Exploring how Aural Sonology analyses of four a cappella choral works supplement analytical information produced by score analyses

Abstract

This dissertation is an intrinsic multiple-case study that explored how Aural Sonology analyses of four a cappella choral works supplement score analyses. This study focused on four contemporary choral works (post-2000) with particular sound effects. The chosen works are I am the voice of the wind (2011) by Gabriel Jackson, The Birth of Orc (2007) by Hendrik Hofmeyr, The Conversion of Saul (2004) by Z. Randall Stroope, and Zīles Ziņa (2004) by Pēteris Vasks. Aural Sonology is an analytical method created for electroacoustic music. Thus, using it to analyse written-out choral music is novel. My presentation and discussion of the works' spectromorphological and score analyses are followed by explications of the correlations and differences in the results of applying the two analytical methods to each work. The musical parameters that serve as subsections for my discussions were determined by my findings postanalysis and are consistent throughout. These parameters are the following: form, text, dynamics, rhythm, harmony, texture, and phrasing. After generalising my conclusions on each musical parameter in the final chapter, I considered this study's implications, the possibilities for future research, and my initial expectations of the study versus the problems I encountered during it. I found that the Aural Sonology analyses supplement the score analyses in each parameter to create a more holistic view of the works, albeit in different ways. Regarding form, the differences between the results of the Aural Sonology and score analyses make it easier to follow and learn the music. My analyses of the text using Aural Sonology supplement the score analyses by assisting with pronunciation, including diction. The dynamic profiles indicated by the Aural Sonology analyses build a foundation for what is shown in the score, allowing for the consideration of similar or different interpretations. The Aural Sonology analyses of rhythmic patterns and harmonies supplement the score analyses by making the works easier to learn as, in some cases, these aspects sound less complicated than what is indicated in the score. Regarding the texture my findings, when applying the different analytical methods, correlate and therefore provide complementary ways to listeners for their audiation of the works. Lastly, the audible phrasing supplements what is shown in the score by indicating how phrases can be started and ended and how they can be copied or improved in future performances