Sheng-Ying Isabella Weng
The purpose of this dissertation is to investigate expressive communication in classical violin performance. The interest lies mainly in the listener’s perception of the musical expression that is achieved through various instrumental techniques.
Project title: Expressivity in Violin Performance
Third-cycle subject area: Music pedagogy
Principal supervisor: Prof. Erkki Huovinen, KMH
Assistant supervisor: Prof. Sven Ahlbäck, KMH
Admitted to: Lund university
Project period: 2019-2023
Purpose, research questions and method
How do musicians adjust their technique to achieve what they intend to express? How are such adjustments conveyed to the listener: is expression perceived as intended? How does perception of musical expressivity differ between listeners with varying musical backgrounds and experiences?
This research project includes several experiments to explore possibilities of achieving the intended perception of musical expression in performance. Mixed methods will be applied in order to reach a deeper understanding of how expressivity in performance might be made more efficient by applying technical strategies in instrumental praxis.
About the PhD student
In addition to her Masters Degree of Fine Arts in classical violin and ten years of professional experiences as musician, Sheng-Ying has also been studying sociolinguistics and second language acquisition. As a PhD student in music education, she is given the opportunity to combine her identity as a musician and her new passion for science and research. To keep maintaining her interest in linguistics, Sheng-Ying is teaching Swedish for international students at Stockholm University in her spare time.