Classical Improvisation

While researchers have explored concepts relating to both Music Performance Anxiety (MPA) and informal music learning, few have related the two subjects to each other. The purpose of this study was to explore formally trained musicians’ experiences with MPA in informal contexts. Specifically, I examined informal musicians’ learning and performing environments, and the relationships they share with musicians’ perceptions of MPA. Primary data included two rounds of recorded interviews. Findings revealed that physical venues, audience size, audience makeup, financial factors, audience reception, interpersonal relationships among bandmates, creative ownership over music they performed, and motivation to prepare for performances all played a part in how participants perceived MPA in informal contexts. Participants felt that the degree to which their informal learning and performance experiences were dissimilar to their formal school music settings related directly to the genre of the for...

Toru Takemitsu (1931–1996), a self-taught Japanese composer, distinguished between portable and non-portable music. Portable music, mainly Western classical, is characterised by its detailed notation that allows performers to realise the composer’s intention, whereas non-portable music, such as traditional Japanese music, is transmitted orally within communities (Takemitsu 2008: 26–203). While Takemitsu’s view has been supported by several scholars (e.g. Bohlman 1988: 48, Crispin 2013: 48, Knakkergaard 2019: 123), my PhD research challenged this perspective, especially in light of modern technological advancements and practical considerations. A significant gap in Takemitsu’s argument, particularly relevant to percussionists, is his lack of attention to the challenges posed by transporting large and cumbersome instruments. This issue is central to my discussion, explored through the lens of percussion music, a focus that was not central to my dissertation.

The practical issues of transporting percussion instruments are considerable. Beck (2013 [1995]: 311) highlights that musicians often bear the cost of transporting large instruments, which can be prohibitive, especially for low-budget concerts. In addition, noise pollution and space constraints—particularly in non-soundproofed environments—are critical concerns for percussionists. These issues became more apparent during the COVID-19 pandemic, when many musicians resorted to alternative practice methods. This leads me to consider the potential of single-drum compositions as a more practical solution. In this context, I present my own composition, Silent Talk, which I will perform as part of this conference paper. Silent Talk explores the expressive possibilities of a single snare drum, offering a new approach to solo percussion music. I invite discussion on its potential to engage diverse audiences and its relevance in the evolving landscape of percussion composition.

[Link to performance]
https://youtu.be/3FIp8x2NOgU?si=WFIkfwzkvc0lT9H8

This study examined existing treatment methods for alleviating music performance anxiety (MPA) and proposed a new therapeutic approach based on these methods. Existing treatments primarily included pharmacotherapy, cognitive behavior therapy (CBT), and rational emotive behavior therapy (REBT). Music therapy techniques were investigated in conjunction with these established psychological therapies, utilizing methods such as songwriting, improvisation, and music imagery. Building on this foundation, the Neo MPA therapy method was proposed as a new approach to alleviate MPA. The Neo MPA therapy method consists of the following steps: First, the treatment is structured as group therapy. Second, muscle relaxation and meditation techniques from the existing systematic desensitization method are retained, but must incorporate guitar music. Third, the REBT technique is applied to songwriting, facilitating group songwriting sessions. Fourth, a group concert employing the exposure and response prevention (ERP) technique is organized. This study presented a new therapeutic method with supporting arguments for alleviating MPA, and it holds potential as a resource for future research and practical application in therapeutic settings.

This study assessed music performance anxiety (MPA) in ensemble rehearsals and concerts in 278 undergraduate non-music and music majors drawn from 10 Mid-Atlantic institutions in the US to examine the prevalence and experience of MPA in non-music major undergraduates and to determine whether MPA severity differed between non-music majors and music majors. Results for undergraduate non-music majors using the Kenny Music Performance Anxiety Inventory Revised (K-MPAI-r, Kenny, 2009) revealed cognitive, somatic, affective, and behavioral symptoms. Depression, being an instrumentalist, female, and having had a music performance breakdown made significant contributions to K-MPAI-r scores; depression made the strongest unique contribution to prediction of severity of MPA. Greater self-efficacy was correlated with lower MPA for both rehearsals and concert performances. Overall, MPA and depression indicator scores for the sample were higher than other groups that have been previously evaluat...

Reseña del concierto realizado por Marco Mezquida y Juan de la Rubia. Pamplona. Sala de Cámara de Baluarte. 12-IV-2023. Bach & Forward. Recuperado de: https://scherzo.es/pamplona-marco-mezquida-y-juan-de-la-rubia-invocacion-evocacion-recreacion/

International audienceThis article studies the contents of the saxophone methods written between 1846 and 1942, and attempts an epistemological investigation, seeking to determine whether their instrumental instruction was as innovative as the invention of Adolphe Sax. Towards that end, the author uses the tools necessary to define a disciplinary matrix of instruction, and analyzes the different elements that comprise the methods

