- Title
- Vulcanus and Fynbos portfolio Orchestral ballet and a chamber work for SSATBarB and two guitars
- Creator
- Kinsey, Avril
- Subject
- Orchestral music -- Scores
- Subject
- Ballets
- Date Issued
- 2018
- Date
- 2018
- Type
- Thesis
- Type
- Doctoral
- Type
- DMus
- Identifier
- http://hdl.handle.net/10948/31323
- Identifier
- vital:31364
- Description
- This DMus composition degree is a portfolio (c. 93 minutes) that focuses on creative work with an extensive text in music notation, which embodies the composer’s creative research. The portfolio comprises two large-scale tonal and extended tonal works inspired by nature and informed by a narrative aesthetic. The two scores include an orchestral ballet in two acts and four scenes, Vulcanus (c. 54 minutes), which was created from a scenario by the composer, and which includes the occasional use of guitar and soprano, and a chamber work for SSATBarB and two guitars in nine movements entitled the Fynbos Suite (c. 39 minutes), inspired by the eco-system fynbos oil paintings of Steven Felmore. Both works can be seen as contributing respectively to the discipline of mainstream orchestral works, and guitar and choral writing. The accompanying commentary on the portfolio provides a rationale for the compositions, and outlines some of the creative processes and inspirational influences behind the works. An overview of the musical forms contextualizes the works within their narrative and visual frameworks. The ballet notes discuss the rationale for choosing ballet and include cultural, musical and extramusical influences. A detailed scenario of the story with a description of the ballet’s characters and corps de ballet follows, while a table lists the dances and narrative mimetic episodes with tempos and time codes suitable for a choreographer to work from. The Fynbos Suite commentary gives some insight into fynbos within nature, and within the context of the paintings and the musical style. Included in the notes are the composer’s lyrics to four songs, and with the kind permission of the artist, the reproduction of the nine inspirational paintings. The recordings of Vulcanus and the Fynbos Suite were realised from the sound files of the Sibelius notation program. The guitar and the orchestral sounds, as well as the voice in Vulcanus are sampled from the Yamaha DGX 620 library, while the four vocal works of the Fynbos Suite were recorded with the Cape Soloists at the Fismer Hall, Stellenbosch University. The guitar in ‘Light on the Edge of Hope’ and the ‘Glory of Nature’ were performed by the composer. In conclusion to the background notes the creative journey, planned and unplanned, is reflected on, highlighting musical imagination with creative serendipity, and what the experiences of the process and outcome mean to the composer.
- Format
- v, 435 leaves
- Format
- Publisher
- Nelson Mandela University
- Publisher
- Faculty of Arts
- Language
- English
- Rights
- Nelson Mandela University
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| Thumbnail | File | Description | Size | Format | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| View Details Download | SOURCE1 | AVRIL KINSEY.pdf | 17 MB | Adobe Acrobat PDF | View Details Download |