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The concept of a ‘Great Conversation’ among writers, thinkers and artists across different eras has ancient origins but was first coined by Robert M. Hutchins and Mortimer Adler in the 1950s. Adler articulated the idea, stating: ‘What binds the authors together in an intellectual community is the great conversation in which they are engaged. In the works that come later in the sequence of years, we find authors listening to what their predecessors have had to say about this idea or that, this topic or that. They not only harken to the thought of their predecessors, they also respond to it by commenting on it in a variety of ways.’
Within this framework, my presentation will highlight aspects of my compositional work connected to the transformation of established musical idioms, as well as elements of quotation and paraphrase. I will draw examples from a varied selection of works, with a particular focus on Suite J and Sonatina for solo piano – both largely grounded in pre-existing musical materials. Kenneth Hamilton’s rendition of these two pieces will be available on a disc set for release by Prima Facie at the end of January 2024.
More information on the Arts website: https://www.bristol.ac.uk/arts/events/2024/february/music-research-seminardialogues-in-composition.html