Notes de programme : une histoire, des pratiques et de nouveaux usages numériques
Since their appearance in the mid-nineteenth century, program notes, sometimes containing detailed information on the works that are about to be performed, have continued to meet audiences needs during concerts. They respond to a wide range of needs: providing intelligible comprehension tools for laymen and laywomen, who discover the music of the past and of the present, while arousing the curiosity of well-accustomed listeners, who increase their knowledge and cultivation. This goes for program notes as well as other music appreciation tools, torn between the desire to make classical music accessible to all and, on the other hand, the rigorous approach to musicology that is expected from connoisseurs. In this thesis, we combine both theory and practice. In addition to an inquiry, conducted in October 2017 as part of three concert nights at the Orchestre symphonique de Montréal (hereafter, OSM) – an inquiry which gives us an idea of how program notes are regarded by concert audiences –, we will display a series of short open educational videos that we produced for the OSM, during the 2015-2016 season. The work necessary for these new digital tools is partly based on the analysis of a large body of former program notes from which we have identified a number of trends and specific cases. The results of the inquiry show that the OSM’s audience, far from being homogeneous, is made up of listeners who bear very different expectations. According to many, the program notes are considered appropriate for one’s concert experience. However, they may also spring critical reactions among concertgoers: either too detailed, tedious for some, or somewhat dull for others. Although audience members have different musical backgrounds and scales of knowledge, both novices and connoisseurs seem to share a common interest in the music itself, which needs to be explained through means of analysis. This interest is being fulfilled by program notes, in line with the requirements of musicological research. The question remains: how can one describe a work of music in order to meet the needs of everyone? In this thesis, we try to find appropriate answers to this matter.
Program notes Listening guides Popularization Music appreciation Open education Public outreach Elite culture Cultivation Médiation culturelle