Orchestral Conducting Research Papers - Academia.edu (original) (raw)
Of the many genres and types of groups young composers learn to write for, orchestra can be especially challenging, requiring both depth and breadth of training. Studies have shown that the practical experience in working with an... more
Of the many genres and types of groups young composers learn to write for, orchestra can be especially challenging, requiring both depth and breadth of training. Studies have shown that the practical experience in working with an orchestra is essential to the development of the composer’s craft, and that the score is the primary source of communication between the composer and interpreters, including performers and conductors. Based on the research literature and my extensive experience as a conductor and coach of student composers, I provide suggestions and strategies for teaching and learning to compose for orchestra.
A brief analysis of Beethoven's last Symphony, his "Choral" symphony.
In this anniversary year, many orchestras saturate their seasons with Beethoven's complete symphonies. The University of Kansas' 2020 Beethoven Cycle, by contrast, features two "unheard" symphonies of Beethoven, each comprising four... more
In this anniversary year, many orchestras saturate their seasons with Beethoven's complete symphonies. The University of Kansas' 2020 Beethoven Cycle, by contrast, features two "unheard" symphonies of Beethoven, each comprising four movements in the classical format, with one movement selected from each of the first eight symphonies. This article discusses the surprising cohesiveness and organicity of the two "new" works and shows that they recreate sensibilities of the early nineteenth century. By embracing the flexible performance expectations of Beethoven's contemporaries, our symphonic experiment offers an alternative to encyclopedic presentations of museum "masterpieces," which largely resulted from Romantic and modernist aesthetics.
Conceived by Morris as a theoretical introduction as well as a practical guide for conductors, composers, instrumentalists and music educators, The Art of Conduction – A Conduction® Workbook provides a detailed elucidation, through... more
Conceived by Morris as a theoretical introduction as well as a practical guide for conductors, composers, instrumentalists and music educators, The Art of Conduction – A Conduction® Workbook provides a detailed elucidation, through drawings and explanations, of each sign and gesture Morris developed for his “vocabulary of communication” in ensemble music making. The volume, published posthumously, presents Morris’s own reflections about Conduction as a way of establishing common ground between notation and improvised music, as well as a complete Conduction® chronology and discography.
Conductors face challenges when conducting the orchestra with headphones to synchronize with a soundtrack or a click track. We sent a survey to 12 international conductors to identify and classify those challenges. They primarily reported... more
Conductors face challenges when conducting the orchestra with headphones to synchronize with a soundtrack or a click track. We sent a survey to 12 international conductors to identify and classify those challenges. They primarily reported on balance issues, aggressive click tracks, and the difficulty of hearing the acoustic sound of the orchestra, leading 70% of them to remove one ear out of the headphones. A solution using augmented reality monitoring through binaural rendering and head tracking was tested in various situations and showed that it could successfully reproduce the acoustic sound of the orchestra into the headphones. Another perceptual experiment evaluated the potential of realism of this solution when merging two binaural auditory scenes recorded in the same acoustic space together. Results encourage us to further develop immersive monitoring systems for conductors, with the soundtrack integrated in the real acoustic space.
Though many women are accepted in the musical world as educators and performers nowadays, women are still underrepresented at the highest levels as conductors. In the orchestral profession, female conductors are rare scenes and there is... more
Though many women are accepted in the musical world as educators and performers nowadays, women are still underrepresented at the highest levels as conductors. In the orchestral profession, female conductors are rare scenes and there is only one female chief conductor / music director amongst the 21 major orchestras in the United States. Responding to this circumstance, training programs addressing this issue or open only to women conductors have been initiated in recent years. Marin Alsop has a video conducting class discussing women and gesture with Classical FM and she also held a course for women conductor at the Southbank Centre in London, UK in 2016. Other regularly offered workshops include the Women Conductors @ Morley in the U.K. and the Linda and Mitch Hart Institute for Women Conductors at The Dallas Opera in Dallas, TX. This article introduces these two programs and examines whether a single-sex educational environment would promote the number and levels of women conductors. The findings suggest that such programs do encourage more women entering the profession, but the expected impact of helping women advancing in their careers is yet too early to determine.
