High school string players’ perceptions of violin, trumpet, and voice intonation.

We studied young string players’ perception of intonation in accompanied solo performances of trumpet, voice, and violin. We were interested in whether pitch deviations of equal magnitude in the three solo performances would be judged as equivalent in intonation. Listeners were 71 middle and high school string players who heard trumpet, voice, and violin performances of “Ave Maria” (Bach/ Gounod) accompanied by piano. Pitch levels of the soloists were in-tune or became progressively more sharp or flat (by 10, 20, and 30 cents) relative to the accompaniment. Intonation changes in the sharp direction were judged as more out-of-tune for the violin than equivalent alterations of voice and trumpet. In flat direction changes, violin was also heard as slightly more out-of-tune than the other soloists for deviations of 30 cents, but was judged similar to the other two for deviations of 10 and 20 cents. Additional research is necessary to investigate whether this outcome was a result of these string players’ heightened sensitivity to string intonation

Filter-based approach for ornamentation detection and recognition in singing folk music

This is a Conference paper presented by the authors at the CAiP 2015; 16th International Conference on Computer Analysis of Images and Patterns, held in Malta from the 2 to 4 September, 2015.Ornamentations in music play a significant role for the emotion which a performer or a composer aims to create. The automated identification of ornamentations enhances the understanding of music, which can be used as a feature for tasks such as performer identification or mood classification. Existing methods rely on a pre-processing step that performs note segmentation. We propose an alternative method by adapting the existing two-dimensional COSFIRE filter approach to onedimension (1D) for the automatic identification of ornamentations in monophonic folk songs. We construct a set of 1D COSFIRE filters that are selective for the 12 notes of the Western music theory. The response of a 1D COSFIRE filter is computed as the geometric mean of the differences between the fundamental frequency values in a local neighbourhood and the preferred values at the corresponding positions. We apply the proposed 1D COSFIRE filters to the pitch tracks of a song at every position along the entire signal, which in turn give response values in the range [0,1]. The 1D COSFIRE filters that we propose are effective to recognize meaningful musical information which can be transformed into symbolic representations and used for further analysis. We demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed methodology in a new data set that we introduce, which comprises five monophonic Cypriot folk tunes consisting of 428 ornamentations. The proposed method is effective for the detection and recognition of ornamentations in singing folk music.This research was funded from the Republic of Cyprus through the Cyprus research promotion foundation and also supported by the University of Cyprus by the research grant ANΘPΩΠIΣTIKEΣ / ANΘPΩ / 0311(BE) / 19.peer-reviewe

Style and interpretation in the nineteenth‐century German violin school with particular reference to the three sonatas for pianoforte and violin by Johannes Brahms

From the mid nineteenth to early twentieth centuries the performance of Brahms’s music was intricately bound with the performance style of artists within his circle. In violin playing Joseph Joachim (1831‐1907) was the foremost exponent of the German violin school. The stylistic characteristics of this school, which included selective use of a pre‐modern style of vibrato, prominent application of portamento, predominantly legato approach to bow strokes and the frequent and noticeable modification of tempo and rhythm, were considered indispensable expressive devices by Joachim, Brahms and others associated with this circle. While the use of such devices in the nineteenth century has been well documented in published research over the past 15 years or so, there is currently much contention about the extent to which such devices were employed. Importantly, in addition to written documentation and solo recordings, this thesis examines recordings of chamber ensembles—whose members had a connection to the German violin school and/or Brahms—that as yet have been little consulted as primary source evidence. Spectrogram analyses of many of these recordings provide definitive evidence of vibrato that was narrow in width, fast, and applied selectively. Other new evidence in my thesis strongly supports the hypothesis that portamento, tempo modification and rhythmic alteration were used to a much greater extent than today, and this significantly enhanced the rhetorical features in Brahms’s music. A detailed Performance Edition with Critical Notes about Brahms’s three Sonatas for Pianoforte and Violin Opp. 78, 100 and 108, applies the evidence elucidated throughout the thesis

Style and interpretation in the nineteenth‐century German violin school with particular reference to the three sonatas for pianoforte and violin by Johannes Brahms

