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

• Interpreting Rachmaninoff’s Second Sonata informed by recordings of his own works (2022) author(s): Tigla Janaporn Limited publication. Only visible to members of the portal : KC Research Portal
  Sergei Rachmaninoff’s Piano Sonata No.2 Op.36 is regarded as one of the most complex solo piano works. Struggling to interpret this piece, I wanted to explore ways in which I could enrich my interpretation and find further possibilities for interpreting Rachmaninoff’s Second Sonata. I did this primarily by diving into Rachmaninoff’s performance practice by analyzing how he performed his own pieces. His playing is quite different from how modern pianists usually play. Most notably, his use of tempo flexibility, alteration of rhythm, as well as the use of dislocation and arpeggio. All of these expressive devices are prominent elements of his style of playing, which can be also traced back to 19th-century performance treatises. After analysis and gaining insights into the elements of Rachmaninoff’s performance style, I experimented with these elements in Piano Sonata No.2, trying to incorporate some of these in my performance. This process of experimenting helped me understand the piece from a different perspective and opened me to look for much more possibilities and freedom in interpreting the piece. I hope this research can inspire pianists who want to explore more interpretative possibilities, not only of his Piano Sonata No.2 but his piano music in general.
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  v2 Cognitive Biases and the process of learning improvisation [resubmitted to KC Research Portal - 2022-04-29 12:39] (2022) author(s): Claudio jr de Rosa Limited publication. Only visible to members of the portal : KC Research Portal
  The fascinating process of learning music improvisation is a journey that brings us back to the beginning of Humanity. Observing it and analyzing it from a pedagogical standpoint can have a beneficial impact to help students overcome cognitive biases, struggles, and problems encountered along the path. Transverally, as our knowledge of the nervous system improves, a new branch of neurology called neuropedagogy aims to help educators exploit our brain to design, create, and experiment with new teaching methods, boosting the learning process and creating a nurturing academic. environment. As science constantly advances, there is a need to update and upgrade our teaching methods considering the findings of neurology. Through understanding the importance of improvisation throughout history and the basic functioning of the human brain, by self-analyzing my journey as a musician and designing exercises based on my readings, this research is a first attempt to embrace an academic approach that meets neuropedagody along the way. Contrary to what I had expected, I came to the realization that cognitive biases and struggles are a fundamental part of the learning process. As a teacher, rather than look for strategies and ways to avoid our students to experience these struggles, we should provide the students with a nurturing and constructive environment, in order to unleash our possibilities to our full extent and create a fulfilling and healthy learning journey.
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• Coming Home – Playing with the blues (2022) author(s): Enrico Le Noci Limited publication. Only visible to members of the portal : KC Research Portal
  The research question I wanted to address in this research work has literally been "what are the element of the blues that speak to me and how can I incorporate them in my music?" The methodology I adopted in this long work is rather mixed, as the process has been a stylistic analysis together with artistic practice of some elements of blues playing in my personal musical context. A huge part of it has been about taking apart all the small blocks that I wanted to bring out of the huge tradition of the blues and blues related music and that I wanted to develop. They have been developed and illustrated in their own unique way in each chapter. Some of them required a more theoretical analysis, some of them transcriptions and formal analysis, some of them a conceptual technical work on the instrument that I developed. A good part of the research finally formed an orientative self-educational method that I put together for myself in order to fully develop the material, and that can hopefully help whoever wants to learn more about this music. Another aspect of the research consisted in illustrating then my personal take and development, in my compositions and personal playing and where these elements took my music to, responding to the second part of the question "how can I incorporate them in my music".
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• Jazzing Up the Bass Line (2022) author(s): Galit Zadok Limited publication. Only visible to members of the portal : KC Research Portal
  One could say that basso-continuo is the heart of baroque music, it occupies a central role in it’s performance practice. It consists of two important elements, the bassline and it’s harmonic realization. A common performance practice nowadays is to have at least one chordal instrument (such as harpsichord, organ or theorbo) who plays the harmonic realization together with the bassline and one melodic bass instrument (such as cello, bassoon or viola da gamba) which sticks only with the written bassline. The goal of this research is to explore and experiment with the idea of varying the bassline, and investigating the effects of using such variations on the music and the performance. This research consists of three parts. First the study of historical treatises which deals with basso-continuo, specifically with bass variations. The second part will focus on an in-depth analysis of two musical examples in order to determine a set of possibilities. Namely the second sonata by Jan Dismas Zelenka ZWV 181 and Arcangelo Corelli’s op.1. These are interesting since they explicitly shows a coexistence of two bass parts. Thirdly, using the knowledge obtained in the previous steps in order to add bassline alterations on existed repertoire and study it’s effects on the performance.
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• A Comparison of Approaches to Interpretation and Articulation in the First Movement of Mozart’s Clarinet Concerto K622 (2022) author(s): Michael Wong Limited publication. Only visible to members of the portal : KC Research Portal
  Articulation approaches are an essential aspect in Mozart's concerto, and they are always a topic of dicussion amongst clarinetists who are studying it. This exposition is a study of varied articulation approaches by carrying out comparisons and experiments concerning articulation in relation to technical security, the possibility of using varied articulations, and choice of articulation in relation to orchestral structure and harmony progression. I have compared recordings of the first movement by four clarinettists, each representing different times and styles: a 1956 recording by Benny Goodman with the Boston Symphony Orchestra conducted by Charles Munch, a 1990 recording by Sabine Meyer with the Staatskapelle Dresden conducted by Hans Vonk, a 2016 live performance played and led by Eric Hoeprich with the Orchestra of the Eighteenth Century, and a 2016 live performance played and led by Paul Meyer with the Omega Ensemble. All of these recordings and performances represent a different soloistic approach to the concerto, while the the orchestral accompaniment texture is also considered, with a focus on how both solo and accompaniment parts either coordinate with each other or feature the solo clarinet's line. Experimenting with these possibilities has led to a personal approach to interpretation and articulation in this well-known concerto.
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• Emperor's Violin Consort (2022) author(s): Clara Sawada Limited publication. Only visible to members of the portal : KC Research Portal
  Violin consorts were an essential part of the musical life in the Habsburg court in the 17h century. Nowadays, its music is rarely performed and remains rather unknown by violinists and audiences. The goal of this research is not only to bring attention to this music, but also to bring light in some aspects of its performance and the problems one may face when trying to perform it. The research is divided in 3 parts: the first is a contextualization of the musical life of the 17th Vienna; the second is the about the history of the violin consort itself and some performance aspects of its practice such as instrumentation and style. The third part is a case study of a project done in June of 2021, under the restrictions of the pandemic of Covid-19. In this chapter I talk about the difficulties I faced, from instrumentation to concert venues, and the decisions I took when adaption was needed.
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