Providing a theoretical and empirical foundation for the role of technical practice in the acquisition of musical mastery. Cecilia Bartoli, world-renowned mezzo-soprano, credits her phenomenal vocal technique to daily individual attention from her teacher. Such intensive individualised attention is financially impossible for most musicians so the value of teacher contact hours must be maximised through evidence-based, self-directed technical practice (TP). This multidisciplinary project will ap ....Providing a theoretical and empirical foundation for the role of technical practice in the acquisition of musical mastery. Cecilia Bartoli, world-renowned mezzo-soprano, credits her phenomenal vocal technique to daily individual attention from her teacher. Such intensive individualised attention is financially impossible for most musicians so the value of teacher contact hours must be maximised through evidence-based, self-directed technical practice (TP). This multidisciplinary project will apply world-leading technology to discover the principles of TP required for vocal mastery. By using these principles, teachers and performing arts institutions can maximise the effectiveness of musical instruction in a financially cost effective way, thereby consolidating our place as a world leader in musical performance and in performing arts research.Read moreRead less
Vocal Quality, Projection and Perception. This project will quantify the vocal features of projection and loudness in experienced operatic soloists and actors and will examine how these features relate to emotional expression and how each of these qualities are perceived by the performers and by others. We will determine which respiratory and laryngeal techniques are associated with the ability to communicate emotional connection and to produce certain sound qualities, in particular associated ....Vocal Quality, Projection and Perception. This project will quantify the vocal features of projection and loudness in experienced operatic soloists and actors and will examine how these features relate to emotional expression and how each of these qualities are perceived by the performers and by others. We will determine which respiratory and laryngeal techniques are associated with the ability to communicate emotional connection and to produce certain sound qualities, in particular associated with the performer's ability to project a powerful voice unamplified within a large theatre, as well as over an orchestra.Read moreRead less
Redefining conceptions of child and adolescent emotional responses to music using time-series analysis. The National Review of Music Education recognizes the need to understand more fully how musical experiences impact on children's emotional and general development. Australian researchers are leaders in the field of continuous response to emotion in music. Our international leadership on this critically important issue will result in new ways of understanding music and teaching music to childre ....Redefining conceptions of child and adolescent emotional responses to music using time-series analysis. The National Review of Music Education recognizes the need to understand more fully how musical experiences impact on children's emotional and general development. Australian researchers are leaders in the field of continuous response to emotion in music. Our international leadership on this critically important issue will result in new ways of understanding music and teaching music to children through to adults because our explanations of affective aspects of music will be framed within a scientific perspective which moves beyond learning the purely technical and subjective aspects of music appreciation.Read moreRead less
Enhancing quality in western classical singing and pedagogy. Music and singing are important performing arts, essential components of Australian cultural life making major contributions to the Australian economy. This study will benefit professional musicians, students, music industry and cultural reputation of Australia by investigating technical, acoustic and perceptual features that define vocal quality. Our multidisciplinary team will apply sophisticated technologies and research methods to ....Enhancing quality in western classical singing and pedagogy. Music and singing are important performing arts, essential components of Australian cultural life making major contributions to the Australian economy. This study will benefit professional musicians, students, music industry and cultural reputation of Australia by investigating technical, acoustic and perceptual features that define vocal quality. Our multidisciplinary team will apply sophisticated technologies and research methods to improve vocal assessment and pedagogical practices in the musical arts, thereby enhancing the musical development and career prospects of the next generation of Australian performers and teachers. This research will place Australia at the forefront for excellence in research in the performing arts.
