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Sofia Lourenço

Faculdade de Ciências Sociais e Humanas - Universidade Nova de Lisboa, INET_MD, Post-Doc

Universidade Católica Portuguesa, CITAR- Research Center in Sciences and Technology of Arts, Post-Doc

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Sofia Lourenço was born in Oporto, where she completed graduate studies at the Conservatory and University. From the age of ten she was a pupil of Helena Sá e Costa and was also guided by several distinguished pianists, including Sequeira Costa, Vitaly Margulis and Alicia de Larrocha. She obtained a Soloist Diploma at the Berlin Universität der Künste and was awarded a Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation scholarship. She has been a professor at the Escola de Música e das Artes do Espetáculo do Oporto since 1991. She completed the degree of Doctor of Music and Musicology at the University of Évora in 2005, under the guidance of Rui Vieira Nery and Ulrich Mahlert. Since 2007, she has been a member of the Centre for Research in Science and Arts Technology at the Universidade Católica Portuguesa, where she is currently undertaking post-doctoral studies. She enjoys an active career as a performer in Portugal and abroad, with a number of recordings to her credit.
http://www.naxos.com/ecard/grandpiano/GP725/
http://www.europeanpianoschools.com
Supervisors: Rui Vieira Nery

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Papers by Sofia Lourenço

The Creative Process Behind Dialogismos I: Theoretical and Technical Considerations

Abstract—This paper examines the aesthetic dimension and the technical realization of Dialogismos... more Abstract—This paper examines the aesthetic dimension and the technical realization of Dialogismos I, a piece for saxophone alto and electronics by the composer Nuno Peixoto de Pinho. The conceptual basis of the work relies on the notion of 'intertextuality'coined by the Bulgarian-French philosopher and literary critic Julia Kristeva, which was somehow transposed to the music domain by J. Peter Burkholder under the concept 'musical borrowing'. The compositional problems raised by applying an intertextual musical ...

A Padronização Gestual dos Golpes de Arco na Performance do Violino - O Son Filé

São inúmeros os autores que legitimam a relevância da técnica do arco na performance do violino: ... more São inúmeros os autores que legitimam a relevância da técnica do arco na performance do violino: Galamian (1962); Auer (1925); Viotti (cit. in Salles1998); Salles (1998); Gerle (2011); Mozart (1951 cit. in Gerle 2011); Capet (1916 cit. in Gerle 2011); Flesch (1928); Casorti (1880), e Pinto (2016). Desta forma, o principal objetivo deste estudo centra-se na compreensão dos movimentos somáticos necessários para reprodução dos diferentes golpes de arco. Através de uma investigação experimental em laboratório que envolveu 30 violinistas, foi possível a gravação - em formato de som, vídeo e Motion Capture, de um total de 1260 interpretações, resultado de uma criteriosa seleção de 42 excertos musicais representativos de cada um dos golpes de arco em estudo. Todas as gravações de som foram sujeitas à apreciação de um júri, que selecionou a melhor interpretação de cada excerto do grupo 1 (participantes com fato), a melhor interpretação do grupo 2 (participantes sem fato), e a pior interpret...

Towards a multimodal analysis of European Piano Schools of Music Performance

This study aims to characterize representative performances by experienced pianists in order to d... more This study aims to characterize representative performances by experienced pianists in order to determine main influential trends in performance, derived specifically from traditional piano practices referred to as National Piano Schools. The methodology of this exploratory study departs from a musicological empirical analysis in articulation with recent technological developments for metric methods. It allowed an analysis of gesture and musical semantics by applying a multimodal approach for capturing the pianist performance based on the extraction of features’ sets specifically targeted to each piano school. In this paper we describe the quantitative analysis approach based on motion capture.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Jean Claude Risset’s Duet for One Pianist: Challenges of a Real-Time Performance Interaction with a Computer-Controlled Acoustic Piano 16 Years Later

