CC BY
7ПСИХОЛОГИЧЕСКИЕ АСПЕКТЫ СЦЕНИЧЕСКОГО ИСКУССТВА
Хачатрян Д.К.
Гюмрийский филиал Ереванской Государственной Консерватории имени Комитаса, преподаватель
Армения, г. Гюмри
PSYCHOLOGICAL ASPECTS OF STAGE PERFORMANCE ART
Khachatryan D.
Komitas State Conservatory of Yerevan Gyumri branch, teacher
Armenia, Gyumri DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.7618230
АННОТАЦИЯ
Концертная жизнь полна неожиданностей, которых не избежать. Концерты проходят каждый раз в разных обстоятельствах, в разной обстановке. Исполнитель каждый раз видит инструмент в новом качестве и особенностях на сцене, иногда без предварительных репетиций на сцене, а иногда знакомится с этими особенностями, достоинствами и недостатками инструмента только во время концертного выступления.
Во время выступления поведение и реакции зрителей, физическое и психологическое состояние исполнителя, его настроение, наличие различных казусов и ошибок так или иначе влияют на общее качество исполнения, на ритм, на педалирование и динамике, а также подаче содержании композиции, выявление и решение проблем с мастерством. Но на сцене в любой ситуации исполнитель должен уметь проявлять стрессоустойчивость и быть готовым извлечь выгоду из нежелательных ошибок.
ABSTRACT
The life of a stage performer is full of surprises that are impossible to evade. Performances are held every time in different circumstances, in different environments. The performer sees an instrument of a new quality and features every time on stage, sometimes without prior rehearsals on the stage, and occasionally gets acquainted with those features, advantages, and disadvantages of the instrument only during a concert performance.
During the performance, the behavior and reactions of the audience, the physical and psychological state of the performer, his/her mood, and the presence of various mishaps and mistakes in one way or another affect the overall quality of the performance, the tempo of the work, rhythm, pedalization, dynamics, as well as the presentation of the composition, and detection and solution of the problems with the proficiency. But on stage, in every situation, the performer has to be able to show stress resistance and be ready to benefit from undesirable mistakes.
Ключевые слова: музыкальное исполнение, психологическое состояние, стресс, боязнь сцены, стрес-соустойчивость, предвыступительный этап.
Keywords: musical performance, psychological state, stress, stage fright, stress resistance, pre-performance stage.
The final result of all the work devoted to the musical composition is the stage performance, in which the performer's goal is to convey the message of musical composition to the audience even in a stressful situation.
Several actions contribute to the realization of this goal such as the pre-performance emotions of the performer, auditorium acoustics considerations taking into account the acoustic features of the hall, audience reactions to the performance, psychological state in extreme conditions, as well as the impressive delivery of the performance.
Stage performance requires a high level of professionalism from the pianist, as well as deeper emotional, intellectual and physical training, which in turn provokes additional stress resistance requirements for the performer. The key to a pianist's success in stage performance is his reliability and ability to comprehensively present the piece of music.
Taking into account the fact that not all audience members in concerts are ideal and the fact that minor mistakes may occur during the performance, a pianist needs not only psychological readiness, and a high
level of performance preparation, but also elements of reliability, and stability of performance. Preparations for a stage performance should take into account the expected unwanted mistakes and be prepared to disguise them.
Russian pianist, composer, conductor, pedagogue, public figure, founder of the Russian piano school Anton Rubinstein was very dissatisfied when the students forgot the text during the performance, and lost their self-control and stopped the performance. And when they found a way out of such situations in one way or another, he would shout throughout the hall immediately, "Nice going, you cut your losses" [1].
Stage fright and nervousness are not desirable during a performance. In their extreme manifestations, they can transform into fear, which is an undesirable factor for professional life. Stage fright not only nullifies all the work done in the pre-performance stage, but can even lead to the failure of the concert. The fear and performance anxiety on stage have many explanations. The most common are thoughts of probable failure, which can turn into dangerous autosuggestion.
Anxiety during a stage performance can also have a physical cause, such as cold hands. However, fear and anxiety are mainly based on psychological phenomena. Even the most experienced performers are not immune to failure. The performer's level of preparation depends not only on his experience or skills but also on what happens to him in the pre-performance stage and how he reacts to the situation on stage, which always remains a high-stress factor.
