Research Catalogue

an international database for artistic research

• 3. Internal publication Research published in this issue are only for internal circulation within the Royal Conservatoire, The Hague.
• 2. Royal Conservatoire Investigations Royal Conservatoire Investigations
• 1. Master Research Projects All research in KC

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  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.
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  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.
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• Synthesis of Sound-Text Composition in Electronic Music: Exploring Artistic Intersections (2024) author(s): Kostas Zisimopoulos Limited publication. Only visible to members of the portal : KC Research Portal
  Studying at a conservatory, university, or any pedagogical institution provides a protected environment with both advantages and disadvantages. One significant advantage is the freedom granted to students, allowing for experimentation and exploration of unfamiliar fields. This freedom prompted my choice of topic. As a composer primarily focused on acoustic music, I took the opportunity to step out of my comfort zone and dive into the world of electronic music. This involved using software, digital audio workstations (DAWs) and synthesizers to structure and develop my musical ideas. Despite encountering technical and compositional challenges, I discovered that the process of shaping form, developing materials and crafting dramaturgy shares similarities between acoustic and electronic composition. However, a notable difference lies in the compositional process itself: while composing acoustic music, everything exists within the composer's mind and sonic imagination, whereas electronic composition allows for immediate listening to the final sound result through the click of a button. Avoiding the trap of repetitively listening to the piece during the compositional process was particularly challenging. Working on an electronic piece primarily based on pre-recorded voices and text fulfilled a longstanding desire, as I enjoy working with vocal elements, whether concrete text or abstract phonemes. During my first bachelor's studies in theatre in Greece, I gained experience composing music for theatrical plays, installations and performances. This experience primarily involved collaborating with actors rather than trained singers. During the process of my research project, collaborating closely with Latvian soprano Luīze Razdovska expanded my sphere of sonic imagination regarding vocalizations and provided greater compositional freedom as I could request specific phonemes, registers, timbres and textures that are characteristic of trained singers. The outcome of this research is the composition of an electronic piece (tape) primarily based on pre-recorded voices and text, with the methodology and composition process presented in the last chapter of this paper. The textual material for my composition is sourced from the evocative poem 'Es ārpus laika esmu' ("I exist outside of time") by Latvian poet Baiba Bičole. Throughout this research project, I investigated the spectrum of intelligibility. Therefore numerous questions emerged regarding how we define intelligibility as well as how our perception may be influenced when we encounter intelligibility in different sonic environments.
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• The Applications of Live Action Role-Playing Game in Participatory performance: New thinking of composition and performance, the possibilities and strategies (2024) author(s): Lai Keng Lam Limited publication. Only visible to members of the portal : KC Research Portal
  This research explores the connection and commonalities between live action role-playing game (LARP) and performing arts. By applying the elements of LARP to creative works and performances, it intends to explore the possibilities and strategies of this approach. Rethinking the way of performance and composition. How to make the performance more organic, accessible, and enjoyable for the participants in participatory performance. In addition, the study explores how to utilize space, props, and audience participation, followed by a review and demonstration of this in my work: “Unmask”. This research aims to rethink the ways of composition and performance while examining whether participatory performance with live role-playing game elements can effectively interact with participants and perform naturally without requiring rehearsals or professional acting skills.
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• Focus? Focus! (2024) author(s): Karmit Fadael Limited publication. Only visible to members of the portal : KC Research Portal
  Every composer has their own working methods, often in higher education we tend to focus on the empirical part of a creative process. What is the material one uses; how does one develop it and how can one improve it. However, to compose at all we firstly need attention, or better attentional focus. Why is it that even though all composers use their attentional abilities, we are often unaware of the diversity of attentional focus patterns? How do we work in a way that suits us best? And what extra musical elements are influential or of benefit? And why do some of us get immersed in our own music when we compose? This master’s exposition gives some possible insights into the attentional focus patterns present during compositional creative processes and what extramusical elements might be of influence. By giving insight into my own process; in addition to studying the processes of eight colleagues, I hope to gain knowledge into the pluriform working methods of living composers as well as become more aware of the diverse and personal ways attention focus patterns are directed within a creative process.
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  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.
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