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
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• A new Historiography of Jazz in Europe. Eleven styles grouped in three periods. (2016) author(s): Wouter Turkenburg Limited publication. Only visible to members of the portal : KC Research Portal
  Name: Wouter Turkenburg Main Subject: Guitar-Jazz Research supervisors: James Lincoln Collier, Wolfram Knauer, David Liebman Title of Research: A new Historiography of Jazz in Europe. Eleven styles grouped in three periods Research Question: Which historiographical approach does justice to the specific development of jazz in Europe? Summary of Results: As a result of focusing on the development of jazz as music, on how jazz styles were learned in Europe, and on how jazz became part of the cultural landscape of Europe, in this paper a new historiography of jazz in Europe is constructed. Shown is that although jazz had the interest of scholars in Europe almost from the very start in 1917, it took quite some time before jazz as music was really understood in Europe. Also shown is that in Europe the learning of the various jazz styles happened at a continuing faster pace. Made clear is that jazz, alien at first, became and integral part of the European landscape. Examples are given that once jazz was integrated into the music culture of Europe, jazz musicians in Europe made major contributions to all further new developments in jazz. What this paper also makes clear is that around 1977 and 2007 the cultural landscape had gone through such paradigm shifts that one can speak of three distinctive periods. A clear as possible focus on jazz as music is obtained by not primarily focusing on what ‘great’ men did, not on where exactly in Europe special events took place, nor on exact dates. The history of jazz in Europe presented in this paper is conceived in such a way that it serves as an opening chorus, as an invitation to improvise upon. Biography: Wouter Turkenburg, (Singapore, 1953) studied classical guitar at the Conservatory of Arnhem, musicology at the University of Amsterdam, is founder of the World Music School of the Music Lyceum in Amsterdam and became head of the jazz department and teacher of jazz history at the Royal Conservatory, The Hague, The Netherlands. He also gives lectures in jazz history at the University of Utrecht and Leiden. He is the co-founder of the IASJ, the International Association of School of Jazz, based in The Hague.
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• Reseach: Caprice Basque, P. Sarasate (2016) author(s): Mikel Ibanez published in: KC Research Portal
  Name: Mikel Ibañez Santervas Main subject: Violin Main Subject teacher: Peter Brunt Research supervisor: Herman Jeurissen. Title of the research: Caprice Basque op.24 by Pablo Sarasate. Way of being interpreted. Research question: Why did Pablo Sarasate compose the first dance of the Caprice Basque in 3/4 bar? Summary of results: The first dance of the "Caprice Basque" op. 24 by Pablo Sarasate is composed in 3/4 although it is a traditional dance from Basque Country which is usually played in 5/8. The piece was composed in 1880 when the quintuple bars were not still common at the classical occidental musical language but they were beginning to be spread little by little. After having analyzed all the documentation about it, my conclusion is that in the folkloric music often the musicians do not play what is written in the score really precisely. Sometimes what is written in the score is just an approximation of what it sounds. Is at the second half of the XIX, when, the folkloric music gets analyzed by expert musicians, that we start to see the relation between what we listen and what we read in the scores. This is exactly the case of Pablo Sarasate. He knew about the 5/8 bar when he composed the Caprice Basque ( because of the geographical closeness of Pamplona (his hometown) and the Basque Country, and because there were in the Basque tradition some written 5/8 “Zortziko” examples as the one we have seen of 1813 by Antonia de Mazarredo or her sister Juana de Mazarredo) but despite he wrote it in 3/4, it is completely sure that he would interpret it in the traditional way. Attached we can see a transcription of the piece in 5/8 which shows how the "Caprice Basque" op. 24 should sound. Biography: Mikel Ibañez, violinist. Born in Vitoria-Gasteiz (Spain) in 1989. He began his violin studies at de age of 6 at his hometown’s conservatory with the teacher Agustí Coma Alabert. Throughout his ten first years of studies, he complemented the violin lessons with his main teacher having some master classes with other teachers like: Víctor Parra, Christiam Ifrim, Joaquín Palomares and Keiko Wataya. Once he was graduated in 2006, Mikel was accepted in MUSIKENE to study bachelor with the prestigious Japanese teacher Keiko Wataya. He obtained the bachelor degree with distinction in 2012. Then, searching for a technical and musical development, Mikel moved to The Hague after being accepted at the Royal Conservatorium of the same city to study with Peter Brunt, and got the bachelor degree in 2014. Currently, he studies second year Master at the Royal Conservatorium of The Hague with Peter Brunt.
