Assessment

Give a 15-minute presentation in which you will relate a specific research methodology, text or other material to your own individual practice as a musician.

You will also submit a written outline of your presentation and a bibliography / list of resources.

Research Methodology

Action ResearchPlan-act-evaluate-reflect

Plan

Wagner

Hard !

Loved by Hitler and Morse

Fat ladiesGerman

Act

Sang through the piece with my teacher

Looked on YouTube :Birgit Nilsson

Too old-fashioned

Karita Mattila

Karita Mattila

Finnish Won the Cardiff Singer of the World

Competition in 1983She began her career as a lyric

sopranoNow sings a wide range: Mozart,

Puccini, Verdi, Wagner, Richard Strauss and Janacek.

Act

What is the story of the opera ?An interpretive Guide to Opera by

Martial SingherThe Penguin Opera Guide ed

Amanda HoldenWho my character isWhy she’s singing thisThe overall story

Other things

Translated the textWorked on pronunciation

with vocal coachLearnt the music

All was going well until….

ATOS Conference

Back to the beginning….Does my current teacher say yes ?Does it strain my voice in any way ?Does it sound good ?

Evaluation

Stronger column of air to support the long phrases

More dynamic contrastMore variety of colour in the

phrasesTake the listener on an

intentional journey

Evaluation

Stronger column of air to support the long phrases

Look at my breathing technique

Lack of back muscles being engaged

Need to increase actual feeling of support

Think ‘wider’ not ‘longer’

Alexander Technique

Pilates core strength

EvaluationMore dynamic contrastMore variety of colour in the

phrasesTake the listener on an

intentional journey

Find a way of getting ‘under the skin of the character’

Understand the character’s motivation

Don’t get bogged down in the technicalities of the song

Decide where to take the listener

What’s the desired dramatic outcome within the narrative

ReflectTime to consider ?Extensive reading around the storyWork with experts on making the

character come alive – possibly drama coach ?

Build up a criteria for what makes a good performance, using a mixture of primary and secondary sources

Consider if that criteria is identical for every performance – concert vs staged

Bibliography

New Essays on Performance Practice, F Neuman, University of Rochester Press, 1989

Musical performance: a guide to understanding, edited by John Rink, Cambridge University Press, 2002.

An interpretive Guide to Opera by Martial Singher,

The Penguin Opera Guide ed Amanda Holden, Penguin 1995

Viva La Liberta! Politics in Opera, A Arblaster, Verso 1992

The Craft of Research, Booth, University of Chicago Press 2008