MusM Composition (Instrumental and Vocal music)

This course involves the composition of two etudes to prescribed briefs for performance and recording, usually by elite professionals.  Recent professional performers include Lionel Handy (cellist with the London Sinfonietta), Gavin Osborn (flautist with Trio Atem) and the Danel String Quartet. Support and guidance during the compositional process is provided through individual tutorials with  a student’s supervisor and workshops and lectures given by relevant performers.

• To create a learning environment in which the student composer develops composition techniques and professional skills appropriate to his/her own creative needs through prescribed assignments.
• To encourage situations in which the student works with performers towards the performance of composed works and gains awareness through practical experiences such as workshops, performance and recording
• To improve the skills needed for the preparation of material for performance.

• Compose pieces that demonstrate a thorough understanding of instruments and/or voices.
• Compose pieces that demonstrate an understanding of the interrelationship between form and content in relationship to a specific technical brief, pacing the latter in order to make the former as cogent as possible.
• Analyse and evaluate critically contemporary pieces.
• Display a systematic understanding of creative processes and techniques used in contemporary music for the production of small-scale works.

• Plan, implement, evaluate and reflect critically on work in progress.
• Construct and articulate small-scale compositional designs to a specific brief.
• Critically analyse and evaluate compositional techniques and integrate them into their own works.
• Research and explore repertoire in order to develop an awareness of issues relating to composition in the 21st century.
• Recognise and evaluate influences and reference in their own and others’ work.

• Develop compositional techniques and professional skills appropriate to creative needs.
• Present clear and well-notated performance material (as necessary) that can be readily understood by professional performers.
• Realise practical and creative solutions to specific criteria such as the composition of a musical work to a set brief.

• Demonstrate independent learning ability suitable for continuing study and professional development.
• Engage in creative problem solving and display decision-making skills in order to respond to challenging assignments.
• Exercise an advanced level of initiative and personal responsibility.
• Work in collaboration with performers in order to realise personal projects.
• Build imaginatively and creatively on information supplied by elite performers.

• Blatter, Alfred: Instrumentation and Orchestration – New York, 1997
• Gould, Elaine: Behind Bars, The definitive Guide to Music Notation – London, 2011
• Study of relevant scores, through self-directed learning, and on the advice of supervisor.