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Music of Contemporary Australia

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Music of Contemporary Australia
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Music of Contemporary Australia | Analysing Repertoire Task | | This term, music has focused on the topic of “Music of Contemporary Australia.” In this assessment piece, two contrasting compositions by James and John Morrison, “Sydney by Night” and “Pinnacles”, will be analysed, compared and contrasted. Elements of music (eg. Harmony, rhythm, dynamics and texture) will be pinpointed. Explanations will also be given to describe how these elements have been used to portray the two title ideas (ie. “Sydney” and the “Pinnacles” which are the Twelve Apostles). An opinion will also be given on how successful the music has been at creating these images. | Year 11, 2012Semester 2, Term 4 | | |

In 1988, leading Australian jazz musicians James and John Morrison produced a fusion-jazz album named Postcards from Down Under. The album aimed to link music with certain paintings by the famous contemporary artist Ken Done. Two pieces on the album include Pinnacles and Sydney by Night. The artwork “Pinnacles” was painted by Ken Done soon after the piece was written by James Morrison. The composition sets out to capture the splendour and mystery surrounding The Twelve Apostles off the southern coast of Victoria. The painting Sydney by Night was created before the piece was written by James Morrison. Here, Ken Done attempts to convey the New South Wales capital city as being “beautiful, romantic, hard, sensual, sad, commercial, generous and brash.” (Dorricott & Allan, 1990)Both the pieces use musical element such as harmony, rhythm, articulation and instrumentation to convey the intended mood. In this essay, these musical elements will be explored. Pinnacles and Sydney by Night will be deconstructed to show how they individually express their intended mood. A comparison will be made, and a conclusion drawn on which of the two pieces more effectively achieves its programmatic intention.
Pinnacles is not the average piece of music. The seventh composition

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