Since 2023, I have been studying Irish composer Mary Dickenson-Auner as a PhD researcher at the Royal Academy of Music in London.

Generations of classical violinists have developed through a pedagogical approach that centres a repertoire drawn from a classical canon that evolved in the 19th century and has remained largely stagnant. Classical violin technique and expression is finessed to the highest level of detail to excel in performance of an extremely limited repertoire. But what happens when we ask for different repertoire? Does non-canonic repertoire demand a different approach from the performer? This has been investigated by performers focused on contemporary music, but my project explores the performance of works outside the historic canon composed alongside those standards” and asks what happens to our performance practice in “non-canonic” repertoire.

Mary Dickenson-Auner (1880-1965), the focus of my study, lived an extraordinary life as a violin soloist, pedagogue, and composer, surviving both world wars and travelling extensively throughout Europe. My project follows the thread of her life to highlight her compositions, particularly those for strings. An analysis of these works, from the perspective of the performing violinist, brings a deeper understanding of Dickenson-Auner’s perspective, her musical influences, and her compositional style, as well as an entry point to investigate how non-canonic works can be performed in a new way. The project brings forth the first academic and artistic description of Dickenson-Auner’s compositions.

My research comprises a portfolio of recordings and a commentary discussing Dickenson-Auner’s biography, her compositions, and my approach to them. The portfolio contains recordings (and perhaps premiers) of her works for solo violin, two violins, and violin and piano (Irish Love Song, Variations for Violin and Orchestra, Caoine, Irish Melody for Violin and Piano, and Suite for Solo Violin), as well as her four string quartets

Mary Dickenson-Auner left behind a rich legacy of compositions waiting to be brought back into performers’ repertoires. Over the next several years I will bring a few of these works to light, but there will remain a huge amount to still be uncovered. I hope this project will not just bring Dickenson-Auner to the fore, but also add to the discussion of how non canonic can challenge and inspire the performer in new ways.

Main image: Mary Dickenson-Auner, 1906.