Journal of Science and Technology of the Arts, 2014

This study aims to discuss the work Duet for one Pianist (1989) by the French composer Jean-Claud... more This study aims to discuss the work Duet for one Pianist (1989) by the French composer Jean-Claude Risset (b. 13 March 1938) by analyzing the challenges of the music performance of this Computer-Aided Composition work Disklavier and implies Human-Computer Interaction performance. Extremely honored to perform the revised version of the 8 Sketches for One Pianist and Disklavier within a research project of CITAR and a new Sketch Reflections (2012) by Jean-Claude Risset dedicated to me in a World premiere in the closing ceremony of Black&White 2012 Film Festival promoted by the Catholic University of Portugal. Several issues on the performance of this work are analysed as a casestudy, from the point of view of the performer, particularly the components of expressive performance in a real-time interaction between performer and computer. These components can work as analysis criteria of a piano interpretation, in here, of a pianist and Disklavier interpretation.

The assessment of trapezius muscle symptoms of piano players by the use of infrared thermography

legacyweb.rcm.ac.uk

International Symposium on Performance Science © The Author 2011, Published by the AEC ISBN 978-9... more

Discurso pianista Edwin Fischer Cursos Lucerna de Verão 1947

Discurso pianista Edwin Fischer Cursos Lucerna de Verão 1947, 2013

Discurso pianista Edwin Fischer Cursos Lucerna de Verão 1947 dedicado a Helena Moreira de Sá e Co... more Discurso pianista Edwin Fischer Cursos Lucerna de Verão 1947 dedicado a Helena Moreira de Sá e Costa (1913-2006), traduzido do alemão "ANSPRACHE gehalten zurro Eröffnung des Sommerkurses 1947 im Konservatorium zu Luzern von Dr. Edwin Fischer" publicado pela família Moreira de Sá e Costa por ocasião do centenário do nascimento da pianista Helena Moreira de Sá e Costa.

AS ESCOLAS DE PIANO EUROPEIAS NO SÉCULO XX: personalidade e identidade estética dos intérpretes

The aim of this study is to characterize representative performances of pianists, by assessing es... more The aim of this study is to characterize representative performances of pianists, by assessing essential lines and main trends in performative practice, referred to as National Piano Schools. Studies and previous research demonstrate the existence of national traditions of specific interpretative practices of defined communities of pianists who share similar characteristics, of an aesthetic, technical, historical and repertoire nature. Primary sources were analyzed, namely, piano pedagogy literature, articulated as a methodology for empirical analysis of audio examples and the application of a qualitative evaluation grid. The main National Piano Schools are divided into three main groups: the Russian School, the French School and the German School. Its systematic identification and study protect and value the heritage of the intangible heritage of music of European origin in the understanding of processes of identification, mediation and hybridization in musical practice and communi...

AS ESCOLAS DE PIANO EUROPEIAS NO SÉCULO XX: PERSONALIDADE E IDENTIDADE ESTÉTICA DOS INTÉRPRETES European Piano Schools in the 20th century: Personality and aesthetic identity of the interpreters

© EUROPEAN REVIEW OF ARTISTIC STUDIES, 2020

Resumo O objetivo deste estudo é a caraterização de performances representativas de pianistas, at... more Resumo O objetivo deste estudo é a caraterização de performances representativas de pianistas, através da aferição de linhas essenciais e principais tendências da prática performativa, referenciadas como Escolas Nacionais de Piano. Estudos e investigação prévia demonstram a existência de tradições nacionais de práticas interpretativas específicas de comunidades definidas de pianistas, os quais partilham caraterísticas similares, de ordem estética, técnica, histórica e de repertório. Foram analisadas fontes primárias, nomeadamente, literatura de pedagogia de piano, em articulação como uma metodologia de análise empírica de exemplos áudio e a aplicação de uma grelha de avaliação de âmbito qualitativo. As principais Escolas Nacionais de Piano dividem-se em três núcleos principais: a Escola Russa, a Escola Francesa e a Escola Alemã. A sua identificação e o seu estudo sistemático protegem e valorizam a herança do património imaterial da música de origem Europeia na compreensão de processos de identificação, mediação e hibridação na prática e comunicação musical. Abstract The aim of this study is to characterize representative performances of pianists, by assessing essential lines and main trends in performative practice, referred to as National Piano Schools. Studies and previous research demonstrate the existence of national traditions of specific interpretative practices of defined communities of pianists who share similar characteristics, of an aesthetic, technical, historical and repertoire nature. Primary sources were analyzed, namely, piano pedagogy literature, articulated as a methodology for empirical analysis of audio examples and the application of a qualitative evaluation grid. The main National Piano Schools are divided into three main groups: the Russian School, the French School and the German School. Its systematic identification and study protect and value the heritage of the intangible heritage of music of European origin in the understanding of processes of identification, mediation and hybridization in musical practice and communication. Palavras-chave: Música; Escolas de Piano Europeias; performance musical; identidade estética.

