Eötvös Loránd University
Department of Pedagogy and Psychology Doctoral School of Education (Supervisor: Dr. Szabolcs Éva PhD) History of Education PhD-Program (Supervisor: Dr. Németh András CSc)
Written by: Réz Lóránt
The Institutional Organ Education in Hungary from 1832
PhD dissertation Thesis Booklet
Consultant:
Dr. Szabolcs Éva PhD
2014The theme of the dissertation
My PhD dissertation titled as “The Institutional Organ Education in Hungary from 1832” discusses the organ music artistic message then gives an account on the teachers’ and artists’ oeuvres and explores the pedagogical tools of organ education and draws up new theories in art education. The dissertation concentrates on the history of organ pedagogy and draws the attention to the changes of pedagogical aims and methods. The aim of my research is to contribute to the efficiency of pedagogical activity by exploring new knowledge and making it more precise in the area of music art along with organist education (Falus, p.9. 2004).
The motto of the dissertation derives from Erzsébet Szőnyi “The secret of good education should be solved by analysing the individuality of a good teacher. Maybe through this their example shall be followed.”- Erzsébet Szőnyi (Michel, p.10.1974).
Szőnyi’s suggestion points to the importance and the urgency of the unexplored area.
She is a pioneer in the theory of which the pedagogue educates with his individuality, personality, shows an example, raises the students’ interest to the unknown material.
Erzsébet Szőnyi’s encouragement to the research of the attitude system of a “good teacher” made me investigate the educational principles and methods in organist education. In my study I concentrate on the personal development of the self strategy by investigating the piano methodology results related to organ pedagogical art education.
My research is considered to be a basic one, of which the first aim is to get new knowledge for the sake of further development of the existing one. It is not an essential aim to apply the results in the actual problem. To determine the stages of moral development, to work out the cognitive educational aims, to manifest the pedagogical thinking and decision making all of which can be achieved by carrying out basic research (Falus p.28. 2004).
The organ art education in Hungary is based on two significant composer’s oeuvre. One pillar is Johann Sebastian Bach, the other one is Franz Liszt. In the dissertation, taking Bach’s musical pedagogical method as a base I discuss the
organist education, the methods of different stages and professional aims from the end of the 19th century up to present days in Hungary. The other pillar is attributed to Franz Liszt whose musical and pedagogical concept left a deep influence on the Hungarian art education. This tradition is preserved and taken care of by an institution which is named after him, Liszt Academy of Music. (In the dissertation it is later referred to as the Music Academy).
The first part of the dissertation includes art philosophical, theological and psychological research. Then, it is followed by the second part which deals with organ methodology. In the third chapter, the history of pedagogy can be read. The pedagogical aims of the teachers at the Music Academy in various historical areas is realised in the syllabi which are composed by them. I determine the changes of pedagogical aims by introducing the syllabi. I explain the various topical questions with the interview sections and the important thoughts of art teachers. The 24 years of countryside organ tuition can be read in the interviews.
The problem of the dissertation
I concentrate on the music education of the highest level and upon individual aims in my study. The resolution of problems of students at higher education which derives from their age-specific feature and also from professional knowledge as well as from the school-based educational system and the ability of artistic articulation and the formation of interpreting skills are realized during the artistic academy years.
During the education and the practice period of the organist there are two main expression forms: interpretation and improvisation. The relation between interpretation and improvisation is a co-supplementary music activity.
The problems of interpretation can be composed from various factors. The interpreting organist performs such works which had been composed by a composer where, in many cases, there are a few hundred years between them. The artist does not perform his own work so it does not derive from his individual world.
Consequently, his individual world has to be similar to the atmosphere of the
performed play’s historical features to the composer’s individual mind and attitude and also to the state of mind during the moment of composition for the sake of authenticity and to give a successful interpretation. This artistic need in literature is referred to as “historical hearing”. If the performer is able to get to know the theoretical and philosophical content of the play and able to get close to the composer with his empathy then he is able to interpret the play’s meaning in a deep way using the stylistic concepts of the historical area. The artist nominee’s master contributes to this complicated, mainly mind developing, process. The dissertation is seeking the answer to that complicated problem of how much and how the teacher contributes to help the artist to overcome the hardship between the play and the artist during the pedagogical process.
Raising Questions
Before asking questions regarding art interpretation the basic philosophical trends and ideas have to be explained. For example: What is art? Who is the artist?
