Songs of nature and spirit: the development of an individual approach to choral music composition, with reference to the works of four important Australian composers

The purpose of this thesis is to develop a greater awareness of the various techniques available to composers in the field of choral and orchestral composition. This is achieved through the examination of a selection of contemporary Australian works in this genre and by reflecting upon and implementing the concepts they contain in a portfolio of original works. Some of the techniques discussed include general structural principles, the relationship between instrumental and vocal sections, and the connection between text and music. The first part of the study deals with the selected scores. These have been chosen for their stylistic variety and represent the work of four established and emerging composers: Nigel Butterley, Carl Vine, Paul Stanhope, and Matthew Orlovich. The second part contains an analysis of the portfolio of original pieces and aims to identify the various technical devices and general approaches to vocal and choral writing common to the chosen composers and the author, as well as discussing points of divergence that also exist. All composers have a natural desire to deepen their understanding of the tools with which they work, and so, ultimately, this study seeks to document one person's journey along the path to the realisation of this goal.