TOWARDS A MULTIMODAL ANALYSIS OF EUROPEAN PIANO SCHOOLS OF MUSIC PERFORMANCE

by Sofia Lourenço, Sofia Lourenço, and Mickael Tits

This study aims to characterize representative performances by experienced pianists in order to d... more This study aims to characterize representative performances by experienced pianists in order to determine main influential trends in performance, derived specifically from traditional piano practices referred to as National Piano Schools. The methodology of this exploratory study departs from a musicological empirical analysis in articulation with recent technological developments for metric methods. It allowed an analysis of gesture and musical semantics by applying a multimodal approach for capturing the pianist performance based on the extraction of features' sets specifically targeted to each piano school. In this paper we describe the quantitative analysis approach based on motion capture.

European Piano Schools : Russian , German and French classical piano interpretation and technique

Journal of Science and Technology of the Arts, 2010

Three-dimensional analysis of the cranio-cervico-mandibular complex during piano performance

Medical problems of performing artists, 2014

Piano players, as well as other musicians, spend a long time training to achieve the best results... more Piano players, as well as other musicians, spend a long time training to achieve the best results, sometimes adopting unnatural body positions that may cause musculoskeletal pain. This paper presents the preliminary results of a study targeting the analysis of the head and cervical postures of 17 piano players during musical performance. It was found, as a common feature, that the players tilt the head to the right and forward towards the score and keyboard. Players who know the score by heart tend to move their heads more compared to the ones who have to keep their eyes on the score.

As Escolas de Piano Europeias

As escolas de piano europeias: tendências nacionais da interpretação pianística no século XX

Antagonism and Mutual Dependency. Critial Models of Performance and “Piano Interpretation Schools”

Journal of Science and Technology of the Arts, 2011

To polarize and, coincidently, intersect two different concepts, in terms of a distinction/analog... more To polarize and, coincidently, intersect two different concepts, in terms of a distinction/analogy between "piano interpretation schools" and "critical models" is the aim of this paper. The former, with its prior connotations of both empiricism and dogmatism and not directly shaped by aesthetic criteria or interpretational ideals, depends mainly on the aural and oral tradition as well the teacher-student legacy; the latter employs ideally the generic criteria of interpretativeness, which can be measured in accordance to an aesthetic formula and can include features such as non-obviousness, inferentially, lack of consensus, concern with meaning or significance, concern with structure or design, etc. The relative autonomy of the former is a challenge to the latter, which embraces the range of perspectives available in the horizon of the history of ideas about music and interpretation. The effort of recognizing models of criticism within musical interpretation creates the vehicle for new understandings of the nature and the historical development of Western classical piano performance, promoting also the production of quality critical argument and the communication of key performance tendencies and styles.

