This project aimed at discovering my own compositional voice and searching on how to incorporate elements from three Braga communal traditions - “Queima do Home”, Holy Week, and St. John’s Festival—in new compositions, purposefully exploring their creative possibilities within a theoretical, modern framework.
I analyzed the sonic environment and music of the aforementioned events, and used them as a source in a complex and dynamic relationship between the past and the present. The formation of my own musical language and (artistic) identity are both a part of this research, which is also framed within the postmodern concept “from-roots-to-routes” (Hall 1996) and the notion of rhizomatic identity. By analysing, understanding and presenting my hometown traditions (roots), I was able to unravel my identity as a composer (routes) and further develop my stylistic language. I did this by reflecting on my (personal, academic, and artistic) path through the conceptual framework of culture, tradition, and identity (in the broad sense as well as the context of European and Portuguese identity). The creative outputs (new musical works and reflections) were the result of this research.
In the first part, I explored the concepts of “Culture” (R. Williams, P. Gielen), “Identity” (Hall, Fukuyama, Cools, Grossberg and Lima), Tradition (Shils, Hobsbawm), several parameters of Portuguese culture (Lourenço, Real, Sobral, Calafate, Melo, Rosas), Braga’s festivities (Ferreira, Sardinha) and the “Elements of traditional music from Minho” (Lopes-Graça, Sardinha, Veiga de Oliveira and Azevedo) in order to create a background context for the text in the second part. This step was crucial for my artistic development since I am convinced that art is influenced by culture, society, people and history. Additionally, to compose new works that integrate elements of a culture or tradition, it is, for me, crucial to have a comprehensive understanding of that specific culture or tradition.
In the second part of my work, I delved into how these concepts are reflected in my identity as an artist. This section was divided into two parts, beginning with an in-depth self-analysis of my artistic identity and the ideas that have shaped it. As this is an artistic work, it was essential to provide a personal reflection on my artistic identity and the evolution of my ideas throughout the research process in order to fully achieve the objectives set forth at the beginning. This reflection offers a new perspective on my artistic viewpoints and the growth I experienced during the project. Through this examination, I was able to better understand the choices I made during the composition process, including those made unconsciously (for example, why do I use traditional elements in my music and how I have been working them). I also examined how my identity, shaped by culture, society, people and their history, informs my artistic decisions.
One of the major challenges I encountered in completing this work was the vast range of directions and themes that were available to me, stemming from my compositions and my artistic vision. This led me to explore diverse fields such as identity, nationalism, and the value of art, but also made it difficult for me to focus on specific themes and narrow down my scope. This resulted in a constant need to read, write, and reflect on various topics, some of which were ultimately not included in the project as they were too far from the initial themes or required more time to develop (such as “nationalism”, “high vs low culture” and “art vs entertainment”).
I sought a new perspective on the traditional elements, reusing not only the melodies, harmonies and rhythms of traditional Portuguese music but also exploring events with a centuries-old tradition as an object of a sound and artistic search with a great influence on society. Although I consider the elements of traditional music (melodies, rhythms and harmonies) a very interesting raw material for the creation of new works and which, certainly, will influence me in future creations, I analysed with greater detail the events and their. These events must be understood in a sonic framework, in which space, environment and other factors interact in the construction of tradition. Therefore, more than using traditional Portuguese music as an influence, in this project I tried to use the sound of different traditions, the sound of celebrations and the sound of people seen from my perspective.
When I started composing the pieces presented in this PhD, I tried to transport the Braga festivals to a stage. R. Murray Schafer, in “The Musical of the Environment”, tells us that “the concert hall made concentrated listening possible, just as the art gallery encouraged, focused and selected viewing” [1], and this was one of the aspects to take into account during the composition. Usually, the elements presented in traditional festivities are not listened to with attention, nor were they created for that purpose. They are just part of a ritual or a tradition, and play a vital role in shaping the event’s identity and atmosphere. In the pieces I wrote, the aim was to create concert works. Thus, the elements that are part of “peripheral hearing” (quoting, again, R. Murray Schafer[2]), were brought into an environment where other details matter. There was, therefore, an almost “three-dimensional” approach in which the past (traditions and memories), the present (the writing of the piece) and the future (in the will to show the public and other musicians the final result) were interconnected. Nevertheless, the great objective of each of the pieces is its artistic result, with space for the listener or spectator to give free rein to his or her imagination. Thus, I represented from my artistic point of view the celebrations in Braga, transforming them into works of art.
The entire research process has had a profound impact on my relationship with the music I compose and the understanding of myself. These inquiries have led to even more introspection and self-reflection about my artistic purpose and the nature of my creative pursuits. I have gained a greater awareness of the steps I take in creating my music and it provided me with a deeper understanding of the influences my heritage and experiences have had on my work. Additionally, I have come to recognize the importance of an artist not just as a creator, but also as a reflective observer of society and its influence on their work, even if it is only through a personal lens.
As this work explores the duality of traditional and contemporary music, resulting in a fusion of traditional culture and 'art music', this helped me to find my place in the contemporary performance landscape. Tradition provides structure and boundaries, while art allows for the interpretation, breaking, or transcendence of these rules. In my opinion, my personal and cultural identity is the greatest contribution I can offer to music.
I have several ideas for future pieces stemming from this project, such as compositions for Cavaquinho and electronics, Viola Braguesa and string orchestra, and a third piece incorporating elements of the Braga's St. John Festival for orchestra. My goal is to incorporate traditional techniques of these specific instruments into my own artistic style and to also create a musical notation to increase their usage in compositions.
I would like to encourage other artists to discover innovative approaches to incorporating traditional elements, specifically in regard to sound and space, into their artistic creations. This project is intended to serve as a catalyst for other researchers to explore the use of traditional elements within different cultures or traditional practices, and to emphasize the significance of traditional elements in comprehending culture.