Echanges internationaux entre la théorie et la pratique musicale

The relationship between Music Theory, Analysis, Interpretation and Performance is complex,  and the starting point of the project « International Exchanges on Music Theory and Performance » is to promote invaluable dialogue between theorists and performers (instead of trying to make one area of study out of many), sustained by the essence of exchange: different experiences supporting and enriching each other.  A good example of this dialogue is the kind of approach adopted by many renowned institutions which include in their curriculum, courses on Analysis for Performers.

From this starting point, the main goal of our initiative is to explore two themes in more depth than has been done before. The first theme is ensemble music, since studies concerning analysis and performance, generally explore the subject from soloists’ standpoint, profiting from the richness and variety of their repertoire.

Ensemble music making is regarded here as any kind of performance where one interpretation has to be built out of others.  It can be a duo, a trio, a bigger ensemble, or concertos for solo instrument(s) and orchestra. 

The second theme is music of our time, including 20th and 21st century repertoire.  If the relationship between theory and practice regarding repertoire from previous periods - considering even the first half of last century - can be supported by the enormous amount of publications, congress’ proceedings, conferences, curricula and so on, music written after the second half of the 20th century, that’s to say, “music of our time” is much more ripe for assimilation.  Due to its variety, richness and originality creating new sound material or dealing with traditional resources in innovative ways, it invites us to explore each piece of music,  with much less opportunity to rely on contextual views and information.

Based on those premises, our study-days are meant to share information and experience with an emphasis on ensemble music-making and on music of our time, offering papers’ presentation, debates, master classes and performance; the perfect dialogue between theory and practice.

Making our meetings accessible to musical academic communities throughout the world will be possible by video-taping the meetings and website dissemination (Internet 2 is involved).  Video-conferencing is also envisaged, where practicable.  Each year, a new on-line collection of our conference papers will be published in the project’s website.

Musical universality is celebrated by means of cultural diversity of the project’s participants  and by the board of advisors’ different associations and partners internationally, who will organize study-days at their institutions, keeping the central-concepts but adding their own points of view and priorities.

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