bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The Bass Guitar in the Contemporary Music
Authors: Andrea Dettori
Published: September 2024

The interest for the contemporary repertoire, combined with the interest never abandoned for the Electric Bass Guitar, pushed me to investigate the role of this instrument in the contemporary repertoire, observing that only at chamber music level It has found its own dimension, however totally absent in the soloist field. Can the electric bass guitar rise to the role of solo instrument in contemporary music? How can it find its way to be considered as a solo instrument in contemporary music? Can composers approach this instrument exalting its expressiveness and technical potential? The research is divided into two parts: The first part concerns the history of the instrument, its construction and its impact on musical culture. In this part we will also analyse some pieces of the contemporary repertoire, analysis accompanied by video demonstrations of some excerpts that I perform personally. The second part is the fulcrum of the research: the execution of a piece for electric bass and electronics, "L' Autodidatta" by Maurizio Tedde. It will highlight the collaboration between the performer and the composer, the vision of the composer and the role of the electric bass in the piece, demonstrating that Bass and the electric bassist can have their own dimension in the soloist field.
Integration and development of jazz drum soloing
Authors: Borut Rampih
Published: September 2024

The desire to improve my drum soloing and the lack of in-depth material and examples on the subject led me to research drum soloing.

Evaluating my playing, I found my approach to drum soloing was based heavily on playing “licks,” copying other drummer’s vocabulary literally with no clear idea of my own sound and identity with problems associated with this approach, such as forgetting phrases, feeling uncomfortable in unknown musical situations, etc.

In my research, I tried to answer the question of how to integrate the playing of the master drummers of the bebop era into my own vocabulary and how modern drummers that I admire developed the classic language to fit their own style.

I chose some of the most notable drummers of the bebop era, namely Max Roach, Philly Joe Jones, and Roy Haynes, transcribed their solos, and analyzed their playing.

Through their playing, I discovered fundamental concepts of drumming like the Call and response concept, the rudimental concept, the melodic concept, and tools and methods that help with technique, musicianship, and creativity on the drum set.
Master Research Exposition "Instrumental Chamber Music in Collection of Diocesan Library of Sandomierz- characteristics, socio-historical background and local importance"
Authors: Weronika Zimnoch
Published: September 2024

Master Research Exposition "Unknown instrumental repertory of Sandomierz" - graphical exposition

by Weronika Zimnoch (MA historical violin), Royal Conservatory in Den Haag
Forbidden Beauty: Performance Practice of un-notated arpeggio in fortepiano music in late 19th Century
Authors: Mariko Goto
Published: September 2024

Name: Mariko Goto

Main Subject: Fortepiano

Research Supervisor: Bert Mooiman

Title of Research:
Forbidden Beauty: Performance Practice of un-notated arpeggio in fortepiano music in late 19th Century

Research Question:
Is it appropriate to arpeggiate a chord when it is not notated, especially in romantic repertory in second half of 19th century?
If we can do it, where and how can we add arpeggio?

Summary of Results:
Modern pianism is quite skeptical to the addition of an arpeggio that is not written in the score. Pianists in the same generation as I am also may have had such the experience of hearing that their teacher say, “Don’t play arpeggio when the composer doesn’t indicate it” or “Don’t break your right and left hand”.
Such a strict attitude to the un-notated arpeggio originates from the tendency that the musicology (and musicians) in the late 20th century considered the intentions of composers as the most important thing, and they attributed it to the authentic score like manuscripts, or a first edition. In such a mood, it was not “authentic” to add un-notated arpeggios. Playing un-notated arpeggios was a symbol of over romanticism, and sloppy playing. But there is much evidence that composers themselves added arpeggios, even if they show a strict attitude to the un-notated arpeggio in their remarks.
If we look at the treaties, we can see that the un-notated arpeggio has a long tradition from the Baroque and Classical period. It is not a symbol of over-romanticism in the late 19th century, but a tactical tool to express character and affect of pieces.
From the remarks of treaties, and early recordings of first half of 20th century, we can see that the character and affect of a piece is a very important element to decide, whether we can use arpeggio or not. Especially in the slow, expressive pieces or sections of a pieces we have many opportunities to add arpeggio.
If we consider the tradition and usefulness of un-notated arpeggio, we should feel free to use it, especially on historical keyboard instruments.
Biography:
Born in Tokyo, Mariko Goto started her modern piano studies in her earliest childhood. She encountered early music, namely fortepiano and cembalo, at Tokyo University of the Arts. After completing her Master degree of Musicology at said university for her musical rhetoric studies about improvisation in Haydn’s works, she devoted herself to the performance of these instruments. Since 2014, she has been pursuing a master’s degree in fortepiano at the Royal Conservatoire of the The Hague under Bart van Oort.
Down to business
Authors: Heleen Bongenaar
Published: September 2024

