Abstract

In this study, I have articulated the experience of musical composition for contemporary classical composers. The literature pertaining to several areas related to musical composition, as well as the writing of, and interviews with, eminent composers were surveyed as background to the study. There was also metatheoretical consideration of the Zen concept of interbeing and Bohm's theory of the interpenetration of all things, which provided background for understanding the creative experience of composition. ;Eight classical composers, participating in open-ended interviews, were asked to describe in detail their personal experiences of the practice of composition. Participants were familiarized with the qualitative interview methods used. The researcher, a composer, assumed the role of coauthor of the interviews, not to influence participants' descriptions, but to assist them in reliving their experiences of composing. ;The interview data were transcribed and analyzed into main themes. A narrative model of the experiences of composing, which expands on previous models in the literature, was constructed. It was observed that the compositional process is non-linear in many ways, and that there was a pervasive interrelatedness of the identified themes. The themes include: composers' thoughts during composition, including thoughts about music, and inner critical as well as self-confident thoughts; flow, involving intense concentration, altered awareness, loss of sense of self, and a rush of ideas; motivation, including both external encouragement and internal urgency; influences, including score analysis and listening to other musical works; technique--the development of ideas, personal vocabulary, craft, and intuition; conception--the envisioning of structures, and the incubation and clarification of musical forms; generation--the creation of musical ideas by improvisation, intuition, exploration, and sketching; choices, including consideration of various possibilities, aesthetics, and editing; composers' voice--nonverbal vocabulary, style, and self-expression; play--letting go, improvisation, and discovery; and artistic development, including both technical and personal dimensions. Intuition emerged as a pervasive secondary theme. ;The model of compositional experience was then discussed in the context of metatheoretical considerations, particularly noting the absence of Cartesian elements in the artistic experience, theoretical models of consciousness, and the Zen notion of interbeing. The model was used to expand upon and dialogue with the broad areas of literature surveyed. Questions concerning the validity, coherence, and practical applications of this research were raised and addressed.