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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  The use of Bel Canto singing in the Italian opera of the XVIII century (2015) author(s): Mariana Andrade Pimenta published in: KC Research Portal
  Name: Mariana Andrade Pimenta Main Subject: Early Music Singing Research Coach: Inês de Avena Braga Title of Research: The technical principles of Bel Canto in the 18th and 19th centuries: an experimental case study on dynamic range Research Question: How did the vocal exercises from Bel Canto singing influence my singing technique, especially in the dynamic range associated with pitch? Summary of Results: The format chosen by the author for this investigation was the Research Paper, as this study required an investment on knowledge about Bel Canto singing technique and the application of the latest into her singing practice, which resulted into a deep reflection and reached new conclusions. The focus of the practical sessions of the author was on her dynamic range. The purpose was to increase flexibility in her dynamic range in the different registers of the voice. The research went through the following process: (1) an audio recording of G. F. Händel aria: “Se Pietà di me non senti”, from the opera Giulio Cesare; (2) in this same phase of the research, she used the software Voice Profiler 5.1 to record her Voice Range Profile (VRP), the same piece and the vowel /a/, throughout the vocal registers, exploring the complete dynamic range of her voice; (3) after three months of practicing specific exercises designed to train the dynamic range, the same recordings were made and also a comparison with the first ones. The results indicated that the training had an impact: An increase of flexibility in realizing Messa di Voce was verified in the author’s middle vocal register. This impact did not happen in the highest vocal register, where technical differences were not detected by the VRP recording. The latest result is also applicable in the Händel aria. This method has proved to be beneficial in the middle section of the author’s vocal range. The appliance of this method is a work in process, which the author believes that it should bring more beneficial results; it offered the author a much bigger awareness of the breathing system, which resulted in a better quality Messa di Voce. The knowledge gained from the sources from the 18th and 19th centuries, guided the practical study in this investigation. In future studies, the author wishes to further research Italian vocal technique and use this important knowledge of historical information by transferring it to her singing practice. The outcome of the present study is an interesting interdisciplinary fusion between Old Italian vocal pedagogy of Bel canto singing and advanced vocal technology. Biography: Mariana Pimenta is a soprano born in Madeira Island, Portugal. She graduated in Classical singing in Aveiro, Portugal in 2011 and started her specialization in Early Music Singing at the Royal Conservatoire of The Hague in 2012. As a performer Mariana has been performing as a soloist and in ensemble singing, in some countries, as The Netherlands, Portugal, Italy and Ecuador.
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• Examination of mid-nineteenth century double bass playing based on A. Müller and F.C. Franke’s discourse in the Neue Zeitschrift für Musik, 1848 – 1851 (2015) author(s): Shanti Nachtergaele published in: KC Research Portal
  Name: Shanti Nachtergaele Main Subject: Violone Research Coach: Anna Scott Title of Research: Examination of Mid-Nineteenth Century Double Bass Playing Based on A. Müller and F.C. Franke’s Discourse in the Neue Zeitschrift für Musik, 1848 – 1851: With a discussion of the relevance of historical techniques to modern conventional and historically informed (‘HIP’) performance practices Research Questions: • Should historical double bass techniques be incorporated into historically informed performance (‘HIP’) practices today, and how can historical techniques be used to enhance modern performances? • Who was F.C. Franke, what insights can he and August Müller provide about the state of double bass playing c. 1850, and which of their ideas can be applied by double bassists today? • Can Müller’s and Franke’s contrasting ideas be combined, and what benefits does this integration offer to both ‘HIP’ and mainstream modern performers? Summary of Results: In the period 1849 - 1851, a collection of articles by A. Müller and F.C. Franke appeared in the Neue Zeitschrift für Musik, which discussed various aspects of double bass playing. The two double bassists agreed on some points, including that the double bass has a very important role in the orchestra, that there was a lack of good double bass players at the time, and the general characteristics of a good instrument; but they debated other subjects, such as playing stance, left hand technique, bow technique, the components of daily practice, and the common practice of simplifying double bass parts. Their discussion on these topics has implications for historically informed performance, especially in regards to the performance of orchestral works. During my presentation I will briefly discuss the historical background of my research, including biographical information, the state of double bass playing in the mid-nineteenth century. Using recorded audio and video examples and live demonstrations, I will then discuss the practical components of this artistic research: Franke’s and Müller’s opposing fingering methods, and Müller’s suggested modifications of the double bass parts of Beethoven's symphonies. Biography: Shanti Nachtergaele grew up in California (USA), and holds a Bachelor of Music degree in Double Bass Performance from Shenandoah Conservatory, where she studied with Donovan Stokes. She currently studies historic double bass and 8’ violone with Maggie Urquhart, and is interested in exploring historical perspectives of bass pedagogy and technique. Her research won the student division of the 2014 International Society of Bassists Research Competition, and she has been invited to present at the ISB’s 2015 convention.
