Gesture as a metaphorical process: an exploration through musical composition

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Authors

  • Sara Carvalho Universidade de Aveiro / INET-md | Portugal

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.33871/23179937.2017.5.1.1852

Abstract

From the current literature review it is clear that there isn't one shared definition of gesture. Studies of instrumental gesture are often related to body awareness, which is often not considered in traditional musical analysis. Departing from Ramstein's functional and intrinsic approaches to gesture, and Delalande's 2nd and 3rd level gesture categorization, this article aims to discuss, and give examples, on how different gestures were incorporated in the author's music, specifically a contemporary music composition. The objective is to analyse the use of gesture in a musical context, as a compositional metaphorical process. The conclusions suggest that for any given gesture there are multiple ideas, each of which can expand the concept of performance and composition.

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Author Biography

Sara Carvalho, Universidade de Aveiro / INET-md | Portugal

Sara Carvalho is a Lecturer in the Department of Communication and Arts of the University of Aveiro, Portugal. She is a fellow researcher of INET-MD, and her research interests centre on the fields of composition and music education. As a composer Sara is interested in the interaction of different Performing Arts, as an extension and transformation of musical thinking, and all aspects associated with gesture, musical narrative and performer-composer collaboration. Several of her pieces are available on CD. In 2012 Numérica edited her first monographic CD "7 pomegranate seeds". Many of her scores are published by the Portuguese Music Information & Investigation Centre. Her research work is presented at national and international conferences, and is published in different journals and book chapters, such as ASHGATE/SEMPRE Studies in The Psychology of Music Series and London: Imperial College Press.

References

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Published

2017-06-30

How to Cite

Carvalho, S. (2017). Gesture as a metaphorical process: an exploration through musical composition. Vortex Music Journal, 5(1), 1–9. https://doi.org/10.33871/23179937.2017.5.1.1852

Issue

Vol. 5 No. 1 (2017): Vortex Music Journal

Section

Research Papers

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Copyright (c) 2017 Vortex Music Journal

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