The 'Acousmaticity' of left-hand piano music

the case of Resignação, op. 39, by José Vianna da Motta

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.35699/2317-6377.2025.56346

Keywords:

Acousmaticity, Left-hand, Resignação, José Vianna da Motta

Abstract

This article proposes the hypothesis that left-hand piano music evidences acousmatic characteristics, drawing on Brian Kane's concept of 'Acousmaticity' (Kane 2014), which outlines principles for characterising various acousmatic scenarios, contrasting with the "static" state of listening to a sound whose source is unseen (Kane 2014). The illusion of multiple hands at work in left-hand repertoire disrupts the expected link between visual and auditory perception, fostering a specific listening stance often associated with acousmatic perception. As a case study, the work Resignação, melody for the left hand, Op. 39, by José Vianna da Motta, is analysed. A comparison with the composer’s own arrangement for piano (two hands) and flute, Resignação, Op. 40, highlights the fulfilment of the conditions necessary to identify an acousmatic situation in Resignação, Op. 39.

Author Biographies

  • André Roque Cardoso, University of Aveiro, Portugal

    André Roque Cardoso completed his Degree in Music Education (Piano) in 2005 at the University of Aveiro, where he studied with Vitali Dotsenko (piano) and António Chagas Rosa (Chamber Music). Between 2005 and 2011, he studied piano with Guigla Katsarava and chamber music with Nina Patarcec at the École Normale de Musique de Paris, obtaining the Diplôme d'Exécution, Diplôme Supérieur d'Exécution, Diplôme Supérieur de Concertiste, and Certificat de Perfectionnement. During this period, he performed in solo recitals and as a member of various chamber music ensembles, attended piano masterclasses, summer courses, and piano competitions, winning first prize at the «Concours International dans le cadre de "Guigla Katsarava Master-class"», second prize at the 1st International Piano Competition "Helena Sá e Costa", and the Luiz Costa Special Prize at the same competition. Between 2010 and 2017, he made his debut as a soloist with an orchestra, performing Baroque, Classical, Romantic, and Modern repertoire; collaborated with the contemporary music ensemble Síntese; performed solo and chamber music concerts at festivals in Slovenia, France, Moldova, and Portugal; organized events, concerts, and festivals, including four editions of the festival As Lições dos Jovens Mestres – Youngclasses; and taught at various conservatories and music academies in Portugal. Between 2015 and 2018, he completed the curricular units of the Advanced Training Course of the Doctoral Programme in Music, beginning his academic research activity in the field of Portuguese piano repertoire for the left hand. In this context, he worked as a score editor at AvA Musical Editions and premiered several Portuguese works for the left hand, including compositions commissioned by the Viseu International Spring Music Festival, among which were the first two works for piano (left hand) and electronics. As a pedagogue, he regularly teaches piano masterclasses and is currently a professor at the Coimbra Music Conservatory. Between 2022 and 2024, he released the CDs “Adestro” and “Adestro Vol. II”, dedicated to Portuguese piano music for the left hand, and is currently in the third year of the Doctoral Programme in Performance at the University of Aveiro.

  • Helena Marinho, University of Aveiro, Portugal

    Helena Marinho's main research interests include artistic research, 20th/21st centuries Portuguese music history and musical practices, music and gender, and empirical music studies. She is currently Associate Professor at the Department of Communication and Art of the University of Aveiro (Portugal), and coordinator of the Institute of Ethnomusicology - Centre of Studies in Music and Dance branch at the University of Aveiro. Her research outputs include books, edited books and book chapters published by Routledge, Colibri, Caminho, Imperial College Press, Brepols, Cambridge Scholars, MPMP, AVA Musical Editions, Editions Hispaniques, and articles for several national and international journals (Musicae Scientiae, Frontiers, Musica Hodie, Opus, E-Cadernos CES, Psychology of Music, Studies in Musical Theatre, Music & Practice, Vortex, among others). She is regularly selected to present her research at national and international conferences, and is often invited as keynote, and associated editor and reviewer of articles and books for international publications such as Opus, Psychology of Music, Debates, Orpheus Institute, Frontiers. Helena has led three multiannual competitive research projects financed by the Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT) and European funds: "Images from Land and Sea: Frederico de Freitas and music in twentieth-century Portuguese culture" (2012-15), "Euterpe unveiled: Women in Portuguese musical creation and interpretation during the 20th and 21st centuries", and "Xperimus: Experimentation in music in Portuguese culture: History, contexts and practices in the 20th and 21st centuries", and currently leads "Shores", a Creative Europe cooperation project. At the University of Aveiro, she has acted as director of the Master in Music programme and as Erasmus+ department coordinator, and she is currently member of the scientific committee of the PhD in Music programme. She teaches mostly post-graduate courses, and has supervised 6 post-doctoral projects, 8 PhD theses (additionally, 10 ongoing doctoral students), and 36 Master of Music and Master of Music Education dissertations. She was a visiting researcher at the Orpheus Institute in 2018. Helena was an external expert in the evaluation of projects for the European Commission's Culture Programme, the Austrian Science Fund, and jury member in the evaluation of research scholarships and fellowships of the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology. She was member of the Executive Board of the Portuguese Society for Music Research between 2021 and 2024. She is currently a consultant of the Portuguese Agency for Assessment and Accreditation of Higher Education (A3ES). Helena obtained master's degrees at the Norwegian State School of Music (on a grant from the Norwegian Government) and at the University of Kansas (on a Fulbright scholarship). She concluded her PhD in 2004 at the University of Sheffield. She combines her academic research with a performing career as pianist, and this activity informs many of her artistic research outputs. She has presented solo and chamber concerts in main venues and festivals in Portugal, as well as in the USA, Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ireland, UK, France, Spain, Italy, Greece, Sweden, Norway, Ethiopia, India. Her performing activities include projects with modern piano and fortepiano, and she has recorded (or participated in) 13 CDs, playing Classical and contemporary (acoustic and mixed) repertoire on both instruments. She has also made several recordings for Portuguese radio and television, and French television. She has premièred several contemporary works, and collaborates often with composers from Portugal and other countries. Twenty one of the projects she conceived and performed, which ground her artistic research, have been selected for funding by the Portuguese Culture Ministry.

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Published

2025-03-08

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Vol. 26 (2025): General Topics

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Articles in Portuguese/Spanish

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How to Cite

“The ’Acousmaticity’ of Left-Hand Piano Music: The Case of Resignação, Op. 39, by José Vianna Da Motta”. 2025. Per Musi 26 (March): 1-18. https://doi.org/10.35699/2317-6377.2025.56346.