An analysis on Brahms Symphony No. 1. Brahms was highly sought after to be the one that was the "hope" of Germanic music after Beethoven. After taking nearly 15 years on this masterpiece, Brahms shows why he truly is an academic... more
An analysis on Brahms Symphony No. 1. Brahms was highly sought after to be the one that was the "hope" of Germanic music after Beethoven. After taking nearly 15 years on this masterpiece, Brahms shows why he truly is an academic mastermind of composition.
Written more than two hundred years ago, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Lorenzo Da Ponte’s Le Nozze di Figaro addresses unequal social power. While Pierre Beaumarchais and Da Ponte clearly criticized class divisions in the original play and... more
Written more than two hundred years ago, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Lorenzo Da Ponte’s Le Nozze di Figaro addresses unequal social power. While Pierre Beaumarchais and Da Ponte clearly criticized class divisions in the original play and the libretto adaptation, scholars still debate whether Mozart commented on class conflict through the music. As a Gesamtkunstwerk, an opera must be reviewed thoroughly––its music, text, character development, dramatic flow, historical and social references, and performance practice––to fully understand. In this article, I examine musical setting in relation to its implied social gesture in four arias sung by the four leading characters in Figaro. I also discuss the character of the roles reflected by the music and their relationship with other leading roles. This study contributes to a more comprehensive understanding of Figaro and further discussions on this opera.
Tarihsel süreç içerisinde transkripsiyon, birçok bestecinin çeşitli uygulamalarıyla tanınmış bir tekniktir. Piyanoya özgü özelliklerden dolayı, piyano müziğinin orkestra için transkripsiyonunda karşılaşabilecek bazı güçlükler olduğu... more
Tarihsel süreç içerisinde transkripsiyon, birçok bestecinin çeşitli uygulamalarıyla tanınmış bir tekniktir. Piyanoya özgü özelliklerden dolayı, piyano müziğinin orkestra için transkripsiyonunda karşılaşabilecek bazı güçlükler olduğu bilinmektedir. Piyano notasının doğrudan doğruya orkestra partilerine aktarımı teknik açıdan olumsuz ya da başarısız sonuçlar getirebilir. Bu çeşit problemleri çözmek için birçok teorisyen ve bestecinin deneyim ve bilgilerinden yararlanıp ardından bazı çalışmalar yapılmalıdır. Böylece daha sonraki transkripsiyonların ve beraberinde orkestrasyonların daha başarılı olması sağlanacaktır.Bu çalışmada öncelikle senfonik orkestranın belkemiğini oluşturan yaylı çalgıların teknik özellikleri ve transkripsiyon kurallarının incelenmesi yapılacaktır. Ardından tipik bir öğrenci orkestrasının çalabileceği düzeyde bir piyano parçasının teması, yaylı çalgılar için transkripsiyon yapılarak bu kural ve kalıpların uygulanması gösterilecektir.
Exploring the manner in which professional identity formation in emerging conductors is entangled with the cultural context of orchestras, I focus on the amorphous evolution from a student identity to that of a professional, illuminating... more
Exploring the manner in which professional identity formation in emerging conductors is entangled with the cultural context of orchestras, I focus on the amorphous evolution from a student identity to that of a professional, illuminating some underlying social conditions of the ever-elusive profession of conducting. Prevailing assumptions about professionalism and orchestral practice are addressed, and I consider the implications of these issues for emerging conductors of the twenty-first century. Although one's own status as a professional musician can be a delicate subject indeed, in this article I reflect on a period of time during the early years of my conducting career: a transition bracketed by distinctive moments of identity formation. In doing so I offer not an ethnography, but a particular experience-one that transformed my conception of orchestral music-making from a product-centric approach to one that is practice-inspired.
All rudiments should be practiced: Open (slow), to close (fast), to open (slow) and/or at an even moderate march tempo.
