Session Information
29 SES 03, Parallel Paper Session
Paper Session
Contribution
In musical research different approaches to narrative have been discussed (Barrett & Stauffer, 2009; Almén, 2008; Bowman, 2006; Maus, 1991, 1997, 2005), and narrative “It is viewed variously as “story”, as a “mode of knowing” and constructing meaning” (Barrett & Stauffer, 2009: 7), as it “records human experience through the construction and reconstruction of personal stories” (Webster & Mertova, 2007: 1).
As a composer, I find music composition inseparable from a communicative approach. Usually while composing, I not only imagine the future context of the performance, but I also create narratives. This induces many “imaginings” (Walton, 1990), which guide all my compositional decisions. “… If we look carefully, especially if we are willing to look under the surface, we stand to find more than a little imagining in our experience of music, even of fugues and sonatas, and many of our imaginings would seem to be called for by the music. Why doesn’t the content of these imaginings constitute fictional worlds, the worlds of music? And doesn’t this make the music representational, as literature and painting are?” (Walton, 1990: 60).
Metaphor theory accepts that language is a reflection of our conceptual understanding of the world. As music is an abstract domain, the use of metaphorical processes allows individuals to create structures that enable music learning. Lakoff and Johnson (2003) explain that it is only through metaphorical processes that, for instance, we can comprehend how music moves through time and they propose that “most of our normal conceptual system is metaphorically structured; that is, most concepts are partially understood in terms of other concepts” (2003: 56). Swanwick adds that a metaphorical process always includes the “shifting an image or concept to a new context” (2006: 495).
The starting point of this research was the creation of a newmusic orchestral piece, which was specifically written for young musicians to play. The music piece was built around a children’s story, and used both a narrator, in a dialogue with music played by the orchestra, and projected images, in an attempt to unite verbal, visual and auditory codes.
The main objective was to examine not only the young players’ motivations but also their instrumental acquisition after performing the newmusic piece.
One of the difficulties pointed to new music includes lack of context, unfamiliarity with notation and new techniques, difficulty with the composer’s style and rhythm, etc. Therefore, in order to introduce contemporary music language to younger players, the requirements of the instrumental lines for the different young performers were thought in relation to pitch, rhythmic interest, line support, independence and accompaniment level. Also, special care was given to the instrumentation and orchestration; the piece was written using different contemporary instrumental effects adapted to the players instrumental level and skills, but with enough challenge to require commitment and to enable the performers to grow as musicians.
Method
Expected Outcomes
References
ALMEN, B. (2008), “A Theory of Musical Narrative”. Bloomington: Indiana University Press. BARRETT & STAUFFER (2009), “Narrative Inquire: From Story to Method”, in Barrett & Stauffer B. (eds), Narrative Inquire in Music Education. Springer, Australia & USA, 7-17. BOWMAN, W. (2006), Why narrative? Why now?”, Research studies in Music Education, 27, 5-20. LAKOFF, G.; JOHNSON, M. (2003). Metaphors we live by. Chicago: University of Chicago Press. Original work published 1980. MAUS, F. (1991), “Music as Narrative”, Indiana Theory Review, 12, pp.1-34 MAUS, F. (1997), “Music as Drama”, in J. Robinson (ed), Music and Meaning. Cornell University Press, Ithaca and London, pp. 105-130. MAUS, F. (2005), “Classical Instrumental Music and Narrative”, in James Phelan and Peter Rabinowitz (eds), A companion to Narrative Theory. Blackwell Publishing Ltd, UK, pp. 466-483. SWANWICK, K. (2006). Metaphor and the mission of the arts. In L. Bresler (Ed). International Handbook of Research in Arts Education. Amsterdam: Springer, pp. 495–500. WALTON, K. (1990), “Listening with imagination: Is music representational?”, in J. Robinson (ed), Music and Meaning. Cornell University, New York, pp. 57-82. WEBSTER, L. & MERTOVA, P. (2007), “Using Narrative Inquire as a research method”. London and New York: Routledge.
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