LRSM - viva voce how much background is required? Options

[Lucysop]

Hi, I'm new to posting on this forum but thought I'd ask for people's experiences. I took LRSM for the first time a few weeks ago and got asked some rather obscure things in the viva voce which stumped my singing teacher who has been singing professionally since the mid 1970s and teaching at GSMD, also my accompanist who has a Masters from RAM.

I had researched quite a lot spending hours in the main county library pouring through Groves and cross referencing as well as reading copious CD notes, internet searches, reading as many programme notes as possible as well as looking into the poems and the political/social history of the time - as well as the composers.

I was asked somethings when discussing some Puccini which left me stumped and connections to Russian composers was a bit of a surprise as none of those mentioned by one examiner had been even hinted at in anything I'd read.

The upside is that it has stimulated me to read even more in areas that I had not thought connected, but as I have a busy and demanding profession, there are only so many hours in the day. However, it is a very unsettling feeling when you are left stumped and silent, when there was so much you could have offered. Interestingly they avoided asking anything about Joaquin Rodrigo and I suspect it was because they didn't know much about him.

I know there have been some posts similar in nature to this in the past but I seeem to struggle to find enough relevant info re LRSM particularly in relation to singing - as singers programmes are different in nature to an instrumental programme.

I'd appreciate any thoughts, suggestions as I wouldn't be surprised if it was an element I had to re-sit, going from how I felt!
(IMG:style_emoticons/default/unsure.gif)

[jod]

Which Russian Composers? This matters a lot, and in connection with which piece?

Puccini signed a publishing deal with Ricordi and as a result wrote very little. The 'Mighty handful' were all amateur composers and had other jobs. There would have been a similarly small out put but for completely different reasons.

There is lots of scholarly stuff written about Joachim Rodrigo and if you wanted to steer your viva onto that you should have led the questioning.

With my LRSM viva there was stuff I knew I had left out of my programme notes so I very carefully led the questioning into those areas
eg. Flower imagery in 17th century verse: Bess of Bedlam cf Hymne to God the Father
How central to Rigoletto to Quartet in the final Act cf how Caro Nome fits into the plot
Britten's relationship with Peter Pears re his folksong arrangements and how this inturn fits in with the English Folk Song revival.
How does a singer approach Baudelaire and the type of imagery in the poetry in the context of Duparc's musical language?

As each of those topics could easily warrant an essay on their own I moved the conversation on as I only had space to write 2500 words and not a 12000 word dissertation about my programme.

Also I went into much more detail than Grove. At Undergraduate level (final year) Grove is a starting point. Even books about music are a starting point as are CD sleeves. I went trawling through the biliographies to find academic papers and read them too. I translated the Baudalaire. I translated the Verdi. I looked at the whole and not just the detail. I got out my Undergraduate dissertation notes on Pelham Humfrey. I analysed the musical language both melodically and harmonically, then I wrote the programme notes. I used the academic language I had used as a final year undergraduate as the brief tells you it is for an academic audience.

I looked at the sample answers in the syllabus and knew the type of thing the examiners were looking for. I got 19/25 for Viva and Programme notes. Mr Bouffant was a tremendous support when I thought I was going to go over my word count.

I did not rely on County Libraries alone, I knew I would need more specialist material.

[Lucysop]

Which Russian Composers? This matters a lot, and in connection with which piece?

Puccini signed a publishing deal with Ricordi and as a result wrote very little. The 'Mighty handful' were all amateur composers and had other jobs. There would have been a similarly small out put but for completely different reasons.

There is lots of scholarly stuff written about Joachim Rodrigo and if you wanted to steer your viva onto that you should have led the questioning.

With my LRSM viva there was stuff I knew I had left out of my programme notes so I very carefully led the questioning into those areas
eg. Flower imagery in 17th century verse: Bess of Bedlam cf Hymne to God the Father
How central to Rigoletto to Quartet in the final Act cf how Caro Nome fits into the plot
Britten's relationship with Peter Pears re his folksong arrangements and how this inturn fits in with the English Folk Song revival.
How does a singer approach Baudelaire and the type of imagery in the poetry in the context of Duparc's musical language?