Analysis, Historical information, and facts about Dvorak's New World Symphony: Symphony No 9
The purpose of this document is to provide conductors with an overview of all of the completed, revised and/or edited scores of Edgar Varèse by Chou Wen-chung, his protégé beginning in 1949, as background to the revision of Octandre... more
The purpose of this document is to provide conductors with an overview of all of the completed, revised and/or edited scores of Edgar Varèse by Chou Wen-chung, his protégé beginning in 1949, as background to the revision of Octandre (1921, rev. 1980). Entrusted with Varèse’s manuscripts shortly before his death in 1965, Chou completed the unfinished Nocturnal (New York, 1973) and Tuning Up (New York, 1998), based on Varèse's sketches, and prepared several new editions of Varèse’s works including Amériques (New York, 1972 and 1996); Intégrales (New York, 1980); Octandre (New York, 1980); Dance for Burgess (New York, 1998); Ecuatorial (New York, 2000); and Étude pour Espace (New York, 2009). Brief biographical information is followed by published and new evidence to document the relationship between Edgard Varèse and Chou Wen-chung, as well as salient issues related to publishers. Professor Chou’s notes from the revised or completed scores, and the transcripts of telephone interviews are included as appendices.
This paper deals with the myriad of aspects central to the conductor’s art. Above and beyond the purely technical or the ‘craft’ of conducting, this paper considers and evaluates the distinct individual and cumulative elements which... more
This paper deals with the myriad of aspects central to the conductor’s art. Above and beyond the purely technical or the ‘craft’ of conducting, this paper considers and evaluates the distinct individual and cumulative elements which underline and inform the artistic work of professional conductors. Facets such as musical traits, score study, forming an interpretation and the effect of personality are discussed. With many of these elements being largely intangible, a rigorous scientific analysis of the conductor’s art is not a possibility however it is anticipated this appraisal will go some way towards demystifying, at least to an extent, the art of conducting.
Refletindo sobre as competências do regente: três pré-requisitos para um regente planejar um ensaio eficiente!
A reappraisal of the "Generalissimo"
In this paper the form analysis method of Constantin Bugeanu (1916-1998) is presented, applied to the 1st and 5th symphonies of Egon Wellesz (1885-1974). Both rarely known to a wider public, this study aims to contribute to the... more
In this paper the form analysis method of Constantin Bugeanu (1916-1998) is presented, applied to the 1st and 5th symphonies of Egon Wellesz (1885-1974).
Both rarely known to a wider public, this study aims to contribute to the knowledge about them and their work. The study outlines the method of the observation of form as movement by Constantin Bugeanu and thus aims to contribute to a phenomenology of musical form. The study also contains a brief introduction to the method of conducting studies.
Öz Çağdaş Türk Müziği bestecisi Muammer Sun'un Solfej kitabı, ses ve notaların öğretilmesinden aralık öğretimine, tek sesli okuma parçalarından çok sesli okuma parçalarına kadar geniş bir yelpazeyi barındırır. Bu kitaptaki çoksesli parça... more
Öz Çağdaş Türk Müziği bestecisi Muammer Sun'un Solfej kitabı, ses ve notaların öğretilmesinden aralık öğretimine, tek sesli okuma parçalarından çok sesli okuma parçalarına kadar geniş bir yelpazeyi barındırır. Bu kitaptaki çoksesli parça ve alıştırmaların müzikal analizlerinin yapılması, çoksesli müzik eğitiminin temellerini oluşturan öğelerin daha kapsamlı tanınması açısından önemli olduğu düşünülmektedir. Bu çalışma, Sun'un Solfej kitabındaki çok sesli alıştırma ve okuma parçalarında kullandığı çok seslendirme tekniklerinin belirlenmesini ve çok sesli müzik eğitimi konusunda müzik eğitimcilerine katkı sağlanmasını amaçlamaktadır. Çalışmada ilk olarak, Muammer Sun'un Solfej Kitabındaki çoksesli alıştırma ve okuma parçalarının genel özelliklerine yer verilmiştir. Daha sonra Motif-Ezgi, Dizi-Ton-Mod/Makam ve Çokseslilik boyutları olmak üzere üç ana başlıkta müzikal analizler yapılmıştır. Çoksesli alıştırma ve okuma parçalarında yapılan analizler sonucunda; motif yapılarında, esas motifin başka sesten tekrarlanması, yatay ters çevrilmesi, ses sürelerinin küçültülmesi gibi değişikliklere gidilerek, ezgiler meydana getirildiği, dizi, ton ve mod/makam yönlerinden çeşitlilik gösterdiği, temel bir iki seslilik yaratarak yatay ve dikey çokseslilik yöntemleri kullanıldığı değerlendirilmiştir. Abstract 'Solfej'(solfège), a book by Muammer Sun, a contemporary Turkish composer, contains a wide range of items, from the teaching of sounds, notes and intervals to monophonic and polyphonic pieces. The musical analysis of the polyphonic exercises and pieces found in this book may be considered to be important in terms of more comprehensive recognition of the elements that constitute the foundations of polyphonic music education.The present study aims to determine the polyphony techniques used in the polyphonic exercises and pieces in Sun's book, and to contribute to polyphonic educational music. In the study, firstly the general characteristics of the polyphonic exercises and pieces in the book in the question are presented, followed by musical analyses carried out under three main headings: motif-melody, sequence-tone-mode and the dimensions of polyphony. As a result of analyses performed on the polyphonic exercises and pieces, it is understood that melodies which vary in scale, tone and mode are composed with changes such as sequence on another sound of the main motif, horizontal inversion, reduction of sound durations in motif structures, and horizantal and vertical polyphonic methods are employed by creating a basic biphony.
