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The colonial background and political situation of Hong Kong have resulted in school music education in Hong Kong being placed in a problematic position, which in turn has increased the acceptance of community music (CM) practice. However, as an academic subject, Hong Kong CM practice has largely adopted vocabulary, concepts, and frameworks from Western academia, and a more specific and nuanced cultural understanding of the significance of CM development in Hong Kong is thus necessary. To that end, a case study of five local music practitioners who work both in and beyond school settings was conducted, with data collection methods including interviews, participant observation, field notes, journals, and other documentation. The research draws theoretical support from the perspectives of both Paulo Freire and Gert Biesta and adopts a neoliberal view of education as an 'orthodoxy' and contrast it with CM practice as an emancipatory 'heterodoxy'. Through articulating their practice, the study concludes practitioners' practice is a practice of the 'other' (Lingis, 1994, p.10). It can be characterized as a 'community of those who have nothing in common' (Biesta. 2004). Their practice is situated in a 'dialogic continuum' which facilitates discourse among different groups and parties, which is conducted over a 'dialogic space' which exists over the dialogue among these practitioners over their very differences (Camlin, 2016), and a specific model had been designed to visualise and capture this unique symbiosis of these continua of CM practice. Interestingly, this lack of consensus over the very meaning of CM and defining features of CM practice may appear like a weakness at first, but on deeper reflection it is also a source of its richness and diversity. CM practice demonstrates an ongoing process of conscientization (Freire, 1970) that allows practitioners to resist falling into a uniform stereotype and instead better assert their authentic selves on their individual terms while being part of a greater community with a shared purpose. The unique, singular, and highly situated circumstances of individual CM practices result inevitably in the inability for this thesis to be able to provide a uniform description of CM practice but instead introduces the reader to a highly varied landscape of CM practice development in Hong Kong. However, despite this dissensus which is a feature of CM practice, I propose that the raising of critical consciousness implicated in the development of CM in Hong Kong will help those involved to become more aware of the inherent social and political contradictions and shall further support them to act to bring about desirable changes in the local education system. The study also extends previous scholarly research by highlighting the pluralistic character of CM practice and articulating it within the context of Hong Kong. It illustrates the value of accounting for CM practice with more holistic consideration of the cultural significance of music education, especially in socio-political contexts where orthodoxy is contested. To conclude, CM practice extends the possibilities of 'becoming' in ways that keep the possibilities of autonomy alive. It therefore illuminates the strong synergy between CM practice and the current social and political crisis in Hong Kong. It can also represent epistemological shifts within communities and societies, where the act of musicking itself becomes a way to disrupt orthodox practice and lead to the practice's transformation.

This thesis explores the piano music of Alfredo Casella. While there is much literature pertaining to Casella's position in Fascist Italy, much of it fails to utilise archival sources. Similarly, the literature offers little stylistic analysis of Casella's music, or discussion as to how performers might approach, interpret and perform his works. This thesis offers a tripartite insight into Casella. Part 1 reviews Casella's biography and compositional process: Chapter 1 repositions the pianist-composer within Fascist Italy, reviewing archival sources including diaries, letters and personal artefacts and emphasising Casella's importance as a pianist. Chapter 2 utilises sketchbooks and scores to outline his three-step compositional process. Part 2 of the thesis offers a theoretical interrogation of the pianist-composer. Chapter 3 gives a comparative and descriptive stylistic analysis of Casella's piano works, based on LaRue and Keller models for analysis. Tactility, and tactile means of stylistic analysis is also discussed. Casella's compositional style borrows tonality, form and structure, and style of other composers. Casella's writings on music, and specifically interpretation and performance, are used to form a method for interpreting his works in Chapter 4. In the pianist-composer's own words, interpretation is a form of construction, building on historical and contextual understanding, score analysis, and the performer's own response to the work being performed. Part 3 of the thesis comprises case studies, applying the stylistic and interpretative approaches outlined in part 2 to five works: Toccata Op. 6 (1904), Sonatina Op. 28 (1916), Undici pezzi infantili Op. 32 (1920), Sinfonia, arioso e toccata Op. 59 (1936) and Sei Studi Op. 70 (1942-44). These are supplemented with recordings (found in the appendices). This thesis argues the case for Casella as an original and innovative composer whose works offer many interpretive opportunities for performers.