As each of those topics could easily warrant an essay on their own I moved the conversation on as I only had space to write 2500 words and not a 12000 word dissertation about my programme.

Also I went into much more detail than Grove. At Undergraduate level (final year) Grove is a starting point. Even books about music are a starting point as are CD sleeves. I went trawling through the biliographies to find academic papers and read them too. I translated the Baudalaire. I translated the Verdi. I looked at the whole and not just the detail. I got out my Undergraduate dissertation notes on Pelham Humfrey. I analysed the musical language both melodically and harmonically, then I wrote the programme notes. I used the academic language I had used as a final year undergraduate as the brief tells you it is for an academic audience.

I looked at the sample answers in the syllabus and knew the type of thing the examiners were looking for. I got 19/25 for Viva and Programme notes. Mr Bouffant was a tremendous support when I thought I was going to go over my word count.

I did not rely on County Libraries alone, I knew I would need more specialist material.

Hi Jod, thanks for your reply.

I sang two arias by Puccini, Quando men vo and Signore, ascolta. The questions lead in Puccini - which I spoke more about his personal life and the factors steering him into his passion with Opera and the relationship he had with Riccordi etc. This seemed to lead to contempories, which I did discuss but I seemed to miss the link to Tchaikovsky and Rachmaninoff. However, I have to say, I am still trying to find another link to them apart from being alive around the same time.

I'm afraid I don't have the benefit of a musical degree as my degree and associated post grad studies are medically related - so whilst I am very familiar with the researching process - it is difficult to know where the boundaries lie. I appreciate you can never know enough, but to be honest it was a tangent I would never have thought to explore. I got a very high mark for my Viva voce in DipABRSM - but was very aware that the level of these notes was to be at a higher level.

Yes I had researched all of the composers and was familiar with their works and orchestrations used in the arias I was performing - although was not expecting to be asked about orchestrations in related works that I was not performing in the recital. I am an examiner for my profession at post grad level used to viva-ing candidates so am very aware that the student can only steer the topics in a minimal way. My particular examiners were not interested in the Rodrigo at all, so it was their choice to steer clear.

I sang a number of opera arias, but they asked me nothing about opera: form, development, style nothing of the plots or how the arias I sang fitted into the context of the opera or of social views of the day etc. I did get asked about the harmonic textures of Turandot which I expected as it was in my notes and was able to show examples in the accompaniment.

Funnily enough you referred to Britten, I did perform one of his Irish Folk Songs and did touch on his views on Folk song as an Art form. Being Irish I was drawn to it more for the Irish Folk Song rather than English Folk Song which they went on to ask about. Again I was asked about Pears as well as his relationship with Frank Bridge, which was fine, but then was specifically quized about the other works Pears and Britten had recorded - and missed the mark of "Lied" as I do not choose to listen to Pears.

I was quized on my notes by my current teacher - who is an academic used examining both under and post grads from the London Conservatoires, so it was not totally unguided. He was equally surprised by some of the questions raised - which is why any helpful feedback as to the level they are looking for is useful. I did read their (ABRSM) sample answers - also the ABRSM book Music in Words amongst many others. I guess the question is where do you go to find the more specialist knowledge that I may have missed? I discussed quite a bit re the English Songs with an musicologist who is an expert on English song and he was helpful in pointing me towards other info as well.

I don't have the luxury of doing music full time at the moment sadly, but the LRSM will hopefully enable me to progress into making music a larger part of my life rather than just a hobby.

