“Surrendering to the Musical Work” : Exploring Meanings of Performing Western Classical Music Ascribed by Three Violin Students in Higher Music Education

Abstract

In this master’s thesis I examine the meanings violin students in higher music education ascribe to per-forming Western classical music. I also address how instrumental studies influence those meanings, and how students come to understand the artistic practice as a part of their personal and professional development.

The study was guided by the following research question: What meanings do violin students in higher music education ascribe to performing Western classical music?

In the conceptual framework, I suggest a working definition of meaning through the lenses of psychology, sociology, and philosophy. I examine the notion in the specific context of Western classical music, where music is construed as works, containing inner meanings. I explore the tensions between the authority of musical works and the artistic agency of a performer. Finally, I discuss how performance is studied in higher instrumental music education. The study is a qualitative case study. I gathered the data through theme-centered interviews with three violin students in the Sibelius Academy, University of Arts Helsinki. I conducted a systematic content analysis on the transcripts of the interviews. The meanings ascribed by violin students in higher music education convey their negotiations between self-expression and interpreting the meanings embedded in compositions, reflecting the composer’s intentions. Violin students entwine themselves with the artistic tradition of Western classical music, where performance is employed to preserve historical musical works. In higher music education, performance is a means to stretch instrumental skills beyond the immediate and thus enhance professional development. Professional violinists take on various roles, such as orchestra musicians, teachers, historians, and soloists. Different meanings are ascribed to performance depending on the role of the violinist. To conclude, the results indicate that in performing Western classical music, violin students find and create artistic, professional, communal, historical, practical, and spiritual meanings.