Subjective appropriation of musical form in Schumann’s Carnaval, op. 9

by Sofia Lourenço and paulo ferreira-lopes

Journal of Science and Technology of the Arts, 2014

The aim of this article is to analyze musical form in german composer Robert Schumann's works (8 ... more The aim of this article is to analyze musical form in german composer Robert Schumann's works (8 June 1810 -29 July 1856), particularly that of piano solo piece Carnaval, op. 9, trying to understand what is revealed by the way he uses it in relation to his personality, not only in artistic terms (taking into account the context of German Romanticism) but also on a deeper psychological level. To come to an understanding of Schumann's use of form, this paper begins with a brief description of the evolution of musical form since Viennese Classicism, with additional references to the baroque system of 'affects'. Form in Schumann is compared with that of other significant composers of the romantic period and various points of intersection between music and other arts are analyzed, especially literature, in certain key works of this period. Parting from these reflections, we explore the question of the expressive intention behind his handling of form in Carnaval, op. 9. The aim of the investigation of this aspect is to understand how far the innovatory use of this parameter in Schumann, reflects a unique vision of the art of music.

The Creative Process Behind Dialogismos I: Theoretical and Technical Considerations

by Sofia Lourenço, Carlos Guedes, Bruce Pennycook, and Nuno de Pinho

Abstract—This paper examines the aesthetic dimension and the technical realization of Dialogismos... more Abstract—This paper examines the aesthetic dimension and the technical realization of Dialogismos I, a piece for saxophone alto and electronics by the composer Nuno Peixoto de Pinho. The conceptual basis of the work relies on the notion of 'intertextuality'coined by the Bulgarian-French philosopher and literary critic Julia Kristeva, which was somehow transposed to the music domain by J. Peter Burkholder under the concept 'musical borrowing'. The compositional problems raised by applying an intertextual musical ...

Do Pianists Play with their Teeth

by Sofia Lourenço and Álvaro Barbosa

The aim of this study was to find out whether the masticatory and postural muscles are used by pi... more The aim of this study was to find out whether the masticatory and postural muscles are used by pianists during their music performances. The study also aimed to ascertain whether the complex neuromuscular activity involved in the act of playing the piano also encourages hyperactivity in terms of the masticatory muscles. The bio-electric potentials of the masticatory and postural muscles of 20 pianists were recorded. The electromyographical figures obtained from regarding the temporal and masseter muscles are much higher than those recorded when in the resting position. These registrations, which are not the same as those obtained, for example, when the individuals are chewing hard food such as a carrot, are nonetheless indicative of daily parafunctional activity in musicians who often study for as much as 7 hours per day.

Jean Claude Risset’s Duet for One Pianist: Challenges of a Real-Time Performance Interaction with a Computer-Controlled Acoustic Piano 16 Years Later

CITAR Journal, Volume 6, No. 2 – December 2014, Dec 30, 2014

This study aims to discuss the work Duet for one Pianist (1989) by the French composer Jean-Claud... more This study aims to discuss the work Duet for one Pianist (1989) by the French composer Jean-Claude Risset (b. 13 March 1938) by analyzing the challenges of the music performance of this Computer-Aided Composition work Disklavier and implies Human- Computer Interaction performance. Extremely honored to perform the revised version of the 8 Sketches for One Pianist and Disklavier within a research project of CITAR and a new Sketch Reflections (2012) by Jean-Claude Risset dedicated to me in a World premiere in the closing ceremony of Black&White 2012 Film Festival promoted by the Catholic University of Portugal. Several issues on the performance of this work are analysed as a case- study, from the point of view of the performer, particularly the components of expressive performance in a real-time interaction between performer and computer. These components can work as analysis criteria of a piano interpretation, in here, of a pianist and Disklavier interpretation.

Tendencies of piano interpretation in the twentieth century: Concept and different types of "piano interpretation schools

Do pianists play with their teeth

by Sofia Lourenço and Álvaro Barbosa

The aim of this study was to find out whether the masticatory and postural muscles are used by pi... more The aim of this study was to find out whether the masticatory and postural muscles are used by pianists during their music performances. The study also aimed to ascertain whether the complex neuromuscular activity involved in the act of playing the piano also encourages hyperactivity in terms of the masticatory muscles. The bio-electric potentials of the masticatory and postural muscles of 20 pianists were recorded. The electromyographical figures obtained from regarding the temporal and masseter muscles are much higher than those recorded when in the resting position. These registrations, which are not the same as those obtained, for example, when the individuals are chewing hard food such as a carrot, are nonetheless indicative of daily parafunctional activity in musicians who often study for as much as 7 hours per day.

