Global Conservatoire - niche knowledge and practical tools
Global Conservatoire a collaboration between RDAM, Royal College of Music (London), Manhattan School of Music (New York) and University of Performing Arts (Vienna). The programme was conceived as a digital learning platform and global classroom where students can meet across national borders and cultivate their interest and curiosity in subjects not typically offered as part of their primary education. At the same time, it is a special opportunity for academies to develop teaching in a digital learning space.
INSPIRATION FROM BAROQUE AND BACH
Associate Professor of Cello, Toke Møldrup and pianist and assistant professor, Christian Westergaard will lead the course Performance Practicality - historical performance practice on modern instruments this spring.
The course is an offshoot of their research project (KUV) From Specialisation to General Practice - HIPP in Modern Performance Practice, which explores how insights from HIPP (Historically Informed Performance Practise) can inspire and enrich the way works by Bach and Mozart, for example, are performed today.
The aim of the project was to develop concrete methods and tools for learning from all that has been written about the music of Bach's and Mozart's time: "We want to give musicians who play Bach and Mozart an access to quickly gain an understanding of playing the music according to what is prescribed. We want to set musicians free when they play Baroque music - this is best done if you have an understanding of the music of the period and its significance in the contemporary world." says Toke Møldrup.
TRANSFORMATION AS A TOOL
In his part of the KUV project, Toke Møldrup has been working on 'enlarging' Bach's cello suites BWV1007-1012 from cello solo part to basic melody and basso continuo. Basso continuo is a musical notation system that is built up from the bass line and gives directions for, among other things, voicing, doubling and dissonance treatment, and opens up for interpretation and personal style.
He calls the method of breaking music into layers 'transformation' and it was developed in collaboration with lutenist and basso continuo expert Viggo Mangor. Transformation is a collective term for the practice or process that happens to the work and the musician when the music is broken down into multiple layers, inviting the musician to find their own style and feel in their playing:
"As modern musicians, we have learned to play perfectly to the music. A baroque musician would probably not have had that approach. Playing music from the basso continuo requires a very high theoretical and technical level, but it also means that in principle you can create music from 5 notes and play a lot more improvisationally and freely." "I hope that on the GC course, we will succeed in inspiring the talented and curious students to explore the tool and the thinking behind it in their own practice as musicians".
COURSES WITH NICHE KNOWLEDGE AND CONCRETE TOOLS
The Global Conservatoire courses are a unique opportunity for curious students to delve into narrow topics that they have a particular interest in exploring further. "It's a unique opportunity to expand your range of possibilities as a musician," says Toke Møldrup, "you can acquire niche knowledge without reserving an entire study programme for it. And as teachers, it's just a great opportunity to test your the findings in your research project with students from all over the world."
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