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  Performing Classical Music in the 21st Century (2015) author(s): Alistair Sung published in: KC Research Portal
  Name: Alistair Sung Main Subject: Classical Cello Research Coaches: Gerard Bouwhuis, Renee Jonker Title of Research: Performing Classical Music in the 21st Century Research Question: Can a reconsideration of presentation, programming and audience relationship influence the response to classical music? Summary of Results: The financial and cultural climate of the past 50 years has changed the way in which classical music is perceived. Where once it was valued as a crucial part of a healthy society, it has now grown isolated from mainstream culture and has been relegated to the periphery of modern cultural life. This paper will examine how these recent cultural and social developments occurred and focus on their effects on the performance of classical music in the 21st century. Through an analysis of new and existing approaches to performance, a framework will be established which will form the basis of a test concert. Data gained from this concert will then be analysed in order to explore the possibility of altering existing concert conventions to respond to the problems facing the performance of classical music. Research will be presented in the form of a research paper. Biography: Alistair began learning the cello in Sydney Australia with Marcus Hartstein and David Pereira. After attending Newtown High School of Performing Arts, Alistair completed his Bachelor Music (honours I)/Bachelor Arts (philosophy) at the University of New South Wales in 2010. On graduating, Alistair was awarded the university medal and his honours thesis, ‘Variety in Performance: A Comparative Analysis of Recorded Performances of Bach’s Sixth Suite for Solo Cello’ was co-published in the Empirical Musicology Review (Ohio State University). Alistair is currently completing a Masters degree at the Koninklijk Conservatorium in The Hague with Larissa Groeneveld.
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• The Keyboard Sonata Accompanied by the Violin in England in the XVIII Century. (2015) author(s): Patrícia Ferreira Vintém Limited publication. Only visible to members of the portal : KC Research Portal
  Name: Patrícia A. Ferreira Vintém Main subject: Harpsichord Research coaches: Enrico Gatti and Kathryn Cok Title of Research: The Keyboard Sonata Accompanied by the Violin in England in the XVIII Century. Research Question: Why was the fashion of composing this kind of sonata widely spread and worthy of such attention in the eighteenth century, in England? Summary of results: The eighteenth century was fairly known and associated with a style in which the simple and charming music lines filled the halls of the middle class and high society. This was known as the Gallant Style. Music had different purposes and this specific repertoire, the accompanied sonata, such as pedagogical purposes was used in gatherings to entertain guests and give young ladies an opportunity to share their artistic accomplishments with their fathers, brothers or husbands who would accompany them on the violin. Many were the composers who dedicated these compositions to their students and patrons, and many were the publishers who attributed a quota of their catalogues to it. The keyboard sonata with the accompaniment for violin was a fashionable genre during the second half of the eighteenth century in the popular capitals of Europe such as London. Though this repertoire seemed to have an important role in the eighteenth century music consumption, nowadays little attention is given to it. This research aims to bring alive a genre now in oblivion, exposing the importance of rediscovering a repertoire which is part of the early music composers’ legacy. This research, presented through a visual aid and illustrated in audio excerpts, will expose the most important facts involved in the practice and development of this repertoire as well as its main characteristics. Biography: I am a Portuguese harpsichordist, who came to The Netherlands pursuing a deeper knowledge of Early Music performance. I graduated in harpsichord in 2009 in the Superior School of Music, Lisbon, concluded the Bachelor in 2013 in The Hague and I am currently finishing my Master’s degree. I have been instructed by Jacques Ogg and Fabio Bonizzoni. I have co-founded two ensembles: Les Esprits Animaux, with which I have recorded two CD’s and played in Europe, in main early music festivals, and also in Japan; and the DuoVintem&Lupiáñez, whose performance core is the repertoire presented in this research.
