MUSIC AND ENVIRONMENT IN RESEARCH PERSPECTIVE
Authors: Szymańska-Stułka Katarzyna 
Published: December 2019

This paper is an extended version of the text Environmental Psychology as a Perspective in Musical Analysis published in 2018 [1] and presented during the SGEM Conference in March 2018 in Vienna [section 16. Performing and Visual Arts]. After the discussion during the conference about further connections between music and environment and their impact on music itself, it is obvious that the topic suggested here seems to be wider and needs more exploration. The additional material included here is based on the composers’ reflections in talks and analysis I carried out in autumn 2018 and spring 2019.

My research about music and environment started started in 2018. Then I observed that the process of composing could be treated from the perspective of influences from space surrounding the author. I was inspired by environmental psychology – human factors science - as an interdisciplinary field that focuses on the interplay between individuals and their surroundings encompassing natural environments, social settings, built environments, learning environments, and informational environments. We know today that environmental psychology expands widely in attracting other areas of knowledge in its pursuit, not only psychologists but also geographers, economists, landscape architects and anthropologists. I propose to add a voice of musical theory here in studying the background of a composer’s strategies and decisions in creating a musical work.

As the topic of a theoretical view I choose some examples from Polish modern music of leading composers such as Witold Lutosławski, Andrzej Panufnik, Aleksander Kościów and Dariusz Przybylski. I concentrate on the impulse of their output (how they find inspirations to their music) and what is their compositional process (what factors have the biggest impact on it). In the present text I would like to extend the reflection of contemporary composers about this matter to show better the fields of interaction between music and surrounding area. I add new analysis about the works of Aleksander Kościów, Dariusz Przybylski, and another young Polish composer Andrzej Karałow.

I focused both on composers' statements about their creative process as well as on how it is reflected in selected pieces. The compositional technique and inspirational ideas for compositions will be in the area of my interest. The methodological background for this paper is based on studies by E. Clarke, Music and Consciousness. Philosophical, Psychological and Cultural Perspective, Oxford 2011; R. Gifford, Environmental Psychology: Principles and Practice, New York 2014; R. Gifford, Research Methods for Environmental Psychology, New York 2016.

The composers' reflections in analysis are valuable because they reflect the style of composing and underline significant factors determining the compositional shape and composers' strategic decisions. The following publications were included as the examples, e.g. A. Kościów, Lithaniae: dzieło jako krajobraz. Autorefleksja twórcy, Warszawa 2013; A. Panufnik, Impulse and design in my music, London 1974; Ch. B. Rae, The Music of Lutosławski, London 1999. https://www.dariuszprzybylski.eu/ 2018. The results from the talks to composers in autumn 2018 and spring 2019 are a new thing I introduce here to extend the topic of my research.