The co-composition pendulum: Reevaluating the composer-performer relationship.
Luca Piovesan
The accordion is a relatively new instrument in contemporary music. Consequently, composers can rely on little literature to understand the mechanic and sonic possibilities of the accordion. Moreover, the existing repertoire for accordion is very small. Therefore, as the researcher has experienced, collaborations with composers are strongly characterized by a close relationship between composer and performer whereby the performer often takes an active role in the creation of musical material. This PhD research by Luca Piovesan aims to pry open the proverbial cracks in general opinion by further obscuring the accordion’s operation from the composer, including through the use of an array of electronic sound shapers. With this personalized instrument, the researcher will set up new collaborations with composers and analyze the results of the co-creative processes with the theoretical tools of semiotic and historical analysis.
Symphonia Botanica: Composing For Instrumental Collectives And Orchestras From An Ecological Perspective
Michelle Agnes Magalhaes
Symphonia Botanica is an artistic research that rethinks musical composition, focusing on the relational aspects of collectives and orchestral groups. By restructuring orchestral traditional hierarchies and categories, our aim is to enhance interaction among musicians and the environment, promoting more levels of collaboration. The research draws support from an ecology-focused bibliography, aiming to broaden Murray Schafer's vision of the field. Additionally, we explore how ecological concepts intersect with musical practice. For this, we will develop a series of works and protocols to facilitate collective engagement for orchestras and ensembles. Through this study, we will examine how structurally reorganizing orchestral groups impacts musical results. Spanning two cultural contexts—Europe and South America—this research allows us to diversify the proposed practices and compare the results obtained on both continents.
Jacques Albert & Victor-Charles Mahillon, brothers in arms?
Stefaan Verdegem
Jacques Albert (1849-1918) may be considered the most important Belgian oboe maker of the 19th and early 20th centuries. He was not only the son of the renowned Brussels woodwind instrument maker Eugène Albert, but he was also a qualified oboist of the Brussels Royal Conservatory. In addition to oboes and bassoons, he also produced other woodwind instruments, such as flutes and clarinets. He was therefore both a colleague and a competitor of his contemporary, Victor-Charles Mahillon. Surviving instruments by both makers sometimes show remarkable similarities and shed new light on the relationship of these two major Brussels instrument makers from around the turn of the twentieth century.
Towards a "Herstory" of the Saxophone: A Subaltern History of Black and White Women Saxophonists in the North Atlantic (1870-1940)
Kurt Bertels
This project studies women saxophonists in the United States and Europe in the late 19th and early 20th century. Black and White women were highly attracted to Adolphe Sax’s revolutionary invention. The project demonstrates that women embraced the instrument’s subversive status to express identities while disrupting traditional musical conventions. Going against the tenet, the project hypothesizes that early saxophone culture was not simply dominated by White-Male performers from France, but that women either reinterpreted the French performance paradigm or even invented a saxophone practice of their own. They thus became the center of public imagination and criticism within a normative zeitgeist. To explore this central hypothesis, I will study the reception of first-generation women saxophonists in the light of historical conceptions of musicianship, gender and race, analyze individual performance practices and saxophone aesthetics of prominent performers, and create a historically informed performance of these women’s repertoire.
Read also: Towards a “Herstory” of the Saxophone | Koninklijk Conservatorium Brussel
“Töne sind höhere Worte” (Sounds are higher words)
Marco Mantovani
This research aims to approach Schumann’s works from perspective of the performing artist. In doing so, theoretical aspects and historical context will be considered as well as the study of 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 seek to fathom the composer’s deepest thoughts from his own artistic practice and understanding, nourished not only by the extensive study of Schumann’s models, both musical and literary, but also by the frequentation with those 20th Century and contemporary literary, philosophical and musical trends firmly rooted in the same tradition. The research will culminate in the performance and recording of these compositions.
Accompagnamenti Straordinari in de tweede helft van de Zeventiende Eeuw
Maria Gonzalez
This dissertation aims to identify and define extraordinary accompaniments within Italian basso continuo practices (1650-1700), examining their characteristics, classification, and practical application. By analyzing primary basso continuo sources and integrating this knowledge directly into the repertoire, this research bridges the gap between historical understanding and practical use. In doing so, these practices will become much more accessible to performers, scholars, and the broader musical community. Ultimately, this study seeks to revive these accompaniments within current HIPP performance and pedagogy.
From Servais over Casals to today: an innovative look at the Brussels basses of the romantic Belgian cello school.
Benjamin Glorieux
The famous Spanish cellist Pablo Casals (1876-1973) mentioned in his autobiography that in 1895 he came to study at the Brussels Conservatoire. Although little came of these plans, it is noteworthy that the Brussels cello class had great international appeal. According to biographer Peter François, this was the result of the work and artistic legacy of essentially one man, namely François Servais (1807-1866). Does an identifiable substantive-artistic Brussels cello school also exist, and if so, to what extent is it still relevant? How does Servais' oeuvre relate to the context of this school, or even to his and our time, and can we put our finger on the specific artistic characteristics of the Brussels cellists? If so, to what extent did they continue to work to this day?
The interacting field between limitation and freedom in musical theatre
An Vanderstighelen
Since the #MeToo movement (2017) is now approximately seven years old, it is time for reflection and evaluation. What are the consequences of the movement for artistic decision-making among Gen Z actors/students during the rehearsal and performance process in musical theater, drama, and television? This research aims to investigate current theater practices regarding #MeToo and analyze how the movement is currently addressed on stage. It seeks to instigate change in backstage theater practices. Several questions arise in this context: What changes have occurred because of or thanks to the #MeToo movement? What are the implications for the cultural field as well as within the pedagogical context of musical theater and drama? What are the consequences for artistic creation? And how can we preserve the teaching of drama and the narrative spectrum of actors in this changing world without compromising safety and mutual consent?
Crossing Universes: Bow improvisation by combining classical and jazz music
Filippe Caporali Leonelo
Within jazz, the use of the bow for improvisation is considered an enriching technique for developing an instrumental idiom on the double bass. Throughout history, many bass players have developed their own approach to bow playing, but the lack of specific material dedicated to arco improvisation within improvised jazz and other non-classical genres means that this practice remains largely underutilized. This doctoral research aims to develop, based on artistic practice, a string method for double bass that combines elements from jazz and western classical music, with a focus on improvisation. The different ways of phrasing, the specific vocabulary and timbre, the need for flexibility to compose “on the spot” and to interact spontaneously creates inherent problems for which the tools provided in jazz and classical music training are not always sufficient.
Contemporary Vocal Jazz: An Artistic Cartography Of European Encounters
Barbara Wiernik
While American vocal jazz is well-established, European vocal jazz is still defining its unique identity. Since the 1970s, it has blended local influences with jazz traditions, resulting in a rich and diverse musical landscape. European singers have continually pushed boundaries by merging voices with instruments, exploring new sonic territories through improvisation, and adopting various distinctive techniques. This fusion not only enhances the local jazz scene but also contributes to the cultural diversity of vocal jazz on a global scale. As a musician and researcher, I employ an artistic practice-based approach. Through indepth encounters with singers and jazz historians, I delve into the evolving role of the jazz singer and the current trends shaping vocal jazz in Europe. This methodology allows me to uncover the dynamic innovations driving the genre forward.
Possibilities and Directions, a New Approach in Double Bass Improvisation
Stefan Lievestro
In free improvisation on double bass, the area in between functional contexts on the one hand and the creation of unconventional sounds by means of extended techniques on the other, remains largely unexplored. By means of investigating the structures and mechanisms in the free and modal improvisations of Herbie Hancock, and modifying these materials in accordance with the limitations and possibilities of the contrabass, Stefan aims at developing strategies and methods that should enable bassists to achieve a higher level of cohesive abstraction in the realm free improvisation. Free improvisation is very much about interaction and intuition, but the more readily available, practical information there is for intuition to work with – the larger the base of applicable knowledge – the deeper, richer and freer, personal expression in free improvisation will be.
Spectral techniques in jazz performance
Piergiorgio Pirro
Spectralism is an attitude toward musical composition that emerged in 1970s Europe, particularly through the work of a group of French composers such as Gérard Grisey and Tristan Murail. Spectral music shifts attention from discrete musical categories towards notions of process, continuity, and the exploration of perceptual and cultural thresholds. This research project takes a spectral approach to music making in small jazz ensembles, exploring the implications of the cognitive and aesthetic paradigms that spectralism has to offer. Piergiorgio Pirro has a particular interest in developing new sounds and harmonies that go beyond the capabilities of the equally tempered piano, while exploring the ways that the change towards a spectral attitude affects the jazz ensemble as a creative collective.