Portfolio of compositions: an eclectic view

This portfolio examines six compositions, written between 2016-18, that demonstrate my newfound interest in developing a style of musical eclecticism. After outlining inspiration found through Isaiah Berlin’s famous essay, The Hedgehog and the Fox, and my understanding of musical eclecticism through its relationship with the characteristics of postmodern music set up by Jonathan D. Kramer, I attempt to contextualise the aesthetic thought behind my creative practice and situate it within a larger contextual framework by first giving an overview of my musical life, and how three specific composers’ works have inspired my practice: Howard Skempton’s Lento, Harrison Birtwistle’s Night’s Black Bird, and Frederic Rzewski’s The People United Will Never Be Defeated!. I then proceed to examine the portfolio of my own works, exploring how I have developed and engaged with a practice of musical eclecticism, and how these works relate to the aforementioned composers. The works included range from solo to sinfonietta-size ensembles