This research serves as a guide for musicians to develop their own business models using the Canvas model taking into account legal, economical and competitive context.
Piano four-hands, "once again"
Authors: Alessandra Di Gennaro
Published: September 2024

This work arises from the long and passionate research the author has been conducting as member of a professional piano duo in order to understand why the piano four-hands repertoire has always been stigmatized as an “inferior genre” despite its unquestionable beauty, and to shed light on the contemporary repertoire for this medium, which is at present almost unknown, unperformed and undiscussed, despite it embodies masterpieces of undoubted artistic value.
To do so, the work focuses at first upon the technical challenges, the distinctive features, the possibilities of expression as well as the limitations that characterize the piano four-hands repertoire, explaining why they are of a completely unique order and why they make the medium itself so distinctive and so controversial at the same time.
The script then explores the medium also from a more historical point of view, setting it into its social-cultural-musical context and deeply investigating that process that has brought it from being considered one of the most fascinating socio-cultural phenomenas of the 19th century to its almost complete extinction at the beginning of the 20th century, with the ultimate scope of analyzing what’s left of it nowadays and its role in the current musical scene.
The results of the investigation point out that once the historical and sociological factors that have allowed the extreme popularity of the medium fell short, it could finally assume a completely new value and be a site of compositional and performance innovation which absolutely deserves to be discovered, performed and analyzed.
The outputs of this dissertation have also inspired the young Chinese composer Ching-Fang Teng to write “Entanglement”, a proper homage to the medium and to its endless compositional potential.
Karol Szymanowski and Polish Folklore. Using Podhale folk music to inform performances of Szymanowski's Harnasie
Authors: Ania Szafraniec
Published: September 2024

Karol Szymanowski and Polish Folklore. Compositional copy or inspiration? What musical choices might be made for performing Harnasie and other violin pieces by using knowledge of Podhale folk music to inform violin performance practice.
In this exposition I present my research which consists of a few elements.
Firstly, to get acquainted with the composer - Karol Szymanowski and focus on his Nationalistic period. While exploring Podhale folklore and understanding its main characteristics, I did analyze the way Szymanowski uses this particular folklore in his pieces.
Then, the focus goes to Szymanowski’s most important work of the period - ballet Harnasie and its comperisement with the violin transcription. To discover whether the folk citations used in his pieces are just a copy of original melodies or inspiration and how do they connect with each other?
A significant and most important part of my research is finding out how the knowledge gained through this process can improve and enrich the performance of Szymanowski’s violin music. In short my conclusions are as follows. Folkloristic parts should be treated as original Highlanders would play it. Therefore, violinists need to get some sound simplicity such as no vibrato or playing in the first position. On the other hand, the lyrical parts are very contrasting. Szymanowski was inspired by singers and the way his dear violinist friend Paweł Kochański played. Therefore, the lyrical parts can be compared to the human voice, with a sweet romantic sound, natural voice like breathing in the phrases, continuous fast vibrato.
Playing by Heart
Authors: Inês Serrano Diogo
Published: September 2024

Name: Ines Serrano Diogo

Main Subject: Classical Trumpet

Research coach: Susan Williams

Title of research: Playing By Heart

Research question: Is the application of the Playing by Heart memorization model
useful for learning and performing trumpet orchestral excerpts?

Summary of the results:
The main objective while undergoing this research was to put the PbH memorization
model to test in a real life situation. However, this endeavor resulted in many secondary
realizations. Firstly, the very concept of “playing from memory” has evolved from being
a process that pursues the interiorization of the rhythmic and melodic figures that
compose what we call music (playing without any physical memory aid) to a much more
emotional, even spiritual involvement of one’s consciousness with the message the
particular music tries to convey, its content and not just its form. This it to say that to
know the very essence of what a musical excerpt stands for as well as its context is a
much more powerful method than to simply learn it by memory: it is playing it by heart.
Although the PbH memorization model was designed to improve performance, the
obtained results revealed that while this method sharply boosts such traits as focus and
accuracy y (which make for better music), it may have damaged other aspects of
performing that require an external; awareness, like a performer’s presence on stage for
example. Another interesting effect of this research was its lack of selectivity. This means
that although the performer tried to apply the PbH memorization model to a select
number of excerpts, the method’s nature (as well as the performer’s brain’s nature) made
it impossible to avoid some of its principles to bleed into other excerpts, which were not
meant to be affected. The Playing by Heart memorization model is considered applicable
and useful in learning and performing trumpet orchestral excerpts.

