Papers by Stephen Emmerson
Contemporary Sociology, 1976
Lecture Notes Series, Institute for Mathematical Sciences, National University of Singapore, 2016
The mathematical relationships embedded in Bach's scores in general, and that of the Goldberg... more The mathematical relationships embedded in Bach's scores in general, and that of the Goldberg Variations in particular, have been observed by many authors previously but their potential extrapolation beyond compositional dimensions to issues of performance have rarely been considered. This chapter reflects upon the performance of Bach's Goldberg Variations the authors presented in a version for two pianos at the Mathemusical Conversations Workshop. It transpired that the prospect of performance in a mathemusical context encouraged a form of experimentation in the rehearsal process which proved highly stimulating to the performers' musical imaginations. The talk delivered at the conference anticipated the performance but this chapter includes some analysis and reflections subsequent to the performance itself. At both a metaphorical and a conceptual level, central mathematical fields—arithmetic, probability, geometry and algebra—offered starting points for some intriguing interpretative possibilities and conundrums for modeling potential interpretative choices at both micro and macro levels, pertinent perhaps not only for Bach but also for more generic performance applications. Inspired in particular by Einstein's work on Relativity and the mathematical formulations which became central to its articulation, we came to conceive of the score as an equation, its variables opening up to interpretation through performance. Rather than seeking fixed performance solutions, however, our current perception is that such mathematical modeling can open up creative possibilities for freedom and play. That performers are rarely explicit about interpretative influences in their performances or in their rehearsal process, particularly those less obviously intrinsic to the work itself, may be due to several factors of which the following occur to us: the belief that the piece in performance “speaks for itself”; that the ephemeral nature of a particular performance limits the value of its study; or that the perceptions are too subjective, too momentary or conjectural, to be of value. This chapter however offers an alternative perspective, that music could be argued to most fully present when a particular performance is inspired equally by its more transitory or flexible dimensions (here described as the variables) as by aspects which are more fixed in their nature. Arguably, its ephemeral transformable nature is perhaps one of the core elements of music's identity, meaning and value.
<jats:p>This article explores the rationale behind a performance given by the authors at th... more <jats:p>This article explores the rationale behind a performance given by the authors at the Unfolding the Process symposium held in Oslo in November 2015. For this occasion, the authors devised a new version of Bach's Goldberg Variations that builds upon Emmerson's arrangement of the work for two pianos in 2012. A shortened version of the work (c.30 minutes) was designed that aimed nonetheless to maintain the original work's sense of structural balance and coherence. This version involved the transposition of a number of variations into different keys to explore the possibility of adding a satisfying tonal structure to our experience of the work, in a context where both performers see potential communicative value in 'playing with' dimensions of original masterworks with a view to giving fresh perspective to the listener experience. The article is written from the alternating perspectives of the authors; one of which is primarily concerned with the rationale and process of devising the arrangement while the other reflects upon the performative aspects and implications arising from it.</jats:p>
This research project seeks to actively develop solo and chamber music repertoire for the E- flat... more This research project seeks to actively develop solo and chamber music repertoire for the E- flat clarinet by Australian composers. To achieve this the researcher instigated the formation of six new works written by notable and lesser-known emerging Australian composers currently working or studying in Australia. It is the intention that this research will gain greater insight into how selected contemporary Australian composers write for the E-flat clarinet. Australian composers Paul Dean, Peter de Jager, Paul Kopetz and Matthew Laing all very generously supported the project by providing new compositions. In addition to this, and in an attempt to generate a greater national awareness, the project created a national composition competition for emerging tertiary composers, sponsored by the Queensland Clarinet and Saxophone Society. With the addition of a composition written by the researcher, the initiative culminated in a performance at the Australian National Academy of Music in Me...
Why do I compose? is an autoethnographic examination of this composer's compositional process... more Why do I compose? is an autoethnographic examination of this composer's compositional process. It interrogates that process in an intimate and highly personal manner with an unashamed focus on the impact life events have had on him and his family. It unpacks not only the compositional outcomes but considers how the works then impacted upon others - conductors, performers and those who experience the work as audience members or listeners to recordings. The submission includes a substantial folio of original compositions that range from works for young musicians to professionals. Included are the compositions themselves, with sketches/ manuscript scores and published editions/ as well as1 where possible, audio and video recordings. A detailed synopsis of each work is given which includes data such as the type of ensemble/ the duration, the date of the composition/ the commissioner (if a commissioned work)1 as well as outlining the context for the creation of the work/ the premiere...
