FINDING RESONANCE: EXPLORING APPROACHES TO MUSICAL FUSION IN A CARIBBEAN CONTEXT

Abstract

” The music in this portfolio represents an exploration of different approaches to fusing traditional Trinidadian elements with musical gestures and instrumentation more closely associated with the western classical tradition. The research that led to the creation of these scores focused on identifying apparent and hidden characteristics encoded in Trinidad’s culture and in its musical styles, and on finding ways to bring these together in music ultimately intended to express aspects of Trinidad’s culture in fresh ways. Fundamental to this research was the author’s developing an understanding of the cultural context to which his compositions are a response and, crucially, of his own situatedness in relation to that context. Numerous field trips were undertaken to experience music-making in different cultural and religious situations in Trinidad. Participant observation was a fundamental research method in the author’s attempts to internalize aspects of style and subsequently to draw upon these markers to define structures within new compositions. The creation of the pieces presented here included collaboration with Trinidadian artistes or with non-Trinidadian specialists on Trinidad. Such collaborations assisted in the exploration of ways to develop a musical voice intended to resonate with local audiences. This commentary aims to contextualise the compositions that make up the portfolio by considering the issues that form a background to writing cross-cultural music in Trinidad. ” Summarized Quotes from ‘Abstract’ of the Full Text.