Biography:
Ines Serrano Diogo was born in Portimao, Portugal, and started playing the trumpet by
the age of 8. She finished her trumpet bachelor degree in Escola Superior de Musica de
Lisboa (Portugal) in 2012, and is currently finishing her master degree with orchestra
specialization at The Royal Conservatoire in The Hague.
Laments for a Modern World: Exploring the pathetic capabilities of 17th-century Laments
Authors: Ai Horton
Published: September 2024

This thesis investigates the pathetic capabilities of the 17th-century vocal Lament. After first establishing an overview of the social and cultural conventions that influenced compositional choices, fourteen historic Laments from western Europe are analyzed to determine how they are able to evoke the feeling of grief. These pathetic elements are then applied to the composition of four new Laments for a Modern World, which couple 17th-century compositional techniques with newly commissioned texts that amplify stories including miscarriage, race-relations, displacement from one's homeland, and mental health.
The Transfigured Guitar of Alberto Ginastera Sonata for Guitar, op. 47
Authors: Silvia Escamilla Jiménez
Published: September 2024

This research takes as a starting point the Alberto Ginastera's Sonata for Guitar, op. 47 (1976) The Sonata represents, within Ginastera's musical trajectory, an example of synthesis of his work, due to the variety of compositional and motivic material that he manages to link. Its interest relies in the way in which avant-garde compositional techniques, such as serialism or twelve-tone technique, are mixed with folklore rhythms and popular elements typical of Argentine traditional music. 
It offers the opportunity to verify in his compositional practice the theoretical approaches on music that the composer had presented in his previous works. Discovering the origin of the thematic and rhythm sources of the Sonata for Guitar by Ginastera is an invitation to inquire in the valuable atmosphere of Argentine folklore. 
Since its premiere, the Sonata has attracted increasing interest for its innovative contributions to contemporary music. The result is a tribute to the guitar, the Argentine folk music and the avant-garde music. As far as the guitar as an instrument is concerned, in it the composer explores a great variety of innovative resources that verify its suitability to transmit the contents of contemporary music, while at the same time pays off the debt it had with Argentine folklore, present in its rhetoric and symbolically evoked, but now transfigured into a reality. 
Finally, this research presents some connections between this guitar piece and the String Quartet No. 1, op. 20, that Ginastera composed more than twenty years before.
"Encumbered with useless graces": Ornamentation and Aesthetics in Eighteenth-century Scottish Music
Authors: Jonty Coy
Published: September 2024

Throughout the eighteenth century, a steady stream of Italian musicians travelled to Scotland, in search of artistic and commercial success. Inspired by the enterprise of their Scottish counterparts, many published collections of “Scots Tunes,” such that by the end of the century a rich body of repertoire had emerged. Italians and Scots alike valued this repertoire for various reasons: for some, these tunes represented an idealised vision of pastoral simplicity; for others, a fossilised record of the music of past generations; for others still, these tunes were a vehicle for the expression of nationalistic sentiment.
This repertoire presents a challenge to Early Music practitioners today, who must contend with the fact that this music has been transmitted through textual sources and oral tradition. To this end, many musicians engage with elements of Scottish Traditional performance practice – a practice that often diverges from, and is at times incompatible with, dominant understandings of eighteenth-century performance practice.

In this thesis, I summarise some of the ornamentation techniques employed by Scottish Traditional musicians, investigating their possible influence on Italian Scots Tunes sources. I contend that comparative analysis of these sources can inform performances of this repertoire, by revealing implicit relationships between notation, performance practice and aesthetic judgements. Further, I survey current trends in the historical performance practice of Scots Tunes, interrogating the ways in which this repertoire is framed by modern conceptions of “folk” music. I observe that this repertoire continues to be valued within a variety of aesthetic frameworks, which are themselves revealed, upheld, and reproduced through performance practice.
OBOETRY – French poetry played in melody: a poetical & vocal approach to French 'mélodie' on oboe
Authors: Anna Marieke Zijlstra
Published: September 2024

This interdisciplinary research presents a contextualisation and musico-literary analysis on the French poem and art song “Colloque sentimental” from Paul Verlaine and Claude Debussy, followed by a full-fledged transcription of this ‘mélodie’ for English horn, expanding the existing oboe repertoire. In the annotation and interpretation of “Colloque sentimental”, a poetical and vocal approach has been applied, aiming to communicate a deeper understanding of the ‘poésie’ and ‘mélodie’ for performance practices. The studying and singing of the song resulted in an experimentation and reflection of playing the ‘mélodie’ on English horn, a process of musically translating the poetry into an instrumental transcription that takes into account the particularities and possibilities of the language and voice as well as these of the instrument in question, with the aim of providing useful material for fellow oboists and those who are interested. For example, it was demonstrated during the research process how the understanding of literary and vocal phrases enhances horizontal and legato phrasing on English horn. Consequently, an important challenge in this case consisted of writing the transcription in a feasible notation that would be playable for any oboist, even without prior knowledge of the French language and poetry, hopefully leading to a poetical and purposeful performance of the piece.
"Avec Picasso, ce matin..."
Authors: Inês Lopes  , Heloisa Amaral
Published: September 2024