The main manifestations of stage fright are: shaking hands (trembling), shaking knees, forgetting the text of the composition, and the inability to concentrate on the performance. The peculiarities of this or that psychological state are explained not by the properties of the nervous system but by the intellect and creativity of the individual. There are no two artists who experience the same psychological state at the moment of going on stage.
Some performers are deathly afraid of making a mistake by forgetting the text, and some performers get confused from the concert hall and feel uncomfortable with the many eyes directed at them, there are also cases when the performer feels helpless because he wants to perform better than he can. Others experience a state of creative upsurge and are delighted, looking forward to meeting the audience, which makes it easier to achieve success on stage. Generally speaking, you have to believe in yourself and your performance, it is not desirable to play in any other way [2].
The greater the performing experience is and the more often the musician goes on stage, the less he suffers from diseases of asthenic forms of stage fright. However, the experience should not be confused with habit. The wider the creative horizon of the performer is and the more professional knowledge he has, the brighter and deeper he can artistically interpret the composition. Therefore, it is easier for him to ignore the anxiety and focus on performance [3]. Also, the lack of performance culture, and the exact methodology of preparations, which in turn cause confusion, are often the reason for performance anxiety. A performer needs to show mental stability in different situations. It is essential to record and remember the dynamics of changes in emotional states and prepare appropriately.
Prominent violinist David Oistrakh divided the scenic state of the performer into three stages. According to him, the first stage is the most dangerous, and demanding, and is associated with the need to overcome stage fright which has a detrimental effect. This will be possible due to the maximum concentration of physical and mental forces of the performer. At this stage, it is necessary to show confidence from the very first measures of the work, as well as a clear artistic and figurative representation of the composition. In the second stage comes conscious control, and inner calm, when the anxiety gradually subsides. The third is the stage of complete freedom and creative potency, the moment when all the performance problems the musician faces can be solved. [4].
The practical experience of brilliant performers of different generations has led to a number of theoretical generalizations about the relationship between mental states and movements. But the more performers, the
more unique individuals with their natural talent, creative abilities, and problems.
This field of art is in continuous development, and special attention is paid to the study of the psychological aspects of the performer's activity. One of the interesting problems is the problem of the relationship between mental states and movements. Mental states can have both positive and negative, chaotic effects on the pianist's performance, when the economy and expediency of movements are violated, muscle tension occurs. As a result, the quality of performance deteriorates, and if this happens while working on a composition, it slows down, and the acquisition of new skills is disrupted.
For the successful formation of movements, and for the preservation of their main characteristics, such mental states as curiosity, enthusiasm, inspiration, determination, and confidence are most significant on stage.
The main causes of psychological states are as follows:
1. Preceding condition:
• a state of fear that causes a state of mistrust,
• a state of enthusiasm that provokes a state of inspiration.
In other words, if the state of excitement and interest constantly accompanies the rehearsals and is strengthened in the movements, then during the concert performance it will turn into a state of inspiration. You should pay attention to this in pedagogical practice and keep your learners enthusiastic in each class, that is, you should be able to create an atmosphere (mood) conducive to inspiration.
2. The feeling of responsibility, a certain emotional tension, which can cause stress, and panic with all its consequences depends on the significance of the prevailing situation. Therefore, before the concert performance, one should not focus on responsibility but should focus only on the correct presentation of the composition.
3. Physical conditions such as illness and fatigue can cause irritability and indifference. In such conditions, it would be better to stop practicing and postpone the concert performance.
4. Overcoming certain difficulties, and striving to achieve the goal, significantly mobilizes the will, thinking, and other mental processes that participate in the activity of the performer.
5. Mental states can be instantly transferred from one person to another. This should also be taken into account in pedagogical practice and before a concert performance, it is necessary to avoid talking with the performer about fear and stage fright.
During the formation of movements, the emotional state of enthusiasm significantly contributes to the activation of such mental processes as attention, thinking, memory, imagination, and representation. This, in turn, activates the search for the necessary metaphorical associations determining movement and contributes to the control of the appropriateness of movements.
The emotional content of the performed composition affects the performer's movements and, first of all,
the position of the body. That is why Jozsef Gat, in his book "The Technique of Piano Playing ", insists on complete freedom of movement when talking about sitting.