What is the role of the artist in the world? Having raised these questions the road which leads to the answer has to be mapped by analysing the art philosophical, art pedagogical, aesthetics literature and by exploring the oeuvre of artists and teachers.
In my study, various art pedagogical questions have come up: What is the motivation of becoming an artist personality? What sort of tools does the art teacher use to help the artist nominee during the education process? How does the artist nominee improve his personality to the level that the artistic play can be interpreted in an authentic way?
The research methods of the dissertation
After the introduction of ideas and having raised my questions, I discuss the research methods that are used in my study. During my artistic and pedagogical activity many unidentified feelings and questions have been raised concerning
pedagogy and the secret of music. When I started my research activity, I was aware of the subject of the study of art and its related pedagogical process. I also felt that the pedagogical educational process and the constant relationship with the artistic play and the artistic activity influence the personal development of the students in the same way. The subject of my study and its questions can be measured and can be proved by scientific accuracy in a difficult way. The pedagogical phenomena in art education are much more complete than the phenomena in the field of science. My naturalistic point of view follows the qualitative research method which is rather exploring and cumulative (Falus, p.11-12- 2004).
I studied the various parts of European cultures to enrich my general knowledge before I started my research. I approached human culture, art and the layers of music reality from two points of view. One direction is to get to know the research area, the oeuvre and the results of the studies of great renaissance thinkers, scientists, artists (e.g. Leonardo, Bruno, Galileo, Eckhart, Tinctoris and Gaffurius) the starting point of the other direction can be related to Franz Liszt. From Liszt the story led into two directions as well. One directed me into the past to Dante, the other one through Goethe through history towards contemporary philosophy and scientific results (e.g. Jung, Steiner, Hamwas, Frankl, Csíkszentmihályi). Huge depths and heights have been revealed in front of me in the fields of art and science from which the discovery of meeting points have made the study an experience. Having this information my pedagogical research got into a different enlightment.
Also, I investigated the sources of pedagogical history in parallel with getting to know the cultural history. The history of organ faculty at Liszt Academy of Music is based on the university notes of Ferenc Solymosi. Besides the pedagogical sources of Bach and Liszt, the first organ pedagogical work, which is related to Gábor Lehotka is an essential document from a methodological and educational point of view, of which details also occur in my dissertation (Gorsium Organ school 2000 and The methodology of organ teaching). As a part of historical study, general pedagogy and art pedagogical, art philosophical literature have been processed. All the literary details which I considered to be important have been noted down and been organised
thematically. Then, having collected all this information I decided to get my sample from the works of higher education art institutions. I determined that if I approach the subject of my study through the oeuvre of Hungarian master art teachers then I can get a whole picture of the Hungarian organ education and I do not have to carry out research in the primary and secondary education. I decided to individually interview all the nine master teachers who teach at the Music Academy. The rules and the ideas of making an interview were taken and used from the book of Irving Seidman
“Interviewing as Qualitative Research”. I have chosen the narrative, thematically focused type from the different sorts of interviews. I used a small dictaphone to record the interviews. The conversations took 45-50 minutes. The venue and the time of the interviews were chosen by my interviewees through by which I tried to encourage the interviews’ free, confidential and inspiring features. All of the interviewees were pleased to answer my questions and I felt that they are happy to remember the main stages of their artistic and teacher oeuvre. I built up the interview in a chronological order, biographically. I questioned the interviewees first about infant age music experience then about their music studies. During the discussion of studies their teacher’s work, musical and pedagogical methods were also told. The study years were reviewed from music school through the high school up to the Music Academy. During the university years when the first artistic performance was carried out, then the years after graduation were discussed. The pedagogical activity of my interviewees had been started in these years in parallel with their artistic career.
I questioned them about the experience of artistic and pedagogical methods during these years. The narrative, thematically focused interviews provided a huge area to identify and to get to surface of individual experience and thoughts. To sum up their pedagogical experience, mainly artist educational problems, views and art philosophical thoughts had been identified, which allows to get a closer look into their deep layers.
