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

• Holding the violin and how it influences sound and playing in historical performance practice. Historical perspectives. (2016) author(s): Agnieszka Papierska published in: KC Research Portal
  Name: Agnieszka Papierska Main subject: Baroque violin Title of research: Holding the violin and how it influences sound and playing in historical performance practice. Historical perspectives. Research coach: Margaret Urquhart Research questions: How much would the sound of the violin change with holding it in different position? Could this be a tool of expression? Does the way we hold the instrument influence other choices we make about performance practice e.g. regarding fingering, bowing? Could this knowledge be used in performance practice today? Summary of results: During the baroque and classical period many different ways of holding the violin existed, often at the same time. This paper investigates the way in which the different positions of holding the instrument could change the sound of it. After studying at sources and making experiments with different posture it can be confirmed that that the sound changes with different ways of holding the violin. The technique and interpretation are also affected. The main conclusion is that violin technique is not unchangeable. We can adjust it in order to develop sound that we desire. Biography: Agnieszka is an accomplished and experienced chamber music and orchestral musician. She started her professional career at a very early age. While still a student in Poland she collaborated with many professional orchestras where she worked with world-class conductors and soloists. After completing her Bachelor's diploma in modern violin an interest in historical performance practice let to her move to the Netherlands in order to study in the early music department of The Hague Royal Conservatory. In 2012 she also completed the master studies in Wroclaw Academy of Music in Poland. Currently she works with Theresia Youth Baroque Orchestra in Italy and also performs with other groups in the Netherlands and abroad. She plays an anonymous 18th century violin from the Klingenthal region.
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• Music as an artificial language - an annotated collection of early music sources mentioning the relationship between instrumental music, singing, and speaking, questioning their relevance for today’s performers (2016) author(s): Isabella Mercuri published in: KC Research Portal
  Name Isabella Mercuri Main Subject Recorder Research supervisors Inês de Avena Braga and Frédérique Thouvenot Title of Research Music as an artificial language - an annotated collection of early music sources mentioning the relationship between instrumental music, singing, and speaking, questioning their relevance for today’s performers Research Question What do treatises of the Renaissance and Baroque period mention about the relationship between instrumental music, singing, and speaking and how can I use those indications in my playing? Summary of Results The collection of sources from the beginning of the sixteenth century until the middle of the eighteenth century showed that the indications given by the authors are often very similar to each other, although being written in a completely different time and environment. The following three main ideas appear in several treatises and were therefore examined more in detail: - Imitation of the human voice or of a specific instrument - Following a speech and using the means of rhetoric - Underlying instrumental music with text The practical application of those three ideas led to an enrichment of my palette of sound colours, to an improvement in making clear phrasings and gave me some inspiration to find the appropriate affections to communicate to the listeners. This research paper and the included collection of sources might also be a starting point for further research exploring for instance more in detail one of the three main ideas mentioned above. Biography Isabella Mercuri was born in Switzerland, where she started studying the recorder with Kees Boeke and Matthias Weilenmann and completed her Bachelor of Arts in Music at the Zürcher Hochschule der Künste in 2013. She then moved to the Netherlands to continue her studies with Daniël Brüggen at the Royal Conservatoire in The Hague, where she also studies the baroque oboe with Frank de Bruine. Isabella Mercuri is active as a recorder teacher for children and adults and regularly performs in different chamber music settings in the Netherlands, Belgium, Switzerland, Serbia and Spain.
