:00:00ZThe limit to freedom, represented by the wall of the prison,
is the limit to run to reach the finish-line of the marathon:
run the limit! Training prisoners to run a marathon as a
practice of the limit. Inside and outside meet on the limit, in
a suspended place where running is a movement of
rehabilitation and transformation.
Go Daddy!
is an educational project based upon the
pedagogy of resilience and a form of anthropological
research into body and movement. It is a case study
investigating personal limits through an art performance
based on marathon running with prisoner-fathers; a limit-
experience as a ‘practice of freedom’ (Foucault) to activate
the prison and through it see a social system where
neoliberalism is expressed; a pilot project for wider
research at the intersection of different academic traditions,
pointing towards a new direction for critical engagement
with performance. Drawing from that experience, this
article examines the potentialities of marathon running in
prison as a performance of limits: a healing possibility for
personhood to be based on
‘presence’
(Abramović) and awareness, since, as Foucault notes, the experiential body
can become a locus of resistance
against normalising
power
. Through analysis of the
Go Daddy!
project, this
paper considers how an art performance can be an
experiment in the sense not of testing a hypothesis but of
opening an exploratory path of inquiry into human life and
a new way of conducting anthropology as a learning process
—in other words, the possibility for art to be science.
2015-06-26T00:00:00ZMaccagno, PaoloThe limit to freedom, represented by the wall of the prison,
is the limit to run to reach the finish-line of the marathon:
run the limit! Training prisoners to run a marathon as a
practice of the limit. Inside and outside meet on the limit, in
a suspended place where running is a movement of
rehabilitation and transformation.
Go Daddy!
is an educational project based upon the
pedagogy of resilience and a form of anthropological
research into body and movement. It is a case study
investigating personal limits through an art performance
based on marathon running with prisoner-fathers; a limit-
experience as a ‘practice of freedom’ (Foucault) to activate
the prison and through it see a social system where
neoliberalism is expressed; a pilot project for wider
research at the intersection of different academic traditions,
pointing towards a new direction for critical engagement
with performance. Drawing from that experience, this
article examines the potentialities of marathon running in
prison as a performance of limits: a healing possibility for
personhood to be based on
‘presence’
(Abramović) and awareness, since, as Foucault notes, the experiential body
can become a locus of resistance
against normalising
power
. Through analysis of the
Go Daddy!
project, this
paper considers how an art performance can be an
experiment in the sense not of testing a hypothesis but of
opening an exploratory path of inquiry into human life and
a new way of conducting anthropology as a learning process
—in other words, the possibility for art to be science.‘I’m not really a clown’: critical reflection on a Clown Cabaret Scratch NightAmsden, Lucyhttps://hdl.handle.net/10023/72242019-04-01T12:11:35Z2015-06-26T00:00:00ZThis article is a critical reflection on the Clown Cabaret
Scratch Night at Assembly Roxy, 14 November 2014,
organised by Plutôt la Vie and CloWnStePPing. It considers
the variety of acts included in the show and how this
plurality connects to the wider contemporary genre of
theatre clown. From a participant-observer perspective, I
introduce the tensions and contradictions in and between
the acts. I suggest that this event can provide a snapshot of
how the genre is currently perceived and practiced in
Scotland today. Of particular prominence are the role of the
‘flop’ in the clown’s relationship with the audience, the
tension between rehearsal and spontaneity, and the
connection to the ‘authentic self ’ of the performer this
implies.
2015-06-26T00:00:00ZAmsden, LucyThis article is a critical reflection on the Clown Cabaret
Scratch Night at Assembly Roxy, 14 November 2014,
organised by Plutôt la Vie and CloWnStePPing. It considers
the variety of acts included in the show and how this
plurality connects to the wider contemporary genre of
theatre clown. From a participant-observer perspective, I
introduce the tensions and contradictions in and between
the acts. I suggest that this event can provide a snapshot of
how the genre is currently perceived and practiced in
Scotland today. Of particular prominence are the role of the
‘flop’ in the clown’s relationship with the audience, the
tension between rehearsal and spontaneity, and the
connection to the ‘authentic self ’ of the performer this
implies.Editorial: Scottish Journal of Performance, Vol 2, Issue 2Fletcher-Watson, BenKay, Kirstyhttps://hdl.handle.net/10023/72232019-07-01T10:07:01Z2015-06-26T00:00:00ZThis fourth issue of the Scottish Journal of Performance presents a selection of papers addressing the theme of ‘scholar as interloper’. Three researchers provide differing subversions, both of their identities within the academy and of their appropriation of other personae within performance culture. Additionally, they explore issues around the subjective voice of the people they are researching, questioning how to let them speak for themselves whilst remaining conscious of their own subjective biases and experiences.
2015-06-26T00:00:00ZFletcher-Watson, BenKay, KirstyThis fourth issue of the Scottish Journal of Performance presents a selection of papers addressing the theme of ‘scholar as interloper’. Three researchers provide differing subversions, both of their identities within the academy and of their appropriation of other personae within performance culture. Additionally, they explore issues around the subjective voice of the people they are researching, questioning how to let them speak for themselves whilst remaining conscious of their own subjective biases and experiences.Portfolio of original compositionsGormley, Johnhttps://hdl.handle.net/10023/70722022-11-02T15:39:00Z2015-06-25T00:00:00ZThis folio and accompanying commentary draw together my compositional work over the period of the PhD and plot the development and exploration of a number techniques which are to be found in varying degrees in each of the works but with different emphases. These techniques include the use of: parallel structures and metres to provide a sense of independence of compositional ideas; parallel tonal centres within overarching schema to control and draw thematic material together; the use of rhetorical musical gestures that seek to break free of their context; fragmentation and the accumulation of material in terms of quantity and density in order to facilitate a sense of change; the limitation of pitch material in order to create a sense of stasis; and the use of slow sustained melodies that lack a clear pulse in order to create a sense of musical events that are not bound by time.
