ABSTRACT
Exploring compositions and their musical sources of inspiration as seeds for improvisations has preoccupied me throughout my career as a clinician and edu - cator, and has been fundamental to my growth as a musician, composer and music therapist. I began by examining music that spontaneously enthralled and motivated me. By formulating methods of analysis and developing exercises (Lee 2015a, Lee and Houde 2011), I attempted to identify passages from critical compositions and how these musical structures could be adapted for clinical improvisations. It is through these investigations that the seed grew that eventually became the theory of Aesthetic Music Therapy. The core elements of these inspired passages came from a wide range of styles: classical, jazz, popular and music from different non-Western cultures. One twentieth-century composition that exemplifies such musical inspiration is the opera ‘Oedipe’ by Enesco. Through a combination of careful scoring, economical climaxes, exact vocal detail and carefully measured leitmotifs (Malcolm 1990) Enesco creates a score that is rich in emotional impact. This piece is an extended work of detailed tenderness and, in my opinion, could be used as an informative basis for study by music therapists. The musical world is full of such compositions waiting to be harvested in the quest to widen and enrich the improvisational resources of music therapy.
