An exploration of the effects of musical and social factors in piano duo collaborations

The aim of this study was to explore the ways in which music tradition, sociocultural issues and interpersonal dynamics interact during the production of a music performance. Since the small body of existing research in music groups has been carried out on string quartets and larger ensembles, the current study looked into the relationship of a musical dyad in the form of the piano duo. The duo was used in preference to the piano duet as the duo uses two separate instruments. This usage gave a unique perception of ‘equality’ (no-one literally ‘on top’) and enabled the duo to be considered as a musical group, albeit in miniature. The ‘one-to-one’ personal and professional relationships that occurred were also considered. A survey of interview data from 27 pianists representing 17 different duos revealed that the partnership has two distinct aspects: the socio-emotional and the professional. Leadership issues, conflict and methods of compromise were recognized and dealt with by using well-established guidelines in order to ensure the continuing existence of the duo. Gender appeared to have an influence on the socio-emotional relationship with both men and women exhibiting behaviours that are sex-stereotypical. However, in all the important matters of organization, administration, repertoire choice, interpretation, rehearsal and performance, a ‘musical androgyny’ seems to exist that combines the best skills of each sex.