Out of the

Michelle Pritchard

The late Nineteenth Century saw the emergence of the viola from the ‘engine room’ of the orchestra to a solo instrument in its own right, due to champions such as English violist Lionel Tertis. The viola’s rising status paved the way for collaborations between violists and composers, resulting in an expansion of a relatively limited repertoire and placing higher demands on the performer. Through theoretical and practical based research, I identify the roles and responsibilities of the classical violist when collaborating with living composers. At the centre of my practical investigations were collaborations with four composers in the realisation of new works and exploration of pre-existing works by three composers, as part of a cross-departmental/cross-cultural collaboration. These collaborations highlight the importance of a high level of musicianship and an ability to communicate with and without the instrument. Artistic and intellectual exchange through open communication results in mutually beneficial outcomes and a deeper connection with the music. Additionally, these collaborations reveal that the viola is still emerging as a solo instrument, needing further experimentation and exploration. The final aspect of my research is the curation of a lecture-recital series showcasing these new compositions, anchored with works from the standard and lesser-known repertoire. The future aim is to perform and record these new works in order to reach a wider audience. Successful collaborations contribute to the generation, promotion, and contribution to the classical viola repertoire and the status of the instrument itself now and into the future. Bio Michelle Pritchard is an Australian violist, violinist and pedagogue, studying her Master in Classical Music (Viola) with Ásdís Valdímarsdottír at The Royal Conservatoire, The Hague. In Australia, Michelle studied with Alex Todicescu, Sydney Conservatorium. Later with Jeremy Williams, obtaining an Associate of Music Diploma with Distinction, and a Graduate Diploma of Professional Music Performance Practice through the University of Tasmania. Specialising in chamber music, Michelle established a concert series in Sydney. She has toured Europe as recitalist and as a member of the Hourglass Ensemble. Additionally, she founded ‘Eisteddfod on the Mountain’ in the regional area north of Sydney

CASE STUDY 2

Richard Hughes- Working titile- ‘Viola Delay’

1. Initial Contact

Richard Hughes responded to the general email I sent out to the Composition Department of the Royal Conservatoire, The Hague. I did not know him prior to this collaboration. Hughes is in the final year of his Masters in Composition at The Royal Conservatoire, the Hague.

2. Background of the composer

Hughes is an Irish composer and musician. Multimedia work is his focus, composing for instrumentalists, live electronics and visuals. He completed his Bachelor’s Degree in Maths and Music at Trinity College, Dublin. At the Royal Conservatoire of Music in The Hague, he is studying composition with Yannis Kyriakides and Guus Janssen. His current topic of research is portraying philosophies of ecology through multimedia composition.

Richard performs in solo and ensemble concerts, playing cello and live electronics. Improvisation is at the heart of his performance style. He is also a creative coder having recently been commissioned by Gaudeamus Festival for an online sonic installation. He works with languages and programmes such as Javascript, TouchDesigner and Max/MSP. His website is www.richardhughes.ie.

3. Timeframe

18^th March, 2021-present.

4. Composition concept- New Work

In this composition, Hughes writes for unaccompanied viola with the use of a delay pedal that is controlled through a computer. A microphone is placed just over the viola to pick up the sound. This composition is to be further developed into a multi- media composition for Hughes’ own Master Research Project.

A sample of the "Viola Delay" score used for initial workshop.

Richard Hughes at The (old) Royal Conservatoire, The Hague

My Roles

5.1 Initiator of collaboration

I was the initiator of this collaboration

5.2 Role as Violist

In this collaboration, I am both violist and performer.

5.3 Role as Communicator

Hughes and I have communicated on a regular basis and all meetings and workshops have been in person. Through this collaboration I have communicated both with and without the viola.

5.4 Role as interpreter

I am the solo instrumentalist in Hughes composition with the addition of a delay pedal and microphone.

5.5 Role as Promoter

Viola Delay differs from the other compositions in this project due to the use of electronics. This adds a different element to the music and is an example of how the viola’s tonality and timbre can be explored in a multi-media performance setting. It is a concept that I believe will contribute to the broadening of my experience as a performer.

