Section Three: Performing Death

The final section of this collection focuses on performance practises in connection with music, death and dying in the context of a solo flute piece intersecting with filmic culture; tinkering with danger and death in the contemporary circus; and the final single released during Freddie Mercury’s lifetime by the iconic rock group, Queen. Just as the earlier chapters in this volume explore the various ways in which music and grieving intersect and speak to one another, these three essays consider the intimate relationship between music and death with regard to the performer, composer and audience.

These three essays ultimately explore the ways in which the interconnected disciplines of performance, composition and film illustrate and further the discussion on the union between music, death and possible death. They also show how different musical styles may provoke or pacify listeners by considering the importance and significance of audiences and how they interpret performances.