[jod]

You could easily go off on to a lovely tangent about the vocal 'fach' of the aria you selected being for Lyric Soprano, which is the same as the role of Tatiana in Eugene Onegin, and that like Onegin both Turandot and Onegin were successful at their opening performances. Rachmaninov also liked writing for Lyric soprano too, and given the Germans cf Wagner preferred the Dramatic Soprano, and the Lyric Coloratura was in vogue in France - Olympia in Tales of Hoffmann and Lakme in Delibes opera of the same name. Pucinni like the two Composers mentioned (along with Massenet and Bizet's Carmen, Verdi's Rigoletto, La Traviata, and Il Trovatore) composed in the Verismo style wanting his operas to demonstrate a new realism (more appropriate for La Boheme) However with Turandot you do venture into the Orient, and as Onegin is set in Russia seen as non-western to the Mainstream European Palate, as was Boris Godinov (Mussorgsky) and Rimsky Korsakov also has a fascination with the East these link ideas, of course Madama Butterfly is based in Japan, and Delibes Lakme in India.

One ought to note if you go into that sort of detail that Debussy was fascinated with the Balanese Gamalan, although this influenced his work for Piano and not his vocal writing.

Those were just some ideas that came off the top of my head, lots of which you could have either cribbed from Kobbe or Grout.

I disagree about a vocal programme being dissimilar to an instrumental programme. Us singers may have more pieces, and we may deal with words (unless we are singing a vocalise) however the approach to programme notes is essentially the same. Set each work into context and write something relevant. One still needs to know who the important exponents of your instrument are. As a dramatic coloratura/lyric soprano it would be negligent for me not to know the importance of the following singers: Joan Sutherland, Renata Tebaldi, Maria Callas, Lily Pons, or to know who Natalie Dessay, Sumi Jo, and June Anderson are just as it would be for a Pianist to have never heard of Richter, or Gieseking, or Baremboim, or a cellist to not know who Paul Tortellier or Rostropovich were. Let alone a Violinist who had never heard of Heifiz or an Oboist who had no idea who Leon Goosens was.

Imagine a Pianist not knowing what a Steinway was, or an organist going blank at the mention of Cavaille Coll? Flautists not knowing what the Boehm system was? It doesn't matter whether you have studied for three years full-time or done this on your own back.

When I took my LRSM I was trying to work and look after two small children. Library time? What Library time? I had to get everything on-line of downloaded or through inter-library loans. I had one child in year 1 and another in year 3! My friends and neighbours who were struggling to balance work and childcare and level 3 qualifications wondered how I managed it.

[Lucysop]

You could easily go off on to a lovely tangent about the vocal 'fach' of the aria you selected being for Lyric Soprano, which is the same as the role of Tatiana in Eugene Onegin, and that like Onegin both Turandot and Onegin were successful at their opening performances. Rachmaninov also liked writing for Lyric soprano too, and given the Germans cf Wagner preferred the Dramatic Soprano, and the Lyric Coloratura was in vogue in France - Olympia in Tales of Hoffmann and Lakme in Delibes opera of the same name. Pucinni like the two Composers mentioned (along with Massenet and Bizet's Carmen, Verdi's Rigoletto, La Traviata, and Il Trovatore) composed in the Verismo style wanting his operas to demonstrate a new realism (more appropriate for La Boheme) However with Turandot you do venture into the Orient, and as Onegin is set in Russia seen as non-western to the Mainstream European Palate, as was Boris Godinov (Mussorgsky) and Rimsky Korsakov also has a fascination with the East these link ideas, of course Madama Butterfly is based in Japan, and Delibes Lakme in India.

One ought to note if you go into that sort of detail that Debussy was fascinated with the Balanese Gamalan, although this influenced his work for Piano and not his vocal writing.

Those were just some ideas that came off the top of my head, lots of which you could have either cribbed from Kobbe or Grout.

