Encoding Emotion
(2024)
author(s): Geneviève Gates-Panneton
published in: KC Research Portal
The paper Encoding Emotion details an experiment conducted on early 18th-century French recitative to determine how composers relate harmony to sung text, if at all. Although the existence of a relationship between harmony and vocal expression is generally agreed upon, it is rarely properly taught to baroque singers, even though harmony is fundamental to the concept of basso continuo. It is also rarely discussed in continuo or singing treatises, either historical or modern, and, if so, never explicitly. The present experiment aims to fill that gap by examining harmony and text in actual written music. To do so, a harmonic analysis was performed on excerpts of secco recitative from French operas and cantatas written by Campra, Clérambault, Jacquet de la Guerre, and Rameau; the significant chords and harmonic passages were then logged in a spreadsheet with their corresponding text. Over two hundred lines of results were then analysed to determine whether patterns could be found associating certain words to chords or harmonic progressions. In the end, the dataset was too small for any general conclusions to be made with certainty, but patterns still emerged. Most notably, the plagal cadence correlated to feelings of love and tenderness, particularly in a sacred or noble context. It was also noted that, though general patterns could not always be identified, some chords or harmonic progressions appeared to have specific meaning for a certain composer. The V of IV, for example, was strongly associated with pleasure in Clérambault's works. Although there is only limited use for these results outside of this study, the identified patterns show that a more extensive dataset would yield enlightening results and give singers access to a remarkably rich tool with which to inform their interpretation.
Collabographies: Tracing shared processes between performer and composer
(2024)
author(s): Petra Valtellina
published in: KC Research Portal
This research aims to address the question of how performer-composer collaborations can effectively generate a jointly composed flute piece. By examining two collaborative processes undertaken over the past year with different composers, this research seeks to identify factors that facilitated successful collaborations and those that posed challenges. Through comparative analysis, the goal is to identify strategies and approaches that could inform and improve future collaborations of this nature. This study ponders the contrast in the background of the two composers involved and the different experiments in role balance. As the performer, I serve as the common thread between these collaborations; variations in the outcomes result from interpersonal dynamics and the composers' differing levels of familiarity with the flute. The methodology employed aligns with the principles of Action Research, with iterative cycles of feedback, reflection, and adjustments during the collaborations, prioritising the process over the final product.
Outcomes of this investigation include that complementary skills, clear expectations, transparent and unfiltered communication, external deadlines, defined final goals, and narrower guidelines might enhance collaborative engagement, improving satisfaction and musical products.
Following the introduction, which addresses the motivations underlying this study, Chapters 1 and 2 will contextualise the topic of collaboration through a literature review and present the chosen methodology. Chapter 3 will delve into a comprehensive overview of the two collaborations, while Chapter 4 will propose a comparative analysis of these processes and report the limitations of this study. Conclusions will follow.
How (not) to write a B♭ french horn beginners method book
(2024)
author(s): Isabelle Roelofs
Limited publication. Only visible to members of the portal : KC Research Portal
Name: Isabelle Roelofs
Main subject: Master Natural Horn
Research supervisor: Daniel Salbert
Title: How (not) to write a Bb French Horn beginners method book
Research question: How (not) to write a Bb French Horn beginners method book
Summary of the results: As a horn teacher, I realize that the existing Dutch method books seem not to be written from the perspective of a beginning, young horn player. They show little consideration for the specific physical abilities of children at a young age when learning to play the horn, probably because those methods are mostly not written by a horn player. Therefore, I have researched the do's and don'ts behind writing a method book.
If playing the exercises in a method is not physically feasible, it can lead to frustration for the student, which, in my opinion, is detrimental to the learning process. I have always learned that moments of success are crucial for the development and maintenance of motivation. I find these moments of success lacking in existing Dutch-language horn methods. I also believe that they progress too quickly to emphasize reading notation. I notice that my own students often prioritize correctness over musicality.
I have critically examined and compared the available Dutch horn method books. Additionally, I interviewed fellow horn teachers to gather their perspectives. Furthermore, I attended a lesson for young horn players at BASIS (Royal Conservatory of the Hague) where auditory learning takes precedence.
