This master's thesis is an artistic development work. In this chapter, I will discuss what is included in the
concept and terminology of artistic development work and its relation to other research. Furthermore, I
describe the concept of program music.
An artist-researcher combines an internal perspective and an objective view from the outside when
undertaking research. This individual applies systematic methods and objectives to balance creative
work and written reflection. This combination of creative practice and analytical writing allows the artist-
researcher to comprehensively understand the research subject and generate meaningful insights and
conclusions. Henk Borgdorff's typology categorizes research into three distinct types, namely "Research
on the arts," "Research for the arts," and "Research in the arts" (Borgdorff, 2012, p. 37). "Research
on the arts" pertains to research where the researcher maintains a distance from the research subject,
as is commonly seen in academic research fields such as musicology and music history. "Research for
the arts" is concerned with producing works of art. "Research in the arts" focuses on reflective practices
and has a performative perspective where the artist's practice is fundamental to the research and its
outcomes. The interplay of training, experiences, history, and influences is the basis for the artist's
research and will significantly impact their outcomes (Borgdorff, 2012, pp. 37-39). This distinction
between the roles helps understand the different approaches to art research. This distinction is highly
relevant to the creative development initiatives of Norwegian art education institutes. Following the
general conception of a researcher and their responsibilities, a theorist may pursue the first and
third activities without requiring the production of the artwork and simply by observing.
Following Borgdorff's notion of intertwinement, the integration of sound and text is essential.
This is demonstrated in composer Ingolv Haalands PhD published as a standalone webpage
“I have applied sound as the text, replacing sentences with sound as part of the answer to the
research questions. The combination of written text and sound is a way of contextualising
artistic practice into artistic research” (Haaland, 2020, p.1.) Hence my decision to publish this thesis in
the Research Catalogue.
Program music is a genre of instrumental art music that utilizes a non musical program to portray a
scene, poem, artwork, event, or any other concept. This program is often provided in concert programs
before the performance, allowing the audience to make connections between the music and the
program (Brathole, 2022). Hjalmar Borgstrøm, a Norwegian composer, was particularly fond of program
music (Guldbrandsen, 2022). Consequently, it is reasonable for me to consider approaching the issue
from a programmatic musical perspective. Several European composers, such as Héctor Berlioz, Franz
Liszt, Richard Strauss, and Richard Wagner, championed this genre of music. However, it never
gained traction in Norway. Despite this, several of Hjalmar Borgstrøm's program musical pieces became
renowned; Borgstrøm's music is deeply entrenched in his ideology, philosophy, and aesthetics. He
elected to compose his program music as it enabled him to convey himself in the most potent manner
(Aschim, 2016, p. 21).
Aschim's master thesis references Roger Scruton's assertion that Franz Liszt was the first to coin the
term "program music". Scruton claims that Liszt, in this connection, defined a program as a preface
added to a piece of instrumental music through which the composer aims to protect the listener from an
incorrect poetical interpretation and draw his attention to the poetical notion of the entire work or a
specific section. Furthermore, Scruton observes that program music diverges slightly from absolute
music, marked by its endeavor to represent objects and occurrences (Aschim, 2016, p. 21). This implies
that program music may also convey certain atmospheres and feelings. “A leitmotif can represent
people, typical situations, recurring actions, etc. It is never a rigid melody but is used flexibly with
rhythmic and intervallic changes as the dramatic context requires” (Tronshaug & Tørnquist, 2010,
pp. 164-165).
Artistic development work encompasses various activities that amalgamate artistic endeavors and
scholarly research. The Universities and Colleges Act permits universities and colleges to undertake
research and professional and creative development activities at a high international level. Section 1-1, b)
of the Act explicitly states the purpose of the legislation, which is to facilitate the pursuit of research and
creative development at a level comparable to the international standard. Since the Act was passed in
1995, research and innovative development have been legally regarded as similar activities. (Act Relating
to Universities and university colleges, 2005). Malterud et al. (2015. p.7) stress the importance of
research as a fundamental responsibility of higher art education. The aim is to ensure the highest
quality of artistic practice, meeting the same quality standards and academic achievements as
other scientific activities (Lossius & Mortensen, 2017).
In 2007, the Jørgensen Committee, which the Ministry of Knowledge established, proposed the following
definition: "Artistic development work encompasses artistic processes that culminate in a publicly
available art product. This may include an explicit examination of the 8 process and presentation of the
art product" (Malterud et al. 2015. p. 11). The Jørgensen committee has highlighted three key points to
consider when engaging in artistic development work. Such as:
This thesis falls under the "Research in the Arts" category, following the perspective presented by Henk
Borgdorff. Providing a comprehensive overview of my history, experiences, artistic practice, and
influences alongside relevant theoretical frameworks is critical. This approach will establish a solid
foundation for my research endeavors. The primary objective of this thesis is to develop my artistic
practice while also creating a resource that is accessible to both experts and non-experts in the field.
Therefore, I aim to produce a piece of work that is both informative and practical, which will contribute to
advancing knowledge within the field.
In conclusion, artistic development work combines practical creative work with an academic context to
create new knowledge. The interplay between artistic expression and the process of its achievement is
considered a valuable contribution to scientific knowledge. By combining the theory of academia with art
practice, artistic development work can provide deeper insights into the creative process. The artist's
reflection and insight into their craft can be communicated implicitly or explicitly through various media.
Implicit communication is often achieved through the artistic product, while explicit communication is
typically expressed through supplementary sources such as written text. This written text is often used to
provide external viewers with a deeper understanding of the art and thecreative process behind it. In this
way, an artist can offer outsiders a more comprehensive perspective than what can be gleaned from the
artistic expression alone.
As a composer, I relate to Borgstrøm's approach, believing music can convey a message and express
emotions words cannot. I can tell stories and evoke personal emotions by incorporating programmatic
elements into my compositions. I am particularly interested in exploring how specific program music
concepts, such as musical themes and motifs, can enhance my signature sound as a contemporary
composer. By incorporating program music elements into my work, I can create music that sounds
pleasing and resonates with listeners on a deeper level.
Malterud et al. (2015) have referred to Professor Henk Borgdorff as elucidating in detail how artistic
methods and processes can facilitate the progression of artistic development work, emphasizing that this
is a crucial characteristic of such research.
Publicly available - It must be assumed that the artistic development work is made publicly
accessible for others to evaluate and assess the progress that has been made.
Reflection - Reflection is essential to the artistic process, as evidenced by the committee's
emphasis on experimentation. All artistic activities involve trial and error, where specific
experiments are kept or discarded depending on their effectiveness in achieving the desired
result. The success of each experiment is then measured against this desired outcome.
This reflection must be made explicitly, which implies that the results of a development work
must be expressed verbally in a report that outlines the entire reflection process. This explicit
reflection should be sufficient in demonstrating its validity and purpose without being
connected to a tangible product. If this is achieved, the reflection can be presented as an
independent research work (Malterud et al. 2015. p. 5).
Program music is instrumental music linked or united with a representation or
allusion to a conceptual subject which helps the composer create the content of his
work, and in many cases, create the appropriate musical form to embrace this content
or the title of his composition. This content, therefore, furthers the fantasy of the
musician of the composer, motivates the form, and at the same time, guides
the listener in a determined way. (Pujadas, 2016, p.119).