2015-06-25T00:00:00ZGormley, JohnThis folio and accompanying commentary draw together my compositional work over the period of the PhD and plot the development and exploration of a number techniques which are to be found in varying degrees in each of the works but with different emphases. These techniques include the use of: parallel structures and metres to provide a sense of independence of compositional ideas; parallel tonal centres within overarching schema to control and draw thematic material together; the use of rhetorical musical gestures that seek to break free of their context; fragmentation and the accumulation of material in terms of quantity and density in order to facilitate a sense of change; the limitation of pitch material in order to create a sense of stasis; and the use of slow sustained melodies that lack a clear pulse in order to create a sense of musical events that are not bound by time.From piano to stage : a genealogy of musical ideas in the piano works of Sergei Prokofiev (1900 – c.1920)Guillaumier, Christinahttps://hdl.handle.net/10023/64512019-04-01T12:10:48Z2010-01-01T00:00:00ZThis thesis is a study of Prokofiev's musical ideas as they emerge in his early writing for piano. It is concerned with elucidating the connections between Prokofiev's pianistic technique and his compositional technique. In doing so, the study explores the genealogy of composer's musical gestures and thematic ideas. Both his playing and his compositional styles have been labelled as distinctive: the thesis attempts to deconstruct that distinctiveness by pinpointing the origins of the composer's playing and compositional styles, tracing their gradual evolution into a mature idiom. The first chapter is concerned with Prokofiev's juvenilia (1898 to c. 1906). Drawing upon a large amount of previously unpublished archival resources, this chapter uncovers the original gestures and thematic ideas which characterize Prokofiev's early style. The next chapter focuses on Prokofiev's period at the St Petersburg Conservatory, tracing his development into a virtuoso pianist, examining the nature of that virtuosity and
chronicling the creation of Prokofiev's performing persona. The gestures and idea-
types identified in the first chapter are then examined within the context of
Prokofiev's works for solo piano, his early works with orchestra and his first two
major operas. Conclusions are then drawn about the nature of Prokofiev's
distinctiveness, his compositional legacy and about his current position as a major
twentieth-century composer.
2010-01-01T00:00:00ZGuillaumier, ChristinaThis thesis is a study of Prokofiev's musical ideas as they emerge in his early writing for piano. It is concerned with elucidating the connections between Prokofiev's pianistic technique and his compositional technique. In doing so, the study explores the genealogy of composer's musical gestures and thematic ideas. Both his playing and his compositional styles have been labelled as distinctive: the thesis attempts to deconstruct that distinctiveness by pinpointing the origins of the composer's playing and compositional styles, tracing their gradual evolution into a mature idiom. The first chapter is concerned with Prokofiev's juvenilia (1898 to c. 1906). Drawing upon a large amount of previously unpublished archival resources, this chapter uncovers the original gestures and thematic ideas which characterize Prokofiev's early style. The next chapter focuses on Prokofiev's period at the St Petersburg Conservatory, tracing his development into a virtuoso pianist, examining the nature of that virtuosity and
chronicling the creation of Prokofiev's performing persona. The gestures and idea-
types identified in the first chapter are then examined within the context of
Prokofiev's works for solo piano, his early works with orchestra and his first two
major operas. Conclusions are then drawn about the nature of Prokofiev's
distinctiveness, his compositional legacy and about his current position as a major
twentieth-century composer.Book review: The reflexive teaching artist: collected wisdom from the drama/theatre field, by Kathryn Dawson and Daniel A. KelinBissell, Laurahttps://hdl.handle.net/10023/62192019-07-01T10:07:42Z2014-12-16T00:00:00ZBook review of: The reflexive teaching artist: collected wisdom from the drama/theatre field, by Kathryn Dawson and Daniel A. Kelin, II. Bristol: Intellect, 2014; ISBN 9781783202218 (£28.00)
2014-12-16T00:00:00ZBissell, LauraBook review of: The reflexive teaching artist: collected wisdom from the drama/theatre field, by Kathryn Dawson and Daniel A. Kelin, II. Bristol: Intellect, 2014; ISBN 9781783202218 (£28.00)Book review: Rancière and film, edited by Paul BowmanBeaton, Samhttps://hdl.handle.net/10023/62182019-07-01T10:08:07Z2014-12-15T00:00:00ZBook review of: Rancière and film, edited by Paul Bowman. Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press, 2013; ISBN: 9780748647354 (£24.99)
2014-12-15T00:00:00ZBeaton, SamBook review of: Rancière and film, edited by Paul Bowman. Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press, 2013; ISBN: 9780748647354 (£24.99)Book review: The actor and the camera, by Denis LawsonStevenson, Markhttps://hdl.handle.net/10023/62172019-07-01T10:18:32Z2014-12-16T00:00:00ZBook review of: The actor and the camera, by Denis Lawson. London: Nick Hern Books, 2014; ISBN 9781848423459 (£10.99)
2014-12-16T00:00:00ZStevenson, MarkBook review of: The actor and the camera, by Denis Lawson. London: Nick Hern Books, 2014; ISBN 9781848423459 (£10.99)Book review: Embodied knowledge in ensemble performance, by J. Murphy McCalebKanno, Miekohttps://hdl.handle.net/10023/62162019-07-01T10:10:35Z2014-12-16T00:00:00ZBook review of: Embodied knowledge in ensemble performance, by J. Murphy McCaleb. Farnham: Ashgate, 2014; ISBN 9781472419613 (£50.00)
2014-12-16T00:00:00ZKanno, MiekoBook review of: Embodied knowledge in ensemble performance, by J. Murphy McCaleb. Farnham: Ashgate, 2014; ISBN 9781472419613 (£50.00)Symposium abstracts: Pace, penalty and pirouette: the sociology of physical culturePalmer, VictoriaWhiteside, BethanyTulle, EmmanuelleBurger, Ursula M.Thomson, ElaineTheodoraki, ElaniBowness, JamesHeffernan, ConorBissell, LauraOverend, Davidcoffey, VanessaTsitsou, LitoKay, KirstySmith, SueAmsden, LucyGüzel, HandeChristofidou, AndriaLeask, Josephinehttps://hdl.handle.net/10023/62152019-07-01T10:10:10Z2014-12-16T00:00:00ZPace, penalty and pirouette: the sociology of physical culture was an event organised and hosted by PhD students Victoria Palmer (Glasgow Caledonian University) and Bethany Whiteside (Royal Conservatoire of Scotland). Funded by the British Sociological Association as a Postgraduate Regional Event, the day was primarily designed to be a supportive platform for postgraduate students from across Scotland and further afield to unite, discuss, present, and share their research with academics with similar interests. The event focused on aspects of ‘physical culture’, attracting scholars from several areas of study including dance, leisure studies, outdoor activity, physical activity, physical education, physical theatre, outdoor activity and sport. Broadly speaking, those who study physical culture are interested in the ways in which individuals engage in (or do not engage in) physical practices and how these individuals are affected by, or influence their social and cultural environment.
