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null MA Sanna Qvick's (Uni. Turku) rehearsal defense, February 24, 2021 online



MA Sanna Qvick's (Uni. Turku) rehearsal defense (“nippupäivä”) will take place via Zoom  on February 24, 2021, from 2 to 6 pm. The event will be organised by the Finnish Doctoral Network for Music Research as part of its yearly research seminar, the Winter School.

The title of Qvick's thesis is "Captivating film sounds: Sonic narration and world-making in the soundtracks of Finnish fairy tale films" (please see abstract below), and adjunct professor Meri Kytö (UEF) will be acting as the opponent. Please note that the rehearsal defense will be arranged in English. The event will follow the customary pattern of Finnish PhD defenses, and the audience will have an opportunity to ask questions at the end of the rehearsal defense.

All interested network members are welcome to attend the event. We kindly ask you to register for this rehearsal defense separately by filling out an online form by February 15. More information (incl. the Zoom link and parts of the dissertation) is or will be available on the Moodle website of the seminar. Please find the Moodle link and instructions for Moodle access in the confirmation e-mail you will receive once registered. If you have any further questions about the event, kindly contact the network coordinator (nuppu.koivisto@uniarts.fi, tel. 0504779213).

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Captivating film sounds: Sonic narration and world-making in the soundtracks of Finnish fairy tale films (for Finnish version, please see below)

In my doctoral dissertation I study the soundtracks of Finnish fairy tale films and how the fairy tale worlds are sonically constructed, that is what (and how) does sound reveal from the imaginary world.

The research consists of analyses of six Finnish films. Under observation are films: Prinsessa Ruusunen (1949, dir. E. Laine, Sleeping Beauty); Pessi ja Ilusia (1954, dir. J. Witikka Pessi and Illusia); Herra Huu – Jestapa epulis, penikat sipuliks (1973, dir. J. Talaskivi, Holy Jumpin' Jimminy! Said Mr. Who); Pessi ja Illusia (1984, dir. H. Partanen, Pessi and Illusia); Lumikuningatar (1986, dir. P. Hartzell, The Snow Queen) ja Pelikaanimies (2004, dir. L Helminen, Pelicanman). My main method is audiovisual close reading and as aids for theorizing I utilize different concepts, of which the main are synchronism, materiality and immersion. In my work, I elaborate narrative perspective of film music which aims to explain the captivity of films.

KEYWORDS: cultural musicology, film music, soundtrack, close reading, analysis, Finnish film, fairy tale film, adaptation, Sleeping Beauty, Snow Queen, Pessi and Illusia, Mr. Boo, Pelicanman, fairy tale world, audiovisuality, immersion