Twistonality: An Approach to Musical Composition

This paper investigates the reactions to contemporary Western art music expressed by various writers, and examines some of the challenges associated with a predominantly intellectual approach to composition. It questions the separation of performance and composition training in music institutions, and suggests that creative writing which relies on traditional key-centres and functional (or non-directional) harmony should be strongly encouraged in the private teaching studio. Based on recent research, the term ‘twistonal ’ is used to describe any music in which the ‘performer-composer ’ adapts musical material stored in the conscious or sub-conscious memory as the basis for an individual style. With the aid of excerpts from the writings of the legendary pedagogue, Josef Hoffmann, the author argues that if music is primarily a means of emotional communication, piano teachers should cultivate and nurture students ’ interest in original composition not only in order to strengthen their knowledge of theoretical concepts, but as an aid to musical interpretation in general