REFLECTIONS ON PIANO STUDENTS MUSICAL INTERPRETATION AND THE COMMUNICATION OF EMOTIONS

Abstract

The preparation and interpretation of the first 28 measures of Bach´s Prelude (BWV 881) in F minor by undergraduate and graduate piano students was monitored through a series of activities such as visual and aural stimulation gathered from the literature and art work from the Baroque period, notions about Theory of the Affects, appreciation of vocal and instrumental works written by composers of this period, and audition of works performed by professional pianists in order to disclose aspects involved in the communication of emotion in works from the beginning of the XVIII century. Russell´s circumplex model (1980) was used to create a common vocabulary among participants. Students declared that symbolical elements took precedence over technical-instrumental and analytical issues. Projection of intended emotional content did not prefigure as a goal during this short period of preparation.
Keywords: Emotion/expression; Perception; Music listening/audition; Music performance.