Unmasking aspects of the private life of a composer like Chopin (including an alleged sexual attraction to men) through an examination of his work is a difficult, if not impossible, task. We can however argue that, throughout the nineteenth century (but especially after his death in 1849), a connection was established between Chopin's music and a "feminine universe." That connection might have had implications in the way a feminized image of the composer was constructed. The analysis of certain aesthetic and stylistic traits of Chopin's music, as well as the imagen his persona projected, can help understand the causes of that perception. Chopin's music has sometimes been branded effeminate, or "salon music": not quite serious, not quite healthy…2 One naturally thinks of him with a skirt on, but one which he has knitted himself.3 Can the sexual life and sexual identity of an artist who lived 200 years ago be of any interest today? In the case of Polish composer Fryderyk Chopin (1810-1849), it seems it can: the controversy generated by the broadcast of Chopin's Men, a very competent and at times fascinating radio documentary by the Swiss journalist Moritz Weber, would confirm it.4 Weber affirms (he does not suggest) that Chopin was a homosexual man who had several relationships with men throughout his life. His claim is supported by letters the composer sent to several men throughout his life, starting in his adolescence. Most of those letters (all written in Polish) have long been published and translated into various languages, including English, but, according to Weber, translators have consistently made "mistakes," perhaps intentionally, in an attempt to

This article offers suggestions on how to incorporate an introduction
to the organizing principles of tonal music into keyboard lessons at a very
early stage. Cadences are explained as combinations of clausulae, starting with
simple two-voice progressions. The concepts of scaffolding voices, additional
voices, and filler voices are introduced to highlight aspects of vertical hierarchy
that tend to be obscured if four-part chords are considered one-sidedly as
entities. The Rule of the Octave is explained as an extension of this cadence
theory. The article explores the origins of the four-part playing that is so
common today in different kinds of ›applied piano playing‹ and calls for a reevaluation
of two- and three-part playing in order to promote a contrapuntal
way of hearing and thinking, as well as a haptic, bodily comprehension of
counterpoint in tonal music.

This article focuses on one of the most influential French virtuosos and pedagogues of the nineteenth century, Pierre-Joseph-Guillaume Zimmerman (1785–1853), and his magnum opus, the Encyclopédie du Pianiste Compositeur (1840). During his tenure as Professor of Piano at the Paris Conservatory (1816–1848), Zimmerman trained dozens of famous virtuosos and composers (i.e., Alkan, Gounod, Franck, and Bizet). In his Encyclopédie, Zimmerman shares the secrets of his pedagogical success. The treatise exceeds almost every other instrumental method of the time in its structure and completeness, for it not only comprises a piano method, but covers the entire canon of subjects a pianist-composer had to master (i.e., sight-reading, transposition, harmony, thoroughbass, partimento, improvisation, counterpoint, and composition). Zimmerman’s Encyclopédie offers far-reaching insights into a highly developed, “holistic” teaching tradition that had set the standard for Liszt’s and Chopin’s education and can still inspire modern approaches to teaching keyboard skills.

Improvising in the French romantic style at the organ" has two important areas of focus. The first is the contextualization of César Franck in nineteenth-century France as musician and organ performer. I have chosen to study César Franck due to the fact that I feel related to his music because of its great expressivity and the emotion it transmits to those who come closer and get involved in his works. The second focus of my thesis is Improvisation in the French Romantic Style. In this part of the work I have documented the development of my own improvisation in context of the history of improvisation, and I also show the great value this art had in France during the second half of the nineteenth century. In conclusion, I present my own improvisation in the form of a romantic symphony with the theme of The Passion of St. Luke.

Ragtime and blues are considered to be direct precursors of jazz. However, at the
beginning of the twentieth century, generic distinctions between ragtime, blues, and
jazz were less marked than they are today. In fact, the terms were often used interchangeably. In this paper, I suggest a widening of our historical lens in order to see
how certain European traditions played an important role in shaping these three
iconic US-American styles.
While relatively much is known about the biographies and oeuvres of the creators
of ragtime, blues, and jazz, music-theoretical contexts and educational backgrounds
of composers do not receive the same scholarly focus. Who were these musicians'
teachers? What exactly did they learn? Analyses only rarely address such topics and
often ignore music-theoretical questions. My research into previously unknown textual and musical sources suggests that the creators of ragtime, blues, and jazz were
not only strongly influenced by a certain European repertoire but also by European
(and particularly German) music-theoretical concepts. I demonstrate that the interaction between African-American musicians and German music teachers and traditions such as the »Leipziger Konservatoriumslehre« may have played a significant
role in the shaping of ragtime, blues, and jazz.

Music performance anxiety (MPA) is common among musicians, and varying levels of MPA inevitably occur in performances. The causes of MPA are difficult to define due to different factors in diverse musicians. Minimal research has been conducted on the causes of MPA and its effect on improvising subjects, specifically percussionists. The following dissertation draws together improvisation and MPA through an analysis of the causes of MPA in improvisational contexts. A proposition of six constraints (tradition, style, performer, instrument, environment and time) was devised by the author through research in existing literature on psychological constraints in improvisation. The ‘six constraints’ were analysed in improvisational contexts as possible causes of MPA. Research originated from personal observations in practice, rehearsals and performances, and was recorded in a reflective journal. Classical and jazz tertiary undergraduate percussionists were also surveyed, which calculated their MPA levels through the Kenny-Music Performance Anxiety Inventory (K-MPAI). A selection of six diverse percussionists (three jazz and three classical) were interviewed and compared to autoethnographic data. Findings suggested that three factors of personal background, perception of the six constraints, and MPA acknowledgement and management had positive and negative effects to MPA levels. These concepts correlated with cognitive processing, and therefore revealed that the musician’s perception affected MPA levels and not the effect of the improvisational context. Further research also found positive factors assisting MPA alleviation, including improvisation and identifying cognitive distortions. The project addresses the importance of MPA, health, and performance psychology in future artistic research to assist creativity and expression.

