Portfolio of Compositions: Composing Music through Minimal Means

This portfolio of compositions is comprised of eight works written between 2014 and 2018. The accompanying commentary addresses how particular pieces of visual art, along with links to architecture and geological forms, are used as a creative stimulus to devise the compositions presented in the portfolio. On the surface, the artworks discussed appear elementary and embrace economy in their construction, which has a direct influence on how my compositions have been conceived. Inevitably, in taking an economical approach to devise new works, Minimalist attributes in both visual art and music are primarily acknowledged; however, rather than extending any one of the dominant strands of these Minimalist traditions, the music in this portfolio seeks to return to these forms of art and contemplate them afresh in order to respond in new ways. As a result, my core research question focuses on how to create engaging music with maximum effect through minimal means. This question also raises a subset of concerns in regard to repetition, ritual, teleology, temporality and memory; all of which are addressed via the introduction and four subsequent chapters. These topics form the framework of discussion in the commentary and the portfolio compositions are referred to where their features highlight and challenge these concerns