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"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.

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  • contents
    • Start page
    • Prelude
    • 1.1. General introduction
    • 1.2. Previous experiences
    • 1.3. Historic overview
    • 1.4. Musical references
    • 1.5. Related research
    • 1.6. Possible contributions
    • 2. Purpose and questions
    • 3.1 Musical improvisation, overview
    • 3.2. View on improvisation
    • 3.3. Constraints and freedom
    • 3.4. Integrating improvisation into compositions
    • 3.5. Musical improvisation as a complex system
    • 4.1 Main actants
    • 4.2. Musical works
    • 4.3. Scores
    • 4.4. Performer context
    • 4.5. Authenticity
    • 5.1. Methodology
    • 5.2. Research design
    • 5.3. Methods
    • 5.4. Transcription and analysis
    • 5.5. Ethical considerations
    • 6. Participants
    • 7. Repertoire
    • 8.1. Musical media, overview
    • 8.2. Original scores
    • 8.3. Lead sheet
    • 8.4. Indeterminate notation
    • 8.5. Alternative scores
    • 8.6. Audio based approaches
    • 9.1. Musical structure and language, overview
    • 9.2. Approaching form
    • 9.3. Approaching melody
    • 9.4. Approaching harmony
    • 9.5. Handling complex language
    • 9.6. Expanding on musical language
    • 10. Fidelity vs. creative expression
    • 11.1. Musical outcome, overview
    • 11.2. Permissions
    • 11.3. Rejected recordings
    • 11.4. Reflection on musical outcome
    • 11.5. Album 1 - All in Twilight
    • 11.6. Album 2 - Reimaginations
    • 11.7. Concerts
    • 11.8. Compositions and arrangements
    • 12.1. Discussion. Overview
    • 12.2. Interpretation of results
    • 12.3. Discussion on ethics
    • 12.4. Limitations
    • 12.5. Conclusions
    • 12.6. Implications
    • References
    • Peter Knudsen
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    overview
  • abstract
    "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.
  • Peter Knudsen - Expanding horizons – Improvisational explorations of 20th-century classical music - 2025
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  • Terms

Musical media

(scores, audio)

Musical outcome

* Prelude

Musical improvisation

Methods

Introduction

Improvisational explorations of 20th-century classical music

Expanding horizons

Participants

Structure and
musical language

Reference list

Purpose and questions

         Fidelity vs.
creative expression

Main actants

Discussion

Repertoire

Peter Knudsen