I am not the first to consider writing my own method. Other horn teachers have embarked on this journey, each with their unique motivations. My research has revealed that I am not the only one who has critical thoughts about the existing horn method books. A significant part of the interviewed teachers also emphasized this same point.
Based on the obtained results, I have outlined the initial steps that, in my opinion, are necessary for a starting young horn player, along with the corresponding range of tones.
Biography:
Isabelle Roelofs, an accomplished horn player and dedicated music teacher, earned degrees in French Horn and Music Education from Codarts University. Graduating with honors from the Royal Conservatory of Antwerp, she is currently pursuing a Master's in Natural Horn at The Hague Conservatory with Teunis van der Zwart. Isabelle is the founder of Belle Musique (2018), where she imparts her musical knowledge through personalized horn lessons, shaping the future of horn players step by step.
Authenticity in Transcribing
(2024)
author(s): Marie-Lou Debels
published in: KC Research Portal
This research explores the concept of authenticity in transcription. It is applied to Béla Bartók's Six Dances in Bulgarian Rhythm, movements one, two and five. By prioritising different aspects, the overall look of the transcription is shaped. Examples of these aspects are the sonic possibilities of the chosen or original instrumentation, the general style of the composer and the piece, one's own musical context, the technical abilities of the players... All these aspects could be considered as a form of authenticity. The first chapter elaborates on the concept and discusses methods of transcription. The second chapter analyses the history of the classical guitar, including its transcriptions. The guitar's search for a place in the classical mainstream has encouraged guitarists throughout the centuries to write transcriptions. Throughout history, the concept of authenticity in these transcriptions has changed. The final chapter discusses the entire process of transcribing, from the intentions behind selecting the piece to the obstacles and dilemmas that arose during the process. It shows that the transcribing part is as important as the individual practice and rehearsals. They alternate and influence each other. The Six Dances in Bulgarian Rhythm were of great importance to Bartók. Today they are not as popular as his Six Romanian Folk Dances but given their historical context they deserve to be heard more in today's classical music scene. Finally, it becomes clear that the abstract musical idea of the composer should be kept clear from the beginning to the end of the transcription process.
Augmented Feedback: A Compositional Approach to Acoustic Feedback in Digital Spaces
(2024)
author(s): Zeynep Oktar
Limited publication. Only visible to members of the portal : KC Research Portal
The research entitled "Augmented Feedback", is focused on developing a compositional practice, centered around acoustic feedback processing in digital spaces. I wish to explore acoustic feedback that occurs in virtual spaces, including the hybrid world of physical and digital space and physical phenomena that occurs from the excitation of feedback through microphones and loudspeakers. I will focus on experiments, reflections, developing techniques and functions that I have discovered while composing and experimenting with pieces that have used processed acoustic feedback as sonic material, microphones and loudspeakers as instruments. The outcome will have brief background and development reflections about my approach to feedback around my personal compositional practice, the historical side of feedback and how it relates to the works of other composers and artists, technical and philosophical content of feedback in compositional situations, and how my compositional approach led me to the term “augmented feedback”.
“What if the sonority of feedback was not the center focus point of a piece? What else can we develop by using feedback and imagining it in different sonic landscapes? What is the mystique of its nonlinearity? How can we deal with microphones and loudspeakers as a musical instrument through using software environments?” are the main questions that drove me into researching feedback. Dividing these questions into subcategories: conceptual and compositional.
Towards a forgotten language I implications of prelinguistic language and aphasia in my vocal works
(2024)
author(s): Nikos Galenianos
published in: KC Research Portal
Prelinguistic language and aphasia share common ground, both in theory as in practice. Approaching the two fields as a pool of information and even more as a metaphor for composing vocal – based music, opens up a new window of tools and potentials.
This paper is a collection of concepts, originating from prelinguistic language, aphasia and from my general vocal composition practice. Application examples are given from my own work, for each of these concepts. These concepts are gathered together into one diagram, which eventually questions whether the playful deconstruction that creators often look for is a step forward or backwards in time. Eventually, the paper questions the use of existing texts in composition under the scope of Jungian theory.