The expression of any emotion is associated with certain forms of movement. Each emotional state corresponds to a certain movement. Over thousands of generations, they have become unconditioned reflexes. So, for example, it is known that joy, love, and pleasant feelings, in general, are expressed with open, free movements, while anger, and sadness - are closed, and tense.
If the movements during the performance do not correspond the expressed emotions, then they and, of course, the expressed emotions will be forced, and artificial. From this, it can be concluded that any pre-established body position is harmful. Emotions determine body position and not vice versa. So, in fact, the position of the body also depends on the musical performance [5].
The state of inspiration has several other characteristics.
1. Completely obeying the object of the work, the performer often does not realize what methods he is using at the given moment.
2. In the process of performance, the pianist controls not individual movements, but all emotional states, which are accumulated and strengthened in the process of forming movements.
Feelings, being the motives of actions, organize the activity on one hand, and disorganize it on the other. Stress associated with physical and mental workload, and the need to make quick and responsible decisions affect the performer's movements.
Types of responses to a stressful situation can be different. They are primarily determined by the individual's mental characteristics and the amount and quality of accumulated experience. For one type of performers, stressful situations cause a general arousal reaction: movements become erratic, often exaggerated. Performers of this type, or their teachers, should consider this in the process of developing playing skills, paying special attention to the economy of movements and the regulation of muscle tension.
The second type, on the contrary, experiences inhibition, passivity, inactivity. Movements become slow, lose clarity and expressiveness. Besides stress, there are other types of disorganizing mental states: fatigue, apathy, which makes is impossible to continue working on the formation of movements and leads to poor results.
In any mental activity, there are rules of proper behavior a musician needs to follow when working on a composition. They are:
1. A certain level of readiness, preparing the organism to the principle of being involved in the work gradually.
2. Systematic nature of classes. At the same time, the person, so to speak, "joins" the work i.e., a conditioned reflex is formed, and psychological, mental, and
emotional processes are activated. Thus, the process of "entry" into the work is reduced.
3. To avoid mental and muscle fatigue, it is necessary to regularly switch from one type of activity to another (this may involve working on different types of technical tricks). At the same time, it is more beneficial to complete what has been started and to set achievable goals.
4. Work and rest balance.
Obeying these rules will contribute to the ability to maintain an active physical and mental state for a longer time, which has a positive effect on the process of forming movements.
For the successful implementation and completion of composition, it is necessary to maintain self-confidence. The famous pianist and pedagogue G. Neuhaus believes that trust is a prerequisite for freedom and first of all, it is vital to acquire it.
Many inexperienced performers are shy, they often play the wrong notes, make many unnecessary movements, and are anxious. At first glance, this distrust seems to be purely physical, and kinetic, but it has an inner psychic nature. If the performer has ingrained shyness, indecisiveness, and uncertainty, it is impossible to teach him to perform well even if he can perform the best technical tricks [6].
Conclusion
Concert performance is one of the most challenging experiences for a pianist. It includes acquiring a set of theoretical knowledge and practical skills and requires constant musical, and intellectual improvement, and advancement in performing art. Many performers are unable to overcome emotional tension and in some cases uncertainty during performances.
Performance is a serious task, for which the performer is responsible to the audience, the author of the composition, himself, and his teacher, at the same time it is a feast day, one of the best moments of his life when he can get immense artistic satisfaction.
The behavior on the stage, the equanimity during the performance, and the reaction to the feedback of the audience, all is revealed in each performer in his own way.
References
1. С.М. Майкапар. Годы учения, изд. «Искусство», М-Л., 1938, p. 77
2. Г. Коган - Работа пианиста, Москва 1963
3. James Francis Cooke - Great Pianists on Piano Playing, DOVER PUBLICATIONS, INC., Mineola, New York
4. Ойстрах Д.Ф. Воспоминания. Статьи. Интервью. Письма /Д.Ф. Ойстрах // Сост. В. Григорьев. - М.: Музыка, 1978. - p. 134
5. Йежеф Гат - Техника фортепьянной игры.В.1967.
6. Нейгауз Г. Г. - Об искусстве фортепианной игры: Записки педагога. 5-е изд.-М.: Музыка, 1988, p. 81-82.
