Maintaining pleasure in composition: personal and philosophical issues affecting my work as a composer

Abstract

This thesis, in conjunction with a practical compositional portfolio of 9 compositions, traces my development as a composer. Using sociological, historical and phenomenological analysis provides a contextualised account of the many influences acting on me as a composer. I have drawn heavily on the sociology of Pierre Bourdieu. Bourdieu‟s sociology places emphasis on a reflexive research methodology which aims to unite the dichotomies between structural and phenomenological research in the belief that doing so will enable a researcher to produce a more self-aware, rounded study. Using a reflexive methodology in analysing my work allows me to account for my technical and aesthetic developments as a composer and also to question how historical, social and geographical factors have had an influence on my music. Bourdieu‟s sociology has led me to investigate how such issues have had an effect on all who occupy positions within the field of contemporary composition in Ireland, including practitioners, academics, critics and all who have acquired an appetite for such composition.

Adopting a sociological perspective has become increasingly accepted as a means of countering the dominance of charismatic ideology which can be encouraged through self-referential analysis alone. Bourdieu‟s approach has enabled me to step away from a purely personal analysis and in doing so to realise the reasons for my own biases, beliefs, hopes and aspirations which often lie beyond the limits of a biographical approach. As such, I have been able to begin to place myself as a composer within the wider field of contemporary music.

Date of Award	May 2011
Original language	English
Supervisor	Frank Lyons (Supervisor)