Composition folio: musicals vols. I-IV

Abstract

The musical language of popular music theatre continues to gain a growing academic scrutiny. Our understanding of the possibilities of the genre can be enriched by innovative work that experiments with a variety of musical techniques. Moreover developing fresh insights into this musical potential has an aesthetic importance: it could contribute to a revitalisation of the creative ambition of the musical language of the genre, which is generally one of highly derivative stock. This submission consists of a composition folio that includes one work of substantial proportions (the stage-work Stationcery) and five satellite pieces. Stationcery uses a diverse range of jazz cultures (including numerous improvised sections) in a single large scale staged narrative, which it could be argued has not been attempted in this way or to this degree before. Stationcery, and the other pieces, also develop other experimental musical techniques that are rarely used in popular music theatre: nonchronological story-telling, collage construction, and the extreme use of diverse parody and quotations. In addition there is a written element of fifteen thousand words which discusses semantic, aesthetic and technical issues prompted by the works and the genre in general. The submission has been organised into four volumes:
VOLUME ONE: Stationcery A three act jazz stage-work: Full Score in C.
VOLUME TWO: Stationcery Piano/ Vocal Score.
VOLUME THREE: Satellite pieces:
That Baling Feeling - A three act musical: Piano/ Vocal Score.
Mart - A theatre of the absurd mis-en-scene: Full Score in C.
Descendit De Celis - A third-stream work for small orchestra: Full Score in C.
Napoleon On St Helena - Four scena for actor and piano.
Rain - A film score extract for small chamber group.
VOLUME FOUR: Written Element, Libretti and Lyrics.

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