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• Adrien-François Servais’s contribution to the evolution of the cello technique (2016) author(s): Aurore Montaulieu published in: KC Research Portal
  Student name and number: Aurore Montaulieu, 3048780 Main subject: Cello Research supervisor: Dr. Anna Scott Research Paper Title: How Adrien-François Servais (1807-1866) Improved the Cello Technique During the 19th Century Research Question: With particular focus on his scores, how did Adrien-François Servais advance cello technique in the middle of the 19th century, and with what implications for modern performers? Summary of Results: Widely considered to have been the 'Paganini of the Cello,' Adrien-François Servais (1807 - 1866) was one of the most famous cellists of the 19th century, and is best known today for his 6 Caprices Op. 11. Many modern performers however are unaware of Servais’s numerous and important contributions to the history of cello construction, playing style, and technique. After a brief overview of notable cellists (including Duport, Romberg, and Dotzauer) and playing techniques (including vibrato, portamento, and bow-holds) that coexisted at the beginning of the 19th century, this research paper goes on to examine Servais’s life and work as an independent concert artist. While Servais did not leave behind any methods or treatises, a close study of contemporaneous accounts of his playing style, technique, instrument preferences, concert programs, and his association with many of the leading composers of his day reveals his enduring contributions to the rise of the cello as a vehicle for the new Romantic virtuoso style. Most notable among these contributions were his standardization of the use of the endpin, his wide-ranging and successful career as a touring performer, and the invaluable impression he left on the younger generation of cellist-composers (including Davidov and Popper). It is however an in-depth analysis of his Fantaisie 'Souvenir de Saint-Pétersbourg' Op. 15 that ultimately reveals the most revolutionary and innovative aspects of his technique and playing style: from his fingering, shifting, and use of harmonics, to his bowing, phrasing, articulation, arpeggiation, use of thumb position, and extroverted approach - elements that have all gone on to form the basis of modern cello playing. During my presentation I intend to provide an overview of these findings, and to demonstrate evidence of Servais's technical and stylistic achievements as revealed by his Fantaisie Op. 15 on my own instrument. Biography: Aurore Montaulieu is a French cellist. Born in Cannes, she started her musical studies at the age of 4. In 2012, she graduated with her Bachelors degree from the Pôle Supérieur of Paris-Boulogne-Billancourt in Hélène Dautry’s class. Aurore is currently in the Orchestra Masters program at the Royal Conservatory of The Hague in Michel Strauss and Jan-Ype Nota’s class. She has had the opportunity to receive guidance from great musicians such as F. Helmerson, G. Hoffman, P. Wispelway and D. Geringas. In 2012, she joined the Orchestre de Paris’s Academy and is a member of the Gustav Mahler JugendOrchester since 2014. Aurore Montaulieu plays a Roberto Masini cello built for her in 2010.
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• Frozen Improvisation (2016) author(s): Juan Manuel Cisneros Garcia published in: KC Research Portal
  Name: Juan Manuel Cisneros García Main Subject: Forte Piano Research Supervisor: Bart van Oort Title of Research: Frozen improvisation: The Mozart piano variations as a model for improvisation on the Classical Style Summary of Results: The fourteen sets of piano variations composed by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart are a sort of microcosmos of his whole pianistic output. Their complete composition covered practically his entire lifetime, from 1766 to 1791 and some of them were originated in actual improvisatory performances. Considering also the historically documented connections between the variation genre and the extemporization practices, this research is focused on their study as models for learning improvisation on the Classical style. With this purpose, I am using a concrete methodology that is being developed now in Spain (IEM methodology) that places the improvisation in the core of music education, with special emphasis in the use of patterns extracted from the musical sources. This has been combined with the historically informed performance practice in order to develop a repertory of exercises and proposals to be used as a guided practice for this learning process. Biography: Juan Manuel Cisneros (Málaga, Spain, 1978) is pianist, composer and teacher. He has a Bachelor´s degree on Piano (Conservatoire of Málaga), Phylosophy (University of Málaga) and Composition (Conservatoire of Granada). He completed his studies as composer and pianist in the Centre Acanthes (Metz, France), among other musical institutions. He is currently performing in several ensembles, from early music to jazz, in Spain, France, Holland, Italy and Romania. His passion for historic keyboard instruments led him to the fortepiano and the harpsichord in recent years. He is developing an extensive activity in the field of historic improvisation, with frequent lectures, concerts and workshops in Spain and abroad. He is composition and improvisation teacher at the Conservatoire of Granada and teacher member of the IEM (Music Education Institute) methodology.
