Part One - A Reflective Account

Now I've reached the end of part one of the course, I can look back on what I've learned so far, and its impact on my musical appreciation and awareness. The aspect that I think I have benefited most from is exposure not only to composers I had no previous experience of, but also unfamiliar genres, concepts, and musical devices.

Early in this first part of the course I was required to explore genres with which I was least familiar. This was a project I was looking forward to undertaking, as the primary reason for taking this course was to broaden my musical horizons and discover new music. This project inspired further exploration of my own, in particular of the opera and contemporary classical music repertoire.

Other projects so far have focused on music technology, world music and music in film, and how these all relate to music today and each other. I particularly enjoyed researching traditional Chinese music and considering how a contemporary western composer might utilize some of its instruments, and its ideas of melody, rhythm and form.

I had the opportunity in project three to research a modern orchestra, and this was an immensely rewarding topic for me, but I would also say the most challenging. I’d attribute this to the fact that I was researching instruments I had very little knowledge of, especially in how they are played, so I found it difficult sometimes to visualise and understand the concept behind certain methods and techniques.

I have found that by listening to the pieces suggested in the course materials for this project, I have gained a new appreciation for a range of instruments, especially the horn, bassoon and percussion, and have actively sought out works that prominently feature these instruments.

I, like I suspect a lot of people, are very comfortable with music of the tonal era, and at first glance some of the music I’ve studied in part one is strange, alien and not at all in my comfort zone. From what I can gather, the main philosophy of part one of the course is about seeing what’s out there, regardless of whether it suits my current taste, or preconceptions. I have tried my best over the previous few months to really dig deep into various contemporary classical music works, exploring what’s there while keeping an open mind. I feel I have gained valuable insights into the methods and techniques used by contemporary composers and why they compose like they do. Recently I watched a documentary DVD about Steve Reich and his music as part of my research into the composer for project four. This featured interview footage with Reich as well as video extracts of performances of some of his work which provided great insight into his methodology and the origins of minimalism, and this sparked my interest in exploring the genre further.

I have found the course so far very useful as a catalyst for further exploration, and have used Spotify extensively for this purpose. Using a suggested composer or work as a starting point I have delved into other works and have found some exciting new music, especially in the contemporary classical genre, by composers such as George Crumb and John Adams.

Early in the course I realised I will gain maximum benefit from my studies by immersing myself into the subject matter, and this is something I have tried to do since the beginning. I now buy BBC Music magazine, which has some excellent articles, and I've taken inspiration from some of the recordings reviewed there and listened to them on Spotify. I also now regularly peruse the Sky Arts channel, which regularly features live performances of classical pieces, along with opera and ballet.

Finally, I decided to revisit one of my first tasks on starting this course – giving my own definition of what I think music is. I said ‘sound + emotion = music’. Although I’d still stand by that to a certain degree, I have since listened to music that is sound but seemingly without emotion attached, such as Varèse’s Ionisation, or Reich’s Pendulum Music. It will be interesting to see over the coming months whether I still see my definition as true.