CESEM — FCSH: NOVA University

Contemporary Portuguese music performance as research: intertextuality in “Sedoso” and “Saudoso” as a case study

Aiming for a contemporary music performance, one parameterizes that the performer should think in terms of musical results, following the purpose of connecting performance practice and analytical musicology, sustaining by the postulate of the performer as researcher. The creation of the interpretative narrative will be reached through the performer’s imagery, exploring the intertextuality as a practice-based research tool, that will determine the interpretative construction process. This performance analysis intends to demonstrate how the semiotic elements inherent to the genesis of a piece, and the composer assumptions constitutes an axis on the construction of the interpretative narrative. Intertextuality will be a way of settling a commitment to all text level available, in behalf of the performance. Composed by Eurico Carrapatoso, Espelho da alma, a string trio with piano, comprises seven little pieces, including Sedoso and Saudoso; the piece belongs to the repertoire created in the XXI century. The composer starting point was seven traditional Portuguese songs aesthetically and stylistically explored, demonstrating is artistic personality which is strongly attached to is nationality, as he states. The semiotic concepts of the composer will be included in the analysis, aiming though, to reach the performer inner reality. As Sedoso and Saudoso represent an historical Portuguese love drama (Pedro e Inês), one intends to analyse the performance impact through the network of meanings generated during the process of analysis between the two pieces, and the semiotic processes inter-related with the other pieces of Espelho da alma. Despite the poems of the traditional songs are not included, they will be a source of reflection, in order to find an interpretative full comprehension and consequently a high-quality performance, based on all available data. This case study will interconnect the composer cues and the performer personal vision of this pieces constituting a collaborative work that will enrich the performance options. The enounced analytical strategies become complementary, since that the contemporary music performer’s specificity tackles the interpreter’s need to construct is on imagery. It is concluded that collaborative musical activities constitute a primordial tool in order that the performer reaches his goals, due to the vast compositional conceptions diversity generated at the XXI century music.

Keywords: Contemporary music; Chamber Portuguese music; Performance as research

Biography

Ana Cristina Bernardo graduated in piano at the Escola Superior de Música de Lisboa. Participated in masterclasses guided by Helena Sá e Costa, Carlos Cebro, Alain Jacquon, Sequeira e Costa, Dimitri Paperno and José Eduardo Martins. Holds a master’s degree in music/musicology (chamber music), from the Faculdade de Ciências Sociais e Humanas and ESML, with the orientation of Professor Gerard Doderer and the pianist Olga Prats. Holds a PhD in Music/Musicology from the University of Évora, with the orientation of Professor Eduardo Lopes and co-orientation of Professor José Eduardo Martins (University of São Paulo). Was awarded with a Foundation for Science and Technology grant. As pianist presented several chamber music recitals, highlighting contemporary Portuguese music. Presented several paper scientific communications among which in the London Piano Symposium at the Royal College of Music. Member of the Research Centre in Sociology and Aesthetics of Music at Universidade Nova de Lisboa(GIMC).