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Creating Musical 'Truth': an Interdisciplinary Application Of CREATING MUSICAL ‘TRUTH’: AN INTERDISCIPLINARY APPLICATION OF SELECTED ELEMENTS FROM KONSTANTIN STANISLAVSKI’S ACTING ‘SYSTEM’ TO THE CLASSICAL PIANIST’S SELECTION, PREPARATION AND PERFORMANCE OF MUSIC FOR SOLO RECITAL by CHARLES WHITEHEAD, BMUS (PERF), MM A DISSERTATION IN FINE ARTS – MUSIC PERFORMANCE Submitted to the Graduate Faculty of Texas Tech University in Partial Fulfillment of The Requirements for The Degree of DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY Approved Professor William Westney, Chair Professor Gerald Dolter Professor Christopher J. Smith Professor Linda Donahue Professor Bill Gelber Mark Sheridan Dean of the Graduate School May, 2019 Copyright © 2019 Charles A. Whitehead Texas Tech University, Charles Whitehead, May 2019 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I wish to thank all who have contributed in any way to the development of this research. As a piano performance major in the PhD Fine Arts program at TTU, I have been given numerous opportunities to interact with actors, singers, theatre and music professors, conductors, directors, choreographers, vocal coaches. These artistic minds have helped shape my research and I realize how we are all in the same creative stream. I would like to convey sincere gratitude to my mentor, Dr. William Westney, who developed and tested Stanislavski’s ideas at the piano with me in our one-to-one sessions and advised me on many of the practical aspects of writing. Dr. Christopher Smith and Professor Gerald Dolter from the School of Music and Dr. Linda Donahue and Dr. Bill Gelber from Texas Tech Theatre have each given their own unique perspectives to my research. I also acknowledge the contributions of my fellow interdisciplinary scholars whose Stanislavski based research makes me feel that we are kindred spirits. Hearty thanks to Dr. Michael Stoune, Robin and Don Parks, Dr. Sherry and Mark Boyd, Dr. Adam Smith, Dr. Kevin Ngo, Dr. Andrew Gibb, Dr. David Forrest, Dr. Blaise and Dr. Beverly Ferrandino, Johnny and Kitty Case, Ken and Libby Draughon; and to Dr. Stephen and Sharon Small and Robert Loretz in Auckland, New Zealand. Special thanks to my wife, Debra Denson-Whitehead for her patience and being the sounding board for my ideas and playing and also Don and Marion Denson. And for the love and support of my whanau in Auckland, New Zealand: my father, Sel Whitehead, Tim, Vern, Peter, Sandra, Tony, and my mother, Una who passed on to us the deep love for music. ii Texas Tech University, Charles Whitehead, May 2019 TABLE OF CONTENTS ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ii ABSTRACT vi LIST OF MUSICAL EXAMPLES viii LIST OF FIGURES ix I. INTRODUCTION 1 Dramatic Relationships in Instrumental Music 3 Stanislavski’s Elements and Creative Experiencing 7 Imagination; Given Circumstances 7 Tone and Musical Emotions 12 Musical Subtext 13 Through-Action; Logic & Sequence 16 Sense of Truth; Justification 20 Analysis: Super-Objective, Units, Creative ‘Objectives’ 23 Musical Narrative 31 Methodology and Practical Application 32 Independent Preparation 33 II. REVIEW OF INTERDISCIPLINARY STANISLAVSKI LITERATURE 34 Stanislavski, Constantin; Pavel Rumyantsev. Stanislavski on Opera. Elizabeth Reynolds Hapgood, editor and translator. 35 Stanislavsky, Constantin; David Magarshack. Stanislavsky and the Art of the Stage: Five Rehearsals of Werther 45 iii Texas Tech University, Charles Whitehead, May 2019 Carnicke, Sharon; David Rosen. The Routledge Companion to Stanislavsky. Chapter 8: A Singer Prepares: Stanislavsky and opera. 52 Hsiu-Wei Hu: Mei Lanfang and Stanislavsky’s Method of Physical Actions in the Performance of Traditional Chinese Opera. 56 Minut, Bogdan Andrei: Applying Constantin Stanislavski’s Acting ‘System’ To Choral Rehearsals. 59 Hebert, Ryan. “The Acting Principles of Konstantin Stanislavski and Their Relevance To Choral Conducting”. 61 Roslavleva, Natalia. Stanislavski and the Ballet. 62 Plumlee, Linda K. Acting the Dance: An Application of the Stanislavski Acting Method. 66 Litvinoff, Valentina. The Use of Stanislavski Within Modern Dance. 69 Fischer, Simon. “Belief: Living The Music.” (Classical Violin) 73 Hinckley, Jaren S.: A Clarinetist Acts: A study of Constantin Stanislavski's acting techniques as applied to clarinet performance and pedagogy. 