https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/25889 Tue, 07 Apr 2026 02:03:16 GMT 2026-04-07T02:03:16Z https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/88442 Title: Johann Sebastian Bach sonatas and partitas for solo violin : aspects of performance on the instrument Abstract: With self-imposed limitations J.S. Bach contrasted a maximum of musical content with a minimum of instrumental and tonal potential in his six sonatas and partitas for solo violin. This is a challenging task for any interpreter, and the purpose of this study is to help the violinist to improve his interpretation. Two fields of knowledge about the solos were investigated. The first one – the historical – has a strong but indirect impact on the artistic development of the interpreter, a comprehensive insight into the origin of the solos as well as into their reception up to this day by both audience and musicians. Such questions that were researched therefore include: (i) for which purpose did Bach compose the solos? (ii) which influences were important for him? (iii) was there a logical compositional development from an organ virtuoso to a violin composer? The other line – the performance – refers directly to the researcher’s final performance (BWV 1001, 1002, 1004) and deals with more concrete and practical issues resulting from an analysis of the compositions. On the one hand, numerous indications for a preferably mainstream-orientated (MS) interpretation of the solos were studied and discussed in the presentation of the Ciaccona. This investigation refers to technical aspects as well as to interpretative problems. On the other hand, the ‘Baroque Affective Theory’ is applied to the dance movements of the first and second partitas based on a Historically Informed Performance (HIP) approach. Some final reflections towards the interpretation of the final programme are given in the Conclusion. Description: D.MUS. Fri, 01 Jan 2016 00:00:00 GMT https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/88442 2016-01-01T00:00:00Z https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/25949 Title: Lorenzo Gatt (1856-1926) : a mass service (proper and ordinary) for a solemn occasion : a critical edition and analysis Abstract: The dissertation entails a study about the Maltese composer Lorenzo Gatt (1856-1926), and a full Mass Service. This study starts with a concise view on Church Music in Malta during Gatt’s time, outlining the principal factors that shaped sacred music from the late-nineteenth century to the first decades of the twentieth century. It is followed by a short biography of the composer, shedding new light on his contribution to music in general. An analysis of Lorenzo Gatt’s style and his compositional techniques, as seen in his selected 1925 Mass, treats themes, rhythm, harmony, orchestration, texture and word painting in some detail. The aim objective of this chapter is to portray important thematic and harmonic resources that make his work significant. The Mass by Lorenzo Gatt will also be compared with other settings by two Maltese composers of the same period, namely Luigi Vella (1868-1950): Mass in F (ACM, Mus. Ms. 1232) of 1913; and Giuseppe Caruana (1880-1931): Mass in B flat (ACM, Mus. Ms. 1868) of 1916. The main focus will be Gatt’s compositional style which will be examined in the light of these works – these are discussed in chapter four. A Critical Edition, comprising a General Preface, a computed transcription of the Mass by Lorenzo Gatt, Critical Notes and a Critical Commentary, is given in chapter five. The conclusion chapter explains how the overall planning of the work, which is characterised by melodic, harmonic, rhythmic consistencies and resourcefulness, are all integral to Gatt’s compositional style. Any influences in Gatt’s music that may have come through the works of the composers analysed in chapter four will be summarised here, too. The ultimate aim is to identify Lorenzo Gatt’s contribution to the national musical heritage. Description: M.MUSIC Fri, 01 Jan 2016 00:00:00 GMT https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/25949 2016-01-01T00:00:00Z https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/16167 Title: An investigation of collaborative, choreomusical relationships within contemporary performance : a practical and theoretical enquiry into collaborative, co-creative approaches Abstract: This dissertation considers cross-disciplinary and inter-disciplinary working processes in music and dance in the twentieth and twenty-first centuries to enquire into the ways that choreomusical relationships have developed for composers and choreographers working collaboratively. It asks whether there are factors which should be considered in a collaborative working method between composer and choreographer to achieve a co-creative endeavour which is satisfactory for both parties. The study investigates whether successful working methods are particular to each composer-choreographer relationship, or to what extent they could be utilised in collaborations with different individuals toward satisfactory, co-creative results. These results are defined by the satisfaction of both collaborators throughout the collaborative process, regardless of the end result. This dissertation will address these questions, first by analysing collaborations within contemporary dance, with a focus on the working methods in dynamic artistic relationships such as that of John Cage and Merce Cunningham. It begins with a theoretical approach to context in Chapter One before a short historical and cultural mapping of documented choreomusical, collaborative relationships in Chapter Two. This research will concentrate on the distinct change brought about in America in the 1930s, emerging from Denishawn, before focusing on three successful, long lasting collaborative relationships: Stravinsky and Balanchine, Nikolais and Louis, and Cage and Cunningham. The analysis will then discuss the interdisciplinary developments that Cage and Cunningham provoked. Chapter Three explores how choreomusical collaboration can be successful or unsuccessful in terms of co-creation and the satisfaction of each party within current artistic practice. Contemporary choreographers and composers involved in collaboration, currently located in western Europe and north America, were interviewed about their views on co-creation, collaborative relationships and working methods. Additionally, as a composer, I have collaborated with choreographers and both parties kept a journal to document the positive and negative aspects of the working methods within this partnership; I have included these journals as data in analysing contemporary, co-creative practices. Informed practical research and the use of journals coincide with a grounded theory approach: through analysis of both sets of data, factors which help and hinder choreomusical collaboration in terms of cocreative approaches are identified. The results of this analysis are presented in a spectrum model of possible working relationships between composer and choreographer, which is then applied to case studies identified within the research. Description: M.MUSIC Fri, 01 Jan 2016 00:00:00 GMT https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/16167 2016-01-01T00:00:00Z