The current music scene is manifold in its means of expression. As music becomes more diverse and embraces other art forms it makes room for a new type of performers to flourish. My academic path, comprising jazz theory lessons and an uncomplete bachelor’s in composition beyond my classical piano studies, gave me the opportunity to develop a set of artistic skills that go beyond the standard performer curriculum. I saw in this artistic research the perfect chance to apply this knowledge.
In my work I explore three distinct approaches to a specific piece of music: Constança Capdeville’s Avec Picasso, ce matin… (1984), starting from a more traditional analysis and progressively diverging from this path towards a subversive approach inspired by the concept of anamorphosis. Capdeville’s score is essentially an open work with a set of guiding instructions. However, the lack of documentation, clear instructions and reliable sources concerning the piece made the notated score more ambiguous than expected. This possible setback in its reconstruction turned out to be the perfect context to put my expertise to the test. While dabbling with Capedeville’s score I resorted to experimental processes, to my experience with composition, my transcription and editing skills, archive work and the use of different media in contemporary performance practice.
I approached the score as a “script” rather than a “text” (Cook, Nicholas). In this research the score is no longer an end in itself, but rather an excuse towards the development of a musical project larger than it.
A case study of instrument design
Authors: Rafaele Andrade
Published: September 2024

While searching for a way to unify my creative process into an artistic practice, I was led to design a new instrument. This instrument resembles a cello in certain respects but also integrates important values and discussions from the current century, notably Communication, Integration, Representation and Autonomy. My goal has been to use the process of design development of the instrument as research for discovering new ways of practicing music and composing. For this research project, I am testing my 2021 release of the instrument: producing artworks with a diverse range of collaborators and multidisciplinary interactive concerts. At its core, this is a transdisciplinary case study combining instrument design, composition, and performance.
A Quest for Musical Clarity: Grounding Compositional Practices in Gestalt and Perception Theories
Authors: Charles Baumstark
Published: September 2024

What are the main theories on sound and musical perception? Is there a possibility for the composer to understand those ideas and use them as the basis for the organization of his craft? Would those be enough to create the musical ‘clarity’ I am looking for? Finally, can I find a way to formalize any of those theories in my composition practice?
As a starting point for this investigation, part one establishes the philosophical ground for this investigation about clarity, particularly stressing the difference between intention and object, between form and structure, and their complementary nature and interaction with each other, before drawing a first idea on musical perception through the lens of Gestalt theory.
Parts two and three detail the different elements that come into play while applying those ideas into my composition practice. I introduce a list of the parameters that will play a prominent role in the elaboration of the representation of the mathematical formulations seen in part four by developing further my understanding of the theories elaborated by Leonard B. Meyer around the idea of ‘expectation’ in his book Emotion and Meaning in Music, and articulating them from a practical point of view.
The fourth and final part of this investigation exposes a mathematical representation of my thinking on those ideas in order to conceive and use them in my composition practice. This ‘model’, based on an understanding of what will be referred to as ‘motion’, is the ground for the elaboration of the musical shapes in my pieces.
The appearance of the sound
Authors: Giangiacomo Sala
Published: September 2024

Luthiers throughout the centuries have always tried to adapt and improve the characteristics of the instrument to the needs of the musicians of their time. I myself, as a bassoonist, am also a luthier of my own reeds and in their construction I try to help my musical needs as much as possible. It was in trying to improve the characteristics of my reeds that I felt the need to know better how they work. I wanted to understand how my manipulations on the reeds went to influence their functioning and consequently the sound generated. So, I decided to observe a reed while it vibrates and understand its movement. I want to repeat the experiment on different reeds to note any similarities and differences.
Interluding: Identifying practice methods for classical improvisation on the Violin
Authors: Ruth Mareen
Published: September 2024

How can a classical performing violinist develop a practice method which serves for expanding their active musical vocabulary and applying it in an improvised interlude during a concert?

The objective of this research is to explore practice methods which helps one create improvisations inserted in between composed pieces of a concert programme. The main goal is to create a common thread in a program with an otherwise varied repertoire. This research identifies and compares the practice methods that can be used to achieve this goal. The methodology is based on the study of academic and educational sources, autoethnography, experiments in the form of performances, a questionnaire for the audience, interviews with experts and recording of work in the practice room. The improvisation played in between two compositions is called an interlude and the act of playing such an improvisation, interluding. These interludes contain musical material of both the previous and the next piece, thus creating seamless transitions, a bridge between characters and/or a dialogue between the pieces.

