Revisiting Irish Ceol Traditions: Composing for Secondary School Strings

Abstract

This submission for the Master of Philosophy degree at the Elder Conservatorium of Music, University of Adelaide, takes the form of a portfolio of compositions supported by an exegesis. The musical investigation that has led to this submission has been creative and compositional. It has drawn upon the Irish ceol tradition and contributes to the repertoire of works for secondary school string ensembles. The works in the portfolio are: Suite for Strings, in 6 movements (35 minutes); Suite for String Quartet, containing 5 movements (10 minutes) and 4 short sets of variations, that draw upon traditional Irish tunes as thematic material. The exegesis contains four chapters; The Irish Ceol Tradition; The Importance of Traditional Music in Secondary School String Ensembles; Creating Irish Ceol in A String Orchestra; and Commentaries on Compositions.