The use of the mental status examination (MSE) in fictional characters when interpreting and performing the music of Schumann and Bartók by Rinde Louise WIllemijn Yildiz

Name: Rinde Yildiz  Main Subject: Viola Research Coach: Anna Scott Title of Research: The use of the mental status examination (MSE) in creating fictional characters when interpreting and performing the music of Schumann and Bartók Research Question: How would the MSE of the fictional characters that I create in musical compositions, in combination with relevant biographical information of the composer and scores, influence how I understand, practice and perform Béla Bartók’s Viola Concerto (Op. posthoumus, Tibor Serly Edition) and Robert Schumann’s Märchenbilder (Op. 113) Summary of Results: In order to examine how the MSE of fictional musical characters, in combination with relevant biographical information and scores, influences how I understand, practice and perform Béla Bartók’s Viola Concerto (Op. posthumous) and Robert Schumann’s Märchenbilder (Op. 113) I kept up a logbook to write down all the steps I took during this investigation. The results of this research paper are divided over four layers. Layer one: the biographical information of Schumann and Bartók gained from books, articles and letters; Layer two: a rough interpretation of Schumann’s Märchenbilder and Bartók’s Viola Concerto based on reading scores, examining the manuscripts, playing and listening to various recordings, in combination with biographical information. Layer three: a thorough MSE of the fictional characters that are created in specific sections of Schumann's Märchenbilder and Bartók’s Viola Concerto. Layer four: using the MSE of fictional characters during interpreting, practice and performance and make recordings to find out if there are differences between interpretations before and after the incorporations of fictional characters. During this research I found that the creation and incorporation of fictional characters influenced my playing in such a way that I concretized my interpretations. As a result, I was able to pay more attention to all the details of the piece and to have a clearer image of phrasing. Furthermore, using and experimenting with the MSE meant that I broadened my imaginary palette. Biography: Rinde Yildiz (1991) is a second-year master student at the Royal Conservatoire in The Hague where she studies classical viola with Mikhail Zemtsov. During her studies she has been playing in various music groups and formed different ensembles. Besides her studies in music, she studied medicine at the University of Amsterdam where she received her bachelor and master degrees in June 2014 and April 2019 respectively. Concerning her medical studies, Rinde has special interest in the psychiatric branch. Having a background in both medicine and music, she is fascinated in subjects where both fields can be connected.

First motif – Bar 14

… in New York 76 years ago…

Appearance & behavior: we see a well-groomed Hungarian man with an apparent age of 50, conforming to his biological age. The man wears a brown sweater, khaki trousers and walking shoes. His hair is white and short. He stands upright and looks a bit disturbed as if he does not understand why he is here. Although he is cooperative in contact, he does not make eye contact and sometimes seems to look through people. He evokes a feeling of incomprehension and there is no emotional reciprocity. He does not respond to other people’s facial expressions or gestures. The psychomotor activity is normal. Suddenly, he drums a folk-like rhythm. The level of arousal is alert. The facial expression lacks variability and modulation. Hallucinatory behavior is not observed. Speech: he speaks American with a Hungarian accent. The rate and quantity of speech are normal. The tone of speech is modulative. The volume of speech is adequate. The fluency varies between articulated and slurred. The rhythm of speech is strict in timing. Mood: the mood is hard to estimate since the man seems unmoved. The affect is flattened. Suicidal thoughts are not present. Thoughts: the speed of thinking is normal. The thought process is coherent. The thought content is dominated by persisting thoughts about his illness. He is continuously writing down his temperatures every five minutes. Another theme that dominates his thoughts is the war in Europe that he is worried about. When a change in subject is attempted it appears that he is very inflexible towards switching. Perception: the man is easily disturbed by sounds from the environment. Cognition: the orientation in time, place and person is intact.

CHAPTER III: BARTÓK

First motif – Bar 25

Appearance & behavior: we see a well-groomed American lady with an age of 34, conforming to her biological age. The woman wears a two-piece suit and a purse. Her hair is blond and styled in victory rolls. She sits upright and has a kind look in her face but sometimes also looks worried. She is cooperative in contact, and makes sincere eye contact. She evokes a feeling of sympathy. The psychomotor activity is normal. The level of arousal is alert. The facial expression is adequate. Hallucinatory behavior is not observed. Speech: rate and quantity speech are normal. The tone of speech is modulative. The volume of speech is adequate. The fluency and rhythm of speech is well articulated. Mood: her mood is gloomy, mainly concerning her situation. The affect is modulative. Suicidal thoughts are not present. Thoughts: the speed of thinking is normal. The thought process is coherent. The thought content is dominated by worries about her husband who is very ill. Perception: undisturbed. Cognition: the orientation in time, place and person is intact.

