Ritualising assemblages; conceptually navigating a compositional approach to ritual

Prior to commencing the Master of Music (Composition) degree at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music, I identified that I tend to primarily explore compositional ideas associated with that of ritual and theatre. As such, I have developed a practice-led, conceptual framework to examine these ideas in depth, as guided by the assembly of a portfolio of ritual-like compositions. Due to the creative character of this enquiry, and the technical, aesthetic and conceptual requirements of the creative portfolio, I employ a conceptual approach to ritual as to circumnavigate the potential hazards of cultural appropriation, which might be associated with undertaking a creative project of this kind. I also draw upon various scholarly approaches to ritual to construct the conceptual framework, by departing from the few instances of relevant musicological literature. Here I turn to Catherine Bell’s (2009) theory of the characteristics of ritual-like activity, following Christiansen and Vickery’s (2016) provisional musicological employment of one of these characteristics to frame ritual-like musical aspects within particular compositions. I also discuss an array of ritual associated concepts such as ritualisation, ritual space/environment, ritual participation, efficacy, and liminal transformation. As the conceptual framework is established, it is employed to hermeneutically “read” two works that I classify as examples of ritualised music theatre in an expanded sense. These are Pauline Oliveros' Sonic Meditations (1971) and Karlheinz Stockhausen’s Stimmung (1968). The information generated from these “readings” is drawn upon as a further creative resource. Overall, this research establishes a historical and aesthetic frame with which to situate the portfolio of compositions, in tandem with the development of a strategy to compositionally incorporate ideas from ritual scholarship