Public examination of the doctoral degree of Lucy Abrams-Husso
Project: Contemporary clarinet repertoire from Finland and the United States: New ways of artistic expression and a study of sociocultural differences
Dissertation: The Musical Anthropologist: A study of performance practices in Finnish and American contemporary repertoire for clarinet
- The board which assessed the artistic demonstrations: Harri Mäki, Mikko Raasakka, Matthew Whittall, Tuomas Mali, Emil Jonason
- Examiner of the thesis: Helmi Järviluoma-Mäkilä
- Custos: Mieko Kanno
Programme
Opening words by the Chair
Lectio praecursoria
Music to be performed during the lectio: Heather Frasch quietly breathing (2012) for bass clarinet and electronics
Statement of the artistic component: Harri Mäki
Statement of the written component: Helmi Järviluoma-Mäkelä
Discussion
Final Statements
Closing
Artistic components of the doctoral degree
This research project is an artistic and ethnographic study of contemporary clarinet repertoire composed by Finnish and American composers post-1980. The artistic goals have been to develop my musicianship through a comprehensive study of contemporary music, and to identify the unique skills required to perform contemporary music in order to advocate for contemporary music’s inclusion in classical clarinet artistic practice and pedagogy today. Rather than focusing on technical skills, like extended techniques, I have analyzed artistic decision-making in a variety of styles and in different artistic settings amongst various collaborators. I also explore the concept of shared ownership in performance as it applies to working with commissioned and existing compositions.
Why Finnish and American contemporary music specifically? Artistically, there is tremendous heterogeneity in both Finnish and American contemporary repertoire, allowing me to explore the largest possible variety of styles and sounds. But more importantly, I am interested in the differences in performance practice between Finnish and American contemporary music. Since I moved to Finland in 2013, one of my most profound musical observations has been the centrality of contemporary music within the classical music culture, which is different than in the United States. These differences manifest themselves, for example, in the way performers interact with the notated score, the collaborative relationships developed between performers and composers, and the expectations of and by the clarinetist in performance.
To investigate these differences my research methods combine artistic research and ethnography, merging my artistic background in music performance and my academic background in anthropology. Practicing and performing a piece of music offers unique perspectives on notational, aesthetic, technical, and timbral qualities that cannot be gained by studying the musical score alone. My participant observation is shaped also by my position within, between, and outside of both American and Finnish classical music cultures. In viewing performance practice as a reflection of cultural values, I aim to understand not only how the clarinetist approaches performance in Finnish and American contemporary music, but why she does so in that particular way.
The output of this research project has included four artistic components (three live concerts and a CD recording) and a dissertation. Each artistic component had a theme centered around contemporary music performance. In the first live concert, the clarinet was treated as a solo instrument in a traditional recital featuring contemporary an unaccompanied solo, two works with piano, and a concerto with chamber ensemble. The goal of the second live concert was to design a contemporary music performance for a non-traditional concert space and the third concert focused on compositions that take inspiration from folk music or folk music practices. The CD, Duel, contained all works for clarinet and bass clarinet with electronics. The second and third concerts, as well as the CD, each included a world premiere of a commissioned work for clarinet.
The final output is a dissertation entitled The musical anthropologist: A study of performance practices in Finnish and American contemporary repertoire for clarinet. Using case studies from the four artistic components of this project as well as from my musical life as a professional clarinetist, I analyze Finnish and American contemporary music performance practice through the themes of notation culture, agency, and shared ownership.
Abstract of the Dissertation
This dissertation examines differences in the performance practices of Finnish and American contemporary classical clarinet repertoire from a performer’s perspective. The goal is to better understand how and why contemporary Finnish and American contemporary music are practiced and performed differently while advocating for greater inclusion of contemporary music in traditional American instrumental education for clarinet. Contemporary music requires that the performing clarinetist learn unique physical and aural music-making skills, as well as conceptual skills that reflect the musical and cultural values of a particular performance practice. This study considers the sociocultural aspects of music performance and cultural geography as equally important to the study of performance practice as musical aesthetics.
Using case studies from Finnish and American contemporary clarinet repertoire, performance practice is analyzed in terms of performance and performer expectations as well as performer agency. The added artistic responsibility of performing new music and the presence of a living composer affects the relationships between the performer, composer, and audience in different ways. The nature of these relationships is addressed through the research themes of notation as cultural practice, shared ownership, and the translation of cultural values through and in performance. The clarinetist’s artistic process of preparing and performing Finnish and American repertoire is combined with ethnographic participant observation as an insider-outsider in Finnish and American contemporary music fields. In assessing the clarinetist’s role in the performance of contemporary repertoire, the dissertation is divided into seven chapters addressing the clarinetist as soloist, composer, recording artist, chamber and orchestral musician.
About Lucy Abrams-Husso
Clarinetist Lucy Abrams-Husso is a Chicago native based in Helsinki, Finland since 2013. She received Bachelors degrees with High Honors in clarinet performance and anthropology from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and Master of Music degrees from the Eastman School of Music and the Sibelius Academy of the University of the Arts Helsinki. Formerly Co-principal and e-flat clarinet of the Oulu Symphony, Lucy is an active freelance musician in southern Finland. She has appeared as soloist with the Sibelius Academy Symphony Orchestra, Mikkeli String Orchestra and Haapavesi Chamber Orchestra. Since 2016, she has been a doctoral candidate at the Sibelius Academy. Her artistic work and research has been supported by grants from the Jenni and Antti Wihuri Foundation, Emil Aaltonen Foundation, Finnish Cultural Foundation, Sigma Alpha Iota Music Fraternity, Sibelius Academy Foundation, and Finnish Music Foundation (MES). She has presented her research at conferences in the UK, Ireland, Switzerland, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia and Finland.