Sergiu Celibidache was one of the greatest conductors of the XX century and also a figure who studied music from the point of view of a philosopher, mathematician and a performer. His understanding of the sound properties and its... more
Sergiu Celibidache was one of the greatest conductors of the XX century and also a figure who studied music from the point of view of a philosopher, mathematician and a performer. His understanding of the sound properties and its relations within the human conscience makes of him a capital figure in the history of conducting. In his relation with Spain, through friends, orchestras, students and general public, he shaped the aspect and the way we understand the orchestral technique in Spain.
The purpose of this study was to introduce and test the effectiveness of a unique, interdisciplinary approach to conducting gesture based on key principles of Laban Movement Analysis (LMA). This method is the product of the researcher’s... more
The purpose of this study was to introduce and test the effectiveness of a unique, interdisciplinary approach to conducting gesture based on key principles of Laban Movement Analysis (LMA). This method is the product of the researcher’s ten year investigation of LMA and its practical application to conducting. The concepts and techniques presented in this study provide conductors with the means to observe and experience their gestures from a new and different perspective that facilitates a better understanding of the relationships between elements of musical expression and the gestures conductors use to represent them.
Four conductors of varying backgrounds and levels of proficiency participated
in the study. Following a pretest conducting performance of the opening 154 measures
of Beethoven’s (1770-1827) Overture to Coriolanus, Op. 62 (1808), the participants completed five hours of LMA training administered by the researcher. This mini-course provided movement instruction, some of which was related to conducting, but it was not a conducting class. No specific applications of the course material to the study repertoire were prescribed. Participants were asked to use homework assignments and in-class participatory exercises as the means to incorporate newly acquired skills into their conducting.
Both the pretest and posttest performances were documented with a Samsung model SD23 MiniDV camcorder and single-point stereo microphone placed in front of the orchestra. The resulting video recordings were edited without any change in content and transferred to DVD. The data were analyzed by two expert panels of two conductors and two LMA specialists respectively. A third channel of data included in the findings was collected through a post-study interview of each participant conducted by the researcher.
The LMA panel was able to confirm significant changes in movement choices
and an expanded range of movement possibilities for all four participants that could be attributed to LMA training. The conductor panel was able to concur that the changes they observed constituted a positive development for all four participants, and the participants themselves agreed that the LMA training they received was of great value to them. The results of this study strongly suggest that LMA instruction would be a valuable addition to any conductor’s training and practice regimens regardless of experience, proficiency or area of specialization.
Conductors’ annotations have a different nature and goal from those of orchestral musicians. The purpose of this study is to obtain a better understanding of the process of conductors’ annotations based on examined scores[1]collected from... more
Conductors’ annotations have a different nature and goal from those of orchestral musicians.
The purpose of this study is to obtain a better understanding of the process of conductors’ annotations based on examined scores[1]collected from professional conductors and supported by a questionnaire answered by twenty-seven participants.