The Creative Process Behind Dialogismos I: Theoretical and Technical Considerations

Abstract—This paper examines the aesthetic dimension and the technical realization of Dialogismos... more Abstract—This paper examines the aesthetic dimension and the technical realization of Dialogismos I, a piece for saxophone alto and electronics by the composer Nuno Peixoto de Pinho. The conceptual basis of the work relies on the notion of 'intertextuality'coined by the Bulgarian-French philosopher and literary critic Julia Kristeva, which was somehow transposed to the music domain by J. Peter Burkholder under the concept 'musical borrowing'. The compositional problems raised by applying an intertextual musical ...

A Padronização Gestual dos Golpes de Arco na Performance do Violino - O Son Filé

São inúmeros os autores que legitimam a relevância da técnica do arco na performance do violino: ... more São inúmeros os autores que legitimam a relevância da técnica do arco na performance do violino: Galamian (1962); Auer (1925); Viotti (cit. in Salles1998); Salles (1998); Gerle (2011); Mozart (1951 cit. in Gerle 2011); Capet (1916 cit. in Gerle 2011); Flesch (1928); Casorti (1880), e Pinto (2016). Desta forma, o principal objetivo deste estudo centra-se na compreensão dos movimentos somáticos necessários para reprodução dos diferentes golpes de arco. Através de uma investigação experimental em laboratório que envolveu 30 violinistas, foi possível a gravação - em formato de som, vídeo e Motion Capture, de um total de 1260 interpretações, resultado de uma criteriosa seleção de 42 excertos musicais representativos de cada um dos golpes de arco em estudo. Todas as gravações de som foram sujeitas à apreciação de um júri, que selecionou a melhor interpretação de cada excerto do grupo 1 (participantes com fato), a melhor interpretação do grupo 2 (participantes sem fato), e a pior interpret...

Towards a multimodal analysis of European Piano Schools of Music Performance

This study aims to characterize representative performances by experienced pianists in order to d... more This study aims to characterize representative performances by experienced pianists in order to determine main influential trends in performance, derived specifically from traditional piano practices referred to as National Piano Schools. The methodology of this exploratory study departs from a musicological empirical analysis in articulation with recent technological developments for metric methods. It allowed an analysis of gesture and musical semantics by applying a multimodal approach for capturing the pianist performance based on the extraction of features’ sets specifically targeted to each piano school. In this paper we describe the quantitative analysis approach based on motion capture.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Jean Claude Risset’s Duet for One Pianist: Challenges of a Real-Time Performance Interaction with a Computer-Controlled Acoustic Piano 16 Years Later

Journal of Science and Technology of the Arts, 2014

This study aims to discuss the work Duet for one Pianist (1989) by the French composer Jean-Claud... more This study aims to discuss the work Duet for one Pianist (1989) by the French composer Jean-Claude Risset (b. 13 March 1938) by analyzing the challenges of the music performance of this Computer-Aided Composition work Disklavier and implies Human-Computer Interaction performance. Extremely honored to perform the revised version of the 8 Sketches for One Pianist and Disklavier within a research project of CITAR and a new Sketch Reflections (2012) by Jean-Claude Risset dedicated to me in a World premiere in the closing ceremony of Black&White 2012 Film Festival promoted by the Catholic University of Portugal. Several issues on the performance of this work are analysed as a casestudy, from the point of view of the performer, particularly the components of expressive performance in a real-time interaction between performer and computer. These components can work as analysis criteria of a piano interpretation, in here, of a pianist and Disklavier interpretation.

