1857 research outputs found
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Singing with strangers
No full textThis dataset presents data collected for the singing with strangers project reported in Spiro, N., Duncan, D., & Cross, I., Singing with strangers: The social significance of music, Journal of Consciousness Studies (in press). Some data have been redacted to protect participants' anonymity. The questionnaire and data collection protocol associated for this dataset are presented in Appendix 3 in the "Singing with strangers, Appendices" document below
J. W. Windsor and the first English translation of Marpurg's Abhandlung von der Fuge
Full text linkThe name of James William Windsor (1779–1853) is not widely known in scholarly circles today; yet as a pianist, organist and all-round music director, he was instrumental in guiding the musical world of Bath through a turbulent period of economic decline and societal change over the course of a career that spanned nearly six decades. Much of what may be discovered about his activities is gleaned from his large and important music collection, bequeathed to the Royal College of Music (RCM) in 1890 by his eldest daughter, Elizabeth (1805–1890). This collection of printed and manuscript music reveals much about its former owner's interests, activities and friendships, and many of its most significant items lend value to modern editions and musicological research. Of particular relevance to this study is Windsor's own transcription of Bach's Das wohltemperirte Clavier (RCM MS 743, dated 1801), identified by Yo Tomita as being both textually unique and the second earliest known complete English source of this work
Philanthropy at the Royal College of Music: shaping the future of music education
No full textThis chapter explores the importance of philanthropy to the modern conservatoire in the context of the funding environment for ‘world-leading’ English conservatoires. It begins with an exploration of the long history of philanthropic support at the Royal College of Music (RCM). Calling on the results of recent research, the chapter then explores the connection between philanthropic giving to music education and the well-being of donors, examining the social engagement benefits that donors derive from being a part of the community of the conservatoire. These insights can inform the approach taken by conservatoires in developing sustainable and mutually beneficial relationships with their donors
The earliest source for the S-shaped trumpet—its provenance, material context, and relevance
Full text linkIn 1984 Peter Downey published a famously controversial article in the journal Early
Music. It contested conventional understanding of the development of the trumpet
in the late medieval period. The consensus view, which largely remains, is that the
instrument passed through four stages: first the straight trumpet (long and short
versions), followed by the S-shaped instrument and (probably in quick succession)
the trumpet with a folded wrap. Then followed a variance of one or both latter versions:
a single, moveable, telescopic slide was fitted at the mouthpiece yard, to form
what modern writers have called “the renaissance (or medieval) slide trumpet.” This
instrument provided the prototype for the trombone, which existed with most of its
necessary features by about 1470. The “slide trumpet” also revealed for the first time
the fundamental and revolutionary principle that a mechanical device allowing the
sounding length of a brass instrument to be adjusted by its player during performance,
facilitated access to a much wider range of notes and expressive possibilities than is
available on an instrument of fixed length. The fixed-length trumpet continued to
exist, but the version with a slide portended a new idiom and a much wider scope of
deployment in both sacred and secular music
A mi violín corneta: the stylistic development of Argentine tango violinists and the social acceptance of tango, 1910–1935
Full text linkThis dissertation examines the development of violin performance practice in Argentine tango from
1910 to 1935, a transformative period during which the genre’s violin techniques underwent a rapid
evolution, followed by standardisation and codification, establishing the foundational techniques and
stylistic conventions central to the genre today. This study argues that these changes were inextricably tied to the broader socio-cultural context, as tango transitioned from a marginalized expression of Buenos Aires' lower classes to a celebrated música nacional, at a time when Argentina was constructing its national symbols.
The study traces these developments through primary sources, namely newspaper and magazine
articles, alongside a practice-informed aural analysis of historical recordings. Chapter One, using the
analysis of both European and Argentine periodicals, examines Tangomania in Europe (1911–1914),
and particularly in Paris, where tango was celebrated as an exotic cultural export. This European
fascination reshaped perceptions of the genre’s artistic and social value, accelerating its acceptance
among Argentina’s upper and middle classes. Against this backdrop of shifting social attitudes, tango
violin playing evolved rapidly, reflecting the genre’s broader process of social integration.
