Postgraduate Researchers

PhD Research Student - Conservatoire

Project title:  Richard's Resonating Riches 

Musical Individuality and Influence: The Stylistic Development of Richard Galliano and the Versatility of the Accordion in Jazz 

Project Abstract: 

This research investigates the compositional output and unique style of Italian French accordionist Richard Galliano. It examines the origins and stylistic characteristics of his musical language. It relates to the following topics: the tradition of the accordion in jazz; the transcription and analysis of selected solo material; and the improvisatory vernacular which the artist developed. Galliano inherited the idea of French popular music as a paradigm of a place and a people, but he presented his music in a new way updated by universal notions which concern jazz harmonic, melodic and rhythmic developments. Writing a biography of the composer-performer, reflecting on the history of the accordion in jazz, tracing the evolution of the musette style, and surveying ‘material’ culture are topics presented in this research as relevant context. This research outlines Galliano’s contribution to the evolution of jazz accordion: the original ideas vis-a-vis his instrument. This research helps understand complex questions: how and why musical styles are shaped; how music connects with culture and human activity; how important the interaction in musical activity is; and how musical individuality develops. It views culture as a dynamic transformative process rather than a static element of a given group; and looks at the individual as a dynamic figure who is in a constant dialogue with his influences: the distant and the immediate. This project represents a holistic approach to the phenomenon of music while following an interdisciplinary form of research, drawing on musicological and ethnomusicological methods. It provides a much-needed treatise on the contemporary jazz accordion, presents new insights into the history of jazz and accordion, and brings this unexplored realm of study up to-date. 

 

Supervisors: 

Dr Helen Lawlor , Dr Daragh Black Hynes, Dr Michael Nielsen

Funder: TU Dublin