In this commentary, I aim to describe, contextualise and analyse my artistic practice, and present a cross-section of compositions and improvisations created between 2014- 2017. This includes site-specific compositions I created with installation artist Haroon Mirza, realising the previously lost composition of composer Daphne Oram titled 'Still Point', and my live turntable improvisations I create for my NTS Radio shows. I draw attention to my own bespoke techniques and unique methodology within my practice to create new forms of music composition as well as to study perspective both musically and socially. I highlight the important elements of my work including improvisation, untold histories of classical music, collaboration, artistic curation and my own methods of music electronics specifically relating to the turntable. In relation to my turntabling practice, I created my own methods away from any other culture such as hip-hop turntablism, instead focussing on the physicality of sound and the sculpture of the turntable as inspiration for my movement-based techniques. In regards to this, I discuss my strong focus on musicality, away from sound-art. The physicality of sound is also an integral element of my acoustic compositions. In relation to this, I outline the use of innovation in my work including engaging with space and acoustic as a way of creating sonic-sculptures that emphasise the idea of the physicality of sound, which is prevalent in different forms in my acoustic and electronic works. Throughout the commentary I aim to raise questions, and how we as artists have responsibilities to create new forms that are relevant to current social landscapes. Finally, the aim of all the points outlined is to continue to develop my main aim as an artist: The pursuit of truth and understanding on my quest to find "real".

Ferdinand Rebay (1880-1953) was a pioneer among the non-guitarist composers who started to write for the guitar in the 1920s. However, in spite of having composed close to 400 guitar works, he is today undeservedly obscure. This thesis examines his more than 30 sonatas or sonata-structured works for guitar, most of which is made of chamber music for combinations that range from duos to a septet. In Part 1, I situate Rebay's chamber sonatas within the guitar repertoire, understanding it as a reaction to the lighter repertoire of the guitar clubs, the turn-of-the-century's main guitar niche in German-speaking territories. After investigating the guitaristic context, I look at Rebay's career and interactions with the Viennese guitar circles, highlighting the work of his main champion and niece-guitarist, Gerta Hammerschmid. Later, I analyse his compositional style and demonstrate that, by associating the guitar with the Austro-German Romantic sonata prestige, Rebay may have intended to elevate the instrument's status in the eyes of the mainstream Viennese audiences. His exploration of the guitar in chamber music is equally paradigmatic, as he frees the instrument from its typical accompaniment roles and explores a fully-balanced texture in his sonata writing. In Part 2, I approach a selected group of seven chamber sonatas from a performer's point of view. Faced with the lack of a continuous performance tradition of Rebay's guitar music, I propose to incorporate an extended stylistic and technical mindset largely supported by historical investigation, which helps understand Rebay's meticulous notation and realize it convincingly. Finally, I trace Rebay's collaborative steps through the layers of information available in his manuscript sources, also proposing a "posthumous collaboration" to deal with score-based issues and make problematic passages-or in some cases, full works-playable and idiomatic. By initially situating Rebay's guitar music and later addressing some of its most important performance aspects, I hope to provide secure historical and interpretative grounds for the modern guitarist interested in his music.

