BENEFITS OF PLAYING BY HEART. FROM THE NEUROMUSICOLOGY TO THE STAGE
Only when the material ballast of reading the text can be released, the mind can begin to rise to the higher spheres of artistic perfection and there the artist feels that way and understands why she/he is a chosen one of the muses (Barbacci, 1965, p. 7)
Introduction
The following pages will first deal with the theoretical part of the research: the mechanism of memory and the development of its parts, as well as its role in the musical aspect. The second part will consist of the actual research, where through interviews and my own experience I will answer the research questions and observe the results of the objectives.
The inspiration for this project came when I realised the positive results of playing without score on stage.
The main objective will be to bring benefits to the reader through the conclusions obtained, as well as a better understanding of how our brain works.
RESEARCH QUESTIONS
How will the theoretical framework of this research affect the practical part?
Which are the differences on my brain when I play with and without the score?
How do the people I interviewed approach playing by heart?
What is going to improve in the chamber music rehearsals when we play by heart?
After all the process, what are the values of playing chamber music by heart?
OBJETIVES
Main objetive: Improve my sound, musicality and leadership when I play by heart.
Create more conection and communication when I am playing with people by heart.
Discover new techiques and tricks through the theoretical framework and the interviews.
Feel at the end of the process more freedom without the score, but also feel that I really have every detail of the score in my mind.
Method
Literature Analysis
This is the desk research, and it will consist in put us in context before the action research. Here we will have the information about the memory mechanism and the individualization and development of musical memories. For the last chapter of the theoretical framework, “What happens on my brain when I play by heart”, a neuropsicologist will do an MRI, to see which are the differences in my brain when I am imagine the score and when I am watching it. The interpretation of the experiment will be done by the neuopsicologist and the radiologist.
Interviews
For me, this chapter is one of the most important ones. I expect to collect some new ideas, techniques and tricks for myself. I am also curious about the results, because I do not really know what and how are they going to respond to my questions.
People I am going to interview:
Pablo Suárez, violin
Juan Luis Gallego, violin
Julia Pareja, violin
Alejandro Garrido, viola
Why do I do these interviews?
First of all I wanted to interview two people as a soloist and teacher experience with the same questions to compare them. I choose Pablo Suarez and Juan Luis Gallego for these questions. Pablo Suarez was my teacher during my Bachelor in Zaragoza, and Juan Luis Gallego another violinist teacher that I met there.
I decided to interview Julia Pareja and Alejandro Garrido because they are used to play chamber and orquestral music by heart. I am curious about how this works, as it is not very common. Since Alejandro Garrido was also a teacher, I will ask him the same questions about education as I asked Pablo and Juan Luis.
Action research
I will use all the information from the theoretical framework and the interviews to prepare myself and my team for the final presentation. The tryout of the final will be the 1st of June, the end of this written research.
Relation with my final exam
First part of the final:
Two visions from the heart:
Poème élégiaque, op 12. Eugène Ysaÿe (1858-1931)
Romance, op.28 and Morceau de concours. Fauré (1845-1924)
In this first part the pianist will be Jaime Espinosa. He will play with the score and I will play by heart. I will observe my own process since I started to study and perform them.
Second part of the final:
Friends by heart:
3 Preludes. George Gershwin (1898-1937). Arr. for violin and piano by Jascha Heifezt (1901-1987)
String Quartet nº2, op 13. Felix Mendelssohn (1809-1847)
I will play the 3 Preludes with María Elvira (piano) and the String Quartet with Mireia Escobar (violin), Skye Kinlaw (viola) and Andrea Trillo (cello). We will all play by heart, and we will follow up on our own experience.
First part of the investigation
Memory mechanism
Historical context
To put ourselves in context, it is interesting to know that The Ancient Greece, the highest intellectual centre of the world, considered Memory as a privileged gift. It was deified it in “Mnemosina”, Goddess of Memory, daughter of Heaven and Earth and Mother of the 9 Muses, symbol of the fact that without memory there would be no arts and sciences (Barbacci, 1965).
Simonides (5th century BC) is mentioned as the first to use a mnemonic device to remember. It was an occasion when he was part of a banquet at which the roof fell in on them, being Simonides the only survivor. To remember the names of the crushed victims, he resorted to stringing together memories of greetings, conversations, until he had a complete list of victims.
In the musical profession, memory became a more recent necessity, and developed as solo performance became more widespread.
The first mnemonic rule is considered to be the "Harmonic Hand", dubiously attributed to Guido d'Arezzo. At that time (11th century) the musical system consisted of 10 sounds, the names of which were placed on the 19 joints of the phalanges and fingertips of a hand (3 to the thumb and 4 to each of the other fingers). This study was extensive during the Middle Ages.
The musical profession in the Renaissance only required learning by heart a few popular songs, on which one could improvise. The music was performed with a score and solo playing was almost inconceivable. There were no concerts with individual soloists.
Chamber music and shortly afterwards symphonic music was always performed with the score, performances were spaced out according to private events and the memoristic display as well as the very presence of the instrumentalist were unimportant, as they were considered as service personnel.
In 1843, in London, Franz Liszt launched a novelty that was a trend at the time: a series of recitals entirely devoted to a single soloist, in which the soloist played without a score. He called this act the "Recital". Although the performance from memory was censured as a "theatrical" display, his rivals could not help but follow the new custom.
