Big Decisions: The Whitlam Dismissal
(2001) Big Decisions: The Whitlam Dismissal.
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Abstract
The recorded broadcast of ABC Radio's coverage of the Whitlam Dismissal on 11 November 1975 (the date on which Australia's Governor General dismissed the Government) is used as musical source material. Statements by key figures in the event are accompanied by harmonic structures that enhance and clarify the prosodic features of the speech, devising lengthy, paragraph-length melodic passages by means of careful attention to directed harmonic motion. This results in a new perspective on this key event in Australian politics and reveals the compositional status of people considered non-musicians. It also throws light on melodic relationships between the two domains of language and music, and uses music as a meta-language in discussion of history. The composition, scored for oboe, clarinet, horn and bassoon with DVD, was commissioned by the Southern Cross Soloists. This project has been assisted by the Australian Government through the Australia Council, its principal arts funding and advisory body.
| Item Type: | Other |
|---|---|
| Status: | Unpublished |
| Keywords: | gough whitlam; prosody; intonation; |
| Subjects: | 410000 The Arts > 410100 Performing Arts > 410101 Music |
| ID Code: | 7076 |
| Deposited By: | Davidson, Robert A. B. |
| Deposited On: | 20 April 2007 |
| Alternative Locations: | http://www.topologymusic.com/davidson/whitlam.htm |
| Copyright Owner: | Copyright 2001 Robert Davidson |