Playing with Words

anna litvinenko

Western art, literature, and music have told many parallel stories throughout the centuries. Living through similar politics, philosophies, and technological advancements, it is no surprise that such links between the arts exist. Now, more than ever, a time when anything can be considered art and anyone an artist, I feel a necessity to understand these connections of the past in order to proceed forward as a musician. Being more and more involved in creating my own music, I thought it an opportune occasion to combine these interest and explore how a research into artistic and literary movements can help me develop my musical language and creativity as an improviser. In this exposition, I have created a narrative that brings together the art, music, and poetry of the 19th and early 20th centuries. Based on my understanding and experience of these artistic and literary movements, I have created improvisations and semi-composed/semi-improvised pieces (some of which I collaboratively worked on with my trio Kalea), attempting to demonstrate how looking to the past can bring inspiration to our contemporary practice.

How can artistic and literary movements of the 19th and early 20th centuries in Europe be used as a catalyst to enrich one’s musical language and creativity as an improviser?

Sub Questions

How does poetry and art, and the context within which it was created, influence our understanding of musical aesthetics?
How can one use the aesthetics and ethos of a time period to improvise and create our own music in today’s age?
How can aesthetics of the past be used to help understand and develop technique and style?
Can the aesthetics of the 19th and early 20th centuries help us understand today’s aesthetics?
What sources can be used to develop harmonic awareness on a string instrument?

RESEARCH QUESTIONS

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