Eglė Juciūtė-Matelienė

Lithuania (citizenship) °1987

research

activities

  • Doctor of Arts (2013-2017) connected to: Polifonia
    Degree: Doctorate, Lithuanian Academy of Music and Theatre (Lithuania), recipient: Eglė Juciūtė-Matelienė
  • Flute Vibrato in 18th–21st Centuries: Contexts and Interpretations
    Polifonia project, Principal Investigator: Eglė Juciūtė-Matelienė
    A planned and thought-through vibrato is something which is often missing in today’s performances of flutists. Their vibrato is often misplaced and fails to meet the style requirements and certain aura of the composition. The flute is a unique instrument as the performers have no mouthpiece to control the air flow and must shape the width and direction of the air flow themselves. Vibrato is an element of music language achieved by pulsating air and used to add expression and intensify the crescendo, give meaning, expression and intensity to a prolonged note. There have been various vibration traditions and the issue has remained quite controversial. Every flutist has various ideas about the sound and vibrato based on their musical taste and it would be difficult to divide the vibrato diversity or trends into the right and wrong ones. A fascinating aspect of performing vibrato is the fact that it cannot be rehearsed and own performance or that of someone else cannot be repeated. Vibrato is like an energy charge of music which releases emotions, thoughts and embodies the flow of music. The objective of this research part of the artistic project is to identify the possibilities of flute vibrato emphasizing technical and artistic aspects. The following targets were set to achieve the objective: review literature related to vibrato and explanations, research and interpretations of its methods; based on different research and overview of performance methods, present the optimal method of vibrato for different situations, define the concept of a healthy and natural vibrato; single out vibrato as a critically important tool of musical expression, identify various performance shortcomings and possible solutions.