21. |
- Jullander, Sverker, 1951-, et al.
(author)
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Room for Interpretation : Musical Tempo in Variable Acoustics
- 2016
-
Conference paper (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The acoustical properties of a concert room tend to affect performers’ decisions, especially regarding tempo and agogics. Consequently, the study of the relationship between concert hall acoustics and the musical performance is of great interest to musical performers, and potentially to architects and acousticians as well. A pilot study was devised, enabled by a unique concert hall with mechanically variable acoustics. A concert pianist performed an identical program of two pieces at four trials throughout the same day in the presence of an audience of experienced musicians-researchers, each trial conducted under a distinctive acoustic condition. The trials were recorded for later analysis. The live performances as well as the recordings were assessed individually by the pianist himself and the members of the expert audience. The results showed clear as well as subtle differences between the different performances. The pilot study was followed by a two-year, still ongoing, research project, in which further experimental series of performances have taken place or are underway, using various chamber music constellations, as well as solo flute, organ and choir. In this project, the music performed has included 3–4 pieces from different periods and in different styles. The impression of the live performances from the performer’s own perspective, and also the professional listeners’, has often differed from the experience in listening to the recordings: what was felt during the performance as an ideal live acoustic was often not judged as optimal in the later analysis, especially in terms of agogics and tempo. The preliminary results raise fundamental questions about tempo treatment and artistic/interpretive decisions and promise to give new insights concerning what actually constitutes ‘good’ acoustics and optimal recording conditions from a musician’s professional perspective.
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22. |
- Jullander, Sverker, 1951-, et al.
(author)
-
Room for interpretation : methodological aspects of a music research project
- 2018
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In: Svensk tidskrift för musikforskning. - Uppsala : Svenska samfundet för musikforskning. - 0081-9816 .- 2002-021X. ; 100, s. 89-115
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The artistic research project ‘Room for interpretation’ addresses questions concerning the influence of room acoustics on the performance of Western art music from the performers’ perspective. The empirical core of the project is a number of experimental performance sessions carried out in Studio Acusticum, Piteå, a concert hall with mechanically variable acoustics. The authors discuss issues relating to the project’s design and methodology; the focus of the article is thus the research process rather than the results. A presentation of the project, its preconditions, goals, design and methodology is followed by an overview of previous research, mostly in acoustic science, on the same or closely related topics. In the third part of the article, characteristics of the present project are compared to those of the previous studies. In the following part, ’Room for interpretation’ is related to the ongoing discussion on the purposes and means of artistic research. The authors argue that the project, while showing certain similarities to previous studies, differs considerably with respect to aims and important aspects of design, and that its characteristic features agree well with those usually regarded as typical of artistic research. The article concludes with a summary of the most important results concerning: differences between performers’ reactions in the live situation and when listening to their own recordings; differences between chamber ensembles, conducted ensembles and soloists as to the influence of the acoustics on the performance; and the prevalence of sound over other musical parameters in performers’ comments on their recorded performances.
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23. |
- Jullander, Sverker, 1951-
(author)
-
Ruben Liljefors (1871–1936)
- 2016
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Other publication (other academic/artistic)abstract
- En biografisk artikel, med verkförteckning, om tonsättaren och dirigenten Ruben Liljefors.
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24. |
- Jullander, Sverker, 1951-, et al.
(author)
-
Time and Space : Musical Tempo and Room Acoustics
- 2017
-
Conference paper (peer-reviewed)abstract
- In this presentation we discuss the influence of acoustics on temporal aspects of performance for different instrument constellations. In a concert hall with mechanically variable acoustics, professional soloists and ensembles each performed a programme of 3–4 pieces at three trials throughout the same day in the presence of an audience of experienced musicians–researchers. The instrument settings included solo instruments, chamber ensembles and a chamber choir. The trials were recorded for later analysis. The microphones were placed so as to minimize audible differences in acoustics between the recordings.For the solo instruments musicians tended to use slower tempi and allow themselves more agogic freedom in larger acoustics. A similar tendency, though less marked, was observed in conducted ensembles. For ensembles without conductor, the acoustics did not seem to influence the chosen tempi.When playing in larger acoustics, performers tended to feel more comfortable and relaxed – and more satisfied – which was often reflected in the choice of slower tempo as well as in a greater degree of tempo fluctuation. The listeners in the hall, on the other hand, did not always share the performers’ preferences. A different picture emerged in the evaluations of the recordings: here musicians viewed recordings made in drier acoustics, often using faster tempi with less fluctuation, in a more positive light. For some pieces in slow tempi, however, performances in larger acoustics were preferred. Generally, the preferences of musicians and listeners were more in agreement for the recordings than for the live performances.The results show that the room acoustic in many cases does seem to influence tempo and agogics, but also that this influence varies considerably between different instrument settings (especially solo vs. ensemble) as well as between individual pieces in different tempi and styles. Performers’ preferences may vary considerably between the live situations and listening to recordings.
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25. |
-
Liturgical Organ Music in the Long 19th Century : Preconditions, Repertoires and Border-Crossings
- 2017
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Editorial collection (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The essays in the anthology Liturgical Organ Music in the Long Nineteenth Century: Preconditions, Repertoires and Border-Crossings deal with various forms of liturgical organ music and liturgical organ-playing in the long nineteenth century: solo repertoires, accompaniment of congregational singing, plainchant and other liturgical vocal music, as well as non-liturgical organ music echoing liturgical practices. Important thematic strands in the volume include: Historical preconditions: the forms and practices of organ music in relation to the various kinds of liturgical singing, influential liturgical and aesthetic ideals, as well as theological, philosophical, ideological and social contexts; Border-crossing: how liturgical-musical practices and repertoires transcended confessional, regional and national boundaries. Special attention has been given to the central, northern and eastern regions of Europe.
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26. |
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Organ Prospects and Retrospects : Texts and Music in Celebration of Organ Acusticum, Piteå, Sweden
- 2017
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Editorial proceedings (other academic/artistic)abstract
- Organ Acusticum at Luleå University of Technology, built in the years 2009–2012 by Orgelbauwerkstatt Woehl, Marburg, Germany, for the concert hall of Studio Acusticum, Piteå, Sweden, is with 140 stops Sweden’s largest organ and one of the largest in Europe – and, more importantly, perhaps the most thoroughgoing attempt to date to combine several of the most important historical styles in a single instrument, while at the same time opening up possibilities for musical innovation and border-crossing. The inauguration of this unique instrument, on October 13, 2012, was followed by a ten-day organ festival and symposium, to which a number of the world’s foremost performers and scholars in the field contributed. Organ Prospects and Retrospects celebrates Organ Acusticum in written text and sounding music. Following an introductory chapter, fourteen essays of varying length are grouped in four thematic sections: ‘Organ Acusticum’, ‘Organs and Organ Builders’, ‘Organs and Organ Music’, and ‘Bach Reception’. The volume thus covers a wide array of organ-related topics, ranging from the 17th century to the present day, illustrated with music examples, photos and tables. The back matter includes biographies of the contributors, the specification of Organ Acusticum, a bibliography, and an index of names. On the accompanying CD, Organ Acusticum can be heard in recordings from concerts given at the festival. Both texts and music reflect in various ways the versatility of the instrument.
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27. |
- Peitsalo, Peter, 1970-, et al.
(author)
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Introduction
- 2017
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In: Liturgical Organ Music in the Long Nineteenth Century. - Helsinki : Sibelius Academy. - 9789523290914 - 9789523290921 ; , s. 7-16
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Book chapter (other academic/artistic)abstract
- An introduction to the eleven essays in the collection, presenting the main themes of the book as well as the content of the individual contributions.
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