Kurbits-ReBoot : svensk folksång i ny scenisk gestaltning

This artistic research project is an explorative study in new forms of expression of Swedish folk singing in a scenic context, exploring expressive qualities in traditional Swedish folk song from the point of view of the folk singer as a creative performer. The fundamental research question is how, in a scenic context, can space be given to what is a characteristic quality of traditional folk song, namely creative interpretation in the moment, through variation and improvisation using the song as a concept rather than a fixed work. How can this view be expressed in a staged concert form that enhances the perception of the music being created in the moment? How can the aesthetic qua- lities and forms of variation and improvisation that are inherent to traditional folk singing be explored?The artistic exploration has been performed through five productions/projects, each one with its own specific theme: ReBoot/OmStart – en folksångperformance, Kurbits-Koral, The Spirit of the Moment – en musikhändelse, Getens horn – en musikskapelse, Voice Space – Röstrymd, Kulning – en utsmyckning av oändligheten. The thesis focuses on two aspects of the knowledge that has been developed in the artistic work, namely the processes for creating the work and the artistic concepts used to explore the question artistically.In ReBoot/OmStart the subtle forms of variation typical of traditional Swedish folk singing are explored within the frame of a concert consisting of one continuous set, a folk song performance. In this work principles of varia- tion for music and lyrics that are typical for Swedish traditional folk singing are explored, as well as new concepts for associative variation in the performance. This includes improvised combinations of different melodies as well as utilizing the frame story of a ballad as the ground for the performance rather than a specific ballad text.Kurbits-Koral has been inspired by traditional folk hymns, historical evidence of traditional folk hymn sing- ing, by the role of sacred folk song in traditional contexts and from folk polyphony. It can be viewed as a prac- tical exploration of the dimension of polyphony – monophony in folk vocal performance. This concert-perfor- mance also explores a form for interactive performance where the boundary between the audience/auditorium and the artists/stage is challenged, based upon the idea that the audience and the artists are jointly involved in a musical ritual or story-telling – the concert as a musical happening.Getens horn is an ensemble performance of entirely original music, which uses the form of an associative musi- cal narration in a scenic context that was developed in the previous concert projects. The lyrics of the songs ori- ginate from traditional and new stories about creation, how everything came about. It can be viewed as a musical saga, but not in the sense of a coherent literary narrative, rather as a musical narration, an associative web.In Voice Space traditional folk singing meets live electronics in a scenic space, where the interplay between live electronics and voice/instruments creates the possibility for an associative musical narration, a Voice Space. Can the fixed, static nature of a loop pedal and the flexibility of traditional folk singing voice introduce a creative tension? Voice Space can be regarded as a playful exploration of illusions and expectations within dimensions such as space, polyphony-monophony and improvisation-composition.Kulning explores the pedagogical and artistic applications of kulning as a vocal expression, in terms of style and vocal technique. How can the art of kulning as a form for vocal and artistic expression be explored pedago- gically, from a performance perspective?The result of this doctoral project consists first and foremost of the individual works, as documented in recordings/films, a book and in ‘musical scripts’, but also of the creative methods and artistic musical concepts that have been revealed by reflective analyses documented in the written thesis. In particular, concepts and methods stimulating improvisation, variation, presence and creation in the performance have been explored, from the point of view of the song as a concept and the folk singer as a creative performer. The written thesis can be regarded complementary to the performances, and is in itself an analysis of artistic processes, methods and concepts, placed in a theoretical framework relating to concepts such as orality-literacy, performance, flow and artistic expression