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• Historical and contemporary perspectives on the postures and physiological pitfalls of playing the baroque cello (2015) author(s): Annabeth Shirley Limited publication. Only visible to members of the portal : KC Research Portal
  Name: Annabeth Shirley Main Subject: Baroque Cello Research Coach: Wouter Verschuren Title of Research: Holding the violoncello: Historical and contemporary perspectives on the postures and physiological pitfalls of playing the baroque cello Research Question: How can baroque cellists today prevent occupational injury due to long hours of holding the violoncello in playing position? Are there suggestions from current physiological techniques that can inform and improve how we approach playing the baroque cello? What can the treatises and iconography from the 18th - 20th centuries tell us about holding and playing the cello without an endpin? Summary of Results: When Luigi Boccherini’s body was exhumed in the 1990s, expert analysis concluded that this famous baroque cellist suffered numerous musculoskeletal injuries, many of which were a direct result of his profession. Baroque cello playing had caused skeletal changes in his spine and legs significant enough to still be evident in his mummified body nearly 200 years after his death. Musicians place huge strains on their bodies for the sake of their art, made even more apparent by the condition of Boccherini’s remains. Fortunately, awareness of the physical strain and injury suffered by many musicians is rapidly increasing, and so too have scientific studies, health practitioners, and music teachers augmented the focus on physical health for enabling a lifetime devoted to music. The aim of this paper is to discover suggestions and methods for minimizing physiological harm when playing the cello without an endpin. Of course, there is no one answer, one cure, one ideal posture for baroque cellists. This paper will not present the one best way of holding the cello that will ensure an injury-free, painless career. Rather, this paper will present suggestions, thoughts, and ideas gleaned from an investigation of cello treatises, physiological research, health practitioners, fellow cellists, and iconography. The presentation of this research will include visual examples, written instructions, and physical demonstrations as suggested by the historical sources and contemporary experts. Comparison off the different recommendations will ideally assist fellow baroque cellists in combating the postural tendencies and pitfalls of holding the violoncello. Biography: Originally from Salem, Oregon, USA, Annabeth obtained dual bachelors degrees in Cello Performance and Neuroscience at the University of Michigan in 2012, and a bachelors degree in Baroque Cello from the Koninklijk Conservatorium in 2013. In the past several years she has performed with the Nederlands Kamerkoor, Ars Musica, Symphonie Atlantique, and CaféHaydn. Also a devoted dancer, this summer she will perform a new choreography in which she will both dance and play her cello. She plays an 1830s instrument of most likely French origin.
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  The cello in Naples in the early 18th century: teaching methods and performance practice (2015) author(s): Ines Salinas Blasco Limited publication. Only visible to members of the portal : KC Research Portal
  Name: Inés Salinas Blasco Main Subject: baroque cello Research Coaches: Inês de Avena Braga, Rebeca Ferri Title of Research: The Cello in Naples in the Early 18th Century: Teaching Methods and Performance Practice Research Question: How were cellists instructed in the Neapolitan conservatories at the turn of the 18th century, and how did they contribute to the development of the instrument? Summary of Results: The main goal of my research is to present an overview of performance practices related to the cello in the city of Naples in around 1700, with special focus on the training of this instrument in the Neapolitan conservatori. In order to achieve this, I have studied the historical, cultural and musical context of the time, the teaching methods employed in the Neapolitan conservatories, the skills the pupils were expected to acquire (with special attention to the cellists), and the main roles and duties of professional cellists in the Neapolitan musical scene. I present some biographical information on the main Neapolitan cellists of the period, and offer a catalogue of Neapolitan Baroque cello repertoire. Moreover, I have included in my paper an edition and a recording of two of the pedagogical sources discussed in the paper, in order to further illustrate it and to give an idea of how these materials could have been used in the period. After having completed my paper, I really believe that we, as modern-day performers, should get more inspired by the approach to music learning that the Neapolitan conservatori had. Specifically as historically informed musicians, we should try to get as close as possible to these practices, since this would bring us a better insight about how this music was thought, composed, learnt, experienced and performed. As Neapolitan music became so influential in the middle of the 18th century, and as the pedagogical tools used at the conservatories spread through Europe, this approach might in fact be expanded to an even broader context. The research presentation will include a slideshow presentation and audio files which will bring an idea of the learning resources that on that time and period were used to teach the cello. Biography: Inés is a musician specialized in the historical performance of the cello and the viola da gamba. She holds a Bachelor Degree on classical cello from the CSMA (Zaragoza, ES), and on historical cello from the Koninklijk Conservatorium (Den Haag, NL). She is a Master’s student under the the guidance of Jaap ter Linden on the historical cello, and Mieneke van der Velden on the viola da gamba. She has performed with the Britten-Pears Baroque Orchestra (UK) Orquesta Barroca Conde Duque (ES) and with I Giovani della Montis Regalis 2013 (IT). She is a founder member of Scaramuccia and Duo Graziani. inessalinas.webs.com/
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