The assessment of trapezius muscle symptoms of piano players by the use of infrared thermography

legacyweb.rcm.ac.uk

International Symposium on Performance Science © The Author 2011, Published by the AEC ISBN 978-9... more

Discurso pianista Edwin Fischer Cursos Lucerna de Verão 1947

Discurso pianista Edwin Fischer Cursos Lucerna de Verão 1947, 2013

Discurso pianista Edwin Fischer Cursos Lucerna de Verão 1947 dedicado a Helena Moreira de Sá e Co... more Discurso pianista Edwin Fischer Cursos Lucerna de Verão 1947 dedicado a Helena Moreira de Sá e Costa (1913-2006), traduzido do alemão "ANSPRACHE gehalten zurro Eröffnung des Sommerkurses 1947 im Konservatorium zu Luzern von Dr. Edwin Fischer" publicado pela família Moreira de Sá e Costa por ocasião do centenário do nascimento da pianista Helena Moreira de Sá e Costa.

AS ESCOLAS DE PIANO EUROPEIAS NO SÉCULO XX: personalidade e identidade estética dos intérpretes

The aim of this study is to characterize representative performances of pianists, by assessing es... more The aim of this study is to characterize representative performances of pianists, by assessing essential lines and main trends in performative practice, referred to as National Piano Schools. Studies and previous research demonstrate the existence of national traditions of specific interpretative practices of defined communities of pianists who share similar characteristics, of an aesthetic, technical, historical and repertoire nature. Primary sources were analyzed, namely, piano pedagogy literature, articulated as a methodology for empirical analysis of audio examples and the application of a qualitative evaluation grid. The main National Piano Schools are divided into three main groups: the Russian School, the French School and the German School. Its systematic identification and study protect and value the heritage of the intangible heritage of music of European origin in the understanding of processes of identification, mediation and hybridization in musical practice and communi...

AS ESCOLAS DE PIANO EUROPEIAS NO SÉCULO XX: PERSONALIDADE E IDENTIDADE ESTÉTICA DOS INTÉRPRETES European Piano Schools in the 20th century: Personality and aesthetic identity of the interpreters

© EUROPEAN REVIEW OF ARTISTIC STUDIES, 2020

Resumo O objetivo deste estudo é a caraterização de performances representativas de pianistas, at... more Resumo O objetivo deste estudo é a caraterização de performances representativas de pianistas, através da aferição de linhas essenciais e principais tendências da prática performativa, referenciadas como Escolas Nacionais de Piano. Estudos e investigação prévia demonstram a existência de tradições nacionais de práticas interpretativas específicas de comunidades definidas de pianistas, os quais partilham caraterísticas similares, de ordem estética, técnica, histórica e de repertório. Foram analisadas fontes primárias, nomeadamente, literatura de pedagogia de piano, em articulação como uma metodologia de análise empírica de exemplos áudio e a aplicação de uma grelha de avaliação de âmbito qualitativo. As principais Escolas Nacionais de Piano dividem-se em três núcleos principais: a Escola Russa, a Escola Francesa e a Escola Alemã. A sua identificação e o seu estudo sistemático protegem e valorizam a herança do património imaterial da música de origem Europeia na compreensão de processos de identificação, mediação e hibridação na prática e comunicação musical. Abstract The aim of this study is to characterize representative performances of pianists, by assessing essential lines and main trends in performative practice, referred to as National Piano Schools. Studies and previous research demonstrate the existence of national traditions of specific interpretative practices of defined communities of pianists who share similar characteristics, of an aesthetic, technical, historical and repertoire nature. Primary sources were analyzed, namely, piano pedagogy literature, articulated as a methodology for empirical analysis of audio examples and the application of a qualitative evaluation grid. The main National Piano Schools are divided into three main groups: the Russian School, the French School and the German School. Its systematic identification and study protect and value the heritage of the intangible heritage of music of European origin in the understanding of processes of identification, mediation and hybridization in musical practice and communication. Palavras-chave: Música; Escolas de Piano Europeias; performance musical; identidade estética.

TOWARDS A MULTIMODAL ANALYSIS OF EUROPEAN PIANO SCHOOLS OF MUSIC PERFORMANCE

by Sofia Lourenço, Sofia Lourenço, and Mickael Tits

This study aims to characterize representative performances by experienced pianists in order to d... more This study aims to characterize representative performances by experienced pianists in order to determine main influential trends in performance, derived specifically from traditional piano practices referred to as National Piano Schools. The methodology of this exploratory study departs from a musicological empirical analysis in articulation with recent technological developments for metric methods. It allowed an analysis of gesture and musical semantics by applying a multimodal approach for capturing the pianist performance based on the extraction of features' sets specifically targeted to each piano school. In this paper we describe the quantitative analysis approach based on motion capture.