Throughout the eighteenth century Italian violinists were praised and admired by London audiences. Though never as feted as the Italian castrati and sopranos, the Italian violinists in eighteenth-century London played a prominent role, featuring as leaders and soloists in every context where music was required. This dissertation focuses on the role the 'Solo' played in the careers of these Italian violinists, and how these artists and this genre fitted in socially, culturally and aesthetically. The 'Solo' was an important tool for them in promoting their careers: it was the repertoire they performed and subsequently published in order to enhance their fame. As a genre, the 'Solo' was uniquely suited to exploring a violinist's artistic invention. Exploring the repertoire provides a new understanding of these artists and the important role they played in eighteenth-century London. First, the Italian violinist is considered through a discussion of the historical and cultural context of eighteenth-century London into which these artists arrived. The cultural scene (including the Italian Opera, the theatres and the emerging public concert scene) is studied, as are various forms of patronage and the tradition of private pupils. The prominence and longevity of the 'Solo' is examined through a consideration of surviving catalogues from the publishers active in London during the century. Concert and publication advertisements support the argument. To understand further why the 'Solo' and the Italian violinist were appreciated, eighteenth-century treatises on aesthetics and musical performance are discussed, exploring the concept of 'Good Taste' and in the process revealing the 'aesthetic of moderation'. Finally, the Solo repertoire itself will be explored, focusing both on contemporary aesthetics and performance practice issues. This will be done both through a general survey of the Solo genre as well as a couple of case studies.

Scholarship concerning the importance of understanding audiences and venues for music has developed a great deal over the last two decades. This thesis examines one element of this research: the importance of the venue as a space for culture. The Royal Albert Hall, a world-famous but little- understood venue, acts as case study for this text. Through a mixed-methods approach, this thesis seeks to answer four questions concerning the relationship between a public space and the events it hosts in the case of the RAH explicitly: What factors have affected the identity of the RAH as a public venue? How have these changed during the Hall's existence? How do these factors affect the events which the Hall hosts? Does a space affect what happens inside it? These questions will allow us to gain a deeper understanding of how a fixed cultural space can be repeatedly reshaped by multiple, often overlooked, factors as well as the extent to which these factors can affect the identity of a venue.

This thesis explores how voice, the body, and gender interact to characterise the eponymous leading roles in Richard Strauss's Salome (1905) and Elektra (1909). Approaching the vocality of the two title characters from the perspective of a performer, I use vocal line as notated in the score as a basis for exploring constructions of women at the time these two operas were composed. Because these operas were created during the fin-de-siècle, they occupy a crucial transitional point between Romantic and Modern vocal writing, when, in contrast to the practices of the bel canto era, the singer was expected to demonstrate ever-greater fidelity to the notated score. Therefore, the voice is largely manipulated by another (the composer) to perform sounds that construct her identity, and hence, her gender. I expand upon this absolute to show how in these operas, gender performativity is manifested in the musical notation. The operatic soprano voice, when manipulated for certain effects, performs 'conventional' aspects of a female character's gender (for example, its pitch range), but I argue it also has the ability to communicate something more visceral, something that transcends gender norms, and also language itself. Building on a wide range of analytical and critical discourses ranging from gender theory to vocal technique, my thesis explores how a soprano singer navigates the extreme vocality present in these two operas, and in the process articulates a range of constructions of identity of women in the fin-de-siècle. In analysing the vocal writing of these two works, it becomes apparent that gender dichotomies are effectively voided in passages within these seminal operas, which nevertheless comment directly on fin-de-siècle 'femininity' or 'masculinity'. My research analyses vocal gestures from a technical standpoint and, in so doing, suggests that gender norms become obsolete at those crucial moments in which voice and body are pushed to physical and expressive limits.

