'The Holy Grail of Piano Writing': Texture and Figuration in Contemporary Piano Music

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The following two research questions encapsulate the thesis: 1. To what extent does the composer in question derive their textures from traditional models? 2. To what extent is the texture in question moulded by, & contingent on, other musical components in the piece?The first question is paramount. Many contemporary piano composers conspicuously derive their textures from established models, but the degree to which they do so, & the reason how and why certain figurations continue to be explored & reimplemented, remains uncertain. It is also unclear whether composers who draw upon these models to lesser degrees do in fact owe a creative debt to pioneering piano composers of previous centuries & have made reference to such conventions either cryptically or subconsciously. Constituting the principal enquiry of this thesis, question one addresses these ambiguities, all the while evoking the past through the lens of the present, shedding light on the general nature of texture in contemporary piano music. The second question will broaden the study to incorporate other relevant factors, regardless of the domain into which they are categorised. This widening of scope is necessary due to the inextricable relationship - prominent more so, perhaps, in piano music than in chamber or orchestral music - that binds texture with every other musical component. Throughout this thesis, therefore, question two will help establish the requisite harmonic, rhythmic and structural components in order to contextualise the piece (and texture) in question. Works by five composers will serve as analytical case studies, alongside a portfolio of original compositions. The composers (in addition to myself) are, chronologically, as follows: Gyorgy Ligeti, Magnus Lindberg, George Benjamin, Unsuk Chin and Thomas Ades. These composers have made substantial contributions to the modern piano repertoire, utilising the instrument in solo, chamber, & orchestral contexts, while collectively perpetuating traditional genres such as the etude, sonata & concerto. An original composition of mine will be paired with each case study, acting as a testing ground whereby concepts may be explored through practical implementation. Rather than emulating the piano writing of the listed composers - or pastiche - the pieces will instead reframe the discussed ideas, offering new perspectives, while simultaneously mobilising textural tropes in innovative & creative ways. Wallace Berry's book, Structural Functions in Music, includes a detailed exploration of texture, offering a methodological springboard that effectively lays much of the preliminary groundwork for this project. Equipped with Berry's terminology, & in ongoing consultation with the pre-existing literature, figurations - both in their embryonic, undiluted form, as well as their corresponding manifestation in the case studies - will be codified, facilitating analysis through which intergenerational links & broader comparisons of texture may be demonstrated, regardless of disparities of musical language. When compared with other musical areas, research investigating texture is somewhat limited. Although an assortment of enlightening studies exists on individual composers, texture is invariably overlooked in favour of other musical components; an understandable concession considering that many contemporary figures (including those listed above) have innovated primarily in other domains. Moreover, the scope of research is seldom widened to accommodate intergenerational comparisons or the potential influence of traditional models - due in part to the lack of versatile, systemised methods of analysis, & the ill-defined nature of said models.