The expected outcome of the dissertation
The relation between my exploring dissertation and the discussion of organ art philosophy of art throughout the history and the identification of aims and methods of art education try to provide a starting point for the musician who is on the road towards fulfilment by introducing the various pedagogical thoughts and by approaching the essence of music. I collected the content and the functions of music systems and also the metaphysics in organ music and its influence on human personality including its educational feature. As a result of researching the basics and laying them down, my pedagogical aims were clear and my pedagogical tools were enriched. I would like to raise thoughts in my colleagues and to initiate art pedagogical and educational conference in my profession with which our artistic horizon can be enlarged and then, following it, new searches can be launched in the various fields of education and musicology. Music is a transcendent sphere above human beings in our earthly world which is proved by the experience and thoughts of artists who are fulfilled in their artistic oeuvre. The sound vibration and music system opens cosmic dimensions for mankind. My assumption can be the subject of further research by positive measures and by methodological studies. I would study the influence of Bach and Messiaen’s organ music cosmic origin, the sound and vibrations on human body and soul by commencing the references to the deeper layers of music in the works of E.T.A Hoffmann, Thomas Mann, and Herman Hesse.
A short discussion of the content of dissertation
In the summary of the dissertation I discuss the structure of my study and I answer the questions which have been raised in the introduction during the review of the outcome of my research.
I divided the dissertation into three parts. Firstly, I examined the Christian Europe’s theological, philosophical, aesthetical and psychological theories from that point of view about how our ancestors thought about art and music. How music was
considered and what was its function? I started the examination from ancient mythology then moved to the thoughts of Saint Augustine, Saint Thomas Aquinas and went through Bach’s theology when I arrived to the concepts of nature, universe, reality and mankind of Gustav Jung, Rudolf Steiner and Béla Hamvas. In the labyrinth of thread of thoughts Dante, Echart, Goethe, Mann and Hesse gave me direction. Mankind’s demand is a creation which derives from self-expression. The human being creates his mythology and symbol systems that are the language, the music and the artistic work. The human soul takes such internal journeys which lead to the ancient unconscious (Jung) to the inner core (Hamvas). The dynamism which is based on the circle of thoughts, feelings and passion, the creator experiences creation in the moment of artistic creation. This process in every case is realized in musical activity. Owing to the activity it leads the creator towards recognition so that the dynamism, which derives from the activity and recognition, becomes the engine of artistic existence. The master directs his students that form of life. As a result of tight interpersonal bond the student gets a closer look into the life and work of his master. The example and pattern of his master are which direct the pupil to find his own artistic way and his artistic self-expression. This pedagogical feature can be perceived through Bach, Liszt and Thomán and later at the practice of organ teachers.
In the second part of the dissertation, I compare the Bach- Liszt personality and the pedagogy of the two great minds with the Hungarian masters’ pedagogical, artistic practice and experience. In this section, I aligned organ pedagogical methods in their relationship between teacher and student and the motivation features in organ music So, I sought the answer to what sort of pedagogical tools the art teacher uses to help his student to become an artist. How does he improve the personality of his pupil to become authentic during the interpretation of an artistic play? In the interviews, the individual destinies and experience and knowledge expand from the circle of individual history. I collected this information which will be discussed in a short way. A concurrent opinion is that the freedom of musical flow’s essential requirement is technical preparation. Technical preparation has to be acquired during the secondary school education but practice shows that only a few students are able to
achieve perfect technical security. It forms during the academic years in parallel with musical self-expression and the technical security and extends to a deeper stage as well as the reproduction of musical notion during the artistic activity. At this point, a few general applied practice suggestions can be found: finger order practice and acquisition and also slow practice without making any mistakes by stretching time.
There are two features of the methods which are applied during the lessons:
explanation-music analysis –and illustration-which is realized by the teacher’s pre- play. A new method is the teacher-student exchanging role (Fassang).
The artistic nominees enrich their professional knowledge alongside the main lesson in the following cases:
- interchanging of teachers which became possible at the Music Academy and in Debrecen
-the lectures during which the nominees can perform a topic -concerts
-professional trips with which the historical hearing improves
-the continuo play, chamber music, counterpoint ,organological course, with which the practical instrumental knowledge becomes enriched.
Besides the technical education, the development of artistic ability and making it more conscious, which is needed to carry out a performance, also occur. During the formation of the artistic personality the following factors can be observed e.g.:
-self-expression skills -imagination, fantasy -aesthetics sense -internal intonation
-the improvement of talent to experience the play -practising concentration techniques
-the formulation of historical hearing
All of these are realized by the teacher and student active-interpersonal communication during the organ lesson which is based on activity. These factors are present in the process of teaching-studying.
The examples for Liszt’s pedagogy can be perceived in our education of which main motives are the following teacher qualities: mentor, helper and the motivator.
Szilárd Kovács and László Fassang present how the teacher gradually leads the teacher-student relationship into a colleague relationship.