The succeeding chapters are case studies of key violinists, which use primary sources and historical
recordings to trace how their innovations shaped the instrument’s role in tango ensembles. In addition, a detailed discography has been compiled for each violinist. Early violinists such as Casimiro Alcorta, Ernesto Ponzio, and José Bonano, emerging from a milieu of largely self-taught music making, embodied tango’s origins in the lower classes of Buenos Aires. David Roccatagliata, with formal musical training, introduced experimental techniques that expanded the violin’s expressive
possibilities. Finally, Julio De Caro, representing a new generation of middle-class musicians, brought
greater artistic ambition and sophistication to tango music. By situating these musical developments
within the cultural and historical dynamics of early 20th-century Argentina and its transnational context, this study highlights the violin’s pivotal role in tango’s journey from the margins to
mainstream social acceptance
The physical and virtual spaces of the conservatoire
No full textConservatoires are often thought of as hubs of creativity, but what is it about their physical and, more recently, virtual spaces, that shape the creative interactions in this learning environment? This chapter considers the physical spaces that conservatoire musicians inhabit and the impact of conservatoire buildings on learning experiences. Topics include the importance of specialist facilities to support student musicians, the significance of the conservatoire’s architecture and its cultural symbolism, and the impact of increased online teaching and performance on traditional interactions. Finally, there is a discussion on optimising the physical space for tomorrow’s musical learning and what the relationship between embodied, physical, and virtual spaces might look like for artists of the future
Enhancing creative performance through radical interdisciplinarity: a commentary on Friedlander’s (2024) The Psychology of Creative Performance and Expertise
Full text linkIn an era of increasing knowledge, specialisation, and human achievement, it can be easy to overlook the commonalities across performance domains and those who perform. The Psychology of Creative Performance and Expertise (Friedlander, 2024) makes a significant contribution to a field of expertise research “disproportionately fixated on chess, music, and sports” (p. xi) by
considering a much broader realm of human performance as far ranging as the surgical theatre, boardroom, classroom, stage, and home. The field of Performance Science similarly embraces such radical interdisciplinarity to accelerate the understanding, development, and execution of expert practice
Towards the civic conservatoire
No full textThis chapter starts from the premise that a civic conservatoire must include a civic community. This requires dialogue across the institution that encourages questioning and critical interrogation of what we do, why we do it, and hence what our relevance and function are in society. This necessitates thinking beyond the ‘rational community’, finding ways to enable quieter, dissenting, or hidden voices to be heard. In this chapter, we explore what a dialogic approach could offer the conservatoire and provide three examples of work that might (constructively) disturb the conservatoire’s rational community. We conclude with some critical reflections on infrastructures to support the civic conservatoire
Diversifying musical practices
No full textThis chapter focusses on one core objective of conservatoire training – the preparation of musicians for orchestral careers – to reflect on recent efforts to address issues of equality, diversity, and inclusion within the conservatoire as a training site for Western classical music. A brief outline of the conservatoire’s heritage in teaching particular types of music and their concomitant performance practices is juxtaposed with recent changes in skill set demands within the orchestral profession as perceived by two industry professionals intent on driving diversification. New training needs arising from these changes are brought into dialogue with recent new approaches to the education of musicians at the Royal College of Music, London. The chapter documents that two particular areas of change and innovation are beginning to drive the possibilities of greater diversity in repertoire, performance modes, and music’s social relevance while a third arises as a key area for future work to address questions of inclusion and belonging
Inside the contemporary conservatoire: critical perspectives from the Royal College of Music, London
No full textDrawing on the expertise of a wide range of professionals, Inside the Contemporary Conservatoire: Critical Perspectives from the Royal College of Music, London presents fresh perspectives on the work of music conservatoires today through an in-depth case study of the Royal College of Music (RCM), London. Problematising the role and purpose of conservatoires in the context of changing cultural and societal conditions, the contributors reframe the conservatoire as a vehicle for positive change in the performing arts and society at large.
Organised into three main sections, the volume covers conservatoire identities and values, teaching and learning music at a conservatoire, and reflections on the conservatoires of the future. Diverse voices from inside and outside the RCM reflect viewpoints from professional musicians, academics, industry, and the student community, spanning topics such as arts practice, music pedagogy and education, technology, inclusion, employability, entrepreneurship, performance science, material culture, and philanthropy.
With chapters that combine interviews, case studies, analysis, critical reflection, and perspectives from inside and outside the RCM, this book offers an in-progress model for the forward-thinking conservatoire, underpinned by renewed emphasis on equitable, innovative, sustainable, and technologically enabled artistic practice