The Performer as Co-Creator: Reconsidering creative agency in Manuel. M. Ponce's Variations sur "Folia de Espana" et Fugue and other works for classical guitar
Creators: name: Henshaw, Callum
Publisher: name: The Australian National University
Year: 2022

description: The creative interactions between composers and performers can have extensive consequences on the process of a work's composition, as well as how it is interpreted, analysed and performed by later performers. Building on the research of Nicholas Cook, Daniel Leech-Wilkinson, Christopher Small, Eric Clarke and Mark Doffman, and Jennifer Torrence, this research examines my role as a performer of works for classical guitar, as one who was not involved in their initial composition. This examination centres on my artistic agency as a performer, and the function of performance in the creative evolution of music through time. As a thesis by creative works, this project incorporates three recorded recitals. These performances form the artistic embodiment of the findings presented in the research, with the creative practice of engaging with the music in a performance setting being fundamental to the research process. The research in this study argues that the practice of interpretation and performance, when paired with analysis and reflexive critique, transcends repetition, resulting in a formative and fundamental artistic contribution to the life and ongoing development of a musical work. The relationship between composer Manuel M. Ponce and guitarist Andres Segovia in the creation of the "Variations sur 'Folia de Espana' et Fugue" (1932) forms the centrepiece of this investigation. The study of their relationship is viewed through the prism of creative agency, to delineate the complex, individual artistic influences they brought to the work. This approach highlights Segovia's extensive impact on the shape of the music, and provides a nuanced focus on Ponce's creative voice. It demonstrates how the combining of their respective styles enriches the work. In doing so, this study engenders new knowledge and understanding of Ponce and Segovia's relationship, and of the "Folia Variations." These discoveries have artistic implications for the modern performer, interpreter, and analyst. Understanding the creative interaction of these two musicians provides a catalyst for the examination of my own creative agency as a performer. It informs how I artistically respond to the creative actions of others who have contributed to the work's evolution. This same approach is extended to the investigation of a number of other works for classical guitar. The research in this thesis demonstrates how my engagement with works as a performer informs the findings of my analysis, and how the findings of my analysis have significant consequences for my creative practice. The conclusions of this study position the performer more centrally as an artistic contributor in music creation, whilst also demonstrating performance as fundamental to informing critical research processes. This project extends beyond current, similar research by combining creative practice theories and research with the embodiment of these findings in performance.