First, the historical importance of preluding and interluding is discussed, followed by a collection of improvisation exercises based on an existing composition with audio examples. These exercises serve to expand an active musical vocabulary inspired by the chosen pieces. The interludes can be built using different structures with this newly acquired vocabulary. To present and discuss the results, recordings of performances are included. Finally the limits of this format of strictly recycling (thematic) material are discussed, bringing to the surface other ways to use the concept of interluding.
LEADING FROM THE HARPSICHORD: A HISTORICAL INFORMED APPROACH TO EARLY MUSIC 'CONDUCTING'
Authors: Pablo Devigo
Published: September 2024

The harpsichord enjoyed a preponderant role at the end of the 17th century, not only on its own but, in the words of C. P. E. Bach, as an instrument "entrusted [...] with full command" and "in the best position to assist [...] the entire ensemble in maintaining a uniform pace."

The following is a study of the aspects related to ensemble leadership as exerted by the harpsichordist. For this, this research draws conclusions from historical sources in regards to the influence of the basso continuo realization in the ensemble, and other non-verbal communication devices (such as gestures) in order to reveal a global picture of this kind of leadership that was particularly prevalent at the time.
Man's struggle for salvation: A programmatic interpretation of Franz Liszt's B minor Sonata
Authors: Leone Monaco
Published: September 2024

Research question: “What can be learned about the programmatic relationship between Franz Liszt’s B Minor Piano Sonata and its programs?”

My research started as an investigation of the traditional programmatic relationship between Franz Liszt B minor Piano Sonata and Goethe’s Faust, but it had an unexpected outcome: Liszt B minor Sonata can be programmatically connected to multiple programs at the same time. Through the study of symbols behind themes and harmonies used by the composer, connections with other compositions, and the composer’s notes and letters, my research explains why and how the Sonata is programmatically inspired by Goethe’s Faust, Milton’s Paradise Lost and the Bible not only in its structure, but also from a philosophical and spiritual point of view.

I propose to look at the Sonata in a different way, considering a more general and Christian “leading thought” which connects all its possible programs and permeates the whole work: Liszt’s Sonata tells the story of every man and his lifetime struggle against temptations and damnation to reach salvation. At the end, I give practical suggestions on the interpretation of specific passages of the Sonata based on the considered symbolic connections with its programs and composer’s notes.

The chosen format of presentation is the exposition, because it gives me the possibility not only to include explanatory pictures and score excerpts, but also to use my own recordings to explain better the symbolism of themes or harmonies in certain passages and to show the practical and interpretive outcomes of my research.
Felipe Libón, the first travelling Spanish Virtuoso and his Violin Concerto No.6 (1812). A Performance Practice case study: I. Poco Allegro
Authors: Saya Ikenoya
Published: September 2024

One of the first Spanish virtuoso violinists to achieve international recognition, Felipe Libón enjoyed a successful performing and composing career.

He worked and performed alongside other celebrated violinists: Rode, Kreutzer, and Baillot, who were founders of the so-called "19th Century French Violin School".

We will experiment with applying the extensive indications of the treatises (Baillot, Campagnoli, Woldemar, Spohr, Cartier, and Libón himself) to build a performance practice case study.
‘What are the most effective collaborative strategies to seamlessly integrate instrumental music and theatre in family performances?’
Authors: Inge Mulder
Published: September 2024

The aim of this research is to elaborate on the most effective collaborative strategies for seamlessly integrating instrumental music and theatre into family performances. To create context and background, this research addresses the anticipated role and dynamic evolution of instrumental music in theatre.

The theoretical framework consists out of the ‘issue of narrativity’ (Meelberg, 2008c) which focusses on frame of reference influence, according to Robert Zatorre (2005), combined with insight from the models of collaboration: ‘het Kompas’ (Bremekamp et al., 2010), ‘the five dysfunctions of a team’ (Lencioni, 2002) and the ‘forming–storming–norming–performing model of group development’ (Tuckman, 1965).
This research examines the methods of organizations such as Oorkaan and Het Houten, mapping the established frameworks for instrumental music and theatre.

Throughout these theories the complex reality of collaborations within the characteristics of family performances (i.e. a linear progression with a cyclical feel) is systematically described and analyzed, resulting in a new conceptual model. The model was tested by conducting semi-structured interviews combined with field research.

Findings were that the sharper the definition of the target group, the clearer the cooperation and the more distinctive the product. This outcome becomes a realistic goal when the direction and associated process is clear. Furthermore, the framework can be used as a tool for those wishing to enter the field of interdisciplinary collaboration between theatre and music, with a focus on family performances. It is relevant for graduates in order to achieve a successful collaboration. They need to overcome challenges at the start of their career due to lack of knowledge of each other’s discipline.
Mindfulness for violinists
Authors: Sacha Paredes Sánchez
Published: September 2024

