Casting brass: a portfolio of original compositions and exegesis.

Abstract

This doctoral submission is titled “Casting Brass: A Portfolio of Original Compositions and Exegesis”. Through the composition of a portfolio of original works, the author seeks to make an original contribution to the field of musical knowledge by creating a body of work that focuses on brass instruments in different contexts, and addresses some of the perennial challenges of composition for this particular instrumental group. The submission consists of three parts: a portfolio of original works, an exegesis, and a collection of sound recordings of the works contained in the portfolio. The portfolio of original works contains musical scores of each work. The scores are contained within a single volume and are not necessarily presented in the size and format of their corresponding performance scores. The exegesis contains separate chapters that document the genesis of each work within the portfolio. It provides a commentary on many aspects of the creative compositional processes employed by the author, the specific treatment of brass instruments within each work, and where relevant, how each work relates to comparable works in the existing repertory. It also discusses the extra-musical circumstances surrounding the composition of each work, and the rationale behind the decision-making processes associated therein. The sound recording, presented as an audio compact disc, contains a collection of live and computer generated recordings of the works presented within the composition portfolio.