The matters discussed here endeavour to provide insight into my compositional processes, without becoming a text book on how to compose, to enable me to more fully understand matters that compel me to write music. The influences and compulsions that drive my composing most often bring about performance outcomes that then influence others. My endeavour is to demystify the compositional process and to do so by opening that process, the works produced and the responses to them to frank and open enquiry, enquiry that may guide others in their contemplation of such matters.
Reflecting on the process of composition, eminent British composer Philip Sparke says, "I guess most composers are asked at some time or another 'Where do the ideas come from?'. It is certainly the question I get asked most often, and the answer is: 'I don't know'" (in Camphouse 2004, p. 227). The act of composition of musical works is a complex and multifaceted process. This investigation seeks to uncover the process of composition from a personal perspective and to do so in a manner which will inform both an awareness of the creative process, the utilisation of the compositional outcomes and the reception of the work.
In this exegesis the process of composing will be unpacked. There will be a dissection of that process so as to provide a detailed understanding of the procedure. Further, and more importantly, there will be an illumination of this creative process from a subjective, autoethnographic locus that will provide critical information as to the 'why' and 'when' of my compositional imperatives. Such an approach endeavours to address Sparke's "I don't know" response.
When considering how I compose, this exegesis will describe my choices, making the reader and listener, aware of the critical decision making which underpins the creative act. Much of that decision making takes place at a subconscious level, by exploiting a knowledge base garnered from years of experience and study. It is moulded by a host of influences such as my family, my spiritual journey and those I work for and with. These and other illuminating matters will be dealt with exegesis itself and throughout the accompanying materials.
The intent here is to present this investigation into my compositional process in a manner which allows the reader to work through a line of enquiry which endeavours to unravel method and meaning. That interrogation of process will, at times, incline toward the how and what of my compositional process. Yet, such a position will be informed by qualitative perspectives garnered in the course of the study; the literature, interviews with composers, conductors and others involved or interested in this area of research, and the critical reflection undertaken of my craft-based decision making.
The consideration of 'why?' hints at the story telling which can be found in much of my compositional output. "Writing a piece", Dana Wilson contends, "can be compared to writing a novel - that is, it can begin anywhere and grow in any direction from there with the final piece being some kind of unfolding in time of those initial impulses" (in Camphouse, 2004, p. 272). As for Wilson, so for me; my work is something which "unfold(s) in time" and is often narrative in nature.
The approach I have taken also gives meaning a chance to speak by casting a bright light on not only the completed works and responses but also on the creative process and the critical decision-making which goes into it both consciously and unconsciously. Knowing why I compose is my pursuit here; knowing what I compose and for whom is factual; knowing the motives which propel my compulsion to write music is more to do with meaning than anything quantifiable.
Wilson continues, "Sometimes I have begun with what turns out to be measure one of the piece...a piece may also begin with an image of the climax...another might begin with a concept...sometimes I wish to express excitement...finally there is intent..." (in Camphouse, 2004, p. 272). As I read the words of composers such as Wilson, describing their creative processes, I am made aware that there is a definitively personal perspective which comes through time after time and which resonates with my own understanding and experience. I find that there is no one way to tell or present the story of a composer's work. The 'telling', or presenting, here is therefore unique and structured in a consequently distinctive format.
Making music provides a unique way of explaining and locating oneself, whether it be playing or singing, or writing a piece. Small (1998) contends that "...music is not a thing at all but an activity, something that people do" (p. 2). His suggestion is that in striving to examine music we often seek to investigate a commodity, which it is not. "The apparent thing 'music' is a figment, an abstraction of the action, whose reality vanishes as soon as we examine it at all closely" (p. 2). It would be reasonable then to contend that 'making' research about 'making' music might demand imaginative methods for both interrogating composition as an activity, and presenting the findings into that creative process.
Cook, similarly concerned with ridding music of its 'commodity' status, suggests that "it is in the nature of things that the activities of composing, performing, and appraising represent a chronological sequence (you can't perform something until it's composed, and most people can't appraise it until it's been performed)" (1998, p. 17). Following Cook this investigation into why I compose has begun with the compositions themselves (via a synopsis of each piece), that links to premiere and reception by an audience through to publication in print or in some recorded format. The sections that follow interrogate a formidable array of concepts and data and provide a distinctive insight into the genesis and method of my composition. Ellis contends that "...some experiences can only be understood when feelings are a significant part of the research process" (1993, p. 724). If Ellis' contention holds true, it is imperative that the presentation of the findings of this research be given in such a way as to illuminate them as fully as possible; by ensuring a communion with the music itself and the context (emotional, spiritual and the mundane) which have brought about their creation.