The initial aim of this research was to assess whether it was possible to introduce Western Classical Music (WCM) into the Omani school music curriculum. Oman is a model for establishing, firstly, whether it is possible to introduce WCM to a school regime in which it has never previously existed and, secondly, how such an introduction can be most effectively implemented. There was no published research in this area and, as this research developed, the initial stance evolved and modified, leading to broader conclusions. This has implications not only for music education in Oman but also for wider discussions about the role of WCM in non-Western music education and its potential expansion in non-traditional spheres. The thesis reports on both the cultural and historical context of music and music education in Oman, as well as the attitude of Omani Islam to the permissibility of music within an Islamic state. Previous global attempts to introduce alien musical traditions into their curricula are reviewed to establish what lessons might be learned alongside the educational models and approaches adopted within English schools. The English observations are used to design investigative pilot schemes (including alternative pedagogies), which were conducted within four Omani state schools. Throughout the thesis, qualitative research makes use of ethnographically informed case studies and five research methods: semi-structured interviews, surveys, participant observation, field notes and documentation. Data are analysed thematically and via descriptive synthesis in order to identify key concepts and themes and, thus, to arrive at holistic strategies for a potential introduction of WCM into the National Curriculum (NC). Findings suggest that it is possible to introduce WCM into an outward-looking country with links to external governments and an established music scene. Religious reservations were largely overcome by public debate while cultural resistance was soothed by an emphasis on the equal status of national music alongside non-native music education. Observations in English schools found that learning outcomes are dependent on a number of factors including the individual ability of each teacher, teaching resources and a receptive environment. The Omani pilots, in turn, suggest that the incorporation of WCM into the NC requires additional elements such as cultural sensitivity, detailed planning and comprehensive, open debate. Additionally, it was not the musical genre that created the successful outcomes but, rather, the pedagogy. The desired outcome, therefore, was not to effect the introduction of WCM into the Omani national music curriculum per se but to open up the school music curriculum to a more progressive model of pedagogy. This research has implications for the introduction and expansion of new musical genres into National Curricula.

In recent decades, historical concert programmes have emerged as a fascinating resource for cultural study. As yet, however, little detailed work has been done on the programme notes that these booklets contained. This thesis concentrates on the notes written for the Crystal Palace Saturday Concerts between 1865 and 1879. The series held an important place in London concert life during this period, and featured a number of influential authors in the programmes, such as George Grove, August Manns, James William Davison, Edward Dannreuther, and Ebenezer Prout. Grove in particular made use of his notes as part of entries in the first edition of the Dictionary of Music and Musicians. Close critical readings of the Saturday Concert booklets illustrate the complex combination of context, content, and function that the programme notes represented. These readings are supported by short histories of the series, the programme note, and the various authors, along with a study of the audience through booklet construction and advertising. A database covering the repertoire performed and programme note provision during the case-study period is included on the attached CD. Programme notes that outlined pre-existing or newly-invented plots make it clear that one of their functions was to give music a narrative. Even notes that did not contain stories per se were filled with material that served a very similar purpose. The most obvious examples were explanations of how the work was created, and it's place in history. However, all of the language used to describe a piece could signal wider meanings, which then became part of the story being told. References to gender, families, education, morality, religion, politics, or race imbued the works with a wide variety of pre-existing 'texts' (in the broadest sense of the word), and formed social and cultural narratives for music.

Hollywood film composers work within a complex process of film production, with limited control over the final outcome. Certain contextual agents have shaped the developing craft and caused recent Hollywood film music (since 1980) to depart from the symphonic neo-Romantic style that has traditionally and commonly been associated with Hollywood film scores. Developments in storytelling, changing demographics among filmmakers and composers, evolving business models, and the influence of television have altered the content and style of Hollywood films and film music. Furthermore, technological advances in film, soundtrack, and music production have contributed to changes in prevalent composer practice. Film music is always mediated by the films it accompanies and contemporary Hollywood films that speak a progressive language tend not to use conventional music of the classical Hollywood tradition. Film music must bow to commercial pressures that are often at odds with originality. An analysis of the workload distribution among composers in the 50 top-grossing Hollywood films each year between 1980-2009 reveals an uneven distribution skewed towards a select few individuals. These composers exert considerable influence on their field. Further findings summarized in this thesis also show a statistically significant increase in non-melodic minimalist writing as well as strong correlations between non-orchestral instrumentation and non-traditional musical styles over the past three decades. This thesis assesses recent Hollywood film music practice and the opportunities and challenges screen composers face. Acknowledging the role and influence of so-called contextual agents in film music composition means to consider film scores in the spheres of conceptualisation and compositional practice. The key research question addressed in this thesis is: 'What is the context in which Hollywood film composers actually work and how does this affect their creative practice and the musical outcome?'