An overabundance of mental distractions may prevent musicians’ minds from being in the moment while practicing. The present mixed-methods study examined the effects of three newly designed mindfulness meditations on six conservatory violinists’ levels of dispositional mindfulness, mind-wandering and respective variables. Thought probes were used before and after the intervention to examine frequency of mind-wandering and contextual variables (task difficulty, fatigue and stress, and motivation) during two hours of participants’ instrumental practice (one of technical work another of a new piece in their repertoire). FFQM (Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire) and MfM (Mindfulness for Musicians) questionnaires were used to measure mindfulness levels before and after the intervention. Interviews and meditation logs were used as qualitative data. Results indicated that all participants became more mindful at the end of the meditation week for all mindfulness’ facets for the FFQM and MfM questionnaires. However, the improvements were particularly noticeable for the “Acting with Awareness” and “Non-Judge” facets for the FFQM and for “Describe” in the MfM. Results showed opposing trends in mind-wandering levels throughout the intervention. That is, some participants showed higher mind-wandering at the post-intervention and others lower. However, contextual variables such as fatigue, motivation or worry, may have also affected how much participants wandered while practicing (e.g. some of them showed more rumination when being more worried and having slept less). Overall, results from the experiment evidenced the importance of including mindfulness in violinists’ daily practice as a useful routine to become more aware and less distracted.
Michael Chekhov’s acting technique through the lens of a classical singer
Authors: Vera Hjördís Matsdóttir
Published: September 2024

Research questions:
1. In what ways is Michael Chekhov’s acting technique beneficial to classical singers portraying characters from operas in terms of the aspect of interpretation and acting, the aspect of mental preparation before a performance and the aspect of vocal projection?
2. Are there specific concepts of the technique that are especially relevant to classical singers and why?
Summary of the results of the research:
In terms of interpretation and acting, Michael Chekhov’s acting technique turned out to be very helpful to the singers. By exercising Chekhov’s concept, they acquired a sense of clarity to their character and a physical and psychological understanding.
In terms of mental preparation, the singers felt like they gained tools in calming the mind, achieving a feeling of ease. And that in general, by moving the focus from the intellectual and to the body is a great antidote for nervousness.
In terms of vocal projection, all the singers agreed that their vocal performance improved when they sang their aria the second time when they implemented Chekhov’s elements while performing the aria.
There were differences of opinion among the singers as to which concepts of Chekhov’s were the most beneficial. Questionnaire and discussions though brought to light that the quality of radiation and the feeling of ease appealed particularly well to the singers. I believe that the reason for that is that these qualities create an ideal physical state to sing. The feeling of ease creates a sense of ground, openness, calmness and at the same time alertness. The quality of radiation gives off a strong feeling of confidence, power, and freedom. The act of singing requires physical strength but without creating excessive tension in the body. Healthy singing requires being both firm and soft, which is achieved with both concepts.
Singing and Playing - A Kodály Approach to Cello Playing
Authors: Alice Andreani
Published: September 2024

Alice Andreani - Classical Cello

Research Supervisor: Daniel Salbert

Research Title: "Singing and Playing - A Kodály Approach to Cello Playing".

Research Question: “What are the effects that the practicing of exercises involving singing and playing has on cello playing?

The objective of my research is to draw attention to the importance of developing and training musicianship skills; in this paper I will argue on why musicianship training should receive as much importance as studying the technique of an instrument.
I will specifically focus on the effects that practicing exercises involving singing and playing on the cello, has on the development of a good inner hearing and musicianship skills over time, as well as how singing is proven to be an helpful tool in combination with playing, when approaching a piece from the cello chamber or orchestral repertoire.
This research is based on literature research and practice based research. It includes a series of 40 exercises for cello and voice written by me as well as guidelines on how to practice singing and playing.

Biography:
Alice Andreani is a cellist, now pursuing her master degree at the Royal Conservatory of The Hague, in the class of Michel Strauss and Jan-Ype Nota.  In 2021 she was awarded the Andrea Elkenbracht prize. In the season 2021/2022 she was an intern in the Noord Nederlands Orkest. Alice has been playing with the Kamerorkest van het Noorden and has taken part in different chamber music festivals. Her interest for music goes beyond playing as she is very passionate about teaching; she is enrolled in the year 2022-2023 in the teaching training course Muziek als Vak.
An Embouchure Aid for Wind Musicians
Authors: Giuseppe Sapienza
Published: September 2024

Name: Giuseppe Sapienza
Main Subject: Classical Clarinet
Research Supervisor: Wouter Verschuren

Title of the Research: An Embouchure Aid for Wind Musicians

Research Question: Assessing whether playing a wind instrument can change tooth position and investigate the effectiveness of an embouchure support device to provide dental support.

This study was inspired by the author's personal experience of discomfort and pain while playing the clarinet and aims to investigate the potential relationship between dental health and clarinet playing, specifically the impact of the mouthpiece on tooth position and stability.