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• Performing modern music (2016) author(s): Pieter van Loenen published in: KC Research Portal
  Name: Pieter van Loenen Main Subject: Violin Research supervisor: Stefan Petrovic Title of Research: Performing modern music Research Question: How should you go about performing modern music? Summary of results: In this paper, I have approached the fundamental question of how to go about performing modern music from different perspectives. Looking at the writings of Stravinsky and Schoenberg teaches us that there are different ideas about the role a performer should have. Stravinsky would ideally have a performer execute music and not ‘interpret’ it, while Schoenberg expects more expressive input from the performer. However, we have also seen that Stravinsky’s allergy against ‘interpretation’ probably stems from bad experiences with performers interpreting his music the wrong way. Present-day performers agree that his music – or any music, for that matter: the same principles apply to music of all ages – does need to be interpreted by the performer, but in the correct style. Interpretation of a score is not an exact science. However, that does not mean it cannot go wrong. The prime directive of interpretation is that it should not go against the literal text of the score. Since notation is almost never complete, other methods of interpretation can be used to fill in the gaps. When textual interpretation does not provide enough information, the performer can resort to contextual interpretation: the context of the piece (e.g. sung text, or a structural analysis) or the context of the composer’s work in general, i.e. his style, or language. Other methods that can be used in connection with these basic types of interpretation include speaking with the composer or listening to recordings of the composer or with the composer’s approval. This last method can be problematic, since more information is always required on the value a particular recording should have: is this exactly what the composer intended or is it just acceptable to the composer within the boundaries they set? All performers I spoke with agreed that the final step a performer should take is to make the music their own. This may seem in contradiction with the principle that a performer should always aim to reproduce the composer’s wishes; a principle that we perhaps inherited from Stravinsky. However, it makes sense when you think about it. When performing a piece, you automatically interpret the score using whatever methods are appropriate when you decide for yourself what the composer must have had in mind when he wrote it down. When you have uncovered this interpretation, and have learned the language of the composer, you must then speak this language to convey the composer’s story (as you interpret it) to the audience. That last line of communication is something entirely in the hands of the performer and that automatically “implicates the performer’s personality”, as Reinbert de Leeuw puts it. This is not problematic or contradictory, as long as the performer, when speaking the language, always remains faithful to the will of the composer. Biography: Pieter van Loenen is a Dutch violinist who graduated his bachelor’s cum laude at the Royal Conservatoire in The Hague as a student of Vera Beths. He won 1st prize at the Prinses Christina Competition in 2010 and was awarded 2nd prize and the Audience prize at the Dutch National Violin Competition in 2016. He has appeared as a soloist with several orchestras throughout the Netherlands, including the Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra, Domestica Rotterdam and the Youth Orchestra of the Netherlands. He has a special affinity with performing contemporary music.
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• Body Language (2016) author(s): Charlotte Houberg published in: KC Research Portal
  Name: Charlotte Houberg Main Subject: Classical Singing Research Supervisor: Gerda van Zelm Title of Research: Body language of a singer on stage Research Question: How can a singer on stage use his body language to support his expression? Summary of Results: By the use of different research methods, there have been created ideas and strategies to become aware of your body language and how to use it in a confident way on stage. Body language is, next to singing, an equally important communication tool for singers on stage. It shows knowledge of the movements of the body and understanding of the role or character. The libretto can be translated into body language, so the audience can understand it without knowing exactly what text is sung. It can be concluded that all body parts can be chosen to show a certain mood which fits within the role or character. Gestures do not have to be over- exaggerated, because the audience is able to see and interpret small signs, even from a distance. Consciously chosen body language is easier to decode than spontaneous body language and can be more convincing, even though the singer is not in that certain mood. Body language is part of the luggage of a singer and a tool for showing his expression and intentions. I chose for the form of a research paper, because I would like to share new or expanded knowledge with my colleagues by doing an in-depth research. Biography: Charlotte (1991) takes part in Studio 32, an opera studio of her teacher Henny Diemer. She sang the roles Amor (Cadmus et Hermione), Zerlina (Don Giovanni) and Bess (Porgy and Bess). She had a tour with Sinfonia Rotterdam and sang solo with several Dutch orchestras. In Jordan she performed Miroir de Peine of Andriessen with the Amman Orchestra. She has been invited for chamber concerts and has given song recitals on several stages of the Netherlands. From the oratorio repertoire she sings regularly the Matthew Passion (Bach) and the requiem (Fauré and Mozart). She will sing the role First Witch in the new opera of Andriessen (The Theatre of the World) in LA and Amsterdam.