The third chapter discusses the history of Music Academy. In this section, the various pedagogical views, aims and changes were analysed. By examining the century and a half history of the Music Academy we can observe how the picture of organ art and requirement system had been changed. How the needs, which emphasized creativity and complex organist personality (organist-composer- improvisator-interpreter-scientist-artist), have been formed into an organ education, which focuses, for a while, only on interpretation. The pedagogical methods of improving the reproductive talent and productive talent were assimilated into the professional requirements which were presented in the syllabi. It turned out from the sources regarding organ education that both sorts of talent were improved with a great effort during the period from 1882 up to 1950 at the Music Academy. The co- presence of the two kinds of talent development made it possible to form a complex organist personality. It changed from 1950 when the European trends were followed and the focus moved to the education of interpreter organist and Sebestyén Pécsi was who collected the accumulated organ repertoire education and worked out the syllabus and examination system, also it was he who changed the focus to interpreter organist education. This practice can be felt up to the present day. From a professional point of view, we are at a turning point when, as a part of admission requirements to higher education, improvisation, harmonisation and the numbered bass play has occurred. The lecturers at the Music Academy have brought back the original Liszt-Koesler model.
The answer of the dissertation
-What is the source of art? The human being, while living his earthly existence, asks the same questions and is seeking the answers. Before the formation of literacy, the archaeological artefacts, artistic pieces sending messages, communicate and confess about the same recognition. The observation, which proves that the prehistoric mythologies and ancient written artefacts contents are the same, can be bound to Béla Hamvas. The stages of how oneself awakens present the way that an individual self experiences from generation to generation, from one historical era to another. Self-awakening facilitates a thinking process. A man looks around and becomes afraid of the unknown world. Fear and being alone makes him think with his internal self so it gets him to communicate with his self (Hankis). By asking a question, the man addresses the unknown Being and gets his relevant answers through his thoughts. This mental communication is experienced by the creator during the moment of creation. Fear is relieved by naming things and defining them and by getting answers to existence. A human being places himself in the world, gives out a sound by his very existence and self-expression and thus, by this, his existence has been confirmed.
What is art? The artist perceives the things of the outer world and observes the phenomena. The next phase is when the man first takes things into pieces then puts them together. This activity is part of childhood. After getting experienced he draws conclusions and this process is considered to be a learning process. From the accumulated influences knowledge is realized in the form of creation. The repeated, continuous artistic activity-using Bach’s words-gives an insight into “order”, the order of the universe, after a while. According to Bach art is the reality of world. Art is placed between nature and the orderly world of God. The artistic piece creates itself; in many cases it is independent from the artists’ destiny. The artistic piece comes into life perfectly from the pen or instrument of the creator using a mythological example like Pallas Athena from Zeus’s head .(Jung)
Who can be called as an artist? The harmony which derives from order and can be found in order is a result of the act of intervening. The artist perceives the
secrets of reality, which leads to God’s perception. Man discovers God in his “inner core” which pervades the operation of the personality. This constant internal monologue, thinking, which happens time after time during the artistic activity and rises into a sphere which is higher than the human one, is realized as an artistic piece belonging to the universe (Michel). This is the process which governs the musician to the internal essence of music “the relation with music” (Pálúr) in this constant thinking, analysis and musical activity are realized.
The communication with the “inner core”, the constant active creation, analysis and reflection facilitate self-education in the individual’s personality and forms the artistic personality.
In the discussion of human internal activity I quote Jung’s idea: For he who is on the way of unconscious “inner core” achievement, it is essential to take the content of unconscious to the conscious by which process his personality becomes enriched. I would like to add that “enrichment” relates to moral conscious and self-conscious mainly because the content of unconscious , which became free during the analysis, gets into the conscious, in the beginning these are unpleasant mainly repressed contents, to be precise these are wishes, memories, tendencies, plans etc (Jung, p.89- 90. 1997).
Our “inner core” can be characterized as a compensation which can get resulting from the conflict of the internal and the external world. This wording is not so bad in that case if our personal centre has a characteristic which resembles to a degree, an achieved aim towards something which was gained step by step and can only be experienced after great fatigue. So that the personality core is the aim of life because it expresses the combination of destiny in the most entire way, which is called the individual (Jung, p.97. 1997).Consequently, the artist achieves his destiny by artistic activity, the artistic work because his target in life and together with becomes an individual. In my eyes all of the biological and psychical happenings, spiritus rectora (spiritual leader) is the totality of being unaware. It fights for realization, in the case of human being it strives for total awareness. Consciousness is culture in the widest sense and getting to know the self-conscious consequently is
the essence and heart of this process. The East perceives the personality centre as divine significance, as per our old Christian perception, self-knowledge directs us to cognition Dei, recognition of God (Jung, p.104.1997). The eastern and Christian world both consider that the road to divine secret is the process of getting to know the
“inner core”. The artist leads his audience or perceiver of this world and presents the different layers of reality in a wider sense.
