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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  Stanislavski on singing, the tools we can use to help us stay better focused on Stage (2024) author(s): Juncai Zhang Limited publication. Only visible to members of the portal : KC Research Portal
  Being on stage and under full exposure is a scary thing. Many musicians including myself have experienced in our music life some level of stage fright, loss of focus, stage anxiety, self-judgment thoughts, and all other distractions. Such distractions are unfortunately unavoidable and most of the musicians just learn to better deal with such distractions by themselves with time and experience. In this research, I intend to find out and develop a way to help musicians, especially singers, to stay better focused on music while singing on stage, so that they feel more confident and less distracted by their own judgmental voice or the physical environment/emotional status. I was inspired by Stanislavski and his acting system. Stanislavski’s system was originally developed in the first half of the twentieth century. This system is still widely used in theatre schools or drama classes in conservatories. Its purpose is to train actors to bring out more believable actings on stage, to bring out true convincing emotions of the play's characters. Singers share a big common ground with stage actors. Their work is often based on text/script. They both need to move or sing on stage. They both are often in a given character. So, I thought learning from actors how to prepare for a role would be hugely beneficial for singers, and Stanislavski’s system has proven its effectiveness and efficiency in character-building throughout history. I will introduce and explain Stanislavski’s acting system in my thesis through 5 real case studies to prove its effectiveness in helping singers stay better focused while singing on stage.
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• Speech reaches music (2024) author(s): Antonio Dorado Salguero Limited publication. Only visible to members of the portal : KC Research Portal
  Exploring the profound and close relation between music and speech, this research aims to develop a new approach to interdisciplinary performances concerning music and poetry. Blurring borders between these two arts is the main goal of this work, as is exploring innovative modes of interaction between them that may escape the "multidisciplinary" conception that has until now occupied many performances where poetry and music are presented alternately, and that may move towards more "interdisciplinary" performances, where music and poetry interact closely, inspiring and feeding each other in real-time, exploring the possibilities of simultaneity within a solo performance. This research might follow two different routes: personal artistic development, concerning all of the questions above practically and experimentally while keeping a record of the whole process; and experimental public sessions, where different settings of performances were tried out following a methodological way of tracking the audience's response. Thereby, the artistic outcomes of this research project include documentation of the above-described private and public experimentation sessions, as well as the development of a project called “Words of Music” where all the aspects explored and developed will crystallize in an interdisciplinary performance that will not only be a practical presentation of the results acquired by this research, but that will also an actual professional integration activity.
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  Singing from the continuo (2024) author(s): Areli Cortes Gutierrez Limited publication. Only visible to members of the portal : KC Research Portal
  This study explores the role of the continuo in accompanying singers, examining its influence from the preparation stage to the final performance. Using Monteverdi's madrigals as a case study not only allows for an investigation of its traditional function but also enables the exploration of additional tools for enriched continuo accompaniment, leveraging the rich textual content of these works. The importance of the continuo in supporting and interacting with solo voices is emphasized, along with an analysis of how performers can enhance their understanding and execution of these pieces by integrating historically informed techniques with their own artistic judgment. Furthermore, strategies for emphasizing emotional expression and textual meaning through music are discussed, including the use of dissonances, rhythms, dynamics, and phrasing techniques. Through an analysis of historical practices and modern interpretations, this study aims to provide useful insights and suggestions for contemporary musicians interested in conveying the emotional depth and textual richness of vocal works through interpretation and accompaniment.
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  Seeing Sounds – an Interdisciplinary Performance that Explores the Fascinating Phenomenon of Synesthesia through the medium of self-made graphic scores. (2024) author(s): Kaja Majoor Limited publication. Only visible to members of the portal : KC Research Portal
  'Seeing Sounds' is an interdisciplinary performance that explores the fascinating phenomenon of synesthesia through the medium of self-made graphic scores. The project, led by the collaborative efforts of a classically trained violinist & illustrator Kaja Majoor and cellist Diederik Smulders, transcends traditional musical boundaries by fusing contemporary music and performance art. The live musical performance, accompanied by visually captivating graphic scores projected on a large screen, invites the audience to immerse themselves in a multi-sensory experience and explore the interfaces between music and art. This research project explores not only synesthesia, but also the potential of graphic scores as tools to visually represent sounds. The primary inspiration for the project is synesthesia, and based on that Kaja created her own graphical scores and music. She aims to showcase not only musical proficiency but also illustrative skills within a performance context.
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  Schumann’s Mignon Lieder: Connections between his musical and literary world (2024) author(s): Saki Matsuoka Limited publication. Only visible to members of the portal : KC Research Portal
  About this research: This research investigates relations between Schumann’s composition style in the Mignon songs from his Lieder und Gesänge aus Wilhelm Meister op.98a and his view on the feelings of Mignon, one of the characters in ‘Wilhelm Meister’s Apprenticeship’ by Goethe. Three songs, Kennst du das Land?, Nur wer die Sehnsucht kennt and Heiss’ mich nicht reden, heiss’ mich schweigen are the focus of this research. Other composers like Beethoven, Schubert, and Wolf also composed songs based on these same poems. This research shows that there are important differences in the way these composers interpret the character and feelings of Mignon. One chapter is devoted to explaining Schumann's view of Mignon’s personality by analysing his pieces in terms of the harmonic language and the melodic line with the texts. This research argues that Schumann emphasises Mignon’s longing and her traumatised personality through his choice of minor tonalities, frequent use of suspensions and chromaticism, making voice and piano equal partners. Subsequently, a comparison with the aforementioned composers is set. A comparison between performances of these songs on a historical instrument and the modern piano is made as well; this experiment aims to look into how the choice of instrument can influence the conveyance of Mignon’s feelings. This chapter includes an analysis of recordings featuring the same pieces performed on both instruments. This exposition presents an analysis of the striking characteristics of Schumann’s Mignon songs from various points of view.
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• Sarasate in the 21st century (2024) author(s): Dario Antón Limited publication. Only visible to members of the portal : KC Research Portal
  As a musician from Navarra, I began this research process with the aim of constructing a performance inspired by the violinist Pablo Sarasate, one of the most important musicians from Navarra. The goal of this research is to recognize Sarasate’s legacy, while bringing contemporary music closer to the people of Navarra. In this research, an experiment was carried out to determine how to transform Sarasate’s repertoire to create a contemporary performance. I did this by analysing three types of adaptations. The first is an original transcription of the composer's music, the second a recomposition of one of his works and the third an improvisation based on Sarasate's motives and harmonies. At the same time, the folklore of Navarra and its impact on Sarasate's compositions is explored in depth. After this process, the ingredients for constructing a performance using all three approaches is explored. The idea is that throughout the performance, Sarasate's music will evolve from its original state into a new composition, all inspired by the unique essence of this virtuoso violinist and composer.
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