Portfolio of compositions : stylistic in(ter)ventions

This folio of compositions represents four years of practice-led research into the relationship between musical context and musical content. The outcome is a spectrum of pieces through which the usefulness of terms such as ‘jazz’, ‘classical’, ‘Experimental’, ‘composed’, and ‘improvised’ music is surveyed. The purpose of the research is to find ways in which to express my own individuality as a composer through a very personal exploration of relationships between jazz and classical music contexts – to blur distinctions between them, to invent new musical materials (or, to situate existing musical materials differently), and to explore new relationships between composition, improvisation and indeterminacy. \n \nThis commentary is in two parts: Part One, ‘Categories’ provides a context for my research and includes an evaluation of relevant musical terms and categories, before situating the folio of compositions accordingly; Part Two, ‘Materials, Methods and Techniques’ explores two distinct approaches to the organisation of pitch materials in the music: the first section is titled ‘Interval Cycles, Integration and ‘Extra-contextuality’’, the second ‘Modes, Form, and Narratives of Difference’. A third section, ‘Composed and Improvised Musical Material’, explores some of the ways in which distinctions between specified and unspecified musical content are blurred in the music. \n \nPart Two emphasises the combination of methods and techniques necessary to deal with multiple perspectives in the music, and the search for a common ground through which to explore relationships between musical styles and genres authentically and creatively.