What is the motivation of becoming an artistic personality? I found the answer to my last question in the works of Hamvas and also in the interview with János Pálúr and Csaba Király.
When we can see an artist performing music on the stage, a special phenomenon can be observed. The performer changes in the moment of creation, we feel that it is not him who is present, nor he who plays the piece. At this time, he unites with his “inner core” in a perfect way. This phenomenon is the perfect concentration. The communication of the conscious and the unconscious reach their perfect point during the concentration process.
One of the methods of artistic concentration is relaxation combined with meditation. As the “inner core” gets to the surface during the meditation, one can read from Hamvas, that he addresses it as an ecstasy technique: “Man applies ecstasy technique in order to restore his original human existence mind (primordial) in himself”. It is because only the beginning of awareness and original sensitivity that can be a part of the communication between human being and the superhuman. The only precondition is that condition does not burden the conscious. Mankind lives in a diffuse uneasiness. In order to complete the requirement he has to leave this diffuse uneasiness. The reason for being diffuse is being a sleep-walker. We can read about the event of ecstasy in János Pálúr’s interview- when he talks about the experience after preaching during his interpretation or when Csaba Király speaks about his experience of flying during the performance of a piece of music. The third example for the ecstasy technique is László Fassang’s teaching of the improvisation method:
Fassang directs his students as to how they can express their feelings on an instrument, he also teaches the mental preparation of improvisation and its planning
and introduces the ecstasy technique. I modelled the ecstasy technique which can be found in the first annex. Getting in touch with the superhuman and its communication occur in the act of music so the artist becomes a conveyor, a conduit between the two worlds. The ecstasy experience is that which reinforces the artistic profession and becomes the engine of the artistic way of life.
The quotes in the dissertation which are from own publications
Réz Lóránt (2013): The music of the spheres on the front of the Gesú Nuovo in Naples http://vismath.ektf.hu/Presentation/Enigma_presentation_2013_08_23.pdf
I.3. In chapter of the aesthetic notions in the Medieval Ages and in the Renaissance- I refer to one of my conference lectures in English in which I present my research about the symbol system of Gesú Nuovo church’s forefront pyramid in Naples. In Naples Kingdom’s capital, Roberto Sanseverino’s palace, who was the prince of Salermo, was built in the high street of the historical city in 1470. In 1557, it was converted into a church by the Jesuits. According to my theory, the symbols of the diamond like engraved pyramids are the music pitches. The research directed me to the music theological work of Franchino Gafforius, music theorist, who lived in Naples at the same time. The portrayal of the universe in Musica Prattica represents the Renaissance world, in which maths, astronomy, philosophy and music relation can be discovered. I discovered that Gafforius’s theory in later music, mainly in the works of Liszt and of Wagner, is present. The aim of the example which is presented in an episodic way in the dissertation lets us know the worldview of the Renaissance man regarding music and about its role in his life.
Réz Lóránt (2012): Constructivism and pedagogy in the mirror of music education Opus.www.mozaik.info.hu/Homepage/pdf/opus/Mozaik-Opus_2012_04.pdf - in:
Király Katalin
In the methodological part, II.12.2 Pedagogy by experiencing things-> II.12.3.
Constructive relaxation technique, in these chapters I discuss acting in meditative and relaxed state in practice. Ágota Csehi’s method which is getting experience and facilitating the learning process I completed it with my own experiences and research results and I published it in Katalin Király’s “Opus 2012” music pedagogical paper. I combined the method of reaching the sense and mental state to the act of music with the constructive pedagogical methods in the dissertation It makes form the fantasy, musical imagination and artistic expression together the expansion of instrument- handling technique warm-up with improvisation.
Réz Lóránt (2011): Dancing architecture? Grab the music?
http://www.parlando.hu/2011/2011-1/Epiteszet.htm
A piece of my review Dancing architecture? Grab the music?, which was published in the issue of 2011/1 in Parlando, which is a music pedagogical magazine, can be read in the conclusion part of my dissertation. I draw the attention to the importance of music pedagogy by discussing music, sound of music and characteristic feature of the participant’s cosmic feature who is an active or passive participant in the act of music.
