Interconnection of linguistics and musical art

The terminology of music semiology, which is an academic discipline with a significant educational resonance and a necessary component of music and educational practice at its higher educational and qualification levels, lies at the intersection of the main aspects of musicology such as the history of music, the theory and analysis of musical forms, music aesthetics and the theory of music interpretation, and others. Music semiology covers the transitional methodological abilities due to its subject reference points and the wide range of the material involved in the cognitive field. Music semiology can be considered a necessary basic discipline for the professional training of musicologists and practicing musicians of any programme. There is no doubt about the importance of mastering the language system, which is fundamental in the chosen field of communication. As an academic discipline, music semiology can be presented according to the way its terminology is built, it includes three main themes among which each of the following continues the meaning of the previous one by deepening and enlarging, detailing in an analytical way. Scientific novelty is determined by the fact that unlike music semiotics and the theory of music semantics.

Keyboard instruments in the system of R. Tureck’s individual performing style

Statement of the problem. The thinking of a performer is conditioned by the organology and “sound image” of his instrument, which gives rise to questions about how flexible is the individual style of musicians who have mastered several instruments. Especially when it comes to performers who turn to related instruments, playing techniques of which are sometimes mutually exclusive. Analysis of recent research and publication. The research is based on works, the subject of which is the study of: 1) the sound image of the instrument (N. Riabukha, I. Sukhlenko and N. Kuchma); 2) the specifics of the organology of keyboard instruments and the regularities of interpretation of Baroque era works (N. Sikorska, M. Latcham, J. Chapman, R. Cypess, J. E. O. La Rosa and C. Wagner); 3) issues of music interpretation (H. J. Hinrichsen). Main objective of the study is to identify the role of keyboard instruments in the system of R. Tureck’s individual performing style. The scientific novelty is to create a holistic creative portrait of R. Tureck. Research methodology focuses on the relationship of special methods of analysis: comparative, systematic, stylistic and interpretive. Results. The American pianist, teacher, writer, lecturer R. Tureck was a representative of the generation of musicians of the twentieth century who became famous due to their interpretations of J. S. Bach’s legacy. At the same time, she was one of those who responded to the changes that happened in academic musical art under the influence of the development of sound recording and electronic instruments. Under the guidance of L. Theremin, she studied for a year to play the theremin and synthesizer of the inventor, and since the late 60’s of the twentieth century she played various models of Moog synthesizer. R. Tureck also collaborated with the famous American scientist Hugo Benioff to create an electronic piano. It was concluded that R. Tureck’s interest in electronic instruments, which influenced her performing thinking, can be explained by the fact that: 1. R. Tureck tried to bring J.S. Bach’s music to modern sounding. 2. This was a feature of her individual creative style. 3. She dreamed of creating a new concert instrument. Conclusions. R. Tureck mastered all the existing keyboard music instruments at that time and participated in the creation of a new one. This experience enriched the sound of her interpretations and confirmed the fact that the desire to recreate the deep sense of music works by Baroque era composers does not imply the rejection of the sound of modern instruments.

Music as a Tool for Shaping the Growing Individual: A Review

The paper is directed at contributing to the awareness of the need to emphasize the need for music education in schools. Music has largely been touted as a tool for training, however, it is practically being employed as a source of entertainment and a means of engaging learners in the classroom, thereby paying less attention to its evolving effect on the individual. Consequently, a number of literature emphasizing the importance of music as an instrument for the total development of the learner, has been thoroughly reviewed in this paper. This is to expose stakeholders of education particularly educators, policymakers, parents and heads of educational institutions to the inseparable benefits of music in the general education of the learner. It is therefore crucial for teachers and heads of schools to liaise with Parent-teacher associations, non-governmental organizations, School management boards and the Ministry of Education to help furnish schools with appropriate musical instruments and facilities such as sound laboratories, secluded rooms for audio-visuals to aid teachers and learners in the teaching and learning endeavour. Keywords: Music education, Philosophy of music, Interpretation of music education

