Making a simple International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA)—For singers, conductors and composers
(2023)
author(s): Bas Ammerlaan
published in: KC Research Portal
This research develops a simplification of a graphical resource: the International Phonetic Alphabet. The choices made to simplify it are based on an analysis of existing diction methods. The thesis format seemed most suitable for my research, as the IPA is a graphical notation method which is meant to be used by writing it down. (While it is of course used to notate sounds, these sounds themselves are not actually the focus of the research. There are also already an abundance of audio examples for the IPA symbols.)
The IPA can be a very useful aid for classical singers, from ensemble singers to soloists, but appears intimidating from the amount of symbols it has. This research looks at which IPA symbols are used and which are not used in five different diction methods for classical singers. These are systematically analysed and presented graphically to the reader to help visualise which of all the symbols presented on the IPA chart are regularly used by singers. The end result is practical in nature: a Simple IPA chart which uses only those symbols a classical singer really needs to sing the five main languages for classical singing: English, French, German, Italian and Latin.
Singing and Well-being - The Experiences of Professional Choir Singers
(2020)
author(s): Laura Ginström
published in: KC Research Portal
Name: Laura Ginström
Main subject: Ensemble Singing
Supervisor: Gerda van Zelm
Title of research: Singing and Well-being - The Experiences of Professional Choir Singers
Research question: How do professional choir singers describe the effects of singing and the professional life on their well-being, and what is the importance and effect of singing-related well-being for my own artistic development?
Summary of results:
Singing in choirs has been an integral part of my life, and I have personally experienced enjoyable physical sensations, positive emotions and social bonding associated with choir singing. Researching this topic further, I learned that these experiences can be described as singing-related well-being. According to a growing number of studies amateur choir singing produces various beneficial effects on health and well-being. Research on professional singers about their experiences and occupational well-being has been much scarcer. Based on the limited studies, they might not enjoy all of the same benefits of singing as amateurs do. The goal of this research was to start closing this research gap and to learn what professional choir singers have to say about singing-related well-being. I created an online questionnaire to gather experiences from professional singers, and also kept a diary of my own well-being experiences during professional choir projects. Analysing these two sources of data revealed that professional singers did recognise many of the well-being experiences associated with singing. However, professional choir singing was not perceived as something especially relaxing or therapeutic, which are common themes emerged from research on amateurs. The social aspects of choir work were deemed important in experiencing singing-related well-being, as well as the conductor’s artistic approach. For me personally, these well-being experiences have been the motivation for my career choice and for this research, and they also serve as an indicator of my development as a musician.
The format of this research is a thesis.
Biography:
Laura Ginström (1992) is a Finnish mezzo-soprano who has studied vocal pedagogy and clinical psychology in Helsinki. Her love for choir singing brought her to The Hague, where she started in the new Master Specialisation Ensemble singing at The Royal Conservatoire in 2018. She currently studies with Noa Frenkel and sings projects with The Netherlands Chamber Choir as a part of the master’s course. She is passionate about combining her two careers in singing and psychology, being particularly interested in the beneficial effects of singing on the body and the mind.
The Lamentações para a Semana Santa by José Joaquim dos Santos and Luciano Xavier dos Santos and the music for two violas, voices concertate and low instruments
(2017)
author(s): Enrico Ruggieri
published in: KC Research Portal
Name: Enrico Ruggieri
Main Subject: Choral Conducting
Research Supervisors: Charles Toet, Ricardo Bernardes
Title of Research: The Lamentações para a Semana Santa by José Joaquim dos Santos and Luciano Xavier dos Santos and the music for two violas, voices concertate and low instruments
Research Question:
What are the main features of the viola in this specific repertoire and consequently, what becomes its main function?
Summary of Results:
In 18th-century Portugal, a particular instrumental setting was used in the music composed for a specific Roman Catholic rite called the officium tenebrarum, performed during the Holy Week. This particular instrumentation consists of a standard vocal ensemble, 4 voices concertate, accompanied by a group of string instruments: 2 violas, a cello (or 2 celli) and a double bass. José Joquim dos Santos and Luciano Xavier dos Santos are the composers who exploited this instrumentation best, covering all the needs for music in the Officium tenebrarum. An analysis of two Lamentations by José Joaquim dos Santos and Luciano Xavier dos Santos explores the relation between music and rhetorical tools and how the viola relates to them. Besides being a precious rhetorical tool itself, the analysis discloses that the violas and the low string instruments become a practical replacement for the harmonic instruments. In a liturgy where the organ was officially forbidden there is a need for an instrument or several instruments that could absolve that crucial function. Thanks to his ability in blending with and supporting the voices and, at the same time, respecting the solemnity and the sobriety of the liturgy, the viola became the best organ replacement.
Biography:
Enrico Ruggieri was born in 1982, graduated in piano, studying with Paolo Russo and Rachele Marchegiani. After a Bachelor in Architecture, there followed a Bachelor degree in Choir Conducting from Pescara Conservatory, a Master degree in Choral Music and Choir Conducting in Bologna Conservatory and a Bachelor degree in Choral Conducting from the Royal Conservatoire, The Hague. He has attended masterclasses with many different musicians specialising in choral conducting and Early Music, such as: Tonu Kalijuste, Peter Phillips, David Lawrence, Julian Wilkins, Walter Marzilli, Marco Berrini, Annibale Cetrangolo, Maurizio Less, and vocal technique with: Ghislaine Morgan, Sandro Naglia, Elisa Turlà (Voicecraft), Federica Fedele (Alexander Technique). He has conducted many amateur choirs with varied repertoire: church music, folk music, early music, mixed choral repertoire. Presently, he is conducting “Lassus Consort” an Early Music vocal ensemble in Amsterdam and the “Quod Libet Kamerkoor” in The Hague.