2014-12-16T00:00:00ZPalmer, VictoriaWhiteside, BethanyTulle, EmmanuelleBurger, Ursula M.Thomson, ElaineTheodoraki, ElaniBowness, JamesHeffernan, ConorBissell, LauraOverend, Davidcoffey, VanessaTsitsou, LitoKay, KirstySmith, SueAmsden, LucyGüzel, HandeChristofidou, AndriaLeask, JosephinePace, penalty and pirouette: the sociology of physical culture was an event organised and hosted by PhD students Victoria Palmer (Glasgow Caledonian University) and Bethany Whiteside (Royal Conservatoire of Scotland). Funded by the British Sociological Association as a Postgraduate Regional Event, the day was primarily designed to be a supportive platform for postgraduate students from across Scotland and further afield to unite, discuss, present, and share their research with academics with similar interests. The event focused on aspects of ‘physical culture’, attracting scholars from several areas of study including dance, leisure studies, outdoor activity, physical activity, physical education, physical theatre, outdoor activity and sport. Broadly speaking, those who study physical culture are interested in the ways in which individuals engage in (or do not engage in) physical practices and how these individuals are affected by, or influence their social and cultural environment.Keynote address: Rhythmic routes: developing a nomadic physical practice for the daily commuteBissell, LauraOverend, Davidhttps://hdl.handle.net/10023/62142019-07-01T10:11:15Z2014-12-16T00:00:00ZHow can the contemporary performance practitioner maintain a deterritorialised, nomadic existence within the regulated systems of twenty-first century mobile life? Elliott and Urry (2010) argue that ‘life “on the move” appears to unfold faster and faster in the early days of the twenty-first century, as people become more reliant upon interdependent, digitised systems’. In contrast, the nomad is an aspirational figure, ‘cut free of roots, bonds and fixed identities’ (Pearson, 2010). Responding to the increasingly globalised context of mobilities and Braidotti’s (2011) notion of ‘becoming-nomad’, this keynote asks whether nomadism can offer an alternative to the physical cultures created through the systemisation and repetition of everyday journeys. Rejecting conventional narratives of the ‘weary and dystopian commuter’ (Edensor, 2011), we aim to develop a series of performative interventions that reimagine commuting as a creative and productive embodied practice with the potential for nomadic disruptions to the routines and rhythms of our everyday journeys.
2014-12-16T00:00:00ZBissell, LauraOverend, DavidHow can the contemporary performance practitioner maintain a deterritorialised, nomadic existence within the regulated systems of twenty-first century mobile life? Elliott and Urry (2010) argue that ‘life “on the move” appears to unfold faster and faster in the early days of the twenty-first century, as people become more reliant upon interdependent, digitised systems’. In contrast, the nomad is an aspirational figure, ‘cut free of roots, bonds and fixed identities’ (Pearson, 2010). Responding to the increasingly globalised context of mobilities and Braidotti’s (2011) notion of ‘becoming-nomad’, this keynote asks whether nomadism can offer an alternative to the physical cultures created through the systemisation and repetition of everyday journeys. Rejecting conventional narratives of the ‘weary and dystopian commuter’ (Edensor, 2011), we aim to develop a series of performative interventions that reimagine commuting as a creative and productive embodied practice with the potential for nomadic disruptions to the routines and rhythms of our everyday journeys.The trombone as portrayed in Portuguese iconography during the sixteenth and early seventeenth centuriesde Oliveira Alves, Rui Pedrohttps://hdl.handle.net/10023/62132019-07-01T10:09:45Z2014-12-16T00:00:00ZThis article studies eleven sixteenth and seventeenth century iconographical sources depicting slide brass instruments, by both Portuguese and foreign artists active in Portugal, as well as foreign artists depicting Portuguese scenes. This study addresses questions concerning aspects of trombone technique that have not previously been considered and may have implications in the way the trombone was understood elsewhere in Europe. It focuses on aspects of technique depicted that may be representative of the trombone’s contemporary design and performance and therefore the manner in which the instrument was held and indeed played. Finally, this article suggests a transitional technical period when the way of holding the single-slide trumpet may have been used to play the trombone.
2014-12-16T00:00:00Zde Oliveira Alves, Rui PedroThis article studies eleven sixteenth and seventeenth century iconographical sources depicting slide brass instruments, by both Portuguese and foreign artists active in Portugal, as well as foreign artists depicting Portuguese scenes. This study addresses questions concerning aspects of trombone technique that have not previously been considered and may have implications in the way the trombone was understood elsewhere in Europe. It focuses on aspects of technique depicted that may be representative of the trombone’s contemporary design and performance and therefore the manner in which the instrument was held and indeed played. Finally, this article suggests a transitional technical period when the way of holding the single-slide trumpet may have been used to play the trombone.Book review: Music and the making of modern science, by Peter PesicWhalley, J. Harryhttps://hdl.handle.net/10023/62122019-07-01T10:06:15Z2014-12-16T00:00:00ZBook review of: Music and the making of modern science , by Peter Pesic. London: MIT Press, 2014; Hardcover ISBN: 9780262027274 (£27.95), eBook ISBN: 9780262324373 ($20.00)
2014-12-16T00:00:00ZWhalley, J. HarryBook review of: Music and the making of modern science , by Peter Pesic. London: MIT Press, 2014; Hardcover ISBN: 9780262027274 (£27.95), eBook ISBN: 9780262324373 ($20.00)Book review: All work and no plays: blueprints for 9 theatre performances by Ontroerend Goed, by Ontroerend GoedVile, Gareth K.https://hdl.handle.net/10023/62112019-07-01T10:10:54Z2014-12-16T00:00:00ZBook review of: All work and no plays: blueprints for 9 theatre performances by Ontroerend Goed, by Ontroerend Goed. London: Oberon Books, 2014; ISBN 9781783191055 (£18.99)
2014-12-16T00:00:00ZVile, Gareth K.Book review of: All work and no plays: blueprints for 9 theatre performances by Ontroerend Goed, by Ontroerend Goed. London: Oberon Books, 2014; ISBN 9781783191055 (£18.99)Book review: The theatrical public sphere, by Christopher B. BalmeHeinrich, Anselmhttps://hdl.handle.net/10023/62102019-07-01T10:09:49Z2014-12-16T00:00:00ZBook review of: The theatrical public sphere, by Christopher B. Balme. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2014; ISBN 9781107006836 (£60.00)
2014-12-16T00:00:00ZHeinrich, AnselmBook review of: The theatrical public sphere, by Christopher B. Balme. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2014; ISBN 9781107006836 (£60.00)Editorial: Scottish Journal of Performance, Vol 2, Issue 1Fletcher-Watson, BenKay, Kirstyhttps://hdl.handle.net/10023/62092019-07-01T10:19:43Z2014-12-01T00:00:00ZThe third issue of the Scottish Journal of Performance presents a diverse selection of papers on the theme of ‘New Reflective Routes’. This issue presents contrasting journeys made by three scholars as they unpick familiar routes of creative, analytic and daily practice, each finding potential for exciting new critical directions.
2014-12-01T00:00:00ZFletcher-Watson, BenKay, KirstyThe third issue of the Scottish Journal of Performance presents a diverse selection of papers on the theme of ‘New Reflective Routes’. This issue presents contrasting journeys made by three scholars as they unpick familiar routes of creative, analytic and daily practice, each finding potential for exciting new critical directions.Dislocation and relocation: clarsach and live electronicsMacDonald, Alistairhttps://hdl.handle.net/10023/62082019-07-01T10:16:51Z2014-12-16T00:00:00ZIn writing The Salutation (clarsach and electroacoustic sound) for harpist Catriona McKay in 2002, I wanted to create something which celebrated the history and music of the instrument itself, using studio technology to create a bridge between idiomatic writing for the instrument and environmental/anecdotal sound, including the voice, which referenced place and time.
This paper will chart and reflect on the collaborative work we have done together since then, describing our methodology for interrogating and relocating the clarsach. It will explore how we consciously play with musical, sonic and conceptual distances in our improvised performances, and examine aspects of this shared ‘performance ecosystem’ (Waters, 2007), which enables us to function in multiple contexts.
2014-12-16T00:00:00ZMacDonald, AlistairIn writing The Salutation (clarsach and electroacoustic sound) for harpist Catriona McKay in 2002, I wanted to create something which celebrated the history and music of the instrument itself, using studio technology to create a bridge between idiomatic writing for the instrument and environmental/anecdotal sound, including the voice, which referenced place and time.
This paper will chart and reflect on the collaborative work we have done together since then, describing our methodology for interrogating and relocating the clarsach. It will explore how we consciously play with musical, sonic and conceptual distances in our improvised performances, and examine aspects of this shared ‘performance ecosystem’ (Waters, 2007), which enables us to function in multiple contexts.Book review: Singing Simpkin and other bawdy jigs: musical comedy on the Shakespearian stage—scripts, music and context, by Roger Clegg and Lucy SkeapingRhodes, Neilhttps://hdl.handle.net/10023/62062019-07-01T10:07:21Z2014-12-16T00:00:00ZBook review of: Singing Simpkin and other bawdy jigs, edited by Roger Clegg and Lucie Skeaping. Exeter: University of Exeter Press, 2014; ISBN: 9780859898782 (£30.00)
2014-12-16T00:00:00ZRhodes, NeilBook review of: Singing Simpkin and other bawdy jigs, edited by Roger Clegg and Lucie Skeaping. Exeter: University of Exeter Press, 2014; ISBN: 9780859898782 (£30.00)Book review: Embodied politics: dance, protest and identities, by Stacey PrickettChristofidou, Andriahttps://hdl.handle.net/10023/56032019-07-01T10:08:44Z2014-06-13T00:00:00ZBook review of: Embodied politics: dance, protest and identities, by Stacey Prickett. Hampshire: Dance Books, 2013; ISBN 9781852731663 (£20.00)
2014-06-13T00:00:00ZChristofidou, AndriaBook review of: Embodied politics: dance, protest and identities, by Stacey Prickett. Hampshire: Dance Books, 2013; ISBN 9781852731663 (£20.00)Book review: Hamish MacCunn (1868-1916): a musical life, by Jennifer L. OatesDickson, Joshuahttps://hdl.handle.net/10023/56022019-07-01T10:06:50Z2013-12-13T00:00:00ZBook review of: Hamish MacCunn (1868-1916): a musical life (Music in 19th-Century Britain) by Jennifer L. Oates. Farnham: Ashgate, 2013; ISBN 9780754661832 (£60.00)
2013-12-13T00:00:00ZDickson, JoshuaBook review of: Hamish MacCunn (1868-1916): a musical life (Music in 19th-Century Britain) by Jennifer L. Oates. Farnham: Ashgate, 2013; ISBN 9780754661832 (£60.00)Book review: Men’s cinema: masculinity and mise-en-scène in Hollywood, by Stella BruzziGirelli, Elisabettahttps://hdl.handle.net/10023/56012019-07-01T10:19:05Z2014-06-13T00:00:00ZBook review of: Men’s cinema: masculinity and mise-en-scène in Hollywood, by Stella Bruzzi. Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press, 2013; ISBN 9780748676163 (£19.99)
2014-06-13T00:00:00ZGirelli, ElisabettaBook review of: Men’s cinema: masculinity and mise-en-scène in Hollywood, by Stella Bruzzi. Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press, 2013; ISBN 9780748676163 (£19.99)Intersections between the academic and ‘real’ worlds of dance at the British Dance Edition 2014: a reportWhiteside, Bethanyhttps://hdl.handle.net/10023/55992019-07-01T10:13:05Z2014-06-13T00:00:00ZThe Gleneagles Ryder Cup and Glasgow Commonwealth Games may be yet to come, but 2014 in Scotland launched with the international biennale, British Dance Edition (BDE), the United Kingdom’s largest dance industry showcase. Running from 30 January to 2 February in Edinburgh and Glasgow, and attracting almost 400 delegates from 40 countries, this was the first time that the event had taken place in Scotland.
2014-06-13T00:00:00ZWhiteside, BethanyThe Gleneagles Ryder Cup and Glasgow Commonwealth Games may be yet to come, but 2014 in Scotland launched with the international biennale, British Dance Edition (BDE), the United Kingdom’s largest dance industry showcase. Running from 30 January to 2 February in Edinburgh and Glasgow, and attracting almost 400 delegates from 40 countries, this was the first time that the event had taken place in Scotland.Editorial: Scottish Journal of Performance, Vol 1, Issue 1Whiteside, BethanyFletcher-Watson, Benhttps://hdl.handle.net/10023/55942019-07-01T10:15:25Z2013-12-13T00:00:00ZThe genesis of the Scottish Journal of Performance sprang from a wish amongst doctoral students based at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland and the University of St Andrews to create an academic platform for Scotland’s and Scottish performance research—a space dedicated to exploring, disseminating and showcasing issues and debate. In creating a new journal, scholars may respond to the appearance of new perspectives, or seek to carve out space for critical reflection within existing fields. The Scottish Journal of Performance has been founded with both aims at its core—we provide a platform for researchers to respond to the prodigious changes across Scottish arts and culture prior to and since devolution 15 years ago, while also rooting ourselves firmly within the traditions of some of the oldest academic institutions in the United Kingdom (a country, at the time of writing, which comprises several nations).
