He initially trained at Dartington College of Arts, for two years in the mid 80s, on the Preparatory Course in Music; made possible with a scholarship from Devon County Council. From there, he moved to Glasgow to study classical guitar with Philip Thorne at the RSAMD, winning the Guitar Challenge Prize in 1989. The following year he was awarded a scholarship from the Leche Trust which enabled him to complete a further year in Glasgow receiving his Post-Graduate Certificate in Performance in 1990.
In 1992 John began his PhD in Music Composition at the University of Edinburgh, studying with Nigel Osborne. This was completed in 1999.
The origins of his compositional thinking begin with the free-jazz and fusion movements in the 1960/70s and the European and London-centred free-improvisation schools - it was a concert by the Cardew Scratch Orchestra in Dartington that acted as an awakening.Then during his years in Edinburgh the sphere of influence shifted to include the work of the New York School (in particular Feldman and Wolff) and also the work of Frank Denyer, who was one of his teachers at Dartington. From 2001 onwards, the majority of his compositions have been written for acoustic instruments and tape, with the tape part featuring a mixture of processed sounds, voices etc. There is also a strong theatrical and metaphorical element to these works that is at odds with traditional music making; questioning the values and intent of a compositional work and the cultural environment it is placed within.
In 'My Name Is John Mackay' (2003), for example, he questions the function of gestural iconography in a musical work. The work begins and establishes itself, until a voice-over narrative interrupts proceedings halfway through.This unfamiliar, disembodied voice begins to deconstruct the work from the inside, and is soon leading the audience towards what is a perceived musical climax.
PROFILE:
As a composer of contemporary classical music, John Irvine has received commissions and performances from numerous ensembles and players both nationally and internationally. His music has been played in Argentina, Spain, Colombia, Greece, France and the UK. He is also a published composer - with Rhythmscape [Australia].
It is as if the abandonment of the musical material is a direct result of these desensitised icons of musical gesture failing in their labour; the voice proceeds to tell the audience what their interpretation of the piece should be. How do we react to this - words telling us what to feel and when? How is this different to music performing the same task? How do the players feel when the 'power of musical communication' is removed from them - or is it... really?
'King Bee' (2005) for Percussion on Tape, is a piece of fabrication. The author of the short story that the work is based on does not exist. Rene Fleur has been invented, as has his life story and literary works - it's all imaginary. There are clues throughout the work that all is not as it should be, but these are subtle - it relies on the audience becoming interested in Fleur and perhaps seeking out more information on him at a later date - only to be brought here as the only information extant! What do we think then, of a work that has a non-existent central core? A hommage without a 'real' mentor? A supposedly sincere work of art based on nothing but lies!?
Throughout the 1990s and into the early 2000s, John composed music for theatre, working on over 40 shows throughout the UK, and 20 shows at the Traverse Theatre [Edinburgh]. He has written music for film and TV and appeared on radio in discussions concerning the role of music in theatre today.
In the past he has been a visiting lecturer at the Royal College of Art [London] and De Montfort University [Leicester], worked as an external examiner for Edexcel, and lectured at Edinburgh Napier University on their course 'Music, Creativity & Communication'. He also taught composition at St Mary's Music School [Edinburgh] from 1999 to 2007, and is currently teaching composition and academic music at The City of Edinburgh Music School.
COMPOSITIONS [Selected]:
2010: 'Against A Valley Spur' (Cello & Piano)
2008: 'Five Very Short Pieces' (Clarinet & Piano)
2008: 'A Hollow Place' (Piano Duet)
2006: 'Five Short Pieces' (Solo Piano)
2004: 'King Bee' (Percussion & Tape)
2003: 'My Name Is John Mackay' (Organ, Percussion & Tape)
2002: 'Journey To Horaizan' (Percussion & Tape)
2001: 'You, Astronaut' (Clarinet, Percussion & Tape)
2001: 'Contact-Cuttings' (Piano & Tape)
1999: 'Strange Language' (Clarinet, Piano & Percussion)
1998: 'Unbroken Network of Lines' (Sop, Ensemble,Tape, Live Electronics, & Mixed Media)
1998: 'Preservation & Loss' (Percussion Quartet)
1995-97: 'Chemicals & Waves' (Large Orchestra)
1992-97: 'Songbook' (Soprano & Classical Guitar)
All content © 2011 by John Irvine