Certain questions provided a better understanding of the elements used in conductors’ annotations. For example: Why do some conductors prefer to use symbols, words, numbers, or colors? What kind of annotations are more suitable to specific repertories? Why are reinforcement markings, although redundant, so popular among conductors and why do some conductors consider the score as a document that should not be modified under any circumstances?
Analysis of the scores as well as the questionnaire responses show some similarities among conductors’ annotated scores and orchestra musicians’ annotations. However, the utility and nature of the conductors’ annotations are so unique that they resulted in a different outcome from the research of musicians’ annotations used as a reference for this research.
Despite the similarities among conductors’ annotations, the study found no clearly defined or standardized process. Rather, the findings include individual solutions annotated by conductors to make the music more readable and to provide a unique, personal specific analysis in order to achieve a better understanding of the piece.
Further research emphasizing the annotation process of world-renowned conductors and their practices across an array of works and musical styles should be undertaken as a means of determining their individual approaches to the art and craft of conducting.
[1]This study used Tchaikovsky’s Symphony no 5, in E minor, Op.64 as reference instead of an open choice so that some aspects of the analysis could only be compared to the same musical content. However, some conductors sent an annotated score of other work, which the author accepted considering that the focus of this research was the annotations rather than the music itself.
Chapter 11 in Musicianship for the 21st Century, In S. Leong (Ed).
After the enormity of the Third Symphony, Mahler now gives us a much more manageable piece, in length and in palette, as though after two such pieces, another of this scope were simply unnecessary, or rather, it has now become necessary... more
After the enormity of the Third Symphony, Mahler now gives us a much more manageable piece, in length and in palette, as though after two such pieces, another of this scope were simply unnecessary, or rather, it has now become necessary to step back, to reconsider more modest means. Mahler's Fourth has always been a much more manageable piece, in length and in palette, and referred to as the " little one, " lacking low brass and with triple woodwinds instead of quadruple, and missing even Mahler's trademark in orchestral writing, the section of eight horns. " Little, " however, is not the right word. In scope, it is no less than the pieces that precede it, and in breadth, it is still a long piece by the standards of a Brahms or a Dvorak, and uses a much larger orchestra than those composers typically demanded. The correct word is not " little " but " taut, " at least in this first movement. Mahler's timbral materials are somewhat reduced, but more interesting is the fact that there is none of the sprawling motivic or harmonic architecture of the previous pieces. All of the basic motives of the piece are introduced in the first two key areas, and this economy of means is not surprising, but I haven't seen Mahler taking it to this degree until now. In addition, Mahler's formal construction is very traditional–the closest yet to a sonata-allegro form in the " textbook " sense. The piece begins with a very characteristic texture–flutes in fifths doubling sleigh bells, followed by oboe and clarinet figurations. These three measures set the stage in a very specific, very unique manner. Mahler does not continue with this music, but brings it back at key locations throughout the piece, and the open fifths become a motor rhythm that gives a propulsive aspect to the " exposition " of this movement. The " first theme " begins on the anacrusis to m. 4 in the violins, but most importantly, the downbeat of that measure features a falling sixth. This interval and its rising form are another crucial motive for the movement. Measure 5 and 6 also contain material that is developed later–six-sixteenth notes leading to the downbeat and a rising dotted eighth-sixteenth rhythm. In this sonata form, the transition from first to second key area begins in m. 18 with a modified version of the first theme. A spinning out of the sixteenth-note motive leads to m. 38 and the entrance of the second theme, beginning with a rising sixth–a motivic relation between the two very different themes. Following the rising 6th are three repeated notes, which are echoed in rhythmic diminution throughout the rest of the piece (for example, in the clarinets in m. 47ff. Following a half cadence in m. 57, oboe and bassoon present music that appears to sum
Analysis of Haydn's Clock Symphony. Form and Analysis, and historical information on the work.
