"Click here to begin" – how simple it would be if that was what took place when composing!
How simple it would be if that were the process when distilling all the materials gathered to make this doctoral project.
In a sense it is that simple, for I have assembled all the materials for this doctoral submission here, in a web site, to give it immediacy and provide ready access to those materials for you, the reader and listener.
To get to this place you have clicked on the button after the welcome video. It said, "Click here to begin" and now you are watching me in my endeavour to explain how to navigate and utilise the information and materials in this site.
As this video plays in a small window you can see the basic outline of the site. Drop down menus will display what is available in each area of the site. All you need to do is click on that area of interest and the text, images or music will be delivered for you.
For the academic reader there is a crucial line of enquiry for you to pursue. This enquiry is located in the music. The music speaks, and when it does it throws up questions, exposes emotions and ideas and may even give meaning. The works are often narrative in style and I contend that stories are vivid in the music – a vibrant connection between listener and me and arguably, a stronger connection to that narrative than all the description and explanation which accompanies it.
What is most important, after the music has been listened to and considered fully, is that the reader should then proceed to the academic backbone I spoke of earlier. A consideration of the position from which I commenced this research is canvassed and the rationale, method and principles which underpin it are then interrogated.
A major case study is presented which allows you to consider the core of my work and my compositional method. That component is situated in an autoethnographic environment and is supported by a minor case study and substantial reflection and commentary from conductors, composers, players and listeners. Then follows a series of concluding thoughts which are somewhat of a coda, if you like!
That leads comfortably back to the music and, all matters considered here should be seen from the perspective of the works themselves.
Given the nature of music, text-based narrative and theoretically underpinned discourse, this thesis is constructed to be intersected with in a definitively non-linear manner.
The academic reader is best served by following the outline I have just given. That investigation is assisted by the non–linear nature of this site. The reader can click on hyper links and listen to the works reflected on in the text, or review sketches, scores and journals, with manoeuvrability as easy as any web site.
What that provides for the enquirer who has no more considered agenda than professional interest is the very same flexibility. This project's non–linear structure allows for immediate intersection with text, manuscript, journal entry and, most importantly, music. Whether driven by curiosity or academic inquisitiveness, the compositional process, research method and related pedagogical imperatives can be unlocked.
The ephemeral nature of live music is given more body here. The non-linear structure allows for a connection with the compositional output and process via access to materials which make available information and awareness of process and context.
The user may skip freely and browse randomly or connect at a deeper level as they feel want to do. The capacity to hyper–link across the whole project facilitates such freedom of access and investigation.
The site includes all matters that one might rightly expect in a doctoral thesis, including a bibliography and acknowledgements. I have also included an extensive list of journals and personal communications.
The most important position to take in your consideration of my work now is to decide which manner you will utilise to investigate or interrogate it. The academic reader will now seek out the backbone mentioned before. That material can be accessed by going to the "Position" menu above. Those who seek to wander around and enquiry randomly may begin with the menu at the top of the page. BUT I would urge you all to begin with the music.
I hope you enjoy the journey with me.