Case-study Bach; Nannerl Mozart

The case-study on Bach mentioned in the previous framework should be more related to the actual performance practice. Actually, this is not difficult as I have clear example of a concert with Bach and new improvisations/compositions with flutist Martijn Alsters in Zaltbommel this summer. I just did not think of that before. Here is the program:

We are preparing more concerts in this way.

Yesterday I watched Robert Levin's lecture-recital Improvising Mozart at Cambridge University. I did not know that Mozart wrote pseudo-improvisations for his sister. Nannerl could not improvise, but evidently was expected to do so during recitals, as that was the habit. So her brother helped her a little to make the audience believe she was improvising. Wolfgang improvised all the time while performing; "I just play what comes to my mind".

Adjustments after meeting Oct 15

- regarding the research question, "A perform practice" has been changed in "A certain performance practice", which I intended to say in the first place but evidently was not clear in language
- Marcel rightly suggested that I should limit the huge field of partimenti to one particular case
- the methodology is clearer now: the heart of the matter is internalizing the musical material similar to radif and partimenti in such a way that every detail if it can be performed at any given moment (in my case also without the instrument and even while being half asleep). In addition, studying sources on radif partimenti and contemporary performance practices. 

For the time being the result is:

Research question: can a certain performance practice of eighteenth and nineteenth century Western classical music in which improvisation, composition and interpretation were fully integrated be revitalized in a contemporary context, with a connection to world music, jazz and pop?

Aim: restoring improvisation as a missing link between composition and interpretation in contemporary performance practices

Methodology: 1. internalizing the music material which forms the basis of my performance practice 2. studying the tripartition improvisation/composition/interpretation in various contexts, in particular partimento playing in Western classical music, radif in Persian classical music and contemporary performance practices by other musicians.

Outcome: a structured discipline of exercises for improvisation similar to partimento playing and radif, which is integrated in my performance practice, solo and with other musicians

Significance: 

-generating new insights into interpretation and improvisation and consequently provide new possibilities for performances
-functioning as a case study of combining several, often segregated from each other, musical disciplines and traditions

I am thinking now of studying the field of partimenti in search of a particular performance practice that would suit my purpose and use a bit of imagination to make it a good spring board for my 21st century practice, by inventing a little story:

"In 18th century Naples, a student of a conservatorio is preparing for -besides his daily studies of partimenti- a performance of a piece by Domenico Scarlatti, then famous in the whole of Europe for his brilliant oeuvre for cembalo. One evening, he plays the piece by Scarlatti during a concert for a small audience of music lovers and connoisseurs. As the piece is well-known and a touchstone for any clavecinist, he does his best to play exactly what is written in the score and be acclaimed for his refined interpretation. The next day, however, during his daily routine of partimenti, he remembers an intriguing passage from Scarlatti's score and starts to play around with it, in an improvisatory manner. He then combines the passage with some of the partimenti that he is actually working at, as a special exercise and to make the improvisation more varied. The same evening, he shares his musical experiment with some fellow musicians in an informal setting, different from the concert the day before. This time, he doesn't play around, but critically judges the balance between variety and repetitions, as a composer would do and returning home he makes some sketches, as a memory aid. On Sunday, at the organ in a church nearby, he is asked to play some music during the offertory. Again our student improvises on the passage by Scarlatti and the partimenti, according to the sketches he made, but taking care to adapt his improvisation to the particular qualities and needs of the organ. During the week that follows, he writes a complete version of the piece, one that he considers as well-balanced. This does not imply that on future occasions he would always play this version; on the contrary, one day, waiting for his bread at the baker's, he heard someone whistle a tune that would match his piece to perfection, so he decided to integrate that also, with some slight adjustments. On another occasion, this adapted version served a duet for flute and cembalo. Unfortunately, the student's piece did not remain in history; the manuscript was never printed and one day accidentally thrown away by his landlady."

Of course, if I should find something similar in historical facts this story would not be necessary, but I doubt if that will be the case. But is this kind of imagination allowed in artistic research, or should I stick to a correct academic framework?

Adjustment

Research question: can a performance practice of eighteenth and nineteenth century Western classical music in which improvisation, composition and interpretation were fully integrated be revitalized in a contemporary context, with a connection to world music, jazz and pop?

Aim: restoring improvisation as a missing link between composition and interpretation in contemporary performance practices

Methodology: studying the tripartition improvisation/composition/interpretation in various contexts, in particular partimento playing in Western classical music and radif in Persian classical music

Outcome: a structured discipline of exercises for improvisation similar to partimento playing and radif, which is integrated in my performance practice, solo and with other musicians

Significance: 

-generating new insights into interpretation and improvisation and consequently provide new possibilities for performances
-functioning as a case study of combining several, often segregated from each other, musical disciplines and traditions

Comments Ilya and Marcel

Regarding the suggested improvement in the previous post, Ilya and Marcel had some very useful advice: 

Ilya:

to me it looks very much clear and to the point.  I would maybe only add the following:

Method: developing a structured discipline of exercises similar to partimento playing, relying on various multi-stylistic resources.

Significance: generating new insights into interpretation and improvisation and consequently provide new possibilities for performances. And more generally, functioning as a study case of combining several, often segregated from each other, musical disciplines. 

Although the above might lead to several questions and difficulties you will have to address, it captures somehow your multi disciplinary / stylistically approach, which is essential I think, both as a method as well as an agenda of your research. Looking forward to see what the rest think.

Marcel:

I agree with Ilya that this is quite an improvement compared to the previous formulation of your research question.

 

What I think is needed now, is a kind of elaboration of this research q. First, you should come up with some fine arguments/references which underpin your first statement that in the 18th and 19th century improv, composing and interpretation were "fully" integrated. Second you have to show that this "integration" has collapsed since then. Third, you should indicate how you think this can be revitalized once more; in the same way? Predecessors?

Would also be nice to read how this question comes straight from your artistic practice.

 

Is what you name "method" not the final artistic results of your research? IMO, a large part of your methodology has to go into reading historical, philosophical, musicological, and cultural sources dealing with this tripartition impro-comp-interpr and its developments. Do you really want to do that? And where has the INdian and African connections gone?

 

Re-defining research question, aim, method and significance

Yesterday's meeting with the ACPA Improvisation Research Group made clear that the research question, aim and significance as described in the previous post were still not good. The following may be an improvement.

Research question: can  a performance practice of the eighteenth and nineteenth century in which improvisation, composition and interpretation were fully integrated be re-vitalized in a contemporary context?

Aim: restoring improvisation as a missing link between composition and interpretation in contemporary performance practices

Method: developing a structured discipline of exercises for improvisation similar to partimento playing and integrate this in my performance practice, solo and with other musicians

Significance: generating new insights into interpretation and improvisation and consequently creating new possibilities for performers