Klarinet Archive - Posting 000173.txt from 2001/01

From: Richard Bush <rbushidioglot@-----.com>
Subj: Re: [kl] Technique and Musicality
Date: Fri, 5 Jan 2001 13:40:11 -0500

Rien Stein wrote:

> Tony Pay wrote:
>
> <<
> You obviously haven't worked with a really great conductor.
>
> Tony
> >>
>
> I understand I fall into an ongoing thread right now, dealing with what is
> the important factor in playing clarinet: virtuosity, or "musicality". For
> what it is worth I will giv you my experiences and opinion on the topic.
>
> When still having lessons it sometimes occurred I got pieces that were
> either too difficult for the level I was playing at that time, or on the
> very limits: my teacher always tried to let me study pieces on the edge of
> what I was able to master. The results often were disappointing: when you
> know such a lovely piece as, say, the Weber quintet, but can not excite the
> same feelings in playing it yourself as in listening to a recording, it can
> bcome very frustrating. You studied it a long time, and in the end you were
> finaly able to play the right notes in the right tempo (does that exist?),
> and yet something was missing, and your wife said it sounded difficult. Then
> you can be quite sure you lack the technique to make it sound as an
> interesting piece: technique is the all important factor.
>
> On the other side, if you have enough technique to master the music you want
> to play (the Weber quintet from my example is not that difficult), but play
> it flat, or with a monotonous sound, or whatever you want, it will be a very
> dull piece indeed, any piece would be, if played that way. In Dutch we have
> an expression for it: "Killing Chopin", implying it is not the technique,
> that kills this sensitive music, but the player's way of playing.
>
> What this has to do with conductors? Well, it depends:
>
> When conducting a professional orchestra, the conductor will not need time
> to rehearse some particularly difficult passage to get the technique right.
> The conductor can concentrate completely on the musical content of what is
> to go. When conducting an amateur orchestra, it often is important, to spend
> time on the different groups of the orchestra, both to master the piece
> under hands both technically and musically. It once occurred to me, when
> playing in a symphony orchestra, that after an hour's rehearsal I still had
> not blown a single note, because the conductor was so very occupied with the
> strings. I left, and some of the string players left with me. The strain was
> growing too tense on them.
>
> On the other side I played with conductors like Cor Pronk, a name you will
> never find on any concert given by professional orchestras, who was capable
> of making every note a happening, however small or unimportant in the sound
> of the moment and the chord. In front of a professional orchestra he would
> be an absolute failure, he is aware of that himself, but he knew to inspire
> "his" amateurs to play at levels they did not know themselves they were able
> to play. He was a really good conductor, and, actually, the best one I think
> I ever worked with.

Rien,

>From my own experience, I very much agree with your comments above. The role of
conductor becomes one that is less of an artistic conductor and more of being a
teacher as the ability level of the group decreases. I'm playing in an amateur
orchestra right now that is conducted by a person who is a very fine musician.
He is an excellent string player too. He spends lots of time rehearsing the
strings, because that is where he can help and knows what he's doing. He will
rehearse woodwinds and brasswinds when they're stumbling on their parts, but he
can offer little in the way of actual suggestions to individual players, things
that will help them play better, better in tune and those kinds of issues. I
have suggested that he allow me to rehearse the wind half of the orchestra. He
doesn't seem to fully comprehend the nature of my offer. If he were reading the
full meaning of my offer, it would be that I think I could get more happening
than what he's able to do...that his rehearsing of the winds is quite
ineffectual and we are not accomplishing all that we could and should be doing
with our rehearsal time.

He is approachable, and he has offered to split the orchestra for maybe one
rehearsal in the next series, starting this coming Sunday. I think I am going
to talk to him in a more direct and candid manner.

>
>
> So IMHO technique is the first and most important factor to be able to
> express what you feel in the music, but, once you have enough of it, its
> inportance suddenly vanishes, just like with money: as long as you have
> enough of it, money isn't in the least important, but when you lack it ...
>
> