FREE LECTURE: School of Music International Research Seminar Series

The celebrated Australian composer Peter Sculthorpe has sometimes been criticized for his adaptations of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Island melodies. But what are the underlying political issues, and what are the ethics of such cross-cultural appropriations? Unlike earlier generations, Indigenous melodies in Sculthorpe's music do not appear as exoticisms. Rather, he chooses Indigenous melodies that will smoothly assimilate, and has moulded his musical style around them. In particular, the influence of Indigenous musics on Sculthorpe's "Kakadu era" can be clearly demonstrated. While identification with Aboriginality has also been expedient to Sculthorpe in perpetuating his quintessentially Australian image, he has arguably reciprocated in heightening public knowledge and awareness of Indigenous music.