A literature review of previous studies on the connection between wind instruments and tooth movement was conducted. The author collaborated with two professional dentists to develop an embouchure support device called PlayAid. The device was prototyped and tested by the author with a positive outcome.

The study found a correlation between playing the clarinet and an increased risk of dental problems, including tooth mobility, erosion, and discomfort. The upper incisors were the most commonly affected teeth. The literature review showed that playing wind instruments can cause changes in tooth position, specifically an increase in overjet.

Based on the results of this study, it can be concluded that an embouchure support device, like PlayAid, can effectively provide dental support for players with dental problems but also for those who exclusively seek better embouchure comfort and sound quality.

The chosen format of a presentation will be a public exposition of the results of the research with a live demonstration of PlayAid.
APPROACHING IMAGES: A Journey from Imagery to the Concrete
Authors: Rui Braga Simões
Published: September 2024

The piano is an instrument filled with endless possibilities, and an absurd amount of marvellous repertoire, but also has its downsides, namely its extremely complex mechanism: fingers activate a key, that moves a hammer, that hits a string. It’s a lot of steps from the moment you imagine a note and the moment you hear it, and the resulting sound isn’t always what we hope for. This instrument can be limited for the things that are asked from pianists, such as playing singing and legato lines. However, there are ways of getting over this limitation, and one of them is the use of Imagery, I.e., having a strong imagination of something else in order to do things that, in many occasions on a piano, are technically impossible.
In this artistic research I approach the concept of Musical Imagery and present an arrangement I made of Debussy’s Et la lune descend sur le temple qui fut (from the second book of Images) for piano and percussion quartet, exploring the imagery elements I use in my practice and explaining how I turned them into something concrete, through the use of new layers added by the chosen instruments.
The Usage of recordings from other musicians as a source of information by students of Classical Music
Authors: Pedro Domínguez Conde
Published: September 2024

The main purpouse of this research is to find out how do students of classical department use recordings as a source of information for their daily practice and what kind of information they seek in those recordings that is helpfull for them. To get this a survey of ten question was disigned and shared through many methods on the students of the Koninklijik Conservatorium in The Hague. 24 students from varied specialities and courses answered the survey, and the collected data will be analysed
Historical Clarinet Mouthpieces: An Analysis and Re-creation studyHistorical Clarinet Mouthpieces: An Analysis and 3D Re-creation study
Authors: Sergio Sánchez Martín
Published: September 2024

The mouthpiece of a clarinet plays a crucial role in sound formation and tuning, and there is still great potential for research within the field of historical clarinet mouthpieces.

This study explores the relationship between mouthpiece shape and performance practice in the first half of the 19th century when significant changes occurred in clarinet history. The author examines historical mouthpieces from various collections and creates 3D-printed replicas for experimentation. The research investigates how mouthpiece shape relates to changes in reed positioning and national styles, and how 3D printing technology can aid in understanding historical mouthpiece design.

The study finds evidence of a causal relationship between changes in reed positioning and mouthpiece geometry, especially reflected in the dimension of the mouthpiece window. The creation of a functional 3D-printed historical mouthpiece and experimentation with variations in shape shed light on how different parameters of the mouthpiece geometry affect the sound response. The research offers a useful tool for historical clarinet players to choose mouthpieces in a more historically informed way.
Encoding Emotion
Authors: Geneviève Gates-Panneton
Published: September 2024

The paper Encoding Emotion details an experiment conducted on early 18th-century French recitative to determine how composers relate harmony to sung text, if at all. Although the existence of a relationship between harmony and vocal expression is generally agreed upon, it is rarely properly taught to baroque singers, even though harmony is fundamental to the concept of basso continuo. It is also rarely discussed in continuo or singing treatises, either historical or modern, and, if so, never explicitly. The present experiment aims to fill that gap by examining harmony and text in actual written music. To do so, a harmonic analysis was performed on excerpts of secco recitative from French operas and cantatas written by Campra, Clérambault, Jacquet de la Guerre, and Rameau; the significant chords and harmonic passages were then logged in a spreadsheet with their corresponding text. Over two hundred lines of results were then analysed to determine whether patterns could be found associating certain words to chords or harmonic progressions. In the end, the dataset was too small for any general conclusions to be made with certainty, but patterns still emerged. Most notably, the plagal cadence correlated to feelings of love and tenderness, particularly in a sacred or noble context. It was also noted that, though general patterns could not always be identified, some chords or harmonic progressions appeared to have specific meaning for a certain composer. The V of IV, for example, was strongly associated with pleasure in Clérambault's works. Although there is only limited use for these results outside of this study, the identified patterns show that a more extensive dataset would yield enlightening results and give singers access to a remarkably rich tool with which to inform their interpretation.
Frozen Improvisation
Authors: Juan Manuel Cisneros Garcia
Published: September 2024

