An exploration of the effects of musical and social factors in piano duo collaborations

University of Sheffield, UK

^* To whom correspondence should be addressed.

	Abstract

The aim of this study was to explore the ways in which music tradition, sociocultural issues and interpersonal dynamics interact during the production of a music performance. Since the small body of existing research in music groups has been carried out on string quartets and larger ensembles, the current study looked into the relationship of a musical dyad in the form of the piano duo. The duo was used in preference to the piano duet as the duo uses two separate instruments. This usage gave a unique perception of 'equality' (no-one literally 'on top') and enabled the duo to be considered as a musical group, albeit in miniature. The 'one-to-one' personal and professional relationships that occurred were also considered. A survey of interview data from 27 pianists representing 17 different duos revealed that the partnership has two distinct aspects: the socio-emotional and the professional. Leadership issues, conflict and methods of compromise were recognized and dealt with by using well-established guidelines in order to ensure the continuing existence of the duo. Gender appeared to have an influence on the socio-emotional relationship with both men and women exhibiting behaviours that are sex-stereotypical. However, in all the important matters of organization, administration, repertoire choice, interpretation, rehearsal and performance, a 'musical androgyny' seems to exist that combines the best skills of each sex.

Key Words: group dynamics, interpersonal communication, personality traits of pianists, social interaction

First published on February 15, 2007, doi:10.1177/0305735607070306

Psychology of Music 2007;35:231.

A more recent version of this article appeared on April 1, 2007


CiteULike    Complore    Connotea    Del.icio.us    Digg    Reddit    Technorati    Twitter    What's this?