European Piano Schools : Russian , German and French classical piano interpretation and technique

Journal of Science and Technology of the Arts, 2010

Three-dimensional analysis of the cranio-cervico-mandibular complex during piano performance

Medical problems of performing artists, 2014

Piano players, as well as other musicians, spend a long time training to achieve the best results... more Piano players, as well as other musicians, spend a long time training to achieve the best results, sometimes adopting unnatural body positions that may cause musculoskeletal pain. This paper presents the preliminary results of a study targeting the analysis of the head and cervical postures of 17 piano players during musical performance. It was found, as a common feature, that the players tilt the head to the right and forward towards the score and keyboard. Players who know the score by heart tend to move their heads more compared to the ones who have to keep their eyes on the score.

As Escolas de Piano Europeias

As escolas de piano europeias: tendências nacionais da interpretação pianística no século XX

Antagonism and Mutual Dependency. Critial Models of Performance and “Piano Interpretation Schools”

Journal of Science and Technology of the Arts, 2011

To polarize and, coincidently, intersect two different concepts, in terms of a distinction/analog... more To polarize and, coincidently, intersect two different concepts, in terms of a distinction/analogy between "piano interpretation schools" and "critical models" is the aim of this paper. The former, with its prior connotations of both empiricism and dogmatism and not directly shaped by aesthetic criteria or interpretational ideals, depends mainly on the aural and oral tradition as well the teacher-student legacy; the latter employs ideally the generic criteria of interpretativeness, which can be measured in accordance to an aesthetic formula and can include features such as non-obviousness, inferentially, lack of consensus, concern with meaning or significance, concern with structure or design, etc. The relative autonomy of the former is a challenge to the latter, which embraces the range of perspectives available in the horizon of the history of ideas about music and interpretation. The effort of recognizing models of criticism within musical interpretation creates the vehicle for new understandings of the nature and the historical development of Western classical piano performance, promoting also the production of quality critical argument and the communication of key performance tendencies and styles.

Subjective appropriation of musical form in Schumann’s Carnaval, op. 9

by Sofia Lourenço and paulo ferreira-lopes

Journal of Science and Technology of the Arts, 2014

The aim of this article is to analyze musical form in german composer Robert Schumann's works (8 ... more The aim of this article is to analyze musical form in german composer Robert Schumann's works (8 June 1810 -29 July 1856), particularly that of piano solo piece Carnaval, op. 9, trying to understand what is revealed by the way he uses it in relation to his personality, not only in artistic terms (taking into account the context of German Romanticism) but also on a deeper psychological level. To come to an understanding of Schumann's use of form, this paper begins with a brief description of the evolution of musical form since Viennese Classicism, with additional references to the baroque system of 'affects'. Form in Schumann is compared with that of other significant composers of the romantic period and various points of intersection between music and other arts are analyzed, especially literature, in certain key works of this period. Parting from these reflections, we explore the question of the expressive intention behind his handling of form in Carnaval, op. 9. The aim of the investigation of this aspect is to understand how far the innovatory use of this parameter in Schumann, reflects a unique vision of the art of music.

The Creative Process Behind Dialogismos I: Theoretical and Technical Considerations

by Sofia Lourenço, Carlos Guedes, Bruce Pennycook, and Nuno de Pinho

Abstract—This paper examines the aesthetic dimension and the technical realization of Dialogismos... more Abstract—This paper examines the aesthetic dimension and the technical realization of Dialogismos I, a piece for saxophone alto and electronics by the composer Nuno Peixoto de Pinho. The conceptual basis of the work relies on the notion of 'intertextuality'coined by the Bulgarian-French philosopher and literary critic Julia Kristeva, which was somehow transposed to the music domain by J. Peter Burkholder under the concept 'musical borrowing'. The compositional problems raised by applying an intertextual musical ...