Vier Préludes von Claude Debussy bilden den Ausgangspunkt für Überlegungen zur Interpretation und Präsentation der Klavierwerke in einem Lecture Recital. Die wichtigsten Lebensstationen des Komponisten ebenso wie die Motivationen und Inspirationen, die Debussy zum Komponieren dieser Préludes aus dem Premier Livre veranlasst haben, werden in der vorliegenden Arbeit zur Sprache gebracht und führen zur künstlerischen Beschäftigung mit den ausgewählten Préludes: Danseuses de Delphes, Les collines d'Anacapri, La fille aux cheveux de lin und La Cathédrale engloutie. Grundlage für die Interpretation dieser Stücke ist die Frage nach dem Pedalgebrauch genauso wie die Diskussion der wichtigsten musikalischen Merkmale. Dazu gehören auch jene vom Komponisten angeführten Vortragsbezeichnungen, die mit ihrer sprachlichen Qualität und in Übereinstimmung mit der Musik den impressionistischen Stil

A contemporary of Franz Liszt and Marie Pleyel, Louis Moreau Gottschalk moved to Paris from Louisiana in 1841, and spent the next twelve years establishing his career as the first successful American virtuoso pianist in Europe. This paper interprets Gottschalk’s time in Paris in light of recent research on cultural mobility and musical professionalism. As I will show, Gottschalk explored two alternatives as he worked to create his professional and artistic identity: at first, he followed (unsuccessfully) in Fryderyk Chopin’s footsteps as a Parisian salon pianist, but he abandoned this effort in 1849. With the help of his publishers, the Escudier Brothers, Gottschalk re-launched his career with a major recital in Paris on 17 April 1849. Gottschalk’s subsequent success rested on his new artistic identity as an American, which he established through four pieces that combine Creole tunes and his essentially European virtuosic compositional style. For the European audience, Gottschalk became an exotic Other, ironically a reassuringly familiar figure in the Parisian concert circuit.
Gottschalk left Europe in 1853, spending the rest of his career touring throughout the Caribbean, North and South America before his death in Brazil in 1869. I argue that throughout his career, Gottschalk attracted audiences through a judicious use of music native to wherever he was performing, folded into a European piano style. By removing traditional music from its original cultural context, and inserting it into his pieces, Gottschalk capitalized on modes of thinking and skills employed by “cultural nomads” as defined by Eva Hoffman. By playing with the line between exoticism and nationalism, cultural insider and outsider, Gottschalk was able to build an artistic identity based on skills he developed throughout his nomadic life.

This chapter surveys improvisation in the western classical tradition during a period of transition ca. 1800-1830. It considers not only why improvisational practices declined in this period, but also how they were preserved and revalidated in accordance with new musical values. It examines the free fantasies of Johann Nepomuk Hummel, an exceptionally famous composer-virtuoso of this period who was renowned for his improvisational brilliance. Critical responses and public reactions suggest that Hummel's free fantasies were valued for their capacity to bridge the gap between connoisseurs and dilettantes, as well as the gap between public and private spheres. The chapter reflects on solo improvisation and its relationship to the social significance of improvisation.

The better quality pdf is downloadible from here: "http://www.leoalmanac.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/LEAVol19No3-Mailman.pdf
Through recent artistic practices and technology of interactive systems for music, composition and improvisation have more and more blended and interconnected with each other – a sui generis situation now called comprovisation. The concept of comprovisation applies equally well to the spontaneous generation and manipulation of computer graphics, especially as such graphics are systematically coordinated audio-visually, while being subject to spontaneous manipulation by a performer.
This is explained in terms of the Fluxations and FluxNoisations Human Body Interfaces, interactive dance systems that generate music and graphics spontaneously in response to hand and body movement. They enable spontaneous expressive shaping of coherent complexity and variety. Thus a multi-layered multimodal experience arises. The aesthetic experience of this multimedia spectacle relates to experiences of various prior music and visual art of the 19th, 20th, and 21st centuries, as well as to hypothetical physical realities. Thus a kind of cybernetic phenomenology of art is pursued and enacted through an embodied cybersynthesis of art with simulated alternate reality. Call it a pragmatic speculative realism, an adventurous technoetic ‘what if.’ As compared to more traditional forms of improvisation, the opportunities for risk-taking and aesthetic exploration rise to a new level of uncertainty, as the reactions of the improviser simultaneously draw from and target both visual and aural modalities, such that the intentions toward each fuse together."