The Image of a Solo Instrument Player as a Media Celebrity in the 21st Century

In the article entitled The Image of a Solo Instrument Player as a Media Celebrity in the 21st Century, the author analyses the profiles of three musicians promoted by the contemporary media. These artists are: Lola Astanova, Stjepan Hauser and David Garrett. All of them, apart from the fact they are technically skilful performers, are also media personalities. They combine classical playing style with pop-culture image and visual setting of their performances. The author attempts to uncover the sources of their popularity and explain the mechanisms how the demand for the artistic activity of instrumentalists creating art (both music interpretation and the widely understood setting of a performance) synthetising tradition and innovativeness is generated. The described phenomena include the topics related to: the specificity of the images of celebrity instrument players and their function in the society, the homogenous culture of the 21st century, the widely-understood media coverage, consumerism, etc. The article has two parts. The first part is theoretical and it is based on the analysis and description of academic literature connected with the chosen subject matter referring to sociological topics and modern tendencies connected with culture. Another point in this section of the article is the presentation of the profiles of the selected artists. The second part is the report from the academic study conducted by the author of the article. It is a description of interviews with responders who wanted to share their opinions about the recordings of Astanova, Hauser and Garrett which were presented to them. The interviews were conducted by means of the social media and phone. The studies showed how different the impressions related to the same recordings might be even in a small group of respondents. These conclusions might serve as an inspiration for the development of research studying the influence of transformations taking place in modern culture on the tastes of audiences and the actual demand for artists who are well-adjusted to the requirements of modern audiences in terms of their image.

Body Building Music: The Kinase Instalation

Thinking on the congruencies between music and sports, we propose with this art installation some novel paths and connections for music production in a little explored field, in the interdisciplinarity with sports. Some similarities in the acting of musicians and athletes, such as the need of technical domain through discipline and practice. A musician who wants to develop her/his technical skills needs to follow a hard routine of practical studies, focusing in improving motor abilities with the proposing to play the piece in the better way possible. This process has a close proximity with the athlete’s during their preparation. Hours of intense practice to improve some motor skills that can enable them to improve their performance. The disciplines can be interpolated in a way that we can argue: there is always something physical on a music interpretation, as well as there is always something artistic in a sport competition. In the inner area between art/music and sports some modalities are easier to verify this symbiosis, as in the choreographic sports. These modalities are evaluated by both physical and artistic parameters. Our work focus in a particular sport modality that has a part of scoring which is evaluated through a choreographic routine: The Bodybuilding.

Documenting acousmatic music interpretation

PurposeExtending documentation and analysis frameworks for acousmatic music to performance/interpretation, from an information science point of view, will benefit the transmission and preservation of a repertoire with an idiosyncratic relation to performance and technology. The purpose of this paper is to present the outcome of a qualitative research aiming at providing a conceptual model theorizing the intricate relationships between the multiple dimensions of acousmatic music interpretation.Design/methodology/approachThe methodology relies on the grounded theory. A total of 12 Interviews were conducted over a period of three years in France, Québec and Belgium, grounded in theoretical sampling.FindingsThe analysis outcome describes eight dimensions in acousmatic performance, namely, musical, technical, anthropological, psychological, social, cultural, linguistic and ontological. Discourse profiles are provided in relation to each participant. Theory development led to the distinction between documentation of interpretation as an expertise and as a profession.Research limitations/implicationsData collection is limited to French-speaking experts, for historical and methodological reasons.Practical implicationsThe model stemming from the analysis provides a framework for documentation which will benefit practitioners and organizations dedicated to the dissemination of acousmatic music. The model also provides this community with a tool for characterizing expert discourses about acousmatic performance and identifying content areas to further investigate. From a research point of view, the theorization leads to the specification of new directions and the identification of relevant epistemological frameworks.Originality/valueThis research brings a new vision of acousmatic interpretation, extending the literature on this repertoire’s performance with a more holistic perspective.