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SONG LYRICS FOR THE ENGLISH THEATRE 1660-1700: A PERFORMATIVE ANALYSIS. Restoration plays preserve the lyrics of over 1500 songs, ranging from sophisticated pieces set by Purcell to words written to popular ballad tunes. The project will collect the entire corpus of these lyrics and use them as the subject for a performance-oriented analysis, integrating words, music (when it survives) and what can be discovered about stage presentation. Cultural meanings will be established through close contex ....SONG LYRICS FOR THE ENGLISH THEATRE 1660-1700: A PERFORMATIVE ANALYSIS. Restoration plays preserve the lyrics of over 1500 songs, ranging from sophisticated pieces set by Purcell to words written to popular ballad tunes. The project will collect the entire corpus of these lyrics and use them as the subject for a performance-oriented analysis, integrating words, music (when it survives) and what can be discovered about stage presentation. Cultural meanings will be established through close contextualisation. Rhetorical theory and the concept of 'musical wit' will be used to relate verbal meanings to musical procedures and both to theatrical presentations of the body.Read moreRead less
Temporal segmentation, leadership and cognition in musical improvisation and creativity. Improvisation is core to conversation and to creative and social emergence. This project investigates musical improvisation, in order to reveal constituent processes, using computational and cognitive approaches. Mechanisms for generating transitions in the temporal stream, and for asserting social power or position in it are assessed. Improvised material can be explored, modified, and developed in the creat ....Temporal segmentation, leadership and cognition in musical improvisation and creativity. Improvisation is core to conversation and to creative and social emergence. This project investigates musical improvisation, in order to reveal constituent processes, using computational and cognitive approaches. Mechanisms for generating transitions in the temporal stream, and for asserting social power or position in it are assessed. Improvised material can be explored, modified, and developed in the creative process, and the project investigates how this occurs and whether computers can facilitate the process. Such contributions can be critical to the development of innovation in research and cultural arenas in Australia. Read moreRead less
Investigating listening and performance strategies for microtonal composition. This project is important because it offers a new theoretical framework for understanding music independent of contemporary cultural boundaries. It opens up a new musical enquiry that will apply across quite different performance traditions and builds on recent collaborative initiatives by Australian musicians and researchers, the most recent collaboration involving counterparts from India. In addition to a major publ ....Investigating listening and performance strategies for microtonal composition. This project is important because it offers a new theoretical framework for understanding music independent of contemporary cultural boundaries. It opens up a new musical enquiry that will apply across quite different performance traditions and builds on recent collaborative initiatives by Australian musicians and researchers, the most recent collaboration involving counterparts from India. In addition to a major publication and conference proceedings in both creative and scientific disciplines, research findings will result in new approaches to composition, performance as well as an innovative musical instrument design that is informed by a new empirically derived approach to tuning.Read moreRead less
Transformations from Renaissance to Baroque: The Cultural and Musical Significance of Giovanni Gabrieli. The Western European tradition forms a significant part of Australia's culture, and it is important that Australians are contributors to the extension of this tradition as well as being consumers. This project will discover new music and materials that will be of immense interest to many Australians, and it will make its discoveries known in an accessible way that meets the demand in Austral ....Transformations from Renaissance to Baroque: The Cultural and Musical Significance of Giovanni Gabrieli. The Western European tradition forms a significant part of Australia's culture, and it is important that Australians are contributors to the extension of this tradition as well as being consumers. This project will discover new music and materials that will be of immense interest to many Australians, and it will make its discoveries known in an accessible way that meets the demand in Australian society. My leadership in Renaissance music studies, especially Gabrieli, is contributing to Australia's involvement in the dynamic, international revival of early music, as well as facilitating telecasts, broadcasts, concerts and recordings.Read moreRead less
Developing techniques for evolutionary music. Traditional compositional conventions do not meet the needs of contemporary composers who are increasingly working in non-linear media, such as DVDs, the Internet, video games, and mobile phones. This research will create a new class of algorithmic music techniques inspired by evolutionary processes to meet these challenges. While exploring new musical techniques, this research will provide new insights into the applicability of theoretical principle ....Developing techniques for evolutionary music. Traditional compositional conventions do not meet the needs of contemporary composers who are increasingly working in non-linear media, such as DVDs, the Internet, video games, and mobile phones. This research will create a new class of algorithmic music techniques inspired by evolutionary processes to meet these challenges. While exploring new musical techniques, this research will provide new insights into the applicability of theoretical principles from biological evolution and artificial life to support human creativity.Read moreRead less
Islam and Ideologies of War, Gender and Class as Determinants of Musical Identity in Twentieth Century Aceh, Indonesia. In the colonial and postcolonial periods, the natural wealth and strategic location of Aceh province brought it fame, foreign contact and frequent war, yet its cultural expressions - which can help explain Acehnese behaviour and the current war situation - are poorly known. Aceh's musical identity is determined by intersections between the music's internal syntax and extramusic ....Islam and Ideologies of War, Gender and Class as Determinants of Musical Identity in Twentieth Century Aceh, Indonesia. In the colonial and postcolonial periods, the natural wealth and strategic location of Aceh province brought it fame, foreign contact and frequent war, yet its cultural expressions - which can help explain Acehnese behaviour and the current war situation - are poorly known. Aceh's musical identity is determined by intersections between the music's internal syntax and extramusical associations arising from ideologies and functions of religion, combat, gender and class; history of noble and religious leadership; and social change. New theories are presented that relate musical style to the ideologies and explain the performing arts' fusion of indigenous, Arabic and other foreign elements.Read moreRead less