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

• The classical Musician 2.0 (2015) author(s): Anne Overpelt Limited publication. Only visible to members of the portal : KC Research Portal
  Name: Leonie Freudenberger Main Subject: Jazz Saxophone Research Coach: Karst de Jong Title of Research: Approaching Jazz composition through the music of Billy Strayhorn Research Question: What are the most important elements of Billy Strayhorn's compositions? How can I incorporate his compositional approach in my own writing? Summary of Results: Billy Strayhorn (1915–1976) was a jazz pianist, composer, arranger, orchestrator and lyricist whose works have influenced the genre of jazz music up until today. The research contains two phases: First, the analysis of his compositions. Second, the attempt to compose originals using the detected stylistic, harmonic, melodic and conceptional tools. Considering the enormous oeuvre that Strayhorn produced, it is inevitable to have to make a selection of songs to analyze. My criteria for this selection are the following: Which songs have become part of the standard repertoire in jazz, performed by various artists throughout the 20th (and 21st) century? Where can I find aural trademarks, which I recognize both as a listener and as a player and which contribute to my personal perception of the “Strayhorn sound”? Can the compositions be reduced to a lead sheet and performed by a small jazz combo without losing their essence? My final intention is not only to compose using Strayhorn-typical elements and tools, but also to write music for myself as a performer and for my group to play it. On longer terms, I hope that I can abstract this method further on and profit from it beyond the results of this research. Biography: Leonie Freudenberger, born 1988 in Baden-Baden (D), has played the alto saxophone since her childhood. She started her professional jazz education at the University of Music in Mannheim in 2008 and came to Den Haag in 2011, where she finished her Bachelor's degree. Apart from her Master studies, she writes music and performs with her own group and takes part in various projects, playing alto and baritone saxophone.
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• The Painting Musician (2015) author(s): Alice Thompson Limited publication. Only visible to members of the portal : KC Research Portal
  Name: Alice Thompson Main Subject: Classical Flute Research Coach: Patrick van Deurzen Title of Research: What aspects of Visual Art (Painting) may be adopted by Musicians to enhance their musical understanding / performance? Research Question: Will the musician find that the act of painting their piece / orchestral excerpt makes them more imaginative and clearer (more successful) in the message they want to portray to the audience / audition panel? Is it important whether or not the musician paints his / her piece in an abstract style or a representational / figurative style? What is the importance of colour and form to the musician? Summary of Results: At the end of the Eighteenth Century, the Romantic movement began to spread across Europe and revolutionise the expression of The Arts. The overall aim of The Arts shifted from one of mere imitation to one which projected intense emotions and consequently, since then, a strong interdependence between music and painting has existed. This study explores the ways in which painting can be most beneficial to the musician. Having first researched existing key theories relating to music and painting including: Nietzsche's philosophy, which calls for music to always have a pictorial counterpart to be fully comprehended. The suggestion from Zelter that the musician/composer that paints or the artist that composes/ plays music has a greater potential to become the 'best genuine artist'. There have been numerous attempts to synthesize the two Art Forms: tone poems, sound sculptures, kinetic paintings and the ultimate Gesamtkunstwerk. From these and other theories key topics have emerged including: - The Boundaries and Characteristics of Music and Painting. - Music and Colour. - Abstract Painting vs Figurative Painting and The Musician. The research has found colour can help the musician discover the structure of the music and highlight keynotes, intervals or link together movements of a larger work. Abstract Painting allows direct comparisons to be made to music linking line and colour with rhythm and tone. Figurative Painting allows the musician to summarise the overall character of a piece through personal association. Music becomes tangible. The presentation will look further in depth at the above 3 key topics and through examples aim to demonstrate the power of painting and music in combination. Biography: Alice Thompson has been living and studying in The Hague since September 2012. In 2012 she graduated with First Class Honours from her Bachelor of Music Performance degree at Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance. At Trinity Alice studied with Anna Noakes (flute) and Alan Baker (piccolo). She is now in the final year of her Master studies at the Royal Conservatoire under the tutelage of Thies Roorda (flute) and Dorine Schade (piccolo).
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• Master Research Paper - Yoga Without the Mat (2015) author(s): Elizabeth Marr Limited publication. Only visible to members of the portal : KC Research Portal
  Main Subject: Classical Flute Research Coach: Andrew Wright Research questions: - What elements of Hatha yoga are beneficial to flute playing? - How can I adapt and present elements of Hatha Yoga to create a practical teaching/practice resource that can be used by myself, other flautists and teachers of all levels to improve posture, breathing and flute playing in general? Summary of Results: Yoga has long been known for its far reaching benefits, not only physically but spiritually. Translated it means: union of body and mind, and even from this translation one can immediately make connections with the aspirations of a musician. As musicians, our goal is to perform to the best of our abilities, requiring us to perfect the unification of our body (technique) and mind (musical intentions). My research has delved deeper into this already formed link, however focusing on its particular relevance to flautists. Why? For one main reason. My research is based on Hatha Yoga and two of its eight limbs (elements) are asanas (physical postures) and pranayama (breath control). Posture and breathing are at the core of every flautists technique, with both having equal influence on the sound produced, more so than any other instrument. In this presentation we shall explore these two limbs as I have, and whether specific asanas and pranayama exercises can be shown to be particularly beneficial to flautists. As a flautist who has been struggling with negative comments on posture for years, yoga has been a revelation for me and I wanted to bring this to others, however making it more accessible, relevant and easy for anyone to include as part of their practice. Additionally we shall look into the three other limbs my research covered: pratyahara (withdrawal of the senses from objects); dharana (concentration); and niyama (observances) and how my general day-to-day life and practice as a flautist and musician has improved through my research of them. Biography: Elizabeth Marr, born in Aberdeen, graduated with a First Class Honours BMus Degree and LTCL with Distinction from TrinityLaban CMD in London (2013) studying flute with Anna Noakes, Margaret Campbell and Alan Baker (piccolo). She is currently completing her Masters at the KonCon studying with Thies Roorda and Dorine Schade (piccolo). Recently Elizabeth has won a place on the extra list for Principal Flute with the Birmingham Royal Ballet Orchestra, performed with the AKOM Ensemble, Camerata Scotland alongside the Hebrides Ensemble and the International Opera Theatre company (premiering opera Camille Claudel). Recent masterclasses include with Peter-Lukas Graf and Emily Beynon.
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• Polyrhythms: Understanding, analysis and interpretation (2015) author(s): Sergi Sempere i Ramos Limited publication. Only visible to members of the portal : KC Research Portal
  Main Subject: Classical Percussion Research Coach: Paul Scheepers Title of Research: Polyrhythms: Evolution, analysis and interpretation Research Question: How did the percussion repertoire reach the levels of huge difficulty we have nowadays with polyrhythms? How can I practice in efficient way these pieces that seem to be impossible to play? Can we find any relationship between polyrhythms and pitches? Summary of Results: As a percussionist, I have often been challenged by pieces with a high level of rhythmic structures. Pieces I had to analyze previously to be able to understand them before start practicing. The most important thing in this kind of analysis is the rhythm. What I do in this research is an analysis of the common polyrhythms that we have in the percussion repertoire. I talk about the evolution that was made during the last centuries, and l explain the ways I found to practice and understand them better. The presentation will include some videos and recordings, as well as a PowerPoint document and some musical examples I will play. Biography Sergi comes from Alicante, Spain. He studied from 2009 since 2012 at the CSMA (Advanced academy of music of Aragón) and nowadays he is enrolled as second year orchestral Master student at Koninklijk Conservatorium Den Haag. He has played with the Residentie Orkest The Hague Philarmonic and has collaborated with other professional and youth orchestras like the Dutch Orchestra and Ensemble Academy, Mahler Chamber Orchestra, Schleswig-Holstein Festival Orchestra, Orchestra Nationale do Porto, Radio Filharmonisch Orkest and Het Gelders Orkest.
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• Possibilities of instrumentation of the Italian madrigal (2015) author(s): Johan de Wijs Limited publication. Only visible to members of the portal : KC Research Portal
  Name: Johan de Wijs Main Subject: Baroque Trombone Research Coach: Wouter Verschuren Title of Research: Possibilities of instrumentation of the Italian madrigal Research Question: What are the possibilities of instrumentation of the Italian madrigal other than the all-vocal ensemble? Summary of Results: The practice of changing instrumentation in Italian vocal music is a commonly applied practice, but what historical precedent is there for this practice? And what were de reasons for 16th-century performance to turn a polyphonic piece into something that could be called a pseudo-monody? It seems strange that one would write a composition with complicated polyphony, with voices of equal importance, only to change it to something completely else when performed. This study explores the possible reasons performers and composers might have had to do so, and tries to give a complete image of the cultural circumstances leading to this practice. In this study, the consequences of these findings for the modern performer will be discussed. The presentation will supply an answer to these questions through looking at the history of the Italian madrigal and its predecessors through the teachings and opinions of leading musicologists, as well as listening examples and score study of musical examples, to be shown through a PowerPoint presentation. Biography: Johan was born in 1985 in Oirschot, Noord-Brabant. From an early age Johan started playing the trombone in a local windband. Shortly thereafter he was admitted to follow the Young Talents programme at the Brabants Conservatory of Tilburg. After several year of studying Johan completed his studies at the conservatory of Lausanne, Switzerland, with honors. After completing his studies on the modern instrument he discovered a new interest in early music practise and decided to sign up for the Masters Programme Early Music in The Hague, to specialize in this field.
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• ZYKLUS BY K.STOCKHAUSEN. ANALYSIS AND DEVELOPMENT STUDY FOR SOLO PERCUSSION (2015) author(s): Alfonso Salar Ruiz Limited publication. Only visible to members of the portal : KC Research Portal
  Name: Alfonso Salar Ruiz Main Subject: Classical Percussion Research Coach: Paul Scheepers Title of Research: Karlheinz Stockhausen Nr 9 Zyklus Analyses and development study for solo percussion Research Question: How can I work on a piece like Zyklus? What parameters do I need to be aware of? How can I match the demands of the composer? How can I contribute to a better understanding of the concept of the piece? Summary of Results: The approach of my research is focused on two main points. The first one is theoretical and is based on various sources I used for my research, for instance, different opinions and views of people who have worked directly with Stockhausen, various literature sources, questions, etc. The second point is the practical application of my reflections, observations and analysis. In this part I include a discussion of my musical interpretation, the monitoring of my study period and finally, the execution of the piece. This work presents unique challenges manifested in several decisions to be taken in the process of mounting it that will make a big impact in the final result. My intention is also to create a guide for the aesthetic and technical demands of the piece in order to help others to practice it and understand it better. Biography: Alfonso Salar was born in Murcia (Spain) in 1990. He received his Bachelor degree from the Conservatorio Superior de Musica in Zaragoza, concentrating on orchestral playing and contemporary music. Alfonso has attended Masterclasses with international soloists and orchestra percussionist like Katarzyna Myka,Wiland Wetzel, Markus Leoson, Gustavo Gimeno, Andrew Barclay, Oliver Madas, Anton Mittermayer, Colin Corrie. Has has played in youth professional orchestras like JONDE (Spain Youth National Orchestra), NJO (Dutch and Ensemble Academy), SOAP (Symphony Academy Orchestra Of The Pacific). He is continuing his Master studies at the Royal Conservatoire of Music in The Hague.
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