Name: Juan Manuel Cisneros García
Main Subject: Forte Piano
Research Supervisor: Bart van Oort
Title of Research: Frozen improvisation: The Mozart piano variations as a model for improvisation on the Classical Style

Summary of Results:
The fourteen sets of piano variations composed by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart are a sort of microcosmos of his whole pianistic output. Their complete composition covered practically his entire lifetime, from 1766 to 1791 and some of them were originated in actual improvisatory performances. Considering also the historically documented connections between the variation genre and the extemporization practices, this research is focused on their study as models for learning improvisation on the Classical style. With this purpose, I am using a concrete methodology that is being developed now in Spain (IEM methodology) that places the improvisation in the core of music education, with special emphasis in the use of patterns extracted from the musical sources. This has been combined with the historically informed performance practice in order to develop a repertory of exercises and proposals to be used as a guided practice for this learning process.

Biography:
Juan Manuel Cisneros (Málaga, Spain, 1978) is pianist, composer and teacher. He has a Bachelor´s degree on Piano (Conservatoire of Málaga), Phylosophy (University of Málaga) and Composition (Conservatoire of Granada). He completed his studies as composer and pianist in the Centre Acanthes (Metz, France), among other musical institutions. He is currently performing in several ensembles, from early music to jazz, in Spain, France, Holland, Italy and Romania. His passion for historic keyboard instruments led him to the fortepiano and the harpsichord in recent years. He is developing an extensive activity in the field of historic improvisation, with frequent lectures, concerts and workshops in Spain and abroad. He is composition and improvisation teacher at the Conservatoire of Granada and teacher member of the IEM (Music Education Institute) methodology.
Sonic Placemaking: (Re)Creating Place as a Comprehensive Compositional Practice
Authors: Isaac Barzso
Published: September 2024

This paper is focused on the development of a large-scale personal compositional practice centered around the concept of placemaking. Its content is focused on the relationship between data analysis, data sonification, and musical structure in the development of art which engages in a practice which I refer to as ‘sonic placemaking.’ In the end, this research intends to put this artistic practice in a space to interrogate the relationship between art and social change, both on small and large scales. The different sections of the paper will provide context and support for my practice's conceptual and philosophical background, drawing on related theoretical writings in geography, sociology, fine art, and composition while guiding the reader through my process in executing these concepts through works of multimedia art and acoustic composition — and, at the same time, actively questioning the ability of this process to influence social change and worldmaking.
John Cage's Bacchanale. A reconstruction for percussion ensemble.
Authors: Gorka Catediano Andrade
Published: September 2024

Name: Gorka Catediano Andrade

Main Subject: Classical Percussion

Research Supervisor: Karst de Jong

Title of Research: John Cage´s Bacchanale - A reconstruction for percussion ensemble

Research Question:

John Cage's piece Bacchanale (1940) was written for prepared piano. However, this was likely because of logistical restraints. Is there an instrumentation for percussion ensemble possible, and if so, how would it sound?

Summary of Results:

After researching about different prepared piano pieces by John Cage, we can realise that Bacchanale is the most suitable to be rewritten for percussion instruments due to its sonority and circumstances of composition. The piece was conceived for percussion instruments but there was not enough room in the theater to set up all these instruments. Therefore, Cage composed Bacchanale for a piano with different found objects placed into strings. For this research, a set of percussion instruments, similar to the ones that Cage´s ensemble had, imitates the prepared piano´s sonority. All the original sounds have been distributed in its corresponding drums and the composition has been transcribed to be played by four percussionists. During the presentation, both the reconstruction procedure and video recordings of the transcription will be shown to the audience. In this way, the audience will be able to understand why this piece can be perfectly played in a concert using percussion instruments, how can we came up with this result and what is its sonority.

Biography:

Gorka was born in 1992 in Miranda de Ebro (Spain), where he started his music studies. He continued developing his knowledge in the Conservatory of Vitoria- Gasteiz, “Jesús Guridi”. Later, he graduated from the Music Conservatory of the Basque Country (with prof. Javier Alonso, Lorenzo Ferrandiz, José Trigueros and Antonio Domingo). He is currently completing a master in percussion at Koninklijk Conservatorium (The Hague, The Netherlands) with Hans Zonderop, Theum van Niewburg, Pepe García, Niels Mefieste and Rob Verhagen. He has collaborated with many instrumental groups including Symphony Orchestra of The Basque Country, Bilbao Symphony Orchestra, Slagwerk Den Haag and AskoSchoenberg among others. He has also won prizes in different competitions, as the 2º prize in the Italy Percussion Competition in 2014 and he has played as soloist in prestigious festivals as “Quincena Musical Donostiarra”. Chamber music is an essential aspect in his professional career. He is part of IKKO percussion quartet and Trio ZUKAN (percussion, txistu and accordion). Both ensembles collaborate with several contemporary music composers.