Composition portfolio

Barron, Richard (2014) Composition portfolio. MMus(R) thesis, University of Glasgow.

Abstract

The two pieces in my composition portfolio are settings of lines taken from, respectively, Robert Henryson’s The Testament of Cresseid and Lucretius’ De rerum natura. In this commentary I outline what drew me to these poems: the literary and philosophical tradition to which they belong, their poetic language and their humanist sensibility. I state my aim of writing pieces that might carry a sense of the overall meaning of the poems and embody that sensibility. I discuss my use of the language of the poems, in particular the generation of musical material from the sounds of the words of the text, from the ideas and images expressed, and from the atomist philosophy expounded by Lucretius. I also suggest the significance of the overall structure of each piece in embodying the characteristic sensibility of its source poem.

• Item Type: Thesis (MMus(R))
• Qualification Level: Masters
• Keywords: 'I tuik ane quair'(commentary) 'Of fair Cresseid'(score);'26 lines'(score)
• Subjects: M Music and Books on Music > M Music
• Colleges/Schools: College of Arts & Humanities > School of Culture and Creative Arts
• Supervisor's Name: Sweeney, Professor William
• Date of Award: 2014
• Depositing User: Mr Richard Barron
• Unique ID: glathesis:2014-5241
• Copyright: Copyright of this thesis is held by the author.
• Date Deposited: 08 Aug 2014 14:57
• Last Modified: 08 Aug 2014 15:11
• URI: https://theses.gla.ac.uk/id/eprint/5241