Achieving a historically informed performance of Renaissance polyphony: A qualitative study of the use of modernized partbooks

Shepard, Matthew Christopher

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https://hdl.handle.net/2142/124297 Copy

Description

Title

Achieving a historically informed performance of Renaissance polyphony: A qualitative study of the use of modernized partbooks

Author(s)

Shepard, Matthew Christopher

Issue Date

2024-04-18

Director of Research (if dissertation) or Advisor (if thesis)

Eagen-Jones, Megan

Doctoral Committee Chair(s)

Solya, Andrea

Committee Member(s)

• Megill, Andrew
• Mattax Moersch, Charlotte

Department of Study

Music

Discipline

Music

Degree Granting Institution

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Degree Name

A.Mus.D.

Degree Level

Dissertation

Keyword(s)

choral, polyphony, renaissance, music, partbooks

Abstract

This qualitative research study aims to answer the following question: do modernized partbooks positively impact the conductor’s ability to teach the skills needed to achieve a historically informed performance of Renaissance polyphony? Additionally, this project queries participants’ rehearsal techniques, interpreting which are most valuable for successfully integrating partbook singing into a choir. The responses highlight four main benefits: improved listening skills, enhanced singer independence, deeper historical perspective, and more stylistically appropriate phrasing. Importantly, analyzing each participant's perceived benefits alongside their responses to other questions reveals distinct patterns. Some benefits are commonly shared among participants, while others are influenced by individual conductor goals and rehearsal methods. Furthermore, the data provides insights into identifying participants who are less likely to derive any benefits from using modernized partbooks. The participants who expressed that their ensembles benefitted from this exercise were, most consistently, those who articulated specific goals going into the exercise. The data shows that success was less dependent on the participant’s years of experience, but rather linked to their initial artistic goals being grounded in, or otherwise productively relating to, Renaissance performance practice principles and the methodology used in the rehearsal process.

Graduation Semester

2024-05

Type of Resource

Thesis

Copyright and License Information

Copyright 2024 Matthew Shepard

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