2013-12-13T00:00:00ZWhiteside, BethanyFletcher-Watson, BenThe genesis of the Scottish Journal of Performance sprang from a wish amongst doctoral students based at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland and the University of St Andrews to create an academic platform for Scotland’s and Scottish performance research—a space dedicated to exploring, disseminating and showcasing issues and debate. In creating a new journal, scholars may respond to the appearance of new perspectives, or seek to carve out space for critical reflection within existing fields. The Scottish Journal of Performance has been founded with both aims at its core—we provide a platform for researchers to respond to the prodigious changes across Scottish arts and culture prior to and since devolution 15 years ago, while also rooting ourselves firmly within the traditions of some of the oldest academic institutions in the United Kingdom (a country, at the time of writing, which comprises several nations).Book review: Reverberations across small-scale British theatre: politics, aesthetics and forms, edited by Patrick Duggan and Victor UkaegbuFletcher-Watson, Benhttps://hdl.handle.net/10023/55932019-07-01T10:05:03Z2014-06-13T00:00:00ZBook review of: Reverberations across small-scale British theatre: politics, aesthetics and forms, edited by Patrick Duggan and Victor Ukaegbu. Bristol: Intellect; ISBN 9781783202973 (£35.00)
2014-06-13T00:00:00ZFletcher-Watson, BenBook review of: Reverberations across small-scale British theatre: politics, aesthetics and forms, edited by Patrick Duggan and Victor Ukaegbu. Bristol: Intellect; ISBN 9781783202973 (£35.00)Book review: Walking and dancing: three years of dance in London 1951–1953, by Larraine NicholasWhiteside, Bethanyhttps://hdl.handle.net/10023/55922019-07-01T10:17:35Z2014-06-13T00:00:00ZBook review of: Walking and dancing: three years of dance in London 1951–1953 by Larraine Nicholas. Hampshire: The Noverre Press, 2013; ISBN 9781906830656 (£10.00)
2014-06-13T00:00:00ZWhiteside, BethanyBook review of: Walking and dancing: three years of dance in London 1951–1953 by Larraine Nicholas. Hampshire: The Noverre Press, 2013; ISBN 9781906830656 (£10.00)Dance, class and the body: a Bourdieusian examination of training trajectories into ballet and contemporary danceTsitsou, Litohttps://hdl.handle.net/10023/55912019-07-01T10:07:41Z2014-06-13T00:00:00ZThis article is a result of a small-scale interview-based study that explored the social conditions of ballet and contemporary dance production in the city of Glasgow. This study draws on interviews given by twelve professional dancers and choreographers, both freelancers and company based, who for the purposes of this research offered to share their experiences of studying and making dance. More specifically, this article aspires to map the social conditions of possibility of dancing and making dance, drawing on the class condition and career trajectories of those individuals who became dancers. With the aid of Bourdieu’s (1984; 1990; 1993a) concepts of ‘capitals’ (economic, social, cultural and physical), ‘habitus’ and ‘trajectories’, this piece of work will discuss how class conditions give or limit access to vocational training as a career pathway to dance. It is argued that, although the social origin of this sample presents relative variety, dance is an activity that demands different types of support, which are eventually more accessible to those social groups with more assets.
2014-06-13T00:00:00ZTsitsou, LitoThis article is a result of a small-scale interview-based study that explored the social conditions of ballet and contemporary dance production in the city of Glasgow. This study draws on interviews given by twelve professional dancers and choreographers, both freelancers and company based, who for the purposes of this research offered to share their experiences of studying and making dance. More specifically, this article aspires to map the social conditions of possibility of dancing and making dance, drawing on the class condition and career trajectories of those individuals who became dancers. With the aid of Bourdieu’s (1984; 1990; 1993a) concepts of ‘capitals’ (economic, social, cultural and physical), ‘habitus’ and ‘trajectories’, this piece of work will discuss how class conditions give or limit access to vocational training as a career pathway to dance. It is argued that, although the social origin of this sample presents relative variety, dance is an activity that demands different types of support, which are eventually more accessible to those social groups with more assets.From stage to screen: adapting a children's theatre production into a digital toyFletcher-Watson, Benhttps://hdl.handle.net/10023/55902019-07-01T10:06:55Z2014-06-13T00:00:00ZThis photo essay explores the adaptation of the Scottish theatre for early years (TEY) production White into a transmedia digital toy. In 2013, Catherine Wheels Theatre Company commissioned an app developer, Hippotrix, to create an app for mobile tablet computers and smartphones inspired by the world of White.
The paper outlines the process of creating White The App, including wire-framing, asset capture, sound recording, coding and prototyping. It also explores the impact of design decisions on dramaturgy and performativity, noting that digital media offer new possibilities for embracing non-linear storytelling while retaining key aspects of the live aesthetic.
2014-06-13T00:00:00ZFletcher-Watson, BenThis photo essay explores the adaptation of the Scottish theatre for early years (TEY) production White into a transmedia digital toy. In 2013, Catherine Wheels Theatre Company commissioned an app developer, Hippotrix, to create an app for mobile tablet computers and smartphones inspired by the world of White.
The paper outlines the process of creating White The App, including wire-framing, asset capture, sound recording, coding and prototyping. It also explores the impact of design decisions on dramaturgy and performativity, noting that digital media offer new possibilities for embracing non-linear storytelling while retaining key aspects of the live aesthetic.Audience manipulation? Subverting the fourth wall in Pina Bausch’s Kontakthof (1978) and Nelken (1982)Weir, Lucyhttps://hdl.handle.net/10023/55892019-07-01T10:06:16Z2014-06-13T00:00:00ZPina Bausch’s Tanztheater breaks everyday behaviour into its most elemental fragments, and fundamental aspects of stage etiquette are constantly challenged, not least the barrier between performer and spectator known as the fourth wall. Accordingly, the hierarchy of the theatre space is thrown into question, and the audience’s preconceived notions of boundaries, appropriate behaviour and expectations are left open ended. In the following article, two case study examples of Bausch’s works—Kontakthof (‘Meeting Place’, 1978) and Nelken (‘Carnations’, 1982)—have been selected in order to demonstrate the range of techniques Bausch employs in manipulating the fourth wall. Both are lengthy in duration and extremely complex, layered works of dance theatre, illustrating Bausch’s varied methods of audience manipulation at what I have identified as a ‘golden period’ in her career. This article explores the process of audience manipulation through Bausch’s peripatetic use of the fourth wall, illustrating that, as dance theatre has evolved, the performance event has become increasingly confrontational and direct, engaging with the audience in a more provocative manner, and calling into question the limits of the theatre space.
2014-06-13T00:00:00ZWeir, LucyPina Bausch’s Tanztheater breaks everyday behaviour into its most elemental fragments, and fundamental aspects of stage etiquette are constantly challenged, not least the barrier between performer and spectator known as the fourth wall. Accordingly, the hierarchy of the theatre space is thrown into question, and the audience’s preconceived notions of boundaries, appropriate behaviour and expectations are left open ended. In the following article, two case study examples of Bausch’s works—Kontakthof (‘Meeting Place’, 1978) and Nelken (‘Carnations’, 1982)—have been selected in order to demonstrate the range of techniques Bausch employs in manipulating the fourth wall. Both are lengthy in duration and extremely complex, layered works of dance theatre, illustrating Bausch’s varied methods of audience manipulation at what I have identified as a ‘golden period’ in her career. This article explores the process of audience manipulation through Bausch’s peripatetic use of the fourth wall, illustrating that, as dance theatre has evolved, the performance event has become increasingly confrontational and direct, engaging with the audience in a more provocative manner, and calling into question the limits of the theatre space.Home: the celebratory opening of the Kelpies at Helix Park, FalkirkWarden, Clairehttps://hdl.handle.net/10023/55882019-07-01T10:09:28Z2014-06-13T00:00:00ZAt the heart of Falkirk’s new Helix park, a reinvented green space to the west of Grangemouth oil refinery, stand two thirty-metre high statues. They are horses’ (Kelpies’) heads, the first bowed in a submissive, calm gesture, the second with muzzle pointed to the sky. Sculptor Andy Scott created these majestic pieces of public art as a tribute to the working horses of Scotland’s industrial heritage. They opened in April 2014 with a spectacular event orchestrated by Uz Arts who commissioned pyrotechnic and lighting specialists Groupe F. The performance breathed a sense of dynamism into the sculptures leading to a series of questions about the complexion of the palimpsestic Scottish landscape, the intertwining of urban industrial and wild, untamed nature, and the relationship between Scotland’s past and future, a vital enquiry in this year of referendum. This review aims to address these questions.
