Creative Processes in the Shaping of a Musical Interpretation: A Study of Nine Professional Musicians

Abstract

Various studies have been conducted to understand the role of mental representation when musicians practice or perform music (Lehman and Ericsson, 1997; Sloboda, 2005) and the work steps required for a musician to prepare a concert (Chaffin et al., 2003). More recent studies examine creativity in the shaping of a musical interpretation (Lisboa et al., 2011; Payne, 2016; Barros et al., 2017; Wise et al., 2017). However, none of these studies answers the following questions: Why do expert musicians working from the same score create different musical interpretations? During individual practice sessions, what happens that allows each musician to produce significantly different interpretive results? To answer these questions, we instructed nine expert musicians to record their individual practice sessions, verbalize their actions and thoughts, and answer a self-reflection questionnaire. A third-party observer also described what happened during the practice sessions. We conducted interviews in order to gather additional information about the contents of the individual practice sessions; the musicians' usual work habits; and their beliefs, values, and ideas regarding the role of the musician in the creative process. Based on the methodology of Analyse par théorisation ancrée1 (Paillé, 1994), we were able to take into account a diverse data set and identify aspects of the creative process that were specific to each individual as well as elements that all musicians shared. We found that the context in which the creative process takes place—the musician (e.g., his or her values and knowledge); the musical work (e.g., style, technical aspects, etc.); and the external constraints (e.g., deadlines, public expectations, etc.)—impacted the strategies used. The participants used reflection, extramusical supports, emotions, body reactions, intuition, and other tools to generate new musical ideas and evaluate the accuracy of their musical interpretations. We identified elements related to those already discussed in the literature, including the creative process as an alternation between divergent and convergent thinking (Guilford, 1950), creative associations (Lubart, 2015), and artistic appropriation (Héroux and Fortier, 2014; Héroux, 2016).

Expert pianists’ practice perspectives: A production and listening study

“…One common strategy involved making a visual and temporal overview of the piece while reading it silently for the first time (cf. Héroux, 2018). The participants also used embodied strategies throughout practice in much the same way, and interpretive and memory strategies to a greater extent in the later stages of practice.…”

“…Musicians are known to differ qualitatively in their approaches to interpretation and practice (Hallam, 1995;Héroux, 2018;Hultberg, 2008). Notated scores offer the possibility for different perspectives to be taken on their meaning.…”

“…Notated scores offer the possibility for different perspectives to be taken on their meaning. Musicians can, for example, choose a reproductive approach, seeing the score as a normative document, or take a more exploratory approach, relying on their own judgments of expressive conventions (Hultberg, 2000); the musician's choice of approach may depend on their personal values (see Héroux, 2018). One musician might prefer to focus on the structure of the music, while another will approach the same piece through emotion and symbolic thinking (Dos Santos & Hentschke, 2011; see also Héroux, 2016).…”

Measuring the Impacts of Extra-Musical Elements in Guitar Music Playing: A Pilot Study

“…However, philosophers of music, composers, and performers have argued for decades whether music finds meaning through its form and in the objective musical material (e.g., Hanslick, 1986 ) or through reference to extra-musical elements (e.g., Meyer, 1956 ). In a recent analysis of the creative process of interpretation from nine professional musicians, Héroux (2018) identified the same “debate,” which appears grounded in the musicians’ artistic approaches, working habits, values, beliefs, or priorities. In her study, the majority of experts used extra-musical elements.…”

“… Philosophers, composers, and musicians have long argued whether instrumental music finds meaning in its formal structure and musical content ( Hanslick, 1986 ) or through reference to extra-musical elements, like narratives, emotions, or memories ( Meyer, 1956 ). While the use of extra-musical elements appears grounded in individual musicians’ priorities for performance and teaching ( Héroux, 2018 ), the impact of emotional indications on expressivity has not previously been studied in a large-scale experiment. The aim of this pilot study was to construct the methodology for a larger project to study the impact of the use of extra-musical elements on the sound results of guitarists.…”