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• Developing Vocal Techniques in Contemporary Solo Double Bass Repertoire: A pedagogical approach to developing vocal techniques and coordination in Western classical-contemporary solo double bass repertoire (2016) author(s): Cody Takacs published in: KC Research Portal
  Name: Cody Takacs Main Subject: Classical Double Bass Research Supervisor: Maggie Urquhart Title of Research: Developing Vocal Techniques in Contemporary Solo Double Bass Repertoire: A pedagogical approach to developing vocal techniques and coordination in Western classical-contemporary solo double bass repertoire Research Question: How can double bassists efficiently learn contemporary solo double bass repertoire requiring the simultaneous use of their voice and playing their instrument? Summary of Results: Due to an exponentially growing number of compositions and a complete lack of pedagogical material regarding simultaneously using the voice and playing the double bass, I have written a method book titled The Double Bass-Voice: A How-To Guide. For this book I have collected, adapted, and organized information from double bass pedagogical resources, vocal pedagogical resources, musical scores, and reflections on past experiences with this repertoire. The book is intended to develop the technique and coordination necessary to effectively prepare solo double bass-voice repertoire. The book is divided into four main sections: “Using the Voice as a Practice Aid,” “Vocal Tools and Techniques,” “Etudes and Exercises,” and “Notation Examples” as well as a database of the solo double bass-voice repertoire. By incorporating the voice as a tool into individual practice, understanding an efficient practice process and fundamental vocal technique, having access to simple etudes to develop double bass-voice technique and coordination in musical contexts, and knowing what to expect in notation, double bassists will be better prepared in learning works for double bass-voice more efficiently. These results will be presented via PowerPoint presentation with musical examples from the method book and select double bass-voice works. Biography: Cody Takacs is a classically trained American double bassist currently residing in The Hague. An avid performer of new music, he has performed with Ensemble Klang, De Nieuwe European Ensemble, Het Metropole Orkest, and the Lucerne Festival Academy Orchestra and has appeared in the Gaudeamus Muziekweek, Venice Biennale, and Bang on a Can Summer Music Festival. He has given contemporary solo performances at the Rotterdam Contemporary Art Fair, Carnegie Hall, several universities and conservatories across the U.S. and Europe, and a lecture/performance on Iannis Xenakis at the International Society of Bassists convention.
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• Subversive Climes: Exploring the role of exoticism in Les Indes Galantes (2016) author(s): Bethany Shepherd published in: KC Research Portal
  Name: Bethany Shepherd Main Subject: Early Music Singing Research Supervisor: Charles Toet Title of Research: Subversive Climes: Exploring the role of exoticism in Les Indes Galantes Research Question: What is the role of exoticism in Les Indes Galantes? Summary of Results: Exoticism in Rameau’s opéra-ballet Les Indes Galantes has three primary functions. By setting the plots of the four independent entrées in real but geographically distant cultures, the librettist Louis Fuzelier was able to introduce new spectacles to the operatic stage, providing novelty for audiences jaded by the tradition of entertainment based on gods and mythology. This dramatic development in turn provided Rameau with the opportunity to manipulate and extend the musical conventions of the time in order to create a style of expression appropriate to depict these exotic characters and locales. A deeper understanding of the context in which Rameau and Fuzelier created this work was has further revealed that the libretto and Rameau’s musical depiction of the characters in Les Incas du Pérou and Les Sauvages reflect the practice in early Enlightenment literary and philosophical cirlces of idealising exotic cultures to criticise eighteenth century French society. These conclusions offer modern performers a wider range of interpretive options when approaching this work, allowing for a more nuanced performance which brings together the elements of drama, music, philosophy and entertainment in a cohesive manner. Biography: Australian soprano Bethany Shepherd studied Classical Singing at the Queensland Conservatorium of Music, under renowned Wagnerian soprano Lisa Gasteen. After obtaining a Bachelor degree with distinction in Australia, Bethany moved to The Netherlands to undertake studies in Early Music at the Koninklijk Conservatorium. She is currently completing a Master of Early Music Singing, studying with Rita Dams, Jill Feldman, Peter Kooij, Michael Chance and Pascal Bertin.
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