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Research

For a jargon free introduction to my research, visit this post.

The title of my Ph.D. thesis was ‘Modality and Chromaticism in the Madrigals of Don Carlo Gesualdo’ at the University of York. My studies as a composer brought me to this topic, and I think the two compliment each other well. The crux of my research is Gesualdo’s compositional process, though I’m often diverted by the fascinating details of his life. My approach is well suited to my compositional background, I’m taking modern analytical methods to the music of Gesualdo and his peers to discover how they influenced each other, and ultimately, how they composed.

Peer-Reviewed Publications

‘Eroticism in Gesualdo’s Madrigal “Sparge la morte”’ in The Musicology Review Issue 8 January 2013

‘Gesualdo in the Twentieth Century’ in Critical Music Historiography: Probing Canons, Ideologies and Institutions Ashgate

‘Introduction to Seicento Music Theory’ and ‘Chromaticism in the Madrigals of Don Carlo Gesualdo and Michelangelo Rossi’ in Reappraising the Seicento: Compositional Procedure in Italy and England ed. Joseph Knowles, Andrew Cheetham and Prof. Jonathan Wainwright, Cambridge Scholars Publishing: 2014

International Conferences

Nov 2013 ‘The Implications of Set-Theory Analysis on the Music of Gesualdo’ Gesualdo 400th Anniversary Conference University of York.

 July 2013 ‘Chromaticism in Gesualdo’s Madrigal “Mercè grido piangendo”’ Medieval-Renaissance Music Conference Certaldo, Italy Attendance funded by the University of York.

Dec 2011 Sibelius Academy, Helsinki ‘Gesualdo, Composer of the Twentieth Century?’ Radical Music History Symposium Attendance funded by the University of York

Conferences Organised

Nov 2013 International ‘Gesualdo 400th Anniversary Conference’ University of York.

Oct 2012 Music and the Seicento: A Royal Musical Association Study Day. Funded by the University of York, University of Huddersfield and the Royal Musical Association. Presented: ‘Chromaticism in the Madrigals of Don Carlo Gesualdo and Michelangelo Rossi’

Conferences

April 2013 University of Keele ‘The Implications of Set-Theory Analysis on the Music of Gesualdo’ Society for Music Analysis TAGS Conference

Jan 2013 University of Southampton ‘Gesualdo’s Madrigal ‘Se la mia morte brami’ – A Set-Theoretical Analysis’ Royal Musical Association Students’ Conference

April 2012 University of Southampton ‘Gesualdo’s Madrigal “Mercè grido piangendo” – A Set-Theory Analysis’ Society for Music Analysis TAGS Conference Chaired the session ‘Other Beethovens’ and contributed towards the published review.

Jan 2012 University of Hull ‘1603: Witchcraft, Piety and Hypocrisy – A Year in the Life of Don Carlo Gesualdo’ Royal Musical Association Students’ Conference

April 2011 Institute for Musical Research, London ‘Eroticism in Gesualdo’s Madrigal “Sparge la morte”’