Orchestration in the 21st century: portfolio of compositions and exegesis

Abstract

This submission for the degree of Master of Philosophy at the Elder Conservatorium of Music, University of Adelaide, comprises a portfolio of compositions and transcriptions supported by sound recordings and an explanatory exegesis. The submission comes from a composer who is also an experienced conductor and pianist, with a background of an orchestral musician (french hornist and bass trombonist). These multiple musical identities have had a significant bearing on the approach to the five submitted works. The focus of the portfolio is on approaches to orchestration. The centrepiece (Bagatelles) is a work of several movements that is presented in two parallel versions: one for symphony orchestra (which includes strings), the other for symphonic wind orchestra (which does not include strings). The juxtaposition of these two versions is intended to provoke consideration of a viable alternative to the conventional orchestra. With the exception of the recorded premiere performance of the wind orchestral version of Bagatelles, the portfolio of scores is supported by digital performances, demonstrating the potential for such realizations. The increasingly sophisticated digital sound samples that are now widely available, but often used without expertise, have the potential to offer another viable alternative to orchestral performance when none is forthcoming or practical.