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  Forbidden Beauty: Performance Practice of un-notated arpeggio in fortepiano music in late 19th Century (2016) author(s): Mariko Goto published in: KC Research Portal
  Name: Mariko Goto Main Subject: Fortepiano Research Supervisor: Bert Mooiman Title of Research: Forbidden Beauty: Performance Practice of un-notated arpeggio in fortepiano music in late 19th Century Research Question: Is it appropriate to arpeggiate a chord when it is not notated, especially in romantic repertory in second half of 19th century? If we can do it, where and how can we add arpeggio? Summary of Results: Modern pianism is quite skeptical to the addition of an arpeggio that is not written in the score. Pianists in the same generation as I am also may have had such the experience of hearing that their teacher say, “Don’t play arpeggio when the composer doesn’t indicate it” or “Don’t break your right and left hand”. Such a strict attitude to the un-notated arpeggio originates from the tendency that the musicology (and musicians) in the late 20th century considered the intentions of composers as the most important thing, and they attributed it to the authentic score like manuscripts, or a first edition. In such a mood, it was not “authentic” to add un-notated arpeggios. Playing un-notated arpeggios was a symbol of over romanticism, and sloppy playing. But there is much evidence that composers themselves added arpeggios, even if they show a strict attitude to the un-notated arpeggio in their remarks. If we look at the treaties, we can see that the un-notated arpeggio has a long tradition from the Baroque and Classical period. It is not a symbol of over-romanticism in the late 19th century, but a tactical tool to express character and affect of pieces. From the remarks of treaties, and early recordings of first half of 20th century, we can see that the character and affect of a piece is a very important element to decide, whether we can use arpeggio or not. Especially in the slow, expressive pieces or sections of a pieces we have many opportunities to add arpeggio. If we consider the tradition and usefulness of un-notated arpeggio, we should feel free to use it, especially on historical keyboard instruments. Biography: Born in Tokyo, Mariko Goto started her modern piano studies in her earliest childhood. She encountered early music, namely fortepiano and cembalo, at Tokyo University of the Arts. After completing her Master degree of Musicology at said university for her musical rhetoric studies about improvisation in Haydn’s works, she devoted herself to the performance of these instruments. Since 2014, she has been pursuing a master’s degree in fortepiano at the Royal Conservatoire of the The Hague under Bart van Oort.
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• Dancing About Music (2016) author(s): Isa Goldschmeding published in: KC Research Portal
  Name: Isa Goldschmeding Main subject: Violin Research supervisor: Dr. Anna Scott Title: Dancing About Music Research Question: How does consciously moving while playing help to interpret and communicate a piece of music? Summary of Results: Using movement is the most natural and direct way with which people express themselves. Elaborate research has been done on the connection between movement (gesture) and intention (meaning) in spoken language. The same principles and findings in these studies can be applied to movement and its connection to music. The method described in my case study, in which I studied Lera Auerbach’s Lonely Suite for violin solo while focusing on my body’s impulses, makes use of this instinctual way of showing what we feel, and therefore leads to a sincere and convincing interpretation. In so doing, this process can be very clarifying for a performer. Based on my research into the available background literature I can conclude that there is much to be gained by using conscious movement while learning and performing a piece of music. Indeed, various authors repeatedly emphasize the importance of this subject for musicians, and their hope that it will be further researched and developed within the context of musical performance. By way of my case study, I have indeed found that using movement provides a new approach to learning a piece of music and to developing a personal, sincere, and honest interpretation. Emerging from the unconscious, I strongly believe that an interpretation that has been reached through movement will translate strongest to a given audience. The background sources surveyed have also proven the value of a movement-based approach for audiences. In addition to the obvious benefits for the performer as related to musical meaning and expression, benefits that are then shared by the audience, there is also the visual aspect of this approach to performing music with conscious movements: an aspect that is of great value when connecting, sharing, and communicating with audiences. Biography: Isa Goldschmeding studied with Axel Strauss at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music and with Theodora Geraets and Ilona Sie Dhian Ho at the Royal Conservatoire in The Hague. She participated in masterclasses with Theo Olof, Philippe Graffin, Stephan Picard, Isabelle van Keulen and the Osiris Trio. Isa enjoys playing chamber music, and has a special interest in contemporary music. In 2014 she was one of the instrumental soloists in Vivier’s opera Kopernikus with the Dutch National Opera. She played with Asko|Schönberg, Ensemble Klang, Rosa Ensemble, Residentie Orkest and Nieuwe Philharmonie Utrecht and is a member of the young, The Hague based ensemble Kluster5.
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