Year

2005

Degree Name

Doctor of Creative Arts

Department

Faculty of Creative Arts

Abstract

Raymond Hanson wrote eight works for violin and piano. The remaining seven of these represent a substantial body of work for the violin/piano combination, of a style not usually associated with Australian composition. These works are not well known today. The ABC�s 78 disc recordings of some of the works have been destroyed, and copies of the music are not easily accessed. Manuscript scores of these works are housed in the Rare Music Collection at the Sydney Conservatorium. Only one of the manuscripts includes a separate violin part. All of the manuscripts contain incomplete and inconsistent elements, particularly in respect to performance indications of phrasing, articulation and dynamic for the violin. The aim of this thesis is to edit all of the available works for violin and piano by Hanson, maintaining the integrity of the composer�s work. There are four areas of investigation. Hanson�s stated opinions and philosophies are discussed in terms of how they may have had an impact on his compositional style. A stylistic analysis of the works is conducted to identify specific compositional techniques that could give rise to stylistic comparisons with other known composers. The works are analysed for possible idiosyncratic use of performance indications, and there is an investigation into performance practices relating to the violin at the time these works were written. The findings help to place these works by Hanson in the context of the music of his time both in Australia and the rest of the world. This provides a base of technical and stylistic references from which to draw conclusions about the undetermined aspects of the manuscripts. Consequently, the findings have led to a clearer stylistic understanding of Hanson�s music relating to the violin, and have shaped the decisions made editing the manuscripts.

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Unless otherwise indicated, the views expressed in this thesis are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of the University of Wollongong.