Clara Schumann, in her early years as a concert pianist, did not hide her indignation when the fashion set by Liszt spread and some pianist announced a recital played from memory. Later she changed her mind and herself helped to spread the idea of playing without music score by teaching and example.
In orchestral conducting, musicians such as Mendelssohn, Berlioz and Wagner advocated the development of musical memory that would make it possible to conduct, if not the whole work, at least the most demanding passages without consulting the score.
What happens in my brain when I play by heart
The 12th of May a took a plane and I flight to my place, Oviedo. The next day, Friday 13th I went at 13.00 to the HUCA (Central University Hospital of Asturias). There was Juan Carriles, neuropsicologist, and his team, waiting for me to do a MRI. Infinite thanks to them
I contacted him months ago and I talked to him about the possibility of observe my brain playing with and without the score. He found it quite interesting, but he told me that in this machine I could not put the violin inside. So he thought I could do it with my imagination.
We created kind of a film with the score and more elements that were projected on a screen that was in front on my feet. I was lying on my back on the machine, so to be able to see the screen, they put a helmet on my head with a mirror where the score was reflected. I was also wearing headphones to listen to Carilles' instructions during the whole process.
Below we can find two sections:
Explanation of the experiments carried out
Results of the experiment
Second part of the investigation
Action research
The theoretical framework and the interviews have been very useful to carry out the practical part of this research. Both have given me tools and knowledge.
Below you will find two sections about the memorisation process:
A diary of discoveries
1st June: Tryout of the final. Our own experience
Overall conclusions
Answers to the questions
How will the theoretical framework of this research affect the practical part?
The theoretical framework has been the key for the development of the practical part, especially for action research. Although I have never had problems with memory, the knowledge of the types of memorisation helped me to have more tools during the process, as can be seen in "A diary of discoveries", reflected in the section "Action research".
Which are the differences on my brain when I play with and without the score?
The experience of being able to do an fMRI was incredible. I was quite nervous and was afraid that in the end no differences would be seen. But knowing that when I play without a score the prefrontal areas are activated more, was the result I wanted to get.
How do the people I interviewed approach playing by heart?
The interviews I did are a total source of inspiration. It was curious to see on the one hand Julia and Alejandro, who use memory mainly as a performative purpose, to go beyond what music is, and on the other hand Juan Luis and Pablo, who play by heart to improve their own performance on the instrument.
Comparing the interviews with Juan Luis and Pablo, both agree that memory provides an undeniable freedom. Pablo believes in chamber music, even operatic music without score, but Juan Luis thinks that, although it would probably be better, seeing that the best string quartets on the music scene today always use score... he's not sure it's worth it.
One of the answers that most caught my attention was Julia's, when she said that she prefers to play from memory in chamber music rather than as a soloist, because when you play in a group you can find help in the music of your colleagues.
The results of these interviews have been accompanying me during my memorisation process, especially with the string quartet. The kind of memorisation that Juan Luis talks about, "to put the physical gesture at the service of the timing", was something inspiring that I used with all the pieces.
What is going to improve in the chamber music rehearsals when we play by heart?
Working with the quartet I realised, as I mentioned before, that once we know the score very well by heart, working without it is as if our ears are uncovered. Everything is more obvious: the sound, the tuning, the blending. The first few times we played by heart in public it was a bit strange, we were very concerned about playing the notes as they were, of course. But from the fourth time we played in public, we weren't worried about memory anymore, our aim was beyond that. Besides, we had tools to fix any memory lapses. In the end, you can also make mistakes or get lost with the score.
After all the process, what are the values of playing chamber music by heart?
For me, the overall improvement is evident when a soloist plays without the score. It always has been, in my case and when I have seen other people. I have to say that I've had blackouts myself and I've seen people have them too, but I think it's normal and it's part of the process. Also, most of the time when someone has a blackout and then manages to continue, the musical and sonic improvement is really incredible.
For chamber music, I think, like Juan Luis, that it would be the best, I am discovering it with the quartet and it is reflected in the interviews with Julia and Alejandro, but it is true that it takes a long time. My colleagues and I are only playing one movement and it has taken us many hours, both individually and as a group, I can't imagine what a whole quartet from memory would be like. I am sure it would be worthwhile and a wonderful experience, but I can well understand that it is not a common thing nowadays.
As far as the objectives are concerned, I sincerely believe that they have been met: the sound, the musicalily, the leadership, the communication and the freedom…
Finally, I want to point out that I don't think people play worse with sheet music. I've seen great artists play amazingly with it. I just believe that the freedom it gives you to have the music in your mind is satisfying in many aspects.
In the end, score or no score, the most important thing is to communicate in the most accurate and human way what the composers want to tell us.
Bibliography
Barbacci, R. (1965) Educacion de la memoria musical. Retrieved from:
Flurry, H. (December 7, 2014) Types of Music Memory. Henry Flurry. https://henryflurry.com/
Kageyama, N. (originally posted on 3.20.2016, revised and updated 12.19.2021) Two Approaches to Memorization – One of Which Can Leave You Lost and Stranded if You Rely on It Too Much! The Bulletproof Musician. https://bulletproofmusician.com/musicians-seem-memorization-naturals-can-become-one/
Nagy, J. (2014) Temas para la educacion, (26), 1-5. Retrieved from: