Expanding horizons – Improvisational explorations of 20th-century classical music
(last edited: 2025)
author(s): Peter Knudsen
This exposition is in review and its share status is: visible to all.
"Expanding horizons" is an Artistic research project carried out between 2021 (August) and 2024 (November) at NTNU, Trondheim. The objectives were to contribute to knowledge on how different kinds of departure points can be useful for musicians when approaching 20th-century Western classical music through improvisation, an understanding of how one can navigate and negotiate the musical language of this repertoire, and insights into how the tension between different performance values can be navigated in this process.
The research questions were: When applying improvisation to works of 20th-century classical music, 1. What role does the choice and preparation of musical representations play? 2. How can we navigate and negotiate musical structures such as melody, harmony and form? 3. How can we navigate the tension between fidelity to the work and creative expression?
Based on selected pieces from this repertoire and practical explorations together with participating musicians, various approaches to creating improvisational frameworks were then explored. These included a wide range of scores, including lead sheets and indeterminate notation, as well as ear-based methods. From the perspective of integrating improvisation into the performances, approaches such as repeating elements, working with layers, creating transitions, and introducing open sections were examined. A key point was to use melodic material as a way of building strong connections with the source material, rather than relying on harmonic representations of the music. In terms of balancing respect for the original work with creative freedom, a “healthy dose of disrespect” pervaded much of the explorations, allowing deviations from the originals when they were musically justified. Throughout the work processes, an idea of focal points emerged, as aspects to focus on when reworking a classical work into an improvisational version. These focal points included the score, historical and performative contexts, expressive qualities, and the improviser’s personal voice.
Expanding horizons - ensemble improvisation on 20th-century classical music (video article)
(2024)
author(s): Peter Knudsen
connected to: Norwegian University of Science and Technology
published in: Research Catalogue
This video article presents two pedagogical applications of the artistic research project "Expanding Horizons" for ensembles with adult music students of diverse musical backgrounds. The project is centered around practical explorations of applying improvisation to repertoire from 20th-century Western classical music, in combination with qualitative methods such as autoethnography, participant-observation and semi-structured interviews.
The examples in the video demonstrates how approaches that are developed in the project can be applied to pedagogical situations, based on ensemble workshops with musicians of different musical orientations enrolled in music performance programmes in Sweden, one with university-level students in a bachelor programme and another with students at a folk high school.
Two pieces were selected and adapted for these situations: Lili Boulanger’s Cortége (1914) and Maurice Ravel’s String quartet in F, movement II (1903). During the workshops, these pieces were then re-worked in a collaborative manner, with an emphasis on mutual exploration and musical expressivity through improvisation. The main pedagogical considerations were: selecting the appropriate repertoire, adapting materials for diverse learners, and fostering agency among performers. Although the improvisational approaches presented are rooted in jazz performance practice, the examples demonstrate how improvisational frameworks can be adapted for music students across musical genres, showcasing the potential for creativity, collaboration and interdisciplinary learning in music education.
Reimaginations, album preview
(last edited: 2024)
author(s): Peter Knudsen
This exposition is in progress and its share status is: visible to all.
A preview of the upcoming album Reimaginations, available on digital platforms from October 15, 2024.
Peter Knudsen, piano
Svante Söderqvist, double bass, cello & vocals
Jenny Kristoffersson, double bass
Daniel Olsson, drums
Tuva Halse, violin
Amund Åse, vibraphone
Eirik Hegdal, saxophone
Michael Francis Duch, bass
© Skaleidoscope music 2024
Artistic presentation concert – repertoire
(last edited: 2024)
author(s): Peter Knudsen
This exposition is in progress and its share status is: visible to all.
This page serves as a complement to Peter Knudsen's artistic PhD presentation "Expanding horizons – Improvisational explorations of 20th-century classical music," Wednesday October 23, 18:00. Kammersalen, Olavshallen, Trondheim, with additional information about the repertoire performed.
