Date of Award
Fall 12-2023
Degree Type
Dissertation
Degree Name
Doctor of Musical Arts (DMA)
School
Music
Committee Chair
Dr. Douglas Rust
Committee Chair School
Music
Committee Member 2
Dr. Hsiaopei Lee
Committee Member 2 School
Music
Committee Member 3
Dr. Joseph Jones
Committee Member 3 School
Music
Committee Member 4
Dr. Marcos Machado
Committee Member 4 School
Music
Committee Member 5
Dr. Nicholas Ciraldo
Committee Member 5 School
Music
Abstract
This dissertation explores changing perspectives on performance practice for the well-known solo guitar work Choros No.1 composed in 1920 by Heitor Villa-Lobos (1887-1959), by documenting different interpretations heard on selected recordings from across the 20th century and into the 21st century. The methodology considers the recordings as the main object of study. Choros No. 1 features a hybrid style that makes it especially interesting for a research method that captures performance details such as articulations, dynamic and agogic accents, timbre, and tempo flexibility. This dissertation will consider performance decisions that are not often discussed in the research. For example, the question of how to accent the syncopations in this music properly. Performers use different techniques to emphasize notes beyond the accents on the score, from dynamic accents to agogic accents or other means. The question is, how do guitarists decide which accents to add (if any) to their performances? Recorded evidence will be collected to show the variety of answers to this question, without privileging any particular interpretation. At the conclusion of the study, there will be some account of which technical choices are more common and which performances can be grouped together by shared interpretations. Another original question considered in this study is whether one interpretive choice may affect other choices that a guitarist makes while performing this work. For example, if an exceptionally slow tempo is chosen to begin the performance, how does that affect the guitarist’s response to tempo changes later in the piece? The resulting study will help guitarists to understand better the history of performing the music of Villa-Lobos and it will provide a new perspective from which to make informed choices about interpretation.
Recommended Citation
Hoffmann Uller, Andrei Jan, "VILLA-LOBOS CHOROS NO. 1: A STUDY OF THE RECORDINGS" (2023). Dissertations. 2170.
https://aquila.usm.edu/dissertations/2170