Abstract

This portfolio of compositions and analytical commentary explores the use of extra-musical stimuli for musical composition in various ways. Aspects of each piece are designed to address criticisms in the literature levelled against programme music, generating practical exceptions to what may be revealed as sweeping statements. The techniques used include the manner in which material is presented to an audience; exploiting the mutual interdependence of two artforms, having a musical, intuitive response to an external concept and, conversely, having a conceptual response to incomplete musical sketches. Discoveries which may be of value to other composers include a system for replicating tonic-dominant key-relationships among non-tonal pitch collections; a system for generating pitch material from beat tempo detection analysis; and the discovery of some guitar techniques which, if they are not new, are certainly rare enough to warrant greater exploration and exposure. Finally, any composers who feel deterred from writing programmatic music as a consequence of prohibitive comments in the literature may find some freedom to pursue those interests.