Margaret Lucy Wilkins

Scottish Music Centre

Margaret Lucy Wilkins - Press

Book Published for Dr Wilkins

Scottish Music Centre
1 Aug 2006

"Creative composition" is the process of composing in
one’s own style, rather than in the style of a past
composer. Music lecturers embrace this book, not only
for composition students, but also for student
performers and music educators who wish to enhance
their musical creativity."

Margaret Lucy Wilkins, Creative Music Composition: the
Young Composer’s Voice

Routledge, London & New York, 2006. ISBN:
0-415-97467-4, 288pp

"Creative composition" is the process of composing in
one’s own style, rather than in the style of a past
composer. Music lecturers embrace this book, not only
for composition students, but also for student
performers and music educators who wish to enhance
their musical creativity. The ability to make an
imaginative leap into the mind of another composer can
produce a stunning performance. However, the idea of
undertaking "free" or "creative" composition can be
daunting. With twenty-five years of experience in
teaching emerging composers, Dr. Margaret Lucy Wilkins
tackles the ingredients that make for successful
composition. These include: stimulus to the musical
imagination, discussion of a variety of current
musical languages, analyses of many examples from
contemporary scores, technical exercises, suggestions
about how to start a composition, and approaches to
composing for both instruments and voices. The book
illustrates aesthetic and technical issues with over
70 music examples taken from the works of contemporary
music composers. These include several innovative
women composers.
For all composition students – and for music students
in general – Creative Music Composition: the Young
Composer’s Voice offers clear and concise instruction
that will enable them to reach their goals, whether to
better understand the compositional process, or to
embark on a composing career.

Margaret Lucy Wilkins directed the Composition program
at the University of Huddersfield, UK, from 1976 until
her retirement in 2003. She is a well-known composer
with many commissions for her own work.
Here are two links for where to purchase the book:
US ($24.95) and Canada: www.routledge-ny.com UK (£15.95) and Europe: www.routledge.com
Just type the ISBN (0-415-97467-4) into the search
engine.