An Analytical Study of the Piano Works of Roy Agnew, Margaret Sutherland and Dulcie Holland, including Biographical Material

Abstract

This study investigates the piano works of three Australian composers, Roy Agnew (1891-1944), Margaret Sutherland (1897-1984) and Dulcie Holland (b.1913). It seeks to examine the various influences that have contributed towards each composer's attitude to composition and then to analyse compositional procedures that are used in their piano works. The composers are placed within an historical framework by the use of extensive archival resources in order to collate and examine biographical material relating to family background, education and musical training. The composers' various approaches to compositional methodology are studied, firstly, by an analytical overview of the compositional techniques used in the majority of their piano works and secondly, through a detailed analysis of 26 works selected from the combined output of the three composers. The overview procedure entails extracting and identifying the numerous compositional techniques that are contained in over 200 piano works including published and unpublished scores. Over 400 musical examples are used to illustrate the various compositional procedures and techniques that are referred to in the text.