Interlude – Lento (Parlando)

Appearance & behavior: we see a poorly-groomed cachectic Hungarian old man who appears 80 years old (conforming to his biological age) and who is sitting in bed in his white pajamas. He is sweating and his skin looks blushed. He is not cooperative in his contact. He wants to walk out of his bed and he is shouting out loud. He evokes a feeling of compassion. The psychomotor activity is normal. The level of arousal is agitated as is the facial expression. There is no eye contact and growth in contact. Hallucinatory behavior is observed. The man looks towards different places in the room and then shouts at them as if he sees someone there. Speech: the rate and quantity of speech are normal. The tone of speech is modulative. The volume of speech is loud. The fluency and rhythm of speech is mainly slurred probably because of his crying. Mood and affect: a dysphoric sad mood with an adequate modulating affect. Suicidal thoughts are not present. Thoughts: the speed of thinking is normal. Thoughts are incoherent. He starts to talk about the war, then about peasant music, then about a metro and radios. Perception: he says that he sees various people in the room: farmers, gypsies, soldiers, and so on. Sometimes the color in the room changes from blue to pink. Cognition: the orientation in time, place and person is disturbed. The man thinks it is summer (while it is winter), he thinks that he is in Hungary (but he is in NYC) and he thinks that he is a soldier in the war (but he is a composer). Insight and judgment: are poor, however when a tranquillizer is offered he accepts it. à Adagio Religioso

II. Adagio Religioso

The same 80-year-old man is seen now, but in a different state. The man is lying peacefully in his bed with his eyes closed.

He is breathing, but the level of awareness is reduced. Therefore, it is not possible to make a reliable interpretation of his mental state. While he is sleeping there are no signs of disturbances.

3 min later (called by the nurse)

The man is still asleep but his face is grimacing as if he is suffering. When his hand is taken to check his pulse, he feels warm and clammy. The pulse is fast. After only 30 seconds, the pulse seems to slow and the grimaces on his face disappear. He does not respond to voices or a pain stimulus and his breathing is stagnant.

III. Allegro Vivace

For this movement I chose not to create a character using the MSE, because in my opinion the material of this movement is not really ‘human-like’. If I follow the interpretation of Kugel, the material is based on the explosive sections which I earlier described as environmental factors.

THIRD LAYER: FICTIONAL CHARACTERS AND THEIR MENTAL STATUS EXAMINATION

First motif – Bar 1

... in the mountains of Kurdistan 60 years ago ...

Appearance & behavior: we see a poorly-groomed little boy with dark hair and dark brown eyes with the appearance of an 8-year-old (conforms to his biological age). The boy wears a sweater that is too big, cotton pajama-like trousers and plastic shoes. His hair is dark and curly. He is sitting on the ground surrounded by sheep and playing with sand. Although he seems cooperative in his behavior, he does not make eye contact. He evokes a feeling of compassion although there is no emotional reciprocity. He does not respond to other people’s facial expressions or gestures. The psychomotor activity is normal. At some point he stands up and calls his friend who is somewhere further up in the mountains. His voice is reflected by the mountains. The level of arousal is alert. The facial expression lacks variability and modulation. Hallucinatory behavior is not observed. Speech: he speaks Kurdish with something playful in his timing. Mood: the mood seems neutral with a modulating affect. Thoughts: the speed of thinking is normal. The thought process is coherent. The thought content is filled with ideas about his insect collection. He loves to go into the mountains and to walk with the sheep. He says that he has not many friends, but he doesn’t really mind, he has got the mountains. Perception: undisturbed. Cognition: the orientation in time, place and person is intact.

Second motif – Bar 61

Appearance & behavior: we see a poorly-groomed Hungarian woman who appears 34, and who is loudly crying. Her biological age is 38. The woman has bare feet, she wears big golden earrings, a long gypsy-like skirt and dark brown long curly hair. Something in her posture is strong but also tormented. She is cooperative in contact. She evokes a feeling of compassion and sadness. Her psychomotor activity is normal. The level of arousal is adequate. The facial expression staggers between sadness and despair. There is growth in contact. Hallucinatory behavior is not observed. Speech: the rate and quantity of speech are normal. The tone of speech is modulative. The volume of speech is mainly adequate. The fluency and rhythm of speech is mainly slurred probably because of her crying. Mood and affect: an intensely sad mood with an adequate modulating affect. Suicidal thoughts are not present. Thoughts: the speed of thinking is normal. Thoughts are coherent. The thought content is filled with sadness about her children that she lost during the war. These memories keep coming back. Perception: she says that she re-experiences traumatic events, in which she sees and hears everything again just as when it happened. During these re-experiences, she gets palpitations, where she starts to vibrate and sweat and can no longer breathe properly. She feels paralyzed with fear. Cognition: the orientation in time, place and person is undisturbed. Insight and judgment: are good. The woman realizes that the re-experiences that she suffers from are not real, although they feel like they are.

I. Moderato

For the creation of characters in this first movement, I focused on the 1^st and 2^nd motif. Although both motifs are repeatedly used, their atmospheres are never the same. Therefore, I selected some passages in which I experience totally different atmospheres within the same motif. I decided not to create characters for the explosive passages since I experience them as environmental factors. For example: the urban chaos that Bartók experienced in New York or the explosions and shootings of WOII.

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