My Responsibilities

6.1 Before making initial contact, make sure that you resonate with the composer’s style of writing.

Hughes shared with me several of his recordings of compositions and his website. The initial recording was of a solo cello piece with electronics. In my experience, I have worked with some electronics (I have performed casually, not professionally on a five-string electric violin) and my aim was to expand my basic skills in this form of music.

6.2 Organise an initial meeting to make sure you are able to not only resonate with the composer’s music but also the composer themselves.

This took place in person at the Royal Conservatoire, ideas were discussed freely and this collaboration is the result.

6.3 Give clear guidelines for time

As both of us were studying our Masters at the same institution, we had a basic schedule for our Research Projects.

6.4 Discuss ideas with the composer

Hughes and I discussed and shared ideas including videos and Master Research project outlines to come up with the basic concept behind the collaborative project. The viola with the use of electronics was decided upon.

6.5 Understand the concept behind the music

In an interview conducted with Hughes on February 1st 2022, he explains the concept behind this composition. He has focused on trying to capture the feeling of “stasis,” underpinning the composition, in contrast with the melodic line. He does not write music just for complexity. He also writes music that incorporates non- conventional sounds. To my ear, these were harsh at first but over the course of this collaboration I gained an appreciation for how the textures that result from molto sul ponticello through the delay pedal are effective in adding to the texture of the harmony.

“ I feel with those two sides, it is definitely this dichotomy that I have been kind of researching, like the rational versus irrational modes of composition and stuff. Yeah, this like fixed frame versus the rubato, intuition based kind of melody. It's like a multimedia music it's, and the style of music is, has a lot of influences, let's say from, from ambient, like electronic music. And, and then also lots of like, traditional music, too. I would say it's somewhat a mix of that. I employ a sort of acoustic instruments with electronic sounds. And then the multimedia aspect is a generally involves some sort of like, interactive, live visual part. And sometimes, it's a composition and sometimes it's an installation and I feel a lot of the times it's like an in between thing, like the music could be experienced sitting down in a concert or also could be just this continuous thing where people could walk in and out and experience that. I like to imagine it as see this kind of the style”⁷²

His main influences are

“ Atlantean”- Bob Quinn (1982) ⁷³

“I am sitting in a Room”- Alvin Lucier. (Lovely Music, Ltd), 1981.⁷⁴

6.6 Take the compositional and the collaborative process seriously

Included below is a brief synopsis of the composition.

I have also interviewed Hughes to gain a deeper understanding of these elements. For example harmony, timbre and structure.

I have also practised with the Delay pedal he built on his computer for me .

The many workshops however have been the core of this collaboration due to the use of electronics and Richard’s expertise in this field of music.

Below is a synopsis of the work.

Hughes explaining the concept of stasis. February 1st, The Hague.

Identifying with the work

At the start of the collaborative process it was difficult to understand where Hughes was heading with the composition as we started the initial workshop on a skeleton score. (See the first score below). As each workshop progressed and Hughes started to write more into the score, I was able to resonate with the music as the score took shape. Once the melody was introduced and I could see the improvement in my playing of the Delay section I started to grasp Hughes’s compositional style and looked forward with anticipation to each new development. I am particularly looking forward to performing this composition for the first time.

Artistic Challenges and development

It has been a challenge for me to create extreme pitch frequencies with my bowing. I purchased Knox’s ‘Viola Spaces’⁷⁵ in order to further explore molto sul ponticello and molto sul tasto effects.

In addition, the first beat of every bar was challenging for me in the Delay sections. To help me practice this Hughes designed a Delay Pedal that I could practise with. https://www.richardhughes.ie/delay ⁷⁶

I have a limited understanding of electronic music, however this project has sparked my interest in this area and I aim to do similar projects in the future to extend my repertoire.

Feedback Loop

In this particular collaboration, due to my lack of experience with this style of music and writing, I felt that I have gained from Hughes’s experience, not only as a multi-media composer, but also a performer of his own compositions on the cello.

Hughes has taken time to explain the technical aspects of how he writes programs on his computer to use in his music. The best example of this is the delay pedal.

Last recording from workshop on 9th February, 2022. Illustrates how it has developed since the first workshop in 2021.

Michelle Pritchard with Richard Hughes NEXT

Workshop example.

Workshop 3. 6th October 2021

Viola Delay, The Hague

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