2014-06-13T00:00:00ZWarden, ClaireAt the heart of Falkirk’s new Helix park, a reinvented green space to the west of Grangemouth oil refinery, stand two thirty-metre high statues. They are horses’ (Kelpies’) heads, the first bowed in a submissive, calm gesture, the second with muzzle pointed to the sky. Sculptor Andy Scott created these majestic pieces of public art as a tribute to the working horses of Scotland’s industrial heritage. They opened in April 2014 with a spectacular event orchestrated by Uz Arts who commissioned pyrotechnic and lighting specialists Groupe F. The performance breathed a sense of dynamism into the sculptures leading to a series of questions about the complexion of the palimpsestic Scottish landscape, the intertwining of urban industrial and wild, untamed nature, and the relationship between Scotland’s past and future, a vital enquiry in this year of referendum. This review aims to address these questions.Editorial: Scottish Journal of Performance, Vol 1, Issue 2Whiteside, BethanyFletcher-Watson, Benhttps://hdl.handle.net/10023/55872019-07-01T10:18:01Z2014-06-13T00:00:00ZThis second issue of the Scottish Journal of Performance explores the past, present and future of performance, with papers addressing the legacy of Pina Bausch, the production of a performative iPad experience aimed at toddlers and an examination of the social origins of contemporary dancers in Glasgow. By placing dramaturgical exploration and sociological analysis alongside a practice-centred study, this issue illustrates the extensive range of scholarly modes of engagement available to researchers.
2014-06-13T00:00:00ZWhiteside, BethanyFletcher-Watson, BenThis second issue of the Scottish Journal of Performance explores the past, present and future of performance, with papers addressing the legacy of Pina Bausch, the production of a performative iPad experience aimed at toddlers and an examination of the social origins of contemporary dancers in Glasgow. By placing dramaturgical exploration and sociological analysis alongside a practice-centred study, this issue illustrates the extensive range of scholarly modes of engagement available to researchers.Symposium abstracts: The making of performance: stories of performing physicalitiesChristofidou, AndriaTsitsou, LitoBirch, AnnaMurray, SimonWhiteside, BethanyWeir, LucyBurt, RamsayDear, RomanyPaterson, Dominichttps://hdl.handle.net/10023/55852019-07-01T10:04:45Z2013-12-13T00:00:00ZThe making of performance: stories of performing physicalities was a symposium organised by Andria Christofidou (PhD Candidate, Sociology, University of Glasgow) and Dr Lito Tsitsou (Teaching Assistant in Sociology and Research Methods and Research Assistant in the Strathclyde Centre for Disability, School of Social and Political Sciences, University of Glasgow) in an effort to establish a network of academics and practitioners with sociological interest in theatrical and/or physical performance in Scotland. As such, the event brought together people from different (academic) backgrounds and disciplines and engaged them in an interdisciplinary dialogue about social and sociological aspects of physical performance and experience, drawing on historical, theoretical and empirical material. The event, which took place on 22nd June 2013 at the University of Glasgow, comprised two parts: a series of presentations and discussions that looked at physical performance from both historical and empirical perspectives and a panel discussion on methodology in physical performance research.
2013-12-13T00:00:00ZChristofidou, AndriaTsitsou, LitoBirch, AnnaMurray, SimonWhiteside, BethanyWeir, LucyBurt, RamsayDear, RomanyPaterson, DominicThe making of performance: stories of performing physicalities was a symposium organised by Andria Christofidou (PhD Candidate, Sociology, University of Glasgow) and Dr Lito Tsitsou (Teaching Assistant in Sociology and Research Methods and Research Assistant in the Strathclyde Centre for Disability, School of Social and Political Sciences, University of Glasgow) in an effort to establish a network of academics and practitioners with sociological interest in theatrical and/or physical performance in Scotland. As such, the event brought together people from different (academic) backgrounds and disciplines and engaged them in an interdisciplinary dialogue about social and sociological aspects of physical performance and experience, drawing on historical, theoretical and empirical material. The event, which took place on 22nd June 2013 at the University of Glasgow, comprised two parts: a series of presentations and discussions that looked at physical performance from both historical and empirical perspectives and a panel discussion on methodology in physical performance research.Book review: Theatre and performance in small nations, edited by Steve BlandfordBirch, Annahttps://hdl.handle.net/10023/55842019-07-01T10:12:27Z2013-12-13T00:00:00ZBook review of: Theatre and performance in small nations, edited by Steve Blandford. Bristol: Intellect, 2013; ISBN 9781841506463 (£25.00)
2013-12-13T00:00:00ZBirch, AnnaBook review of: Theatre and performance in small nations, edited by Steve Blandford. Bristol: Intellect, 2013; ISBN 9781841506463 (£25.00)Book review: Practice as research in the arts: principles, protocols, pedagogies, resistances, by Robin NelsonSilberschatz, Marchttps://hdl.handle.net/10023/55832019-07-01T10:08:53Z2013-12-13T00:00:00ZBook review of: Practice as research in the arts: principles, protocols, pedagogies, resistances by Robin Nelson. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan, 2013; ISBN 9781137282903 (£18.99)
2013-12-13T00:00:00ZSilberschatz, MarcBook review of: Practice as research in the arts: principles, protocols, pedagogies, resistances by Robin Nelson. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan, 2013; ISBN 9781137282903 (£18.99)Book review: Our ancient national airs: Scottish song collecting from the Enlightenment to the Romantic era, by Karen McAulayMoohan, Elainehttps://hdl.handle.net/10023/55822019-07-01T10:11:01Z2013-12-13T00:00:00ZBook review of: Our ancient national airs: Scottish song collecting from the Enlightenment to the Romantic era (Music in 19th-Century Britain) by Karen McAulay. Farnham: Ashgate, 2013; ISBN 9781409450191 (£60.00)
2013-12-13T00:00:00ZMoohan, ElaineBook review of: Our ancient national airs: Scottish song collecting from the Enlightenment to the Romantic era (Music in 19th-Century Britain) by Karen McAulay. Farnham: Ashgate, 2013; ISBN 9781409450191 (£60.00)Book review: Singing: personal and performance values in training, by Peter HarrisonStrehle, Ralphhttps://hdl.handle.net/10023/55812019-07-01T10:11:41Z2014-06-13T00:00:00ZBook review of: Singing: personal and performance values in training, by Peter Harrison. Edinburgh: Dunedin Academic Press; ISBN 9781780460062 (£25.00)
2014-06-13T00:00:00ZStrehle, RalphBook review of: Singing: personal and performance values in training, by Peter Harrison. Edinburgh: Dunedin Academic Press; ISBN 9781780460062 (£25.00)Developing professional equality: an analysis of a social movement in the Scottish dance industryPatrick, HollyBowditch, Carolinehttps://hdl.handle.net/10023/55292019-07-01T10:05:51Z2013-12-01T00:00:00ZThis article analyses the growth of professional equality in the Scottish dance industry. It defines the growth of professional equality as a social movement driven by a group of core and peripheral individuals and organisations bound together by a shared cause. Through defining professional equality as a social movement, the article analyses the challenges, strategies and contextual factors that enabled the emergence of Scotland as a ‘hotspot’ for disabled dancers. The data used in this article is an autoethnographic account of professional equality co-produced by the first author (as interrogator) and the second author (as autoethnographer). Using the autoethnographic method allows us to address the development of professional equality ‘from within’ the movement and to highlight three key factors that drive the movement forward: the genesis of the professional equality movement within the dance industry (rather than outside it); informal networks, which secure information sharing and collective advocacy across the sector; and the institutional characteristics of the industry, in particular the lack of a national disability arts organisation.
