European Female Wind Band Composers and Their Works
(2018)
author(s): Renata Silva Oliveira
published in: KC Research Portal
Name: Renata Oliveira
Main Subject: Wind Band Conducting
Research Supervisors: Anna Scott, André Granjo
Title of Research: European Female Wind Band Composers and Their Works
Research Question: Can shedding new light on women composers’ contributions to the wind band and ensemble repertoire via the creation of a catalogue, the preparation of a critical edition, and the commission of a new work, help to encourage more Portuguese women to compose for this medium?
Summary of Results:
In Portugal, as far as it is possible to assess, only two established women composers have written works for wind band or large wind ensemble: Berta Alves de Sousa, who composed Porto Heróico in 1943, and Maria de Lourdes Martins, who composed Rapsódia de Natal, Rondó and Suite de Danças Tradicionais Portuguesas in 1978. In a country with an important tradition of wind band musical practice, it seems strange that so few women composers have used this medium to convey their musical ideas. In order to put the production of female composers for this medium in perspective, I researched relevant works from as many European female composers as possible. Ultimately, the hope was to better understand their outputs for wind band, to promote their works, and to make way for a new composition for wind band from a female Portuguese composer.
This project has three main outcomes: 1) an online and physical catalogue of virtually all European female composers who have written for wind ensemble, including biographical data, a list of their works, and statistical analyses of their personal data (by age, country, type of ensemble); 2) a critical edition of Berta Alves de Sousa's Porto Heróico manuscript; and 3) my commissioned work for wind band O Soldado da Misarela by Anne Victorino d’Almeida. At the end of this project I can answer yes to the question of whether shedding new light on this field can encourage more female Portuguese composers to write for wind band.
Biography:
Renata Oliveira is a Portuguese conductor. She began her orchestra conducting studies with Jean-Marc Burfin and later with Jean-Sebastien Béreau. In conducting masterclasses Renata has worked with: Jose Pascual-Vilaplana, Kenneth Kiesler, Jean-Sebastien Béreau, Ernst Schelle, Robert Houlihan, Felix Hauswirth, Jan Cober and Douglas Bostock. She holds a Masters in Psychology and a Masters in Orchestra Conducting. She is conductor of two Portuguese wind bands, and is responsible for their associated music schools. Renata simultaneously studies Wind Band Conducting with Alex Schillings at the Royal Conservatoire of The Hague and a Masters in Music Teaching (Wind Band Conducting specialisation) at the University of Aveiro.
To bow, or not to bow
(2018)
author(s): Alexandra Lopez Arca
published in: KC Research Portal
Name: Alexandra López Arca
Main Subject: Classical Violin
Research supervisor: Liesbeth Ackermans
Title of Research: To bow, or not to bow. Modern bow vs. baroque bow: comparisons and inspirations
Research Questions: To what extent do the shape and construction of the bow affect the violinist’s sound and to what extent do her/his use of the bow and musical choices influence the sound? What can a modern violinist learn from experimenting with a baroque bow? What are aspects of the evolution of the violin bow, its use and the evolution of right hand technique from the 18th century until now that are essential to be aware of when playing with both modern and baroque bow?
Summary of Results:
The bow is the soul of the violin. Playing with different bows alters our sound. Their shape and construction affect the articulation that we naturally get with them. This fact tells us a lot about the music for which they were built, and we can learn from it in a natural way. But when a violinist is only familiarised with a modern bow, the learning process with an old bow can hardly take place. It is better to know what the characteristics of each bow are and experimenting with them in order to get used to them. After having this experience, different attacks, articulations and nuances will emerge and facilitate the music for which every bow was thought. It is interesting to see how the sources from those times show us the musical value of the different possibilities of the old bow. Nevertheless, if the musical idea the violinist has in mind does not match the old bow’s natural behavior and the indications made for its use, using it would not bring any advantage. After an overview of the evolution of the bow and its relation with the right hand technique, I will explore the possibility of combining a modern instrument with an old bow as well as the benefits of using it for playing, especially when used following the indications the sources of that period reveal.
Biography:
Born in Santiago de Compostela, she finished her bachelor’s degree at the Escola Superior de Música de Catalunya before moving to The Hague, where she studies with Vera Beths. Since her years in Barcelona, she has developed a special interest for early music performance practice, stimulated by her lessons with Alba Roca and Lorenzo Coppola, and with Walter Reiter in the Royal Conservatoire.
The Voice of the Chalumeau
(2018)
author(s): Sandra Perez Romero
published in: KC Research Portal
Name: Sandra P. Pérez Romero
Main Subject: Historical Clarinet
Research Supervisor: Inês de Avena Braga
Title of Research: The Voice of the Chalumeau: A historical study of music for various sizes of chalumeaux and voice in the Holy Roman Empire and the Republic of Venice 1703-1767
Research Question: What was the importance of the chalumeau in XVIII century vocal music in the Holy Roman Empire and the Republic of Venice?
Summary of Results:
The chalumeau is a single reed woodwind instrument whose development lies between the recorder and the clarinet. It was used extensively as an obbligato instrument in vocal repertoire throughout the eighteenth century, when it was a highly popular instrument in the major courts in Europe. The vocal repertoire that included chalumeau from this time period – as this work aimed to illustrate – is quite large and diverse. It accounts for several hundreds of pieces and it encompasses a wide range of genres, all with unique instrumentation. The development of the repertoire for chalumeau was directly linked to three Holy Roman Emperors and the political milieu in the Hofkapelle in Vienna during the first half of the eighteenth century. Besides Vienna, the chalumeau was extremely popular in other courts such as Dresden, Hamburg and Darmstadt; the latter proved to be an extremely fertile land for chalumeau writing with Johann Christoph Graupner, who included parts for different sizes of chalumeaux in more than eighty cantatas. Other prolific composers for chalumeau include Atilio Ariosti, the brothers Giovanni and Antonio Maria Bononcini, Antonio Caldara, Francesco Bartolomeo Conti, Johann Joseph Fux, Johann Adolph Hasse, Johann David Heinichen, Giovanni Alberto Ristori, Johann Franz Strall, Georg Philipp Telemann, Antonio Vivaldi, among others. After a thorough search through RISM (Répertoire International des Sources Musicales) and other online library catalogues, a total of 203 vocal works that include one or more parts for chalumeaux is presented in this thesis. Performance practice and general considerations on the style of this repertoire are addressed as well, with emphasis on the genres of Cantata, Opera, Oratorio and Serenata, but also Antiphonies, Hymns, Litanies, Masses, Psalms and other sacred works that employed the instrument as well. In addition, this research has resulted in several world premiere recordings of music by Hasse and Caldara. Finally, considerations on the “gloom” color often associated with the chalumeau in secondary sources are contrasted with the descriptions of the instrument in primary sources and the evidence present in the works composed outside Vienna.
Biography:
Sandra Pérez Romero (b.1992) is a Mexican born historical clarinetist. In 2015, she graduated Cum Laude from the Music Bachelor in Universidad Veracruzana (Mexico), under the supervision of Juan Manuel Solís (clarinet) and Ricardo Miranda (Musicology). She has collaborated with several orchestras in Mexico both as an active member and as a soloist and she has participated in clarinet and chamber music festivals in North America and Europe.