This thesis examines four iconic piano works composed from 1949 to 1952 in relation to the discip... more This thesis examines four iconic piano works composed from 1949 to 1952 in relation to the discipline of music analysis: Olivier Messiaen's Mode de valeurs et d'intensités (1949), Pierre Boulez's Structures Ia for two pianos (1952), Karlheinz Stockhausen's Klavierstück III (1952) and John Cage's Music of Changes (1951). The primary aim is to investigate how music analysis has engaged with these four works over the last fifty years. Investigating the nature and content of earlier analyses reveals various aspects of the discipline: its aims and functions, its governing ideologies and, most importantly, its achievements. This investigation also allows for recent criticism of the discipline of music analysis to be reconsidered. In total, 29 analyses of the four works are closely evaluated. Building on these observations, the author contributes a further perspective on each work by offering her own analytical insights, at times challenging some of the common analytica...
This exegesis explores the rehearsal process that leads to performances with pre-‐professional s... more This exegesis explores the rehearsal process that leads to performances with pre-‐professional symphony orchestras. At the heart of this study is my personal reflection as a conductor of orchestral training programs, through practice-‐based and reflective explorations of the central musical and educational challenges of rehearsing and performing major Austro-‐Germanic orchestral works of the Late-‐ Romantic Period. Borrowing from aspects of autoethnographic practice, a case study methodology provides a detailed reflection on the rehearsal process of introducing Johannes Brahms Symphony No. 4 Op. 98 to pre-‐professional musicians. Four performance projects of major symphonic works with four pre-‐ professional orchestras conducted by myself forms the creative output portfolio of this study.
The productions of the Ring in Adelaide in 1998 and 2004 and Parsifal in 2001 were landmarks in A... more The productions of the Ring in Adelaide in 1998 and 2004 and Parsifal in 2001 were landmarks in Australia's cultural history. They were artistically successful, attracted considerable commercial benefits to South Australia and generated nationwide expectations of further performances. Yet those expectations went unfulfilled. The success of Adelaide's Wagner decade had depended on an effective combination of artistic vision, management skills, politics and patronage. This thesis is an analysis of those factors and the extent to which they at first enabled and then jeopardised the dream of an on-going Wagner performance tradition in the South Australian capital. Politics provided the incentive for this venture when the South Australian Government sought to achieve a major 'cultural tourism' success in the wake of a major 'sports tourism' calamity - the loss of the Australian Formula One Grand Prix to Victoria. The goal of emulating the 'Wagnerian' city ...
This thesis aims to provide materials useful for the preparation and performance of the Hindemith... more This thesis aims to provide materials useful for the preparation and performance of the Hindemith's three Viola Sonata with Piano: Sonata Op. 11 No. 4 (1919), Sonata Op. 25 No. 4 (1922), Sonata (1939). It serves directly as a practical source for violists and teachers who are learning the sonatas to consult students. The project considers different resources available including relevant historical contextual information about Hindemith's life, his compositional style and history surrounding the three viola sonatas and piano. It recommends different available recordings of the sonatas for insight and provides suggestions to additional complementary resources for further reading. Much of this project however focuses on the practice processes I employed to enhance my performance of the sonatas. These include providing guidance on how to formulate musical ideas specific to the piece, various practice strategies for challenging aspects and specifically investigate different proce...
Placing the perceptions of ten contemporary professional pianists at its centre, this study explo... more Placing the perceptions of ten contemporary professional pianists at its centre, this study explores how 'intangibles' in contemporary piano performance can be approached, understood, communicated and operationalised. Through a methodological approach of in-depth interviews recorded on video, coded and placed in the context of relevant literature and the experiences of other musicians, this study aims to locate the spaces in which intangibles play a role in classical piano performance, and determine the factors that influence how performers access and engage with intangible aspects of their music-making. In this way, it seeks to complement a vast body of literature on more tangible aspects of the instrument and its music, and contribute to a broader, more inclusive and balanced understanding of the constructs underlying piano performance as a process rather than product. It brings to the fore the actual voices of those who perform, yet have been downplayed or forgotten in mu...
This thesis explores the performance practice of three major works involving piano composed by Ol... more This thesis explores the performance practice of three major works involving piano composed by Olivier Messiaen between 1940 and 1944. These are considered through a descriptive analysis of historic commercial recordings that are known to have been directly influenced by the composer, a survey of existing interview material and secondary sources, and interviews with selected leading exponents of Messiaen's piano music. Many issues of interest are apparent in the historic recordings analysed. Some involve factors not accorded detail in the score, others depart from instructions in the score, and some appear to be permanently intended changes to the published score. This suggests that a well informed performance practice of this music requires consideration of many elements that extend beyond the instructions in the printed score. Comparisons of recordings by pianists who studied the Vingt Regards sur l'Enfant-Jésus with Messiaen, or with his primary exponent Yvonne Loriod, re...
This research project involved an autoethnographic investigation of strategies that can improve p... more This research project involved an autoethnographic investigation of strategies that can improve practice and pre-performance routines. Although much research has already been conducted in the area of optimal performance (Wrigley & Emmerson, 2011; Freedman, 2015; Groth, 2016; Csikszentmihalyi, 1990), this study is conducted from my own personal viewpoint as a young classical pianist, to improve the reliability and consistency of my performances, and enhance my satisfaction with them.