More information
Lucy Abrams
lucy.a.abrams@gmail.com
- The board which assessed the artistic demonstrations: Harri Mäki, Mikko Raasakka, Matthew Whittall, Tuomas Mali, Emil Jonason
- Examiner of the thesis: Helmi Järviluoma-Mäkilä
- Custos: Mieko Kanno
Programme
Opening words by the Chair
Lectio praecursoria
Music to be performed during the lectio: Heather Frasch quietly breathing (2012) for bass clarinet and electronics
Statement of the artistic component: Harri Mäki
Statement of the written component: Helmi Järviluoma-Mäkelä
Discussion
Final Statements
Closing
Artistic components of the doctoral degree
This research project is an artistic and ethnographic study of contemporary clarinet repertoire composed by Finnish and American composers post-1980. The artistic goals have been to develop my musicianship through a comprehensive study of contemporary music, and to identify the unique skills required to perform contemporary music in order to advocate for contemporary music’s inclusion in classical clarinet artistic practice and pedagogy today. Rather than focusing on technical skills, like extended techniques, I have analyzed artistic decision-making in a variety of styles and in different artistic settings amongst various collaborators. I also explore the concept of shared ownership in performance as it applies to working with commissioned and existing compositions.
Why Finnish and American contemporary music specifically? Artistically, there is tremendous heterogeneity in both Finnish and American contemporary repertoire, allowing me to explore the largest possible variety of styles and sounds. But more importantly, I am interested in the differences in performance practice between Finnish and American contemporary music. Since I moved to Finland in 2013, one of my most profound musical observations has been the centrality of contemporary music within the classical music culture, which is different than in the United States. These differences manifest themselves, for example, in the way performers interact with the notated score, the collaborative relationships developed between performers and composers, and the expectations of and by the clarinetist in performance.
To investigate these differences my research methods combine artistic research and ethnography, merging my artistic background in music performance and my academic background in anthropology. Practicing and performing a piece of music offers unique perspectives on notational, aesthetic, technical, and timbral qualities that cannot be gained by studying the musical score alone. My participant observation is shaped also by my position within, between, and outside of both American and Finnish classical music cultures. In viewing performance practice as a reflection of cultural values, I aim to understand not only how the clarinetist approaches performance in Finnish and American contemporary music, but why she does so in that particular way.
The output of this research project has included four artistic components (three live concerts and a CD recording) and a dissertation. Each artistic component had a theme centered around contemporary music performance. In the first live concert, the clarinet was treated as a solo instrument in a traditional recital featuring contemporary an unaccompanied solo, two works with piano, and a concerto with chamber ensemble. The goal of the second live concert was to design a contemporary music performance for a non-traditional concert space and the third concert focused on compositions that take inspiration from folk music or folk music practices. The CD, Duel, contained all works for clarinet and bass clarinet with electronics. The second and third concerts, as well as the CD, each included a world premiere of a commissioned work for clarinet.
The final output is a dissertation entitled The musical anthropologist: A study of performance practices in Finnish and American contemporary repertoire for clarinet. Using case studies from the four artistic components of this project as well as from my musical life as a professional clarinetist, I analyze Finnish and American contemporary music performance practice through the themes of notation culture, agency, and shared ownership.
Abstract of the Dissertation
This dissertation examines differences in the performance practices of Finnish and American contemporary classical clarinet repertoire from a performer’s perspective. The goal is to better understand how and why contemporary Finnish and American contemporary music are practiced and performed differently while advocating for greater inclusion of contemporary music in traditional American instrumental education for clarinet. Contemporary music requires that the performing clarinetist learn unique physical and aural music-making skills, as well as conceptual skills that reflect the musical and cultural values of a particular performance practice. This study considers the sociocultural aspects of music performance and cultural geography as equally important to the study of performance practice as musical aesthetics.
Using case studies from Finnish and American contemporary clarinet repertoire, performance practice is analyzed in terms of performance and performer expectations as well as performer agency. The added artistic responsibility of performing new music and the presence of a living composer affects the relationships between the performer, composer, and audience in different ways. The nature of these relationships is addressed through the research themes of notation as cultural practice, shared ownership, and the translation of cultural values through and in performance. The clarinetist’s artistic process of preparing and performing Finnish and American repertoire is combined with ethnographic participant observation as an insider-outsider in Finnish and American contemporary music fields. In assessing the clarinetist’s role in the performance of contemporary repertoire, the dissertation is divided into seven chapters addressing the clarinetist as soloist, composer, recording artist, chamber and orchestral musician.
About Lucy Abrams-Husso
Clarinetist Lucy Abrams-Husso is a Chicago native based in Helsinki, Finland since 2013. She received Bachelors degrees with High Honors in clarinet performance and anthropology from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and Master of Music degrees from the Eastman School of Music and the Sibelius Academy of the University of the Arts Helsinki. Formerly Co-principal and e-flat clarinet of the Oulu Symphony, Lucy is an active freelance musician in southern Finland. She has appeared as soloist with the Sibelius Academy Symphony Orchestra, Mikkeli String Orchestra and Haapavesi Chamber Orchestra. Since 2016, she has been a doctoral candidate at the Sibelius Academy. Her artistic work and research has been supported by grants from the Jenni and Antti Wihuri Foundation, Emil Aaltonen Foundation, Finnish Cultural Foundation, Sigma Alpha Iota Music Fraternity, Sibelius Academy Foundation, and Finnish Music Foundation (MES). She has presented her research at conferences in the UK, Ireland, Switzerland, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia and Finland.
More information
Lucy Abrams
lucy.a.abrams@gmail.com