Do Pianists Play with their Teeth

by Sofia Lourenço and Álvaro Barbosa

The aim of this study was to find out whether the masticatory and postural muscles are used by pi... more The aim of this study was to find out whether the masticatory and postural muscles are used by pianists during their music performances. The study also aimed to ascertain whether the complex neuromuscular activity involved in the act of playing the piano also encourages hyperactivity in terms of the masticatory muscles. The bio-electric potentials of the masticatory and postural muscles of 20 pianists were recorded. The electromyographical figures obtained from regarding the temporal and masseter muscles are much higher than those recorded when in the resting position. These registrations, which are not the same as those obtained, for example, when the individuals are chewing hard food such as a carrot, are nonetheless indicative of daily parafunctional activity in musicians who often study for as much as 7 hours per day.

Jean Claude Risset’s Duet for One Pianist: Challenges of a Real-Time Performance Interaction with a Computer-Controlled Acoustic Piano 16 Years Later

CITAR Journal, Volume 6, No. 2 – December 2014, Dec 30, 2014

This study aims to discuss the work Duet for one Pianist (1989) by the French composer Jean-Claud... more This study aims to discuss the work Duet for one Pianist (1989) by the French composer Jean-Claude Risset (b. 13 March 1938) by analyzing the challenges of the music performance of this Computer-Aided Composition work Disklavier and implies Human- Computer Interaction performance. Extremely honored to perform the revised version of the 8 Sketches for One Pianist and Disklavier within a research project of CITAR and a new Sketch Reflections (2012) by Jean-Claude Risset dedicated to me in a World premiere in the closing ceremony of Black&White 2012 Film Festival promoted by the Catholic University of Portugal. Several issues on the performance of this work are analysed as a case- study, from the point of view of the performer, particularly the components of expressive performance in a real-time interaction between performer and computer. These components can work as analysis criteria of a piano interpretation, in here, of a pianist and Disklavier interpretation.

Tendencies of piano interpretation in the twentieth century: Concept and different types of "piano interpretation schools

Do pianists play with their teeth

by Sofia Lourenço and Álvaro Barbosa

The aim of this study was to find out whether the masticatory and postural muscles are used by pi... more The aim of this study was to find out whether the masticatory and postural muscles are used by pianists during their music performances. The study also aimed to ascertain whether the complex neuromuscular activity involved in the act of playing the piano also encourages hyperactivity in terms of the masticatory muscles. The bio-electric potentials of the masticatory and postural muscles of 20 pianists were recorded. The electromyographical figures obtained from regarding the temporal and masseter muscles are much higher than those recorded when in the resting position. These registrations, which are not the same as those obtained, for example, when the individuals are chewing hard food such as a carrot, are nonetheless indicative of daily parafunctional activity in musicians who often study for as much as 7 hours per day.

"Nationale Prägungen der Interpretation" Geleitwort von Ulrich Mahlert

Preface to the book Lourenço, Sofia, As Escolas de Piano Europeias - tendências nacionalistas da interpretação pianística no século XX, Porto, Universidade Católica Editora, 2012

Geleitwort_Ulrich Mahlert

Rui Vieira Nery | Nascimento, vida e talvez morte das escolas de piano europeias: o olhar de uma pianista inteligente

Preface to the book Lourenço, Sofia, As Escolas de Piano Europeias - tendências nacionalistas da interpretação pianística no século XX, Porto, Universidade Católica Editora, 2012

Preface to the book Lourenço, Sofia, As Escolas de Piano Europeias - tendências nacionalistas da... more

Rui Vieira Nery et al. (2014) O Orpheon Portuense: o amor pela Música de uma elite cosmopolita

A Sociedade Orpheon Portuense (1881-2008) Tradição e Inovação, 2014

Cem anos da Arte do Piano: os pianistas na Sociedade de Concertos Orpheon Portuense

"Cem anos da Arte do Piano" percorre o itinerário de um século, durante o qual os pianistas mais ... more