An analysis of a performance by the violinist D. Oistrakh: the hypothetical role of postural tonic-static and entourage movements

Author(s): Katsnelson, A.

Journal/Book: Percept Mot Skills. 1996; 82: 291-300.

Abstract: In an interdisciplinary research project carried out by a violinist and a psychophysiologist which is based on a videotape of a performance by the violinist, David Oistrakh, we draw attention to certain postural attitudes and movements which appear in sequences of his rendition of the Brandenburg Concerto N. 4 by Bach and the Concerto for Violin in D Major by Mozart. These postural attitudes and movements occur with a certain regularity and are particular to each piece of music. For example, in the Brandenburg Concerto, one can observe rhythmic oscillations of the musician's whole body, with a shifting of the weight (alternanza di appoggio) from the left to the right foot. The performer' s movements were compared with corresponding points of the musical score. Within this analytical framework, we hypothesize that these movements have not only a mechanical postural role but an expressive aesthetic one.

Note: University of Rome La Sapienza Conservatory of Cagliari G. P. da Palestrina Italia.

Keyword(s): Motor Activity|. Music|. Posture|

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