104 research outputs found
Sort by
Different roles for prepared and spontaneous thoughts: A practice-based study of musical performance from memory
Get PDFBackground in music performance. During musical performance, experienced soloists have a
mental map of the music in mind. Landmarks in this map remind them of where they are and what to
do next.
Background in music psychology. These performance cues (PCs) are prepared during practice so
that they come to mind automatically, ensuring that the performance unfolds as planned.
Aims. Do musicians use the same PCs in each performance? What other thoughts do they have during
performance?
Main contribution. To answer these questions, a singer (the first author) reported the thoughts she
had as she practised Arnold Schoenberg’s two Songs, Op. 14 (1907-1908), and then again as she
performed the songs in a public concert. Seventeen months later, she reconstructed the songs from
memory, then performed them and reported her thoughts again. Comparison of the three sets of
reports showed that slightly more than half of her thoughts in each of the two performances were PCs,
i.e., had occurred during practice, and slightly less than half were spontaneous, new thoughts about
the music or performance. The PCs were more stable over time: 17 (25%) occurred in both
performances compared to only three (4%) of the spontaneous thoughts. Both PCs and spontaneous
thoughts reflected the singer’s current concerns, but in different ways. When the singer performed the
songs again after the reconstruction, her thoughts were shaped by the memory problems that she had
experienced during the reconstruction that preceded the performance. She thought about the PCs that
she had needed to stop at and about the new locations that she had just used as starting places.
Implications. PCs are prepared during practice to provide the mental landmarks needed for a secure
performance while spontaneous thoughts reflect more transitory experiences and insights
‘A Debt contracted in Italy’: Ferdinando Tenducci in a London court and prison
Get PDFA legal case discovered in the National Archives in London illuminates the circumstances surrounding castrato Ferdinando Tenducci’s imprisonment in 1760–61. His legal adversary, Francesco Giuliani, sought to recover damages sustained as a consequence of the non-payment of a debt that had accumulated over several years in Italy. Giuliani had apparently acted as manager/agent and perhaps teacher to the young Tenducci, and when the singer came of age in 1756 they entered into an agreement whereby Tenducci undertook to repay the debt in instalments. He failed to do so, and in 1758 moved to London where he probably expected to evade his creditor. Undeterred, Giuliani pursued him through the English legal system and Tenducci was summoned to court in February 1760; he failed to appear, and judgment was awarded against him. Unable to meet his liabilities or secure bail, the singer was committed to King’s Bench Prison on 6 June but escaped three months later. The press announcement included a hitherto unnoticed description of the castrato’s unusual physical characteristics; he was quickly recaptured, and remained in prison until 9 February. The case corrects a widespread misapprehension about the nature of Tenducci’s indebtedness in 1760, sheds light on the contractual relationship between music agent and performer, and provides a rare example of litigation in which the venue in a dispute between two foreign nationals is relocated from Italy (where it originally lay) to England (where one of the parties resided)
Making myself understood: perceived factors affecting the intelligibility of sung text
Get PDFSinging is universal, and understanding sung words is thought to be important for many listeners’ enjoyment of vocal and choral music. However, this is not a trivial task, and sung text intelligibility is probably affected by many factors. A survey of musicians was undertaken to identify the factors believed to have most impact on intelligibility, and to assess the importance of understanding sung words in familiar and unfamiliar languages. A total of 143 professional and amateur musicians, including singers, singing teachers, and regular listeners to vocal music, provided 394 statements yielding 851 references to one or more of 43 discrete factors in four categories: performer-related, listener-related, environment-related and words/music-related. The factors mentioned most frequently in each of the four categories were, respectively: diction; hearing ability; acoustic; and genre. In more than a third of references, the extent to which sung text is intelligible was attributed to the performer. Over 60% of respondents rated the ability to understand words in familiar languages as “very important,” but only 17% when the text was in an unfamiliar language. Professional musicians (47% of the sample) rated the importance of understanding in both familiar and unfamiliar languages significantly higher than amateurs but listed fewer factors overall and fewer listener-related factors. The more important the respondents rated understanding, the more performer-related and environment-related factors they tended to list. There were no significant differences between the responses of those who teach singing and those who do not. Enhancing sung text intelligibility is thus perceived to be within the singer’s control, at least to some extent, but there are also many factors outside their control. Empirical research is needed to explore some of these factors in greater depth, and has the potential to inform pedagogy for singers, composers, and choral directors
‘But among you stands one you do not know’ (Jn 1:26): the community, the stranger and the outsider’.
