A Critical Analysis of Sir Alexander Campbell Mackenzie’s (1847-1935) ‘Scottish’ Compositions with Annotated Performance Editions.

I am currently undertaking a PhD at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland and University of St. Andrews. For those interested in a Scottish Romantic composers, Mackenzie created an identity as a British, Scottish and Cosmopolitan composer. He created nearly 60 compositions with Scottish idiomatic writing that was deeply tied to his own identity as a Scot and as a British citizen. As both a composer and principal of the RAM in London, Mackenzie held a unique position, where he had the resources to create opportunities for Scottish Classical music and hold domain as a British Classical composer. In his personal letters, Mackenzie, a Classically trained musician and composer, who was known for his British and Cosmopolitan compositional style states that the Scots couldn't help "peeping out", whether understood or not by his audiences. Mackenzie creates an intriguing study of how we as people are able to hold complex understandings of identity, place and cultural belonging.

Summary of my PhD:

Alexander Campbell Mackenzie (1847-1935), a Scottish romantic/classical composer, imbued his compositions with Scottish traditional music idioms. I am investigating his dual musical aesthetic through the intracultural exchange of his classical training and Scottish traditional music study and heritage. The aim of this research is to investigate the specific elements that create Mackenzie’s Scottish identity in regards to culture and musical practice, using his ‘Scottish’ compositions as the framework. With this knowledge I am creating annotated performance editions for the classical musician, conveying Scottish traditional performance practice through historical, emotive and technical elements.