Trumpeting at the Court of Christian IV
(2025)
author(s): Ólafur Elliði Halldórsson
published in: KC Research Portal
Two of the oldest manuscripts containing trumpet music lie in the Royal Danish Library and were both written in Denmark around the year 1600. They contain hundreds of fanfare-like melodies with little explanation as to how, why, or where they should be played. Written by trumpeters with limited musical education, the manuscripts present a unique challenge in deciphering distinct and personal notation styles. The aim of this research is to shed a new light on the so-called Thomsen and Lübeck manuscripts by stepping into the shoes of the trumpeters of the late renaissance and early baroque. The court of Christian IV (1577-1648), King of Denmark and Norway, was one of the most influential courts of early 17th century Europe and employed a respectable number of at least 123 trumpeters throughout Christian’s 60 year reign. By examining the role and duty of those trumpeters, as well as the culture around trumpet playing in the 16th and 17th centuries we gain a new insight into the festive, vigorous, and loud music of the royal courts. Improvisation plays a big part in interpreting the Danish manuscripts. By applying improvisation techniques described by Italian and German trumpeters in the 17th century, as well as considering the capabilities and limitations of historical instruments, new life is brought to fanfares which might appear monotonous and repetitive at first glance.
UNVEILING THE FOLK DANCE IDENTITY OF CARL NIELSEN'S CLARINET CONCERTO OPUS 57: A FYNSKE MODERNIST STORYTELLING
(2022)
author(s): Ettore Cauvin
published in: Codarts
Carl Nielsen's Clarinet Concerto Opus 57 is a work of a problematic nature for both performers and audiences, who always find it difficult to understand its rich yet intricate content. Despite copious written material, many interpretations are unfortunately significantly misleading because of the extreme technical difficulty of the music and the lack of information about the composer’s identity, especially concerning his production for clarinet and the distinct role of the instrument in Nielsen's life.
My research shows that the composer's roots, the development of his production and the uniqueness of Danish folklore and related dances uncover narrative levels which are fundamental to a correct reading, not only of this work but of Nielsen's music in general.
This study aims to create a multidisciplinary performance that combines the original score with dance and storytelling to enhance its peculiar characteristics, such as the bipolarity of characters and the intrinsic reminiscence of elements of Danish folklore within specific sections. Based on an extensive critical literature review and a fruitful expert consultation, I made analyses, charts and transcriptions, attaching explanatory video recordings as the basis of my work.
Thanks to my field research trip to Denmark, I started designing a new performance combining the folk-related investigation and the extra-musical elements linked to Nielsen’s identity, to both the musical interpretation and imaginative dance performance to show the bipolarity of characters as well as portray the inner storytelling.
The goal of my research here is not to demonstrate Carl Nielsen’s compositional willingness but to establish relations which can help the performer and the audience to connect the music to its vital folk heritage, extraordinary customised spirit and distinctiveness in both dance and storytelling.
The artistic result is, in fact, a new hybrid performance of the work which portrays the complex music more consciously and innovatively, combining an informed musical approach with an imaginative choreography and active interplay between the contrasting manic episodes and the homeward feeling of the heartening sections, letting the audience partake in the musical narration.
Despite the complex construction and demanding realisation of this kind of creative approach, I firmly believe that the result of this research makes an essential contribution to the understanding and interpretation not only of this work but of the music and identity of Carl Nielsen and the Danish musical tradition for the world of classical music and beyond.
Further research is needed to shed light on the relations between classical and folk music, within performing arts in general, to strengthen their essential role in today's society to make what is usually considered a niche more accessible to the public by exploiting its unique characteristics for a more sustainable artistic and social usefulness.