No full textMichael Finnissy & Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: the composer as anthropologist
Get PDFStarting with composer Michael Finnissy and anthropologist Tim Ingold’s preoccupation with line, this paper contemplates features of the former’s music through some of the latter’s ideas and writings. More specifically, it considers the notion that exploring Finnissy’s compositional
approach as applied anthropology provides productive insights into his music and performance practice. The starting point for this investigation is a consideration of three of Finnissy’s pieces connected to Wolfgang Amadeus
Mozart: Completion of the Requiem KV 626 by W.A. Mozart and F.X. Süssmayr (2011); Cibavit eos (1991); and WAM (1990-1991). These pieces provide a convenient set of examples with relevant features: music that connects to the past; music with elaborate line(s); music written for amateur performers; transcription; and instrumentalists that move as part of the performance. These recurring features of Finnissy’s composition could be considered indicative of
this anthropological approach; they are informed by an investment in people that aspires to musical and personal transformation
Listener preference towards a real and emulated violin
No full textAn account is provided of a double-blind experiment in which musically trained and untrained participants listened to recordings of a real and emulated (virtual) violin and rated them according to their personal preference. Post-experiment the participants were also asked to identify which one was the real instrument. The emulated violin was developed by convolving the impulse response from an acoustic instrument with the output from an electric violin. The real violin was preferred by both groups with no significant difference between scores for each group. However, more of the trained musicians correctly identified the real violin
The Dalcroze diamond: a theory of spiritual experiences in Dalcroze Eurhythmics
Get PDFThis qualitative study presents a theory of spiritual experiences in Dalcroze Eurhythmics generated from four qualitative research studies by the authors. Two of these are literature-based (‘A conceptual model of spirituality in music education’ and ‘A conceptual study of spirituality in selected writings of Émile Jaques-Dalcroze’) and two are based on lived experiences (‘Exploring lived experiences of spirituality amongst five Dalcroze teachers’ and ‘Stories students tell about their lived experiences of spirituality in the Dalcroze class’). The theory is generated by concepts, constructs and propositions that emerged when the data from all four previous studies were revisited and coded for causality. Since the theory of Dalcroze Eurhythmics and spiritual experiences is multifaceted, we used a diamond as a metaphor to show our findings. We propose that if participation in Dalcroze practice can connect us to ourselves, others, the environment, the sacred (that which is made special, set apart, nurtured, loved, enjoyed, respected or considered important), or facilitate transcendent, holistic or transformative experiences, then spiritual experiences may occur. With this theory, we hope to create heightened awareness of the spiritual potential in the Dalcroze class and communicate the pedagogical thoughtfulness and tact that are required when teaching using the Dalcroze approach
How music-for-health practitioners’ decision-making processes inform their practice in paediatric hospitals
No full textThis qualitative research study investigated how music-for-health practitioners make sense of decision-making in the context of paediatric hospital wards in the UK. Whilst existing studies have explored the skills practitioners develop and how these relate to outcomes and benefits of music for health, this article describes specifically the process of decision-making and how practitioners drew on previously attained skills. Four music-for-health practitioners, all of whom work in paediatric hospital wards in the UK, were interviewed regarding their experiences of making decisions. The interviews were semi-structured. Data were analysed using thematic analysis and the following themes emerged: (i) Building the foundations; (ii) Taking note and taking in; (iii) Performance conditions; and (iv) Forms of communication. The research is addressed to music-for-health practitioners at the beginning of their careers, offering ways to understand the process of decision making. It might also support more experienced practitioners to understand and reflect on their professional decision-making processes and to have an evidence base to use when training new practitioners. With its focus on the paediatric hospital, this article also has possible multi-disciplinary relevance in helping doctors, nurses and other staff better understand music-for-health practice
Two Northern Bands
Get PDFThe story of two regional brass bands, Stalybridge Old Band and Foden’s Band, over the period from 1814 to the 1920s provides an insight of a unique amateur musical world, its traditions and accomplishments