Research
A vital part of being a musician involves research. Whether it be a person, piece of music, or concept, the ability and willingness to dive into libraries and databases (or conduct original research) can alter ones relationship to their music. It is one of my core values and, like our instruments, a skill that must be practiced.
Below are my latest research projects and papers in an effort to share knowledge and ideas with those seeking it. If you quote or use my work in any way please be responsible and include the necessary information in your Bibliography.
Are you interested in sharing research or have information to refine mine? Please contact me using the form on the BIO page.
A vital part of being a musician involves research. Whether it be a person, piece of music, or concept, the ability and willingness to dive into libraries and databases (or conduct original research) can alter ones relationship to their music. It is one of my core values and, like our instruments, a skill that must be practiced.
Below are my latest research projects and papers in an effort to share knowledge and ideas with those seeking it. If you quote or use my work in any way please be responsible and include the necessary information in your Bibliography.
Are you interested in sharing research or have information to refine mine? Please contact me using the form on the BIO page.
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Mystery, Necromancy, and the Euphonium:
The importance of Daphne, the euphonium in Dora Mitchell’s middle-school fright The Haunted Serpent (2018) (August 2019) Published in The International Tuba-Euphonium Association (ITEA) Journal: Vol. 47, No. 1, pp. 17-21. It’s not often the euphonium is featured outside a performance environment. However, author and illustrator Dora Mitchell’s mysterious book The Haunted Serpent (2018) features the euphonium in a crucial role. The book is intended for middle schoolers and may be a useful tool for teachers with young students adjusting to a new, unfamiliar, instrument. The euphonium is even featured on the cover – complete with compensating valve. Originally, Mitchell wanted her musician character, Lucy Bellwood, to carry a tuba but decided that may be too large for a nine-year old. She soon discovered the euphonium and thought its uniqueness fit perfectly with that character So, how did Lucy come to be? Who inspired this against-the-grain character? “She’s a conglomeration”, Mitchell answered, “I had good friends who played sax and clarinet, another friend who played just about everything, like Lucy… I just have this general recollection of beloved, battered instrument cases always being dragged around when we were kids. And I remember my sax-playing friend being very particular about how actually it’s a baritone sax, get it right, please…which obviously showed up in Lucy!” Lucy’s euphonium even has a name: Daphne. “Lucy, to me, represents being yourself even if you’re seen as a little goofy or weird. I also see her as being someone who sides with the underdog and finds the value in what other people might look down on”. These two are not gimmicky characters but are tried and true heroines in this frightening story. 
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Front cover of The Haunted Serpent (2018) by
Dora Mitchell, published by Sterling Children’s
Books.
Author and illustrator Dora Mitchell with
her dog, Twiggy
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In League with Octatonic Gentlemen:
How Peter Graham’s extraordinary Euphonium Concerto achieves unity with its octatonic framework. (September 2018) (Revised March 2020) Since its premiere in 2008, Peter Graham’s euphonium concerto In League with Extraordinary Gentlemen has steadily infiltrated the repertoire. With a 2008 recording by Steven Mead with pianist Tomoko Sawano (Audacious - BOCC110) and a 2010 recording featuring David Thornton and the Black Dyke Mills Band conducted by Nicholas J. Childs (The Peter Graham Collection - SPS250) the work has never failed to be available for those ready to take it on. In 2018 the final two movements were required for the Semi-Final round of the Artist Euphonium Competition at the Leonard Falcone International Euphonium and Tuba Festival. Graham’s concerto is here to stay – but what logic lies behind the surface of its many notes? In League with Extraordinary Gentlemen is held together by two strong forces. The first is its inspirations in the characters of H.G. Wells’ The Time Traveller, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes, and Jules Verne’s Phileas Fogg whose adventures influence each movement. A full discussion of these gentlemen and their adventures is not the focus but salient points will be addressed as needed. The second is the Octatonic scale - a scale constructed by alternating whole steps and half steps - and how key areas, motifs, and the entire work rely on its pitches and intervals. In fact as few as three transpositions form the blueprint for the whole concerto. |
Peter Graham (b. 1958)
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Gregson’s evolving works:
A guide to the transformations of Edward Gregson’s music (January 2019) While researching the music of Edward Gregson (b. 1945) it is evident that select works evolved throughout their lifetimes based on the needs and commissions of his career. With multiple versions of the same music available one could get lost in a tangled web spanning decades. The purpose of this guide is to identify the applicable works, the changes to these, and who and/or what may have originated these changes. From here, researchers could seek necessary scores and verify the musical material. These works fall into six categories:
It should be noted that most of Gregson’s concerti have been made available for soloist and piano reduction. As this is standard practice for many composers and solo repertoire these pieces are not included. |
Edward Gregson (b. 1945)
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| Gregson's evolving works (Rev. 1.29.19) by Matthew Nunes.pdf |
Gregson: tributes, derivative works, and inspirations
A guide to Edward Gregson’s music in relation to the composers and works that inspired him
(March 2019)
While researching the music of Edward Gregson (b. 1945) it is evident that many works were inspired by, or directly quote, composers he admires. The purpose of this guide is to identify these works, the composers involved, the pieces involved, and how these inspirations may have been used. From here researchers can secure the required scores and pinpoint the correlations.
These works fall into four categories:
For each category a one letter designation is provided for easy or quick reference. These designations are assigned based on the syllables of its category. For example: T for Tribute, D for Derivative, etc. For multiple categories all appropriate designations are assigned, as needed.
Many of Gregson’s works evolved throughout their lifetimes based on the needs and commissions of his career. Though many works did not alter their tributes/derivations the occasional work added, or subtracted, such connections. For a guide to the relationship of these pieces please see my article Gregson’s evolving works: A guide to the transformations of Edward Gregson’s music (2019).
A guide to Edward Gregson’s music in relation to the composers and works that inspired him
(March 2019)
While researching the music of Edward Gregson (b. 1945) it is evident that many works were inspired by, or directly quote, composers he admires. The purpose of this guide is to identify these works, the composers involved, the pieces involved, and how these inspirations may have been used. From here researchers can secure the required scores and pinpoint the correlations.
These works fall into four categories:
- Works that are tributes to other composers (T)
- Works that are derivative of other pieces (D)
- Works that are inspired by other composers/pieces, with Gregson himself saying so (I/EG)
- Works that may be inspired by other composers/pieces, with other writers suggesting these links or other potential evidence (I/Sugg. – [name of author].)
For each category a one letter designation is provided for easy or quick reference. These designations are assigned based on the syllables of its category. For example: T for Tribute, D for Derivative, etc. For multiple categories all appropriate designations are assigned, as needed.
Many of Gregson’s works evolved throughout their lifetimes based on the needs and commissions of his career. Though many works did not alter their tributes/derivations the occasional work added, or subtracted, such connections. For a guide to the relationship of these pieces please see my article Gregson’s evolving works: A guide to the transformations of Edward Gregson’s music (2019).
| Gregson's Tributes and Derivative Works (March 2019) by Matthew Nunes |
