The New Traditional Composer

Billy Jackson and his The Wellpark Suite mark the beginning of the proliferation from noted composers such as William Marshall or J.S. Skinner into a movement of new larger scale composition and experimentation from traditional musicians in Scotland. In the past 30 years over 100 new works have been produced and this continues to increase with support from schemes such as the Celtic Connections New Voices Series and the Distil Showcases and workshops.

Stuart Eydmann and myself are compiling a database of new works, their composers and performers - if any composers would like to contribute their information please get in touch.

Composers with information to contribute to the database of new compositions please email me at lori@loriwatson.co.uk with any of the following information:

Title of work
Composer
Commissioner
Performance dates/years
Instrumentation
Performers
Record/Document
Description

Thanks.

Graphic Scores for Traditional Musicians

I am experimenting with Graphic Scores as a platform for traditional musicians to be immediately creative in their own musical accents. By putting readers and non-readers on the same level these pieces give performers the freedom to play their own sounds within a structure. These pieces plays to the strengths of traditional musicians in listening and responding to each other in performance.

Here are some examples, any thoughts?

Idea & Realisation - some thoughts

The Score is not the Work
The Performance is not the Work
The Development is not the Work
The Idea is the Work

The Idea is not the realisation
The Development is not the realisation
The Score is not the realisation
Is the Performance the realisation?
Probably Not

Meeting minds and developing the Idea & the Work is the way to realise it in Performance

questions, questions

It has come to my attention that the majority of content on this weblog will inevitably be questions posed for thought and discussion. If anyone would like to share any thoughts and questions related to contemporary innovation and/or traditional music please feel free, contributions are welcome.

More to follow.

The Future of Oral Tradition?

Today i am wondering what might have been written about changes in the nature of Oral Tradition with technological advancements. In particular, the affect of commercial recording industry on traditional music (in Scotland). Other than large amounts of varied music being more accessible, the popular recording artists of the traditional music world are highly influential in shaping the listening habits, repertoire, identity/perception and performance styles of the traditional music community. It is now a primary method of transmission - key artist recording to mass musicians - is this the future of Oral Tradition?

Welcome

Hello and welcome to The Lori Watson Blog.

I will be keeping a record of ideas and thoughts on Music, Research and Life both for public consumption and for my own use.

I am currently working on a PhD titled Contemporary Innovation and Traditional Music in Scotland. I'm hoping this Blog will assist me in processing my thoughts and provide a platform for other researchers and interested parties to keep informed of my progress and exchange ideas.