I disagree about a vocal programme being dissimilar to an instrumental programme. Us singers may have more pieces, and we may deal with words (unless we are singing a vocalise) however the approach to programme notes is essentially the same. Set each work into context and write something relevant. One still needs to know who the important exponents of your instrument are. As a dramatic coloratura/lyric soprano it would be negligent for me not to know the importance of the following singers: Joan Sutherland, Renata Tebaldi, Maria Callas, Lily Pons, or to know who Natalie Dessay, Sumi Jo, and June Anderson are just as it would be for a Pianist to have never heard of Richter, or Gieseking, or Baremboim, or a cellist to not know who Paul Tortellier or Rostropovich were. Let alone a Violinist who had never heard of Heifiz or an Oboist who had no idea who Leon Goosens was.

Imagine a Pianist not knowing what a Steinway was, or an organist going blank at the mention of Cavaille Coll? Flautists not knowing what the Boehm system was? It doesn't matter whether you have studied for three years full-time or done this on your own back.

When I took my LRSM I was trying to work and look after two small children. Library time? What Library time? I had to get everything on-line of downloaded or through inter-library loans. I had one child in year 1 and another in year 3! My friends and neighbours who were struggling to balance work and childcare and level 3 qualifications wondered how I managed it.

Thanks for the suggestion of Kobbe and Grout I will bear that in mind for future reference.

I'm not entirely sure where you are coming from in reference to the above paragraphs on singers etc. I only made reference to you already stating that you were able to go back to your undergraduate notes and clearly you gain a lot of background from studying music full time over three years. That is something I do not have the benefit of - so different starting point! It sounds as if I have offended you, but that was not my intention. Everyone has a lot going on in their lives, but I try, like everyone else, to make use of the few precious hours that I do have as effectively as possible. However, having a dregree in music, regardless of when, gives you a solid foundation of knowledge you already know the most appropriate places to source research material.

My initial question raised was to primarily to ask about how broad the search should be as we all have to draw a line somewhere, it just knowing where the most appropriate place should be. I think we'll agree to disagree on the similarities of vocal re instrumental for now, I was an instrumentalist first and foremost before singing really came to the fore.

[jod]

No you have not offended me.

However it is not the subject of my degree that made the difference, it is the fact by having one at all I learnt to research.

Other forumites who have succeeded at this level and done well studied other subjects and gone on and done their FRSM. They learnt go in general, and get narrower.
They learnt how to write successful internet searches to access information.

You networked and asked a Musicologist. Did you ask what books do you recommend reading on this subject?

Learning how to learn is the key here.

My point about the singers. You could have easily been asked about famous interpreters of roles. You were asked about Peter Pears relationship to Frank Bridge. If you knew that Frank Bridge taught Benjamin Britten then you can link the two together.

Back to one of my singers. If I did not know that Joan Sutherland and Richard Bonygne were a married couple then the number of recordings they made together would not have made sense.

[Lucysop]

No you have not offended me.

However it is not the subject of my degree that made the difference, it is the fact by having one at all I learnt to research.

Other forumites who have succeeded at this level and done well studied other subjects and gone on and done their FRSM. They learnt go in general, and get narrower.
They learnt how to write successful internet searches to access information.

You networked and asked a Musicologist. Did you ask what books do you recommend reading on this subject?

Learning how to learn is the key here.

My point about the singers. You could have easily been asked about famous interpreters of roles. You were asked about Peter Pears relationship to Frank Bridge. If you knew that Frank Bridge taught Benjamin Britten then you can link the two together.

Back to one of my singers. If I did not know that Joan Sutherland and Richard Bonygne were a married couple then the number of recordings they made together would not have made sense.

Hi jod
I did indeed know of the relationship between Frank Bridge and Britten and was able to discuss it quite fully. However, I feel that this is digressing from the initial purpose of my query. My learning was not narrow at all and did not just rest in Groves, that was "a" starting point for me but not the only one. Re singers - I was indeed asked about my favourite performers of some of the lied and opera I performed and also about famous interpreters - that was not a problem. I do have a degree, learnt to research pre internet days, and consequently having done further diplomas in my professional capacity have learn to use internet searches as tools quite successfully. I really wanted some guidance as to where you stop - or indeed if you stop at all!