2013-12-01T00:00:00ZPatrick, HollyBowditch, CarolineThis article analyses the growth of professional equality in the Scottish dance industry. It defines the growth of professional equality as a social movement driven by a group of core and peripheral individuals and organisations bound together by a shared cause. Through defining professional equality as a social movement, the article analyses the challenges, strategies and contextual factors that enabled the emergence of Scotland as a ‘hotspot’ for disabled dancers. The data used in this article is an autoethnographic account of professional equality co-produced by the first author (as interrogator) and the second author (as autoethnographer). Using the autoethnographic method allows us to address the development of professional equality ‘from within’ the movement and to highlight three key factors that drive the movement forward: the genesis of the professional equality movement within the dance industry (rather than outside it); informal networks, which secure information sharing and collective advocacy across the sector; and the institutional characteristics of the industry, in particular the lack of a national disability arts organisation.Re-reading Mary Wigman's Hexentanz II (1926): the influence of the non-Western 'Other' on movement practice in early modern 'German' danceTsitsou, LitoWeir, Lucyhttps://hdl.handle.net/10023/55282019-07-01T10:13:46Z2013-12-01T00:00:00ZThis paper provides a re-reading of Mary Wigman’s Hexentanz II (‘Witch Dance’, 1926), emphasising the social and aesthetic conditions in which she created dance works. A renewed interest in the idea of a return to nature characterised the artistic mood of this period, and scholars conceive of this return as an antidote to the capitalist modernisation of Germany and the effects of the First World War. This paper views Wigman’s work as a prominent example of the reversion to ‘primitive’ forms as a means of devising a new, avant-garde creative practice. The witch’s dance indicates a return to ‘primitive ritualism’, which is linked to the construction of the non-Western ‘Other’ as authentic and pure. Hexentanz II drew on various non-Western cultural elements, which became crystallised into a new technique and style of movement. However, as Edward Said (1978) would argue, such cultural elements are utilised for the benefit of the West and the construction of a modern dance more widely, a fraction of which would be gradually fabricated as ‘German’.
2013-12-01T00:00:00ZTsitsou, LitoWeir, LucyThis paper provides a re-reading of Mary Wigman’s Hexentanz II (‘Witch Dance’, 1926), emphasising the social and aesthetic conditions in which she created dance works. A renewed interest in the idea of a return to nature characterised the artistic mood of this period, and scholars conceive of this return as an antidote to the capitalist modernisation of Germany and the effects of the First World War. This paper views Wigman’s work as a prominent example of the reversion to ‘primitive’ forms as a means of devising a new, avant-garde creative practice. The witch’s dance indicates a return to ‘primitive ritualism’, which is linked to the construction of the non-Western ‘Other’ as authentic and pure. Hexentanz II drew on various non-Western cultural elements, which became crystallised into a new technique and style of movement. However, as Edward Said (1978) would argue, such cultural elements are utilised for the benefit of the West and the construction of a modern dance more widely, a fraction of which would be gradually fabricated as ‘German’.World wide wandering: e-drifting in Paris and LondonOverend, Davidhttps://hdl.handle.net/10023/55272019-07-01T10:14:05Z2013-12-01T00:00:00ZThis article documents and reflects on a series of ‘e-drifts’ conducted in 2012 through the physical and virtual spaces of Paris and London. E-drifting is proposed as a new form of cultural pathfinding for a contemporary city that is increasingly global, networked and integrated with virtual spaces. The primary methodology—wandering—is understood as a resistant practice that can inform and shape the ways in which we use and inhabit both urban and cyber spaces. Increasingly, our relationship with our physical environment is also determined by our access to, and experience of, virtual and global realms. This article argues that the ‘political inquiry’ that wandering can bring about has to evolve in order to enter and challenge this new expanded space. These ideas are explored through a narrated account of a summer’s e-drifting. This is a practice-based inquiry into the ways in which, in these fluid, dynamic environments, wandering might be reimagined and refocussed in order to retain its potentially resistant qualities.
2013-12-01T00:00:00ZOverend, DavidThis article documents and reflects on a series of ‘e-drifts’ conducted in 2012 through the physical and virtual spaces of Paris and London. E-drifting is proposed as a new form of cultural pathfinding for a contemporary city that is increasingly global, networked and integrated with virtual spaces. The primary methodology—wandering—is understood as a resistant practice that can inform and shape the ways in which we use and inhabit both urban and cyber spaces. Increasingly, our relationship with our physical environment is also determined by our access to, and experience of, virtual and global realms. This article argues that the ‘political inquiry’ that wandering can bring about has to evolve in order to enter and challenge this new expanded space. These ideas are explored through a narrated account of a summer’s e-drifting. This is a practice-based inquiry into the ways in which, in these fluid, dynamic environments, wandering might be reimagined and refocussed in order to retain its potentially resistant qualities.Representational tactics: approaching two Scottish performances of mental illness through the work of Michel de CerteauDingwall-Jones, Christopherhttps://hdl.handle.net/10023/55262019-07-01T10:14:26Z2013-12-01T00:00:00ZThis article uses the ideas of ‘strategy’ and ‘tactics’ drawn from Michel de Certeau’s The Practice of Everyday Life in order to examine two specific Scottish performances and determine their conception of mental illness, their approach to performance, and how these performances relate to the structures surrounding them. The first, The Wonderful World of Dissocia, was written by Anthony Neilson, premièred at the Edinburgh International Festival in 2004, and was directly supported by the Scottish Executive’s National Programme for Improving Mental Health and Well Being. The second, Does Anyone Know, is a short film resulting from work with prisoners with mental health problems in the High Dependency Unit at HMP Edinburgh by the charity Theatre NEMO, and includes performances by prisoners themselves. Taken together, these performances give some sense of the contingent position of performances of mental illness, the ways in which actors, writers, and service users act within the structures of theatres, prisons, and hospitals, to work around and within the ‘strategies’ which constitute psychiatric discourse.
