Postgraduate Researchers

PhD Research Student - Conservatoire

Project Title: Societal and cultural influences on schemas in Irish Art Music from the late twentieth century to the present.  An autoethnographic approach through composition. 

Project Abstract: 

‘The electrification of music would forever change the world in which  

Mahler and Strauss came of age, bringing classical music to unprecedented mass audiences 

 but also publicizing popular genres that would challenge composers’ long-standing hegemony’  

 

Alex Ross, The Rest Is Noise: Listening To The Twentieth Century  

From the late nineteenth century into the beginning of the twentieth century, many developments both sociocultural and technological took place that subsequently influenced the course of Art Music throughout the remainder of century. One of many examples is the development of recording technology and the electrification of music. The industrial revolution and the development of technology were catalysts for the major changes that happened in Art Music throughout the twentieth century. 

We are now over the precipice of the twenty-first century. Changes and developments continue in Art Music that arise from societal and cultural influence. In this context the project seeks to examine what changes and developments have taken place specifically in Irish society and culture from the latter quarter of the twentieth century to the present day and how they have impacted the development of composers living and working in Ireland into the twenty-first century. What effect has living in Irish society and culture had on the creative processes involved in composing music during this period in time from one century into another? 

The focus of this project will be on self-evaluation of my own creative processes in composition. This project will examine how Irish sociocultural influences have impacted the development of my schemas in composition with specific reference to my own personal experiences in Irish society and culture. The project will explore the meanings and implications for composition as determined by the outcomes of these findings.  

Supervisor: Prof. Gráinne Mulvey