The illuminating bud: A performer's analysis of Elizabeth Maconchy's 'Five Sketches for Viola

This essay examines Elizabeth Maconchy's Five Sketches for Viola, a solo viola work by one of the greatest female British composers of the twentieth century and an important recent contribution to the viola literature. Following an investigation of Maconchy's musical style, identifying relevant idioms present in the work, the author provides suggestions for the performer's preparation and an interpretative and theoretical framework for the composition. The background of the piece was accumulated through interviews with the commissioner of the work, Nicholas Logie, and Philip Dukes, who featured the work on his debut disc. "Illuminating bud" is the condition of a flower which is about to bloom. It is also translation of Yun Young. I titled the dissertation after my name because the piece Five Sketches is not yet popular or well-known among musicians or even violists. I hope that my dissertation causes it to bloom in popularity and allows the work and the composer to be well-known through my research.