From the mid nineteenth to early twentieth centuries the performance of Brahms’s music was intricately bound with the performance style of artists within his circle. In violin playing Joseph Joachim (1831‐1907) was the foremost exponent of the German violin school. The stylistic characteristics of this school, which included selective use of a pre‐modern style of vibrato, prominent application of portamento, predominantly legato approach to bow strokes and the frequent and noticeable modification of tempo and rhythm, were considered indispensable expressive devices by Joachim, Brahms and others associated with this circle. While the use of such devices in the nineteenth century has been well documented in published research over the past 15 years or so, there is currently much contention about the extent to which such devices were employed. Importantly, in addition to written documentation and solo recordings, this thesis examines recordings of chamber ensembles—whose members had a connection to the German violin school and/or Brahms—that as yet have been little consulted as primary source evidence. Spectrogram analyses of many of these recordings provide definitive evidence of vibrato that was narrow in width, fast, and applied selectively. Other new evidence in my thesis strongly supports the hypothesis that portamento, tempo modification and rhythmic alteration were used to a much greater extent than today, and this significantly enhanced the rhetorical features in Brahms’s music. A detailed Performance Edition with Critical Notes about Brahms’s three Sonatas for Pianoforte and Violin Opp. 78, 100 and 108, applies the evidence elucidated throughout the thesis

Master of Science

thesisVocal tremor is a neurogenic voice disorder characterized by rhythmic modulation of pitch and loudness during sustained phonation and is acoustically measured as modulation of formants, fundamental frequency (fo), and sound pressure level (SPL). To date, links between oscillating vocal tract structures and acoustic modulation of the first two formants were shown in those with vocal tremor. However, laryngeal and respiratory contributions to acoustic modulation patterns in those with vocal tremor are difficult to separate. The purpose of this study was to compare acoustic patterns associated with volitional laryngeal versus respiratory structure oscillations in trained singers. Laryngeal oscillation was hypothesized to correspond with fo modulation patterns, whereas respiratory system oscillation was hypothesized to correspond with SPL modulation. Ten classically trained female singers with no less than 5 years' experience and no history or current complaints of voicing problems were recruited between 40-65 years of age. All participants underwent simultaneous recording of nasoendoscopic views of the larynx, respiratory kinematic and acoustic signals during three trials of sustained phonation of /i/ using either vibrato or the Accented Method of Voicing (AMV). Normalized measures of signal modulation rate and magnitude were completed on the acoustic (fo and SPL) and kinematic recordings. A mixed effects logistic regression compared within subject measurement differences between voicing conditions. The results showed significantly greater magnitude of respiratory kinematics during AMV (47.5% (+1.2)) than for vibrato (0% (+0) (p < .001) corresponding with significantly greater SPL modulation magnitude (AMV = 40% (+20); vibrato = (10% (+0)), respectively (p = .026). A significant difference was also found between voicing conditions for modulation rate of fo (p = .049) and SPL (p < .001). The rates of modulation during AMV were slower (fo = 2.8 (+ .8) Hz; SPL = 2.1 (+ .7) Hz) than for vibrato (fo = 5.1 (+ .7) Hz; SPL = 5 (+ .6) Hz). However, laryngeal kinematic and acoustic fo and SPL magnitude patterns did not differ between voicing conditions. Outcomes support predicted contributions of the respiratory system to voicing modulation; however, the larynx appears interactive with the respiratory and other speech structures during voicing

Sprechstimme in Arnold Schoenberg's Pierrit Lunarire : A Study of Vocal Performance Practice

Includes discography: p. 107-113.Includes bibliographical references (p. 115-118) and index.Preface by Walter B. Bailey.Sprechstimme in Arnold Schoenberg's Pierrot lunaire : a study of vocal performance practice / Aidan Soder ; with a preface by Walter B. Bailey.Sprechstimme in Pierrot lunaire : Schoenberg's new voice - - Pierrot performances : early interpreters and the first recording -- Sprechstimme performance styles : an overview -- Discography overview -- Five unique Pierrots -- The beginning of a tradition

A study of performance practices in recordings of Bach\u27s Violin Sonata BWV 1003 from 1930-2000

Throughout the 20th century, the performance practice of baroque music has undergone many stylistic changes. Moreover, the rich resources of primary source material available to us in musical recordings of the period have only recently been realised. Bruce Haynes, in his book The End of Early Music, suggests that the twentieth century saw three principal schools of performance: romantic, modernist, and historically-informed. This study investigates Haynes\u27 hypothesis through a comparison of fourteen recordings of Bach\u27s Solo Violin Sonata in A minor BWV 1003, ranging from 1933 to 1999. Focus is made on eight predetermined observation criteria: tempo, tempo fluctuation, rhythmic alteration, accentuation, articulation, portamento, vibrato, and ornamentation. Each criterion is discussed with reference to the secondary literature and observations of each recording are compiled in a systematic fashion. Each of the three schools (romantic, modernist, and historically-informed) is profiled, and an attempt is made to compare and categorise each recording, where possible. The results are used to test the validity of Haynes tripartite model and also to shed further light on the ways that performance practices have changed across the century