[Clari_notts]

Interesting thread here folks! Lucysop, i wouldnt worry if it was only a couple of questions that stumped you, we all get those (i had a momentary senior moment with a key relationship in my dipabrsm and still got a distinction). The examiners would have been looking for your breadth of knowledge and your ability to make connections from your research to produce insights and potentially new thoughts that have not been expressed before about the pieces / performance or composers included in your programme.

I agree with jod that a music BA helps (i have one too) and this was a starting point for the skills needed to research information for my LRSM - that is the key point it's a start point!

What the examiners really want to find out is how much you've learned and understood about western art music. Can you link the eras, talk about tonality and stylistic development, do you understand form and structure, the use of music and words in combination etc. Above all they are looking for glimmers of originality, we can all regurgitate someone else's research and points of view but it requires real depth of understanding and proper research to make your own reasoned connections and articulate them to a specialist panel (who have their own views and special topics). The questions about the russian composers would probably have sprung from a connection with one of your pieces you had overlooked or not read about - it might also have been an oblique reference to a stylistic or even cultural/socio-economic or political link. As musicians / musicologists we need to remember the context of our art form and the context in which compsers were working when the pieces were written.

In the unlikely event that you have to retake your viva, i would suggest that you read really widely. Composer bios, structure and form treatises etc. The grove online, grout etc all all great starters but look at the sources those authors used too - what have they missed or not thought about in their approach that you could use with yours?

Good luck anyway - im off to start thinking about how to research my FRSM submission on roccoco and early classical clarinet perfomance practice! (IMG:style_emoticons/default/blink.gif)

[Lucysop]

Interesting thread here folks! Lucysop, i wouldnt worry if it was only a couple of questions that stumped you, we all get those (i had a momentary senior moment with a key relationship in my dipabrsm and still got a distinction). The examiners would have been looking for your breadth of knowledge and your ability to make connections from your research to produce insights and potentially new thoughts that have not been expressed before about the pieces / performance or composers included in your programme.

I agree with jod that a music BA helps (i have one too) and this was a starting point for the skills needed to research information for my LRSM - that is the key point it's a start point!

What the examiners really want to find out is how much you've learned and understood about western art music. Can you link the eras, talk about tonality and stylistic development, do you understand form and structure, the use of music and words in combination etc. Above all they are looking for glimmers of originality, we can all regurgitate someone else's research and points of view but it requires real depth of understanding and proper research to make your own reasoned connections and articulate them to a specialist panel (who have their own views and special topics). The questions about the russian composers would probably have sprung from a connection with one of your pieces you had overlooked or not read about - it might also have been an oblique reference to a stylistic or even cultural/socio-economic or political link. As musicians / musicologists we need to remember the context of our art form and the context in which compsers were working when the pieces were written.

In the unlikely event that you have to retake your viva, i would suggest that you read really widely. Composer bios, structure and form treatises etc. The grove online, grout etc all all great starters but look at the sources those authors used too - what have they missed or not thought about in their approach that you could use with yours?

Good luck anyway - im off to start thinking about how to research my FRSM submission on roccoco and early classical clarinet perfomance practice! (IMG:style_emoticons/default/blink.gif)

Thanks Clari_notts. Thats really helpful. Good luck with the FRSM - I keep thinking about doing my DipABRSM in the clarinet but when I get it out for some concerts it feels like hard work and the emboucheur is not overly conducive to singing! I look forward to hearing more of your progress. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)

[mrbouffant]

Good luck anyway - im off to start thinking about how to research my FRSM submission on roccoco and early classical clarinet perfomance practice! (IMG:style_emoticons/default/blink.gif)

Out of interest (and sorry if it is OT) -- are you going to relate this specifically to your FRSM programme? When I was doing similar research, I approached the ABRSM's academic principal and he was very clear that the FRSM written submission had to relate to a subject which in turn informed performance of the chosen programme [I was doing some Bach and Buxtehude in my programme and so the written submission focussed on 'approaching historically informed performance' of such works]..