Przedmiotem mojej pracy jest I Koncert fortepianowy d-moll op. 15 Johannesa Brahmsa. W pierwszym rozdziale przeprowadzam jego analizę i interpretację, koncentrując się na aspekcie roli fortepianu i orkiestry w procesie budowania narracji... more
Przedmiotem mojej pracy jest I Koncert fortepianowy d-moll op. 15 Johannesa Brahmsa. W pierwszym rozdziale przeprowadzam jego analizę i interpretację, koncentrując się na aspekcie roli fortepianu i orkiestry w procesie budowania narracji utworu. W rozdziale drugim przyjmuję perspektywę wykonawczą, zastanawiając się nad zadaniami dyrygenta i solisty we wspólnej pracy nad utworem. Następnie próbuję odnieść wyniki analizy relacji między fortepianem a orkiestrą do zadań, jakie mają w tym utworze dyrygent i solista. W ostatnim podrozdziale zamieszczam przemyślenia wybitnego dyrygenta, uznanego interpretatora muzyki Brahmsa, Profesora Tadeusza Strugały, jakimi podzielił się ze mną w przeprowadzonej na potrzeby pracy rozmowie.
The great Austrian conductor Carlos Kleiber (1930-2004) was an intriguing character – a legendary conductor whose foibles were equally as legendary. Kleiber’s work was characterized by an unusually small yet highly specialized core of... more
The great Austrian conductor Carlos Kleiber (1930-2004) was an intriguing character – a legendary conductor whose foibles were equally as legendary. Kleiber’s work was characterized by an unusually small yet highly specialized core of repertoire which he performed most frequently. Johann Strauss II’s operetta, Die Fledermaus, was one of Kleiber’s favorite works, and became one with which the conductor was associated throughout his career. This paper chronicles Kleiber’s lifelong fascination with Strauss’ Die Fledermaus, culminating in what many consider to be the definitive performance of the overture – the 1989 New Year’s Concert with the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra under Kleiber.
Sergiu Celibidache, famous conductor of the second half of the twentieth century, dedicated his whole life to investigating the "univocal and uninterpretable relationship between man’s affective world and sound"; his goal was to found a... more
Sergiu Celibidache, famous conductor of the second half of the twentieth century, dedicated his whole life to investigating the "univocal and uninterpretable relationship between man’s affective world and sound"; his goal was to found a science known as musical phenomenology.
Whereas the historical and biographical front has been researched quite fully, no systematic study of the primary sources yet exists: that is of the words, published or otherwise, spoken directly by the Romanian maestro himself. This essay aims to go some way towards filling this gap, and, to this end, all existing primary sources have been examined. Taking a hermeneutic approach, and based exclusively on those sources, it has been attempted to clarify what Celibidache meant when he spoke of ‘musical phenomenology’.
Most modes of live musical performance require the synchronized participation of mind and body. Some certainly require greater physical activity than others, and all traditional instrumental and vocal music performance endeavors... more
Most modes of live musical performance require the synchronized participation of mind and body. Some certainly
require greater physical activity than others, and all traditional instrumental and vocal music performance endeavors share the same direct link between the movements required to generate sounds and the sounds themselves. Upon producing sounds, musicians receive simultaneous aural feedback that informs them of the level of congruency between their imagined interior performance and the external, aurally
experienced performance. Continuous comparison of that external flow of musical events with the interior flow of audiation or music thinking enables performers to make adjustments to their movements (including the breath) and to the physical relationships with their instruments in order to maintain control over all elements of their performance. Such adjustments might include fingering changes, embouchure
adjustments, adding or ceasing a vibrato, postural shifts and changing the qualities of bow strokes or tonguings.
Conductors, unlike their collaborators in the orchestra or choir who wed movement to sound through the context of an
instrument, have no direct physical contact with an instrument that produces musical sounds. Yet highly skilled conductors know the precise musical effects their movements will produce before they execute them in spite of this apparent absence of such physical contact. Therefore conductors, more
than all other musical performers, must cultivate within themselves the confluence of musical and physical expression to such a degree that they are able to audiate sound and movement together as a single gestalt. The resulting condition of mind and body suggests a consciously induced state of Synesthesia wherein an individual seems to hear movements and touch sounds. Conductors who have so merged their kinesthetic and musical abilities have found the genuine
equivalence between music and movement. The application of Laban Movement Analysis (LMA) presented in this essay introduces an approach to conducting that augments
traditional emphasis on beating in repetitive patterns with Effort/Shape instruction. Exposure to and experience with these transformative qualities of movement present conductors with the opportunity to discover the single common source of their musical interpretations and expressive movements.