2013-12-01T00:00:00ZDingwall-Jones, ChristopherThis article uses the ideas of ‘strategy’ and ‘tactics’ drawn from Michel de Certeau’s The Practice of Everyday Life in order to examine two specific Scottish performances and determine their conception of mental illness, their approach to performance, and how these performances relate to the structures surrounding them. The first, The Wonderful World of Dissocia, was written by Anthony Neilson, premièred at the Edinburgh International Festival in 2004, and was directly supported by the Scottish Executive’s National Programme for Improving Mental Health and Well Being. The second, Does Anyone Know, is a short film resulting from work with prisoners with mental health problems in the High Dependency Unit at HMP Edinburgh by the charity Theatre NEMO, and includes performances by prisoners themselves. Taken together, these performances give some sense of the contingent position of performances of mental illness, the ways in which actors, writers, and service users act within the structures of theatres, prisons, and hospitals, to work around and within the ‘strategies’ which constitute psychiatric discourse.Inter-actor interaction : contributions to rehearsal and performance practice that attempt to minimize pre-agreed-upon performance structure and divided consciousnessSilberschatz, Marchttps://hdl.handle.net/10023/48482014-08-08T14:36:22Z2014-01-01T00:00:00ZThis dissertation presents and analyses original contributions to rehearsal and performance practice. Flow criticism - the use of flow theory to examine performance practice - is proposed as a tool for evaluating existing identification-oriented processes. Flow criticism demonstrates that several dimensions of flow are impeded by any process that simultaneously requires actor-character merger and the execution of pre-agreed-upon performance structures. In this circumstance, goals exist on one level of consciousness (the character) while feedback exists on another (the actor). The schism between these two dimensions of flow results in divided consciousness, which affects other flow dimensions: action and awareness cannot fully merge; actors cannot exercise control over the outcome of the fictional performance. A hypothesis is then advanced: this schism may be resolved by minimizing pre-agreed-upon performance structures. Following a version of the action research enquiry cycle modified by reflective practice and my conception of directorial practice, two projects were undertaken, resulting in the development of Inter-Actor Interaction, a rehearsal and performance approach that supports the structure-minimization hypothesis. The modified cycle - reflection-in-action, analysis-through-practice, reflection-on-action - is supported by a variety of research methods including rehearsal with actors, interviews, surveys, video strip analysis and reflective journaling. Presentation and analysis of Inter-Actor Interaction suggests that minimizing pre-agreed-upon performance structures may be achieved by introducing tensions: re-orienting the acting process from the communication of specifically chosen meanings to playing a psychophysical, interactive game whose outward manifestation is mediated by lenses derived from other levels of performance (such as character, world of the play and scripted text). Further evaluation shows that Inter-Actor Interaction successfully reduces the use of pre-agreed-upon performance structures, minimizes divided consciousness and supports flow experiences in actors.
2014-01-01T00:00:00ZSilberschatz, MarcThis dissertation presents and analyses original contributions to rehearsal and performance practice. Flow criticism - the use of flow theory to examine performance practice - is proposed as a tool for evaluating existing identification-oriented processes. Flow criticism demonstrates that several dimensions of flow are impeded by any process that simultaneously requires actor-character merger and the execution of pre-agreed-upon performance structures. In this circumstance, goals exist on one level of consciousness (the character) while feedback exists on another (the actor). The schism between these two dimensions of flow results in divided consciousness, which affects other flow dimensions: action and awareness cannot fully merge; actors cannot exercise control over the outcome of the fictional performance. A hypothesis is then advanced: this schism may be resolved by minimizing pre-agreed-upon performance structures. Following a version of the action research enquiry cycle modified by reflective practice and my conception of directorial practice, two projects were undertaken, resulting in the development of Inter-Actor Interaction, a rehearsal and performance approach that supports the structure-minimization hypothesis. The modified cycle - reflection-in-action, analysis-through-practice, reflection-on-action - is supported by a variety of research methods including rehearsal with actors, interviews, surveys, video strip analysis and reflective journaling. Presentation and analysis of Inter-Actor Interaction suggests that minimizing pre-agreed-upon performance structures may be achieved by introducing tensions: re-orienting the acting process from the communication of specifically chosen meanings to playing a psychophysical, interactive game whose outward manifestation is mediated by lenses derived from other levels of performance (such as character, world of the play and scripted text). Further evaluation shows that Inter-Actor Interaction successfully reduces the use of pre-agreed-upon performance structures, minimizes divided consciousness and supports flow experiences in actors.Scottish competition bagpipe performance : sound, mode and aestheticsMcKerrell, Simon Alasdairhttps://hdl.handle.net/10023/48092019-04-01T12:10:47Z2005-01-01T00:00:00ZThis study is an ethnomusicological analysis of Scottish competition bagpiping, examining three fundamental aspects of performance: sound aesthetics, performance aesthetics and the modal complex of the core repertoire. Through a mixture of discussions, modal analysis and reflections upon performance, it deconstructs the music of the 2/4 competition pipe march and the aesthetics surrounding competition performance. Focussing on a small number of the world’s leading Highland bagpipers, this research demonstrates how overall sound combined with the individual choices about repertoire and how to play it, results in the maintenance of individual identity. In chapter three, analysis of the ‘modal complex’, comprising pitch sets, hierarchies, phrasing-structure, the double-tonic, structural tones, melodic motifs and rhythm-contour motifs reveal the characteristics of various modes in the 2/4 competition pipe march. As an insider of this music-culture, I offer a definition of mode based upon motivic content rather than pitch set. The modal complex is framed by an understanding of how pipers themselves think about their competitive tradition. Understanding the concepts presented in this thesis provides an original and holistic picture of how Scottish bagpipe competition performance sounds the way it does.
2005-01-01T00:00:00ZMcKerrell, Simon AlasdairThis study is an ethnomusicological analysis of Scottish competition bagpiping, examining three fundamental aspects of performance: sound aesthetics, performance aesthetics and the modal complex of the core repertoire. Through a mixture of discussions, modal analysis and reflections upon performance, it deconstructs the music of the 2/4 competition pipe march and the aesthetics surrounding competition performance. Focussing on a small number of the world’s leading Highland bagpipers, this research demonstrates how overall sound combined with the individual choices about repertoire and how to play it, results in the maintenance of individual identity. In chapter three, analysis of the ‘modal complex’, comprising pitch sets, hierarchies, phrasing-structure, the double-tonic, structural tones, melodic motifs and rhythm-contour motifs reveal the characteristics of various modes in the 2/4 competition pipe march. As an insider of this music-culture, I offer a definition of mode based upon motivic content rather than pitch set. The modal complex is framed by an understanding of how pipers themselves think about their competitive tradition. Understanding the concepts presented in this thesis provides an original and holistic picture of how Scottish bagpipe competition performance sounds the way it does.