This paper examines my experiences with music performance anxiety (MPA) and my recent efforts to ... more This paper examines my experiences with music performance anxiety (MPA) and my recent efforts to address them. Its aim is to analyse the efficacy of a selection of treatment strategies to cope with my MPA. While it is recognised that the personal assessment I provide is specific to myself, it is hoped that others whose performances are affected by MPA will find this evaluation of strategies useful. A qualitative artistic research method was applied to this project. This led to a generative reflexive methodology being developed to evaluate the efficacy of the chosen strategies. Regular performances in varying environments allowed a rigorous analysis of the chosen treatments and ample stimulus to reflect upon. This resulted in the gradual evolution of how I applied the treatments and how they were practised. It was found that the most effective of the strategies considered were systematic desensitisation to the performance environment, cognitive restructuring and the quieting response...
This doctoral project centres on the composition of a series of works for different instrumentati... more This doctoral project centres on the composition of a series of works for different instrumentations that attempt to answer the question: "What could be an artistically satisfying aesthetics and method of composing music based on rethinking counterpoint beyond its historical forms?" This dissertation functions as a supplement to these compositions. It outlines the rationale and methodology of the project, before detailing the aesthetics of counterpoint that have been developed across the course of this research project. The core chapters then chart the development of my compositional approach by showing how each work relates to four core research themes: 1. Relation of parts—how the compositional logic structures relations between simultaneous parts; 2. Form—how the form of a work relates to its contrapuntal logic; 3. Scope of world—how individual parts are structured and to what extent the contrapuntal logic involves a homogeneous or heterogeneous aesthetic; and 4. Compos...
This dissertation investigates the ways in which hybridising Karnatik music and early opera can i... more This dissertation investigates the ways in which hybridising Karnatik music and early opera can inform an artist-researcher's effort to achieve intercultural musico-poetic works and performances. It highlights two contentious aspects in contemporary Karnatik scholarship: that text deserves more attention in the performance of Karnatik vocal music and that a congruency between textual and musical aspects can be mediated through gesture. I approach this research from the perspective of a female Karnatik vocal performer, and centralise my artistic practice. In doing so, I reflect on socio-cultural issues pertaining to each of the performance cultures. Accordingly, my research methodology can be identified as socio-culturally interrogative artistic research in music. As its methods, this model interweaves historical, comparative and analytical musicology, with experimentation and reflection, music analysis, and performance analysis. By examining, from a Karnatik perspective, Claudio...
Specific issues of fingering are not widely discussed in academic literature concerning French ho... more Specific issues of fingering are not widely discussed in academic literature concerning French horn playing. Very few sources consider the benefits of practising with uncommon fingerings. This thesis advocates the benefits and importance of this kind of practice. A collection of musical exercises devised to develop basic technical skills with limited use of the valves is also included. These can be used in warmups and technical routines to build stamina, control and mastery of the instrument. The collection titled Manual of Selected Exercises Executable Using Uncommon Fingerings can be found in the second part of the thesis. It includes discussion of the skill each exercise is designed to develop, as well as suggestions on the optimum ways of execution
This dissertation explores the process of applying principles from the Feldenkrais Method, a form... more This dissertation explores the process of applying principles from the Feldenkrais Method, a form of somatic practice focused on developing physical awareness, to the author's practice as a pianist performing Western Art Music. The study examines the author's experience with the Feldenkrais Method over an 18-month period and its influence on his approach to practising, teaching, and performing at the piano which culminated in the presentation of three recitals. The research is grounded on a flexible research design which gathered data from multiple sources including literature, video recordings, reflective journaling, and interviews. Through the analysis of this data a multifaceted perspective is obtained that expresses the unique experiences, insights, and changes which occurred throughout the study. The Feldenkrais Method promotes a holistic approach to learning, one that views the mind and body as equals in the act of music-making. The enquiry uncovered deep rooted physic...
While music for all sizes of horn ensembles is becoming more popular, with arrangements and origi... more While music for all sizes of horn ensembles is becoming more popular, with arrangements and original compositions appearing in increasing numbers, literature on how to transcribe symphonic repertoire is sparse. Focusing on transcribing for eight horns, this dissertation provides an overview of the current state of transcribing for horn octet, followed by an in-depth analysis of the practice of the author, comparing it to that of other major exponents in the field. The main areas examined are the use of the horn and its extended techniques, the treatment of the horn octet as a chamber ensemble, and the various ways in which techniques specific to other instruments can be adapted for horns. The results are based on the author"s practice and other published repertoire for eight horns, supported by more general literature on orchestration and instrumentation. Symphonic transcriptions for horn octet became popular in the United States towards the middle of the twentieth century, and...
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Papers by Stephen Emmerson