[jod]

Mr Bouffant was the forum member who asked the same sort of nitty-gritty question when I was preparing my LRSM and I was extremely grateful to him for that.

He has both LRSM and FRSM diplomas and his first subject was not music.

He certainly kept me on my toes.

It was thanks to those questions I was not wrong-footed in my Viva.

I am preparing a Long Essay for FRSM. The topic 'To what extent does Genuine Spanish and Spanish music as composed by the French differ, and how does this affect the approach that the performer take?"

Plenty of scope for analysis, but it has to be of the correct type. Then there is the question of language (and in one case no words at all). One piece is an Operatic Aria, the rest composed for Piano and Voice so there is an instrumentation issue. Then there is the all important bit about the approach taken by the performer.

Like Mr Bouffant, I too have emailed the academic principal, and read and re-read the specifications.

However, I don't think the ability to do this sort of work has very much bearing to do on my degree work, more on the fact that if work has to fulfil a brief, you stick to it. Just as one has to do when writing notes for LRSM. They are clearly printed in the Syllabus.

[Clari_notts]

we are in danger of going off topic but interesting none the less! Yes i am planning to use the historical performance analysis angle to produce my submission but im still in early "thinking" it out stage at the moment. I know what i would like to consider;which would be a fresh and focussed approach to 18th and early 19th century clarinet repertoire but a lot of this is not at FRSM performance standard (and Anthony Pay has already done the Mozart Concerto!) - it is where my musical soul lies though! Would love to research the very earliest clarinet repertoire and performance practice properly but will probably have to settle for early romantic / late classical era i suspect.

I was considering some study of authenticity with Weber / Crusell vs Spohr, differences in the idiomatic composition of the pieces and the technical challenges that brings along with considerations around performance practice, period instruments, schools of playing, articulation etc.

Will mull it over whilst on the beach and contact the board when i summon up the courage to give it a go. At the moment for me the submission is the easy part! I'll need 18 months sheer graft to get the performances where they need to be too, but at least i'm not saying no!! (IMG:style_emoticons/default/blink.gif)

[Deborah]

I sang two arias by Puccini, Quando men vo and Signore, ascolta. The questions lead in Puccini - which I spoke more about his personal life and the factors steering him into his passion with Opera and the relationship he had with Riccordi etc. This seemed to lead to contempories, which I did discuss but I seemed to miss the link to Tchaikovsky and Rachmaninoff. However, I have to say, I am still trying to find another link to them apart from being alive around the same time.

How about all the sufferings that those poor operatic soprano heroines endure? Most of Puccini's end up dead; as for Tchaikovsky, Tatiana and Lisa don't exactly have a happy time. 19th century perceptions of women, perhaps?

we are in danger of going off topic but interesting none the less! Yes I am planning to use the historical performance analysis angle to produce my submission but I'm still in early "thinking" it out stage at the moment. I know what I would like to consider; which would be a fresh and focussed approach to 18th and early 19th century clarinet repertoire but a lot of this is not at FRSM performance standard (and Anthony Pay has already done the Mozart Concerto!) - it is where my musical soul lies though! Would love to research the very earliest clarinet repertoire and performance practice properly but will probably have to settle for early romantic / late classical era I suspect.

I was considering some study of authenticity with Weber / Crusell vs Spohr, differences in the idiomatic composition of the pieces and the technical challenges that brings along with considerations around performance practice, period instruments, schools of playing, articulation etc.

Will mull it over whilst on the beach and contact the board when I summon up the courage to give it a go. At the moment for me the submission is the easy part! I'll need 18 months sheer graft to get the performances where they need to be too, but at least I'm not saying no!! (IMG:style_emoticons/default/blink.gif)

<zips up clarinet anorak>
I'd be interested to read that when you've written it (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)

[jod]

I sang two arias by Puccini, Quando men vo and Signore, ascolta. The questions lead in Puccini - which I spoke more about his personal life and the factors steering him into his passion with Opera and the relationship he had with Riccordi etc. This seemed to lead to contempories, which I did discuss but I seemed to miss the link to Tchaikovsky and Rachmaninoff. However, I have to say, I am still trying to find another link to them apart from being alive around the same time.

How about all the sufferings that those poor operatic soprano heroines endure? Most of Puccini's end up dead; as for Tchaikovsky, Tatiana and Lisa don't exactly have a happy time. 19th century perceptions of women, perhaps?

You make a very valid point there Deborah. Lots of Operatic Heroines die, go mad or both! Think of all those Coloratura show pieces that are mad scenes, an idea that dates back to the 17th Century. Tatiana who remains alive is not Happy. Butterfly is broken hearted and desolate at the thought of Pinkerton having a wife.
The whole point of 'La Donna e Mobile' in Rigoletto before Guilda is killed by mistake typifies an attitude of women as a piece of meat in the same way some men treat them in night clubs, good for a one-night stand, but that's it. There are lots of answers to the question posed, that a quick reading of Kobbe could have given you. A book that I would have expected a DipABRSM student to have purchased for their bookshelf as it is on most Opera Buffs, let alone someone researching for LRSM, a qualification that is meant to be a Graduate level qualification.

If indeed you do need to retake this section, start your reading from a broader background than Grove. Grove is excellent, but too detailed as a first point of reference. It is your second level in. Your second ripple. This is where your Grout/Palisca should be. It is essential reading for A level students and Undergraduates for general background. I am very surpised you musicologist friend did not mention it. It has its faults, yet it still has its place.

[Lucysop]

I sang two arias by Puccini, Quando men vo and Signore, ascolta. The questions lead in Puccini - which I spoke more about his personal life and the factors steering him into his passion with Opera and the relationship he had with Riccordi etc. This seemed to lead to contempories, which I did discuss but I seemed to miss the link to Tchaikovsky and Rachmaninoff. However, I have to say, I am still trying to find another link to them apart from being alive around the same time.

How about all the sufferings that those poor operatic soprano heroines endure? Most of Puccini's end up dead; as for Tchaikovsky, Tatiana and Lisa don't exactly have a happy time. 19th century perceptions of women, perhaps?

we are in danger of going off topic but interesting none the less! Yes I am planning to use the historical performance analysis angle to produce my submission but I'm still in early "thinking" it out stage at the moment. I know what I would like to consider; which would be a fresh and focussed approach to 18th and early 19th century clarinet repertoire but a lot of this is not at FRSM performance standard (and Anthony Pay has already done the Mozart Concerto!) - it is where my musical soul lies though! Would love to research the very earliest clarinet repertoire and performance practice properly but will probably have to settle for early romantic / late classical era I suspect.

I was considering some study of authenticity with Weber / Crusell vs Spohr, differences in the idiomatic composition of the pieces and the technical challenges that brings along with considerations around performance practice, period instruments, schools of playing, articulation etc.

Will mull it over whilst on the beach and contact the board when I summon up the courage to give it a go. At the moment for me the submission is the easy part! I'll need 18 months sheer graft to get the performances where they need to be too, but at least I'm not saying no!! (IMG:style_emoticons/default/blink.gif)

<zips up clarinet anorak>
I'd be interested to read that when you've written it (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)

Interesting thoughts, have been away at a singing weekend and been discussing a number of things with eminent musicologists, staff from RAM and other schools. They gave me interesting responses but all struggled to make the leap from Puccini to the Russian composers from the question that I had been asked, so I am not going to beat myself up over that too much!
Anyway, I feel that this is slightly veering off thread but have found responses interesting, nonetheless.