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

• Walton viola Concerto beyond the score (2021) author(s): Alberto García Pérez published in: KC Research Portal
  The Walton Viola Concerto is one of the most famous and recognized compositions in the viola repertoire. Apart from this, it is a compulsory piece in any viola orchestra audition. This research is focused on my practice and artistic process of the Walton Concerto, consequently subjective, to create an artistic choice. In order to achieve an ideal interpretation of this composition, I will investigate and analyze the first two recordings made of the Concerto, as both represent different versions of the piece with several differences between them. These recordings were made by Frederick Riddle in 1937, and by the famous violist William Primrose in 1946. This research aims to: (1) decide what details or alternatives I can recover from these recordings to inspire my own interpretation, and (2) find out what ideas from the first recording are reflected in the second one. Taking into consideration these recordings, I first drew up a list mentioning the differences found between them. Then, I classified these differences into different categories such as bowings, different notes, fingerings, orchestration, and so on. Finally, I recorded myself playing both versions of some passages. The main outcome I found is to discover that the sound-based approach (listening to recordings and experimenting with them) is a richer source of inspiration for a musician than a purely score-based comparison. I hope these artistic ideas can be a great stimulus and encouragement to other violists who want to play this wonderful Concerto.
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• Russian Paganini of the Catharina the Great court. Why Ivan Yevstafyevich Khandoshkin was called: ‘The finnest Russian violinist of 18th century'? Analysis of the Three Solo Sonatas op. 3. (2021) author(s): Aleksandra Kwiatkowska Limited publication. Only visible to members of the portal : KC Research Portal
  The Violin Solo Sonatas op. 3, composed approximately in the 1780s by the Russian composer Ivan Khandoshkin, take up an exceptional place in music history. In the last decades of the eighteenth century, Western European sonatas were mainly composed for fortepiano solo or fortepiano with an accompanying other instrument such as violin. Music of the sonata genre was featured by its simplicity and homophonic textures. Khandoshkin’s Sonatas, however, present us with rather unusual features for those times. This music for solo violin includes dominating polyphonic textures, double stops, many dissonances and improvisational moments. One could say that Khandoshkin stayed in the traditional, baroque style and did not follow revolutionary developments of the classical era. By analysing the Violin Solo Sonatas and studying the historical background of the composer’s life, I realized that Khandoshkin consciously chose not to follow the one dominating style of the Western music world. Instead, in the Solo Sonatas he successfully combined baroque, classical music features and therefore, created his unique style by inspiring his music on Russian sentimentalism. Moreover, in his sonatas, he expanded many violin techniques which were inspired by playing on Russian traditional instruments such us balalaika or gudok. These technical moments were unplayable for many violinists during these times and they are even challenging for violin players of today. By presenting this unknown music on my CD and sharing my knowledge of Khandoshkin’s Sonatas in my Master thesis, I hope to encourage other musicians to explore this unusual repertoire in greater depth.
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• Master Research Exposition "Instrumental Chamber Music in Collection of Diocesan Library of Sandomierz- characteristics, socio-historical background and local importance" (2021) author(s): Weronika Zimnoch published in: KC Research Portal
  Master Research Exposition "Unknown instrumental repertory of Sandomierz" - graphical exposition by Weronika Zimnoch (MA historical violin), Royal Conservatory in Den Haag
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• The Bass Guitar in the Contemporary Music (2021) author(s): Andrea Dettori published in: KC Research Portal
  The interest for the contemporary repertoire, combined with the interest never abandoned for the Electric Bass Guitar, pushed me to investigate the role of this instrument in the contemporary repertoire, observing that only at chamber music level It has found its own dimension, however totally absent in the soloist field. Can the electric bass guitar rise to the role of solo instrument in contemporary music? How can it find its way to be considered as a solo instrument in contemporary music? Can composers approach this instrument exalting its expressiveness and technical potential? The research is divided into two parts: The first part concerns the history of the instrument, its construction and its impact on musical culture. In this part we will also analyse some pieces of the contemporary repertoire, analysis accompanied by video demonstrations of some excerpts that I perform personally. The second part is the fulcrum of the research: the execution of a piece for electric bass and electronics, "L' Autodidatta" by Maurizio Tedde. It will highlight the collaboration between the performer and the composer, the vision of the composer and the role of the electric bass in the piece, demonstrating that Bass and the electric bassist can have their own dimension in the soloist field.
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• Unraveling Musical Relativity: Following in the Footsteps of 19th-century Conductors (2021) author(s): Andreas Hansson published in: KC Research Portal
  When listening to early orchestral recordings, we are immediately confronted with a musical reality far detached from our own. Many aspects of these recordings sound quite alien to modern listeners and performers alike. Yet, the same recordings are often remarkably expressive and display great freedom which breathes fresh life into works which we now sometimes tend to take for granted. This expressiveness and freedom seems to a great degree to stem from a very different, more fluent, concept of musical time. In this research I wanted to understand these recordings better, to see what can be learned from them and how it can be applied in modern practice. I asked the question: how can analyses of recordings by Felix Weingartner, Willem Mengelberg and Pierre Monteux aid the use of 19th-century stylistic traits in modern orchestral performance practices? This research question was answered by first conducting detailed quantitative analysis on unnotated use of tempo flexibility and portamento on recordings made by these conductors. This was followed by an experimental practice-based phase where these findings were applied. The most striking finding of my analyses is the ways in which all three conductors used un-notated tempo flexibility. Using the structuralist and rhetorical terminology of Nicholas Cook (2013), in slightly altered form, their interpretations all exhibit rhetorical tendencies, with Weingartner being the most structuralist, Mengelberg the most rhetorical, and Monteux somewhere in the middle. Additionally, several concrete style elements connected to the use of unnotated tempo flexibility were identified, internalized, and applied in the practice-based phase. Having engaged deeply with the interpretations of these three conductors, I now feel freer to make my own interpretations without feeling restricted by traditions or modern performance practices. Most importantly, this takes the form of my increased use of un-notated tempo flexibility as an expressive tool.
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  Diminutions, Divisions, and Doubles in Viol Literature (2021) author(s): Alex Baker published in: KC Research Portal
  Diminutions, divisions, and doubles are essentially different words for the same practice in viol literature - ornamenting music by dividing notes into smaller notes. The practice varies in name based on its context: in Italian and Spanish music it is called diminution, in English music it is called division, and in dance movements from French suites it is called a double. The question then remains: why do these theoretically identical practices remain distinct in name? Are there other ways in which they differ? This exposition argues that there are indeed other ways in which these different families of diminution-style ornaments differ, and for this purpose it examines texts and scores from each group. For diminutions, the focus was Silvestro Ganassi’s “Opera intitulata Fontegara” (1535) and Diego Ortiz’ “Trattado de Glossas” (1553); for divisions, Christopher Simpson’s “The Division Viol” (1659); and for doubles, Marin Marais books of “Pièces de viole” (1686-1725). The first chapter is an explanation of the chronological history of these different practices, beginning with diminution during the Italian Renaissance, moving to England in the mid-17th century, and ending with Marais’ suites from the late-17th to early-18th centuries. The second chapter explains the contextual differences of each style (in which genre/musical setting it was applied). The third chapter explores stylistic elements that are unique to each style, and the fourth chapter discusses the implications this information has for the modern player of the viola da gamba.
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