Dr Daniel March
Senior Lecturer

Profile

Biography

Daniel March's research focuses upon music of the late 20th and early 21st Centuries. His doctoral thesis, entitled Beyond Simplicity: Analytical Strategies for Contemporary Music was completed in 1997: it provides analytical readings of works by Andriessen, Feldman, Ligeti and others, and a framework for the analysis of music which escapes traditional models. Recent research involves an examination of the work-concept in relation to 20th Century 'recompositions'.

As a composer Daniel has written music for a variety of ensembles, including the Javanese Gamelan: his compositions Bronze by Gold, and Pieces of Five and Three, have both been broadcast on BBC Radio 3. Other pieces include O Souverain (O Juge) for chamber orchestra, On the Liffey for bodhran and tape, and Together Again and All the King's Horses for piano.

Daniel has also worked as a composer within the field of community and music education, taking part in a number of creative projects and writing music both for and with participants. Large-scale pieces include music for shadow puppet theatre, The Shadow of the Rose, and Noah's Opera, both of which involve extensive electro-acoustic elements.

School Roles

• Chair, Undergraduate Studies Committee
• Chair of Board of Studies
• Undergraduate Admissions Team

Research

Overview

• Musical Analysis of 20th Century and Contemporary Music
• Louis Andriessen, György Ligeti

Publications

Selected publications

Conference Papers and Colloquia

• Re-Arranging the Pieces
  University of York, May 2003
• Arranging the Pieces: Flexibilities in the conception of the Musical Work
  University of Newcastle, October 1999
• ‘Keep Analysis Live’, or, The Analyst as Performer
  ‘Analysis and the Performative’, SMA Study Day, University of Southampton, October 1998

Community and Education Work

• CD Producer: miniature version of The Magic Flute, introductory materials for Opera North Community and Education Dept., May 2003.
• The Magic Flute, Opera North creative project with special-needs primary / secondary October 2002
• ON Song, Recording and production of CD of original songs, January-June 2002
• Beauty and the Beast, Opera North
  Devised music theatre with able-bodied and disabled children in York, Jan 2002; Creative project with special-needs primary / secondary, October 2001
• CD Producer: miniature version of Humperdinck’s Hansel and Gretel for a ‘non-opera-going’ audience, February 2001
• Hansel and Gretel, Opera North. Devised music theatre with able-bodied and disabled children in York, March 2001
• CD Producer: Hansel and Gretel, Opera North. Songs written with students from four special-needs schools in East Riding, October - December 2000
• Noah’s Opera, Accessible Arts, York.
  Devised music for performance as part of the York Mystery Plays 2000, March – July 2000

Compositions

• The Knockout in the Park and Between Bells (2004)
  Piano Pieces for Beginners, December 2004.
• The Shadow of the Rose (2002) – Music for shadow puppet theatre For Soprano, Baritone and Tape
  First Performance: Leeds College of Dance, May 2002 Subsequent performances in York, Nottingham, Manchester, Newcastle
• Pieces of Five and Three (2001) – for Vibraphone and Gamelan Gadhon
  First Performance: Gamelan Sekar Petak, Cheltenham Town Hall, Cheltenham International Music Festival, Broadcast live on Radio 3, 4th July 2001 and Rebroadcast Radio 3, 15th June 2003 Subsequent perf: Gamelan Sekar Petak, Sir Jack Lyons Concert Hall, University of York, 7th June 2002
• Revised version for Gamelan Sekar Tunjung Seta (2003) First Perf: Gamelan Sekar Tunjung Seta, Concert Hall, Royal College of Music, 2nd May 2003
  Subsequent perf:
  Shoreditch Church, London as part of Spitalfields Festival, 24th June 2003
  Broadcast ‘Hear and Now’, Radio 3, 21st September 2003
• Noah’s Opera (2000) Music for multimedia performance as a part of the York Mystery Plays. Music includes passages for tape, for live instrumentalists and for singers, separately and in combination.

• Drawn from the Water (2000)
  With Kate Pearson and musicians from Gamelan Sekar Petak Devised music-theatre for Gamelan First performance: Cheltenham International Music Festival, July 2000
  Revised 2001, performed Sir Jack Lyons Concert Hall, May 2001
• Together Again (2000) - for Piano
  (Two Pieces for Piano with All the Kings Horses)
  First Perf: Blackheath Recital Rooms, London, 22nd February 2000
  Subsequent Perf: Great Hall, Dartington, June 2000
• Bronze by Gold (1999) - for Gamelan and Tape
  First performance: Gamelan Sekar Petak, Barbican Hall, York, May 1999
  Subsequent performances:
  Djanogly Concert Hall, University of Nottingham, December 1999
  Jack Lyons Concert Hall, University of York, May 2000
  Cheltenham International Music Festival, July 2000
  City Screen, York - Broadcast live on Radio 3, 26 May 2001
• After the Film is Over (1998) - for Javanese Gamelan
  Performed Sir Jack Lyons Concert Hall, University of York, May 1998
  Royal College of Music, London, May 1999
• Two Songs (1998) - for North-Indian Musicians and Chamber Orchestra
  Performed University of Luton Chamber Orchestra, June 2000.
• On the Liffey (1995) - for Bodhran and Tape
  Performed Sir Jack Lyons Concert Hall, University of York, June 1995
• O Souverain (O Juge) (1994) - for Chamber Orchestra
  Performed Regent Hall, London - Group 627, August 1994
• In D (1993) - for Tape
  Performed Sir Jack Lyons Concert Hall, University of York, June 1993
• All the King’s Horses (1992) - for Piano
  Performed York, Oxford, Cambridge, 1993
  Highbury & Epping Forest, London, May 1998

Teaching

Undergraduate

• Musical Analysis
• Contemporary Music in Context
• Minimalism
• "With Pipes, Drums, Fiddles": The music of György Ligeti
• Music, Context and Function