To enable this communion with the music to be immediate, to hear any of the works or view the scores and sketches, this submission is structured as a web site to allow for a potentially non-linear intersection of all the materials. The delivery of the outcomes must allow for feeling see Ellis above to be evident in the receiver and to do so, music, video and other sounds and images must be made available alongside responses from performers and listeners. I believe such materials are best provided in various digital formats and that is why a web site format has been chosen to present this research.
Given the broad and personal nature of this process, a format is required that allows for both a defined line of enquiry as well as evidential tangents, a non-linear schema, giving the reader the potential to transit through materials quintessentially connected with the creation of the works under discussion. They include full manuscript and engraved scores of the works, recordings of the premiere performances (where available) as well as any subsequent commercial and/or conference releases. There is video of performances, rehearsals, and various interviews that pertain to this enquiry. Images, including photographs and concert programs, are included as are responses from conductors, composers, ensemble and audience members and those intimately connected to my work and my life.
What is essential, for the academic reader, is that the central line of enquiry must begin with the music itself and then to here, then from here, through to the case study and on to the conclusion. Beside the scores and recordings available there are a number of journals which are provided (via hyperlinks) as supporting materials only. They are inclined towards being ruminating essays and personal reflections but all canvas the concepts explored across the timeframe of this enquiry. They are definitively secondary sources and none as focused and defined as the components noted above. Yet all materials, primary and secondary, seek to expose why I compose and all these different layers of data add to the rich and nuanced portrait painted by this study, and offer insights from a number of diverse angles. It follows that there are many personal reflections contained here, and in the adjoining journal entries, that stand confidently alongside a discussion such as this.
For example, "Jessie's Well", the work and the associated journals and responses, forms a minor case study but is not interrogated to the same degree that "My Sister's Tears" is. "My Sister's Tears" provides the primary case study of this project, and while it resonates with many of the other works in my portfolio, it also imparts a unique and compelling dimension to this enquiry.
Located in this autoethnographic milieu is a desire to unpack and contemplate the very influences which produce the tonal material itself. Present are the dialogues that have been had with the musicians (conductors and players), the audiences and even the commercial music industry that have chosen to publish and record "My Sister's Tears" and other works in this doctoral collection. My aim is to lay bare the discussions, the journals and responses to the works to ensure openness and honesty in this academic and artistic deposition.
Bochner asserts that "life and narrative are inextricably connected. Life both anticipates telling and draws meaning from it. Narrative is both about living and part of it" (in Denzin & Lincoln, 2000, p. 745-746). That suggests that the web of data found here demands to be "inextricably connected" in a method that allows for vivid and immediate assess.
The home page has a menu which will allow for easy access to what would otherwise be book chapters. Clicking on menu items provides access to individual components of the document. Scrolling through the text is as comfortable as reading a large volume and bookmarking can also make reviewing more effective and efficient. Delivery through this web-style structure provides a somewhat linear academic backbone, which is constructed to present the materials in a relatively conventional order for a doctoral submission, as well as providing access to materials via a more non-linear method.
Leaning on Small's assertion about music as action as opposed to it being a commodity, (1998, p. 2) I contend that the very immediate nature of accessibility via a digital medium will make the study more about what people do and less about scores and notes as artefacts. Given that, it is reasonable to argue that a web site or interactive DVD is the optimum method of delivery of this material.
There is an immediacy in accessibility here with the fluidity of a web page providing instant access to the data on which the investigation is constructed. This direct contact with the materials ensures vivification of argument, potency of context and immediate review of materials related to the text in a more expansive and rewarding manner than appendices, end or foot notes.
What is made accessible in this manner are performances, video and audio, as well as links to commercial recordings and associated web sites. Retrieval of scores, sketches, journals and related materials that make up this doctoral folio, is also facilitated via links throughout the document and the Folio of Works pages referred to above.