1st Edition

Storytelling in Jazz and Musicality in Theatre Through the Mirror

By Sven Bjerstedt Copyright 2021
144 Pages
by Routledge

144 Pages
by Routledge

144 Pages
by Routledge

Art forms tend to mirror themselves in each other. In order to understand literature and fine arts better, we often turn to music, speaking of the ‘tone’ in a book and of the ‘rhythm’ in a painting. In attempts to understand music better, we turn instead to the narrative arts, speaking of the ‘story’ of a musical piece. This book focuses on two examples of such conceptual mirror reflexivity:... Read more

Part I. Intermedial Metaphor in the Arts

Chapter 1. Metaphoricity in Arts Discourse

 

Part II. Musical Storytelling

Chapter 2. Storytelling in Jazz: A Conceptual Challenge

Chapter 3. A History of Jazz Writings

Chapter 4. Interviews with Jazz Improvisers

Chapter 5. Storytelling in Jazz Improvisation: Conclusions

 

Part III. Theatrical Musicality

Chapter 6. Musicality in Spoken Theatre: A Conceptual Challenge

Chapter 7. A History of Theatre Writings

Chapter 8. Interviews with Actors

Chapter 9. Musicality in Spoken Theatre: Conclusions

 

Part IV. Through the Mirror

Chapter 10. Intermedial Conceptual Loans

 

Biography

Sven Bjerstedt is a jazz pianist, PhD and Reader (Docent) in Music Education Research, Editor of the Swedish Journal of Music Research, and Senior Lecturer in Music at Malmö Theatre Academy, Lund University.

'A beautifully conceptualized, composed and articulated book, Sven Bjerstedt explores the story-telling qualities of Jazz performances and the musicality of theater. Based on in-depth, meticulous interviews with leading figures in both jazz improvisation and theater, interwoven with rich and informed scholarship, this manuscript is a compelling read.'

Liora Bresler, Ph.D. College of Education, and College of Fine and Applied Arts, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, Professor Emerita

'The main contribution of the book is in the areas of artistic practice as it analyzes the ways in which artists aim to make those parts of their practices that are hard to describe conceivable by using metaphors from other art forms. In that perspective, the book has great potential in educational contexts, as it both indicates how those parts of practices that are hard to express in words can be transmitted, and at the same time provides food for reflection on the fact that many ways in which practices are described rely heavily on metaphors. Finally, the book is a valuable reminder of the impact that academic research has on the practical activities of artists.'

Mischa van Kan, Swedish Journal of Music Research (2021)