74 III. MUSICAL ‘TRUTH’ AND THE SOLO PIANIST 79 A Historical and Aesthetic Context 79 The Classical Pianist and Stanislavski’s ‘Laws of Nature’ 79 Emotions in Subconscious Psychological Actions 81 Romantic Era Aesthetics: Individualism and Emotions 82 Russian Realism and the Emotional Life of the Human Soul 83 Developing Musical Truth in the Solo Piano Recital 84 The Recital Program 87 Integrating Roles: Director, Performer, Musical Spectator 90 Personal Analysis: Actions in Musical Discourse 92 iv Texas Tech University, Charles Whitehead, May 2019 Mental Imagery 92 Adapting to a Different Instrument, Sound and Venue 94 Characteristics of ‘Musical Truth’ in Instrumental Music Performance 97 IV. THE ‘METHOD OF PHYSICAL ACTIONS’ IN INSTRUMENTAL MUSIC 99 Historical Background to the ‘Method of Physical Actions’ 99 Interdisciplinary Applications and Relevance to Solo Instrumental Music 100 Motivations for Musical Actions in Instrumental Works 101 Roland Barthes and Musical Actions in Schumann’s Kreisleriana 106 The ‘Super-Objective’ in Dramatic Instrumental Works 108 Developing ‘Truth’ in Musical Actions of Instrumental Work 110 Creative Justification for Musical Actions in Schubert Sonata D850: Rondo 114 V. CONCLUSION 116 Implications for Stanislavski’s ‘Artistic Truth’ in Instrumental Performance 117 What Might the Sociological Significance Be Today for ‘Musical Truth’? 120 BIBLIOGRAPHY 121 APPENDIX A: Application of Stanislavski to the Liszt Sonata in B minor 134 APPENDIX B: Musical ‘Truth’ in Recital 144 v Texas Tech University, Charles Whitehead, May 2019 ABSTRACT This interdisciplinary research draws upon selected theatrical principles from Konstantin Stanislavski’s ‘System’ of actor training and applies them to the preparation of solo piano works for professional performance. Stanislavski’s own texts demonstrate shared artistic concerns between theatrical and musical performing arts in numerous cross- disciplinary references. These may be found even prior to his later work with opera singers at the Opera-Dramatic Studio. In this research, I apply particular theatrical techniques from the ‘System’ as a way to develop compelling musical interpretation of solo piano music. Pianists, like actors, can deepen their art by developing their own musical subtext for a work and building logical, expressive justifications behind dramatic shifts in musical discourse. Artistic work of this kind involves exploring the deeper motivations behind musical expression through individual, creative enquiry. Some of these ideas may have found corollaries independent of Stanislavski: Alfred Cortot’s editions and recordings of the music of Chopin for example, illustrate a sensitivity to musical narrative by finding expressive justifications for a score’s directives in analytical footnotes to his editions of solo piano repertoire and recorded realizations. My idea is to bring these selected concepts together in a more unified manner for the purpose of drawing out the dramatic relationships within instrumental works. The seminal writings of Stanislavski have already proved to be a reservoir of practical wisdom in a wide range of performance applications including modern dance, Chinese Opera and choral conducting. vi Texas Tech University, Charles Whitehead, May 2019 In particular, this research aims to bring Stanislavski’s aesthetic of artistic ‘truth’ to the context of preparing and performing solo piano music. In animating the ‘life of the human spirit’ of a role – an idea borrowed indirectly from Tolstoy – Stanislavski’s actors rely freely on a combination of intellectual, spiritual and physical resources to extend the limitations of their own personalities. ‘Artistic truth’ in a musical context is built through attention to the same inner and outer skills that peel back the layers of musical expression to find and communicate what a work “is all about.” This ‘truth’ works to eliminate doubts of technical and mental security in performance. It serves a deeper understanding of the work and of the composer while also reflecting the artistic development of the solo pianist at a particular point in time. The following ‘Elements’ from Stanislavski’s ‘System’ are adapted to create ‘artistic truth’ in an instrumental context: imagination; subtext; actions; truth; logic and sequence; given circumstances, justification; units and objectives, super-objective, tone; tempo-rhythm. A more detailed emphasis is placed on truth and actions. When working together, these Elements may combine to suggest a sense musical narrative, which in my view is a symptom of Stanislavski’s artistic ‘truth’. vii Texas Tech University, Charles Whitehead, May 2019 LIST OF MUSICAL EXAMPLES 1. Schubert, Piano Sonata D850 in D-Major iv. Rondo mm. 1 - 29 112 2. Liszt, Sonata. mm. 1 – 17 135 3. Liszt, Sonata. mm. 729 – 760 139 viii Texas Tech University, Charles Whitehead, May 2019 LIST OF FIGURES 1. Lines of Creativity and Reception to ‘Musical Truth’ in the Performance of an Instrumental Work 116 2. Relationship of Tempo, Inner Expression and Designated Musical Actions mm. 1-17 137 3. Relationship of Tempo, Inner Expression and Designated Musical Actions mm. 729-760 143 ix Texas Tech University, Charles Whitehead, May 2019 CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION While working on the PhD Fine Arts degree in Piano Performance at Texas Tech University, I was fortunate
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