A Creative Exploration of Organic Growth Principles: portfolio of musical compositions and exegesis

Abstract

This submission for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy at the Elder Conservatorium of Music, University of Adelaide, consists of a portfolio of original compositions supported by an explanatory exegesis. The submission is structured in three parts. Part A contains the exegesis and includes commentaries on the submitted works. Part B contains the scores of four new works with an overall performance time of approximately 75 minutes: Tidal Lock, for symphonic orchestra; Sleeping Under Mariana, for wind orchestra; Seeking the Path…, for clarinet trio; and Darvaza, concerto for percussion and wind orchestra. Part C contains sound recordings of the submitted works. The overarching conceptual idea for this collection of works has been to engage in a creative exploration of the principles of organic growth; namely, Fibonacci structures - as applied to pitched material, phrase/bar lengths and larger structural durations; 'autogenesis' - the concept of self generating material, originating from a single source or 'germ'; and 'selfsimilarity' - structures whose components mirror their own shapes and forms. These concepts are not applied to the works in a prescriptive or formulaic manner; rather, they are used to guide and influence the compositional method with varying degrees of creative freedom. Each work seeks to explore these principles (and combinations thereof) in different ways, culminating in the major work of the submission: Darvaza, concerto for percussion and wind orchestra.