Kimmo Hakola\u27s Diamond Street and Loco: A Performance Guide

Kimmo Hakola (b.1958) has emerged in the past two decades as one of Finland’s leading contemporary composers. His numerous clarinet and bass clarinet works include a clarinet concerto, five chamber works with various instrumentations, a work for solo clarinet, a work for solo bass clarinet, and a work for solo clarinet and pedal bass drum (the clarinetist performs both the clarinet and bass drum parts). While this relatively large output featuring the clarinet family may be a result of Hakola’s personal interests, it may also be the result of a friendship with virtuoso clarinetist Kari Kriikku (b. 1960). This document will be a study of two unaccompanied clarinet works of Hakola with the goal of understanding the compositional language and extended techniques used in his works. This research will help others understand the techniques used in these compositions and why the works of Hakola are valuable additions to the clarinet repertoire. As has been the case so frequently throughout clarinet history, works are composed for a particular performer, or with a particular performer in mind. The most prominent examples include Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1750-1791) and Anton Stadler (1753-1812), Carl Maria von Weber (1786-1826) and Heinrich Baermann (1784-1847) and Johannes Brahms (1833-1897) and Richard Mühlfeld (1856-1907). In other instances, a composer is simply inspired enough by a singular performance of one musician that he or she is inspired to compose prominently for that instrument or voice from that point forward. Understanding the relationship between Hakola and Kriikku (to whom Hakola dedicated his Clarinet Concerto) will provide insights into Hakola’s writing style for the instrument, including the use of various extended techniques. The works composed by Kimmo Hakola to be included in the performance guide are Diamond Street for solo clarinet and loco1 for clarinet and pedal bass drum (performed by one player). Only the extended techniques present in these works are to be examined in the performance guide. My investigation will rely first on the scores to these works and the instructions for the extended techniques that are present therein. Second, personal interviews as well as email communications with composer Kimmo Hakola, clarinetist Kari Kriikku, Finnish clarinetist Harri Mäki (Professor of clarinet at the Sibelius academy as of this writing) and Finnish clarinetist and author Mikko Raasakka (contemporary Finnish music specialist and author of Exploring the Clarinet: A Guide to Clarinet Technique and Finnish Clarinet Music) will provide key, new information. Commercially available recordings of the works, especially those recorded by the performer who commissioned or premiered the work, will be consulted in order to analyze the audible representations of Hakola’s notation. Also included in the research scope will be texts and recorded performances which feature or explain these techniques in works by other composers, including works by Alban Berg and Magnus Lindberg. The primary outcome of this research will be a performance guide for these works which focuses on the extended techniques used within loco and Diamond Street. These two works are products of a collaboration between Kriikku and Hakola, This collaboration demonstrates the brilliant skill of Kriikku as a performer and illustrates Hakola’ multi-ethnic, multi-style aesthetic. Though not the primary focus of the document, past Finnish composers and their compositions and compositional style for the clarinet will be studied to form a point of reference. This document will provide crucial material for the interpretation of Hakola’s works that can also be used by performers and educators when considering extended techniques in other clarinet works. It will also bring the clarinet and bass clarinet repertoire of Kimmo Hakola to a more prominent and deserved place amongst twentieth and twenty-first century works for these instruments

Identity in Violin Playing on Records: Interpretation Profiles in Recordings of Solo Bach by Early Twentiety-Century Violinists

Performance studies relying on sound recordings as evidence have often focused on establishing trends and traditions in various periods and repertoire. So far little attention has been paid to individual artistic profiles and idiosyncratic expression. Yet if performance is as significant as the notated work, as has often been argued, musicologists must be able to show what identifies a particularly famous interpreter just as they can state what characterizes the works of a prominent composer. This paper investigates the individual differences between two famous violinists. The solo Bach recordings of Nathan Milstein and Jascha Heifetz - two of Leopold Auer\u27s pupils - are analyzed for technical and interpretative features using aural and software assisted methods. The study of phrasing, bowing, fingering, use of vibrato and portamento, tempo choices, and approaches to rhythm and repeats indicates clear differences in both technique and artistic disposition. Heifetz has been found to vary repeats, including changes to fingering that result in more frequent portamenti; to use a faster and wider vibrato, and generally to allow for a more subjective interpretation. Milstein\u27s vibrato was found to be narrow and even, his approach consisting of preference for low positions and open strings; a relatively steady treatment of tempo, and an overall tendency to provide a more literalistic reading of the score. A comparison with the Bach recordings of contemporaneous violinists (Enescu, Szigeti, Menuhin) highlighted the problematic nature of discussing trends in relation to performance practice. It appears that when a particular era is examined in detail individual differences may outweigh the significance of possible period trends. Results provide a step towards distinguishing broad categories of performing traditions from individual signatures , as well as some quantifiable data in support of the artistic status of these violinists