Res#19+: PhDs

The renowned Spanish cellist Pablo Casals (1876–1973) writes in his autobiography that in 1895 he was determined to study at the Brussels Conservatory at all costs. Although these plans ultimately came to little, it is remarkable that the Brussels cello class already had a significant international reputation. According to biographer Peter François, this is largely the result of the work and artistic legacy of one man in particular: François Servais, a native of Halle. Can a distinctively Belgian, content-driven cello school also be identified, and does it continue to thrive today? How does Servais’ oeuvre relate to both the context of his time and our own, and can we pinpoint the specific artistic characteristics of Brussels cellists?

This research approaches Schumann’s works from the perspective of the performing artist. It considers both theoretical aspects and historical context, as well as investigating how these compositions were inspired by the style and psychology of writers such as E.T.A. Hoffmann and Jean Paul Richter. The researcher will also attempt to gain insight into the composer’s deepest intentions through their own artistic practice and understanding, informed not only by extensive study of Schumann’s models—both musical and literary—but also by engagement with twentieth-century and contemporary literary, philosophical, and musical movements that are firmly rooted in the same tradition. The study will culminate in the performance and recording of these compositions.

The PhD research of Jens Demey aims to develop an informed artistic practice for contrabass tubas from 1845 (its invention) to the present day, using a cultural-historical context and an organological study. With a tube length of approximately 6 metres, the contrabass tuba is the largest brass instrument and thus the foundation of the orchestra. Its construction has changed significantly throughout history, while local construction traditions have remained intact. This has led to an enormous variety of instrument types (i.e. contrabass tuba varieties), which this study examines for the first time from an artistic perspective. In addition to developing an informed performance practice, this research will lead to a better cultural-historical understanding of the contrabass tuba and the development of innovative techniques in organology, which will be translated into contemporary instrument making. 

Around 1800, Joseph Haydn and Johann Nepomuk Hummel each composed a trumpet concerto, for chromatic keyed trumpet. This keyed trumpet, like the keyed bugle, slide trumpet, stop trumpet, cornopean and other early 19th-century trumpet forms, is one of the forerunners of today's trumpet. In 1900, Alphonse Goeyens, trumpet teacher at the Conservatoire Royal de Bruxelles, discovered a manuscript of the Haydn concerto in the conservatory library. This research aims to examine the evolution of chromatic trumpets in the Low Countries within these 100 years. For this purpose, we focus on Brussels and Ghent (two of the earliest conservatories in our country), two influential Belgian cultural centres, which have been underexposed both culturally and artistically in terms of the development of these chromatic trumpets. In a first step, this research will identify historical source material from national and international archives. In a second step, we aim to link these sources to historical instrumentation, instrument builders and performers. In a third step, using historical playing methods, chamber music and solo repertoire, this research will critically analyse the performance practice of chromatic trumpets in order to reconstruct a historically informed performance practice in a final step. Using both cultural-historical knowledge and historically informed artistic praxis, this research will contribute to the understanding of the chromatic trumpet. 

This research examines the pioneering role of Chiquinha Gonzaga in shaping Brazilian Choro, focusing on the intersection of gender, race and musicianship in late 19th- and early 20th-century Brazil. As a mixed-race woman in a predominantly male musical sphere, Gonzaga defied societal norms, becoming Brazil’s first female conductor and a key figure in Choro’s development, a genre historically dominated by men. This study aims to 1) analyze the reception of Gonzaga’s work in historical sources, revealing gendered biases that shaped perceptions of women musicians; 2) investigate Gonzaga’s distinctive musical aesthetics and performance practices within Choro, assessing how race and gender intersected to shape her artistic output in a historically marginalized musical tradition; 3) transcribe her works for classical guitar, addressing the absence of women composers in the instrument’s repertoire and laying the foundation for a performance practice of her overlooked repertoire. By integrating historical research, music analysis and performance practice, this project challenges the systemic exclusion of women from music history and advocates for a more inclusive and equitable representation, restoring Gonzaga's legacy through publications, critical editions and a CD recording.