The contribution of contemporary Australian composers to the tenor concert repertoire

Abstract

This sub-thesis presents information on composers, selected works, and the views of well known artists who perform new Australian works for the tenor concert repertoire. The sub-thesis is divided into five chapters. The introduction forms Chapter One. Chapter Two discusses Australian composers and their attitudes to their compositions, including their reasons for composing for the tenor voice in particular. Chapter Three evaluates one of the tenor pieces of each of the four Australian composers selected for study. This evaluation discusses the performance requirements of their pieces, and the technical requirements and specific difficulties of the tenor voice. Chapter Four discusses prominent Australian tenor artists' music education, their experiences in dealing with this repertoire, their relationship with Australian composers, and their future interests in this area. Chapter Five concludes the study and provides a closer examination of the current and future directions of concert works for tenor written by contemporary Australian composers. This sub-thesis attempts to give a considered opinion on the paucity of Australian repertoire available to tenor artists for performance andoffers reasons concerning why this situation has developed. The study concludes that the relationship between composer and performer has been responsible for the collaborative nature of some compositions and their performance. On closer observation, the lack of continued performance of these new works is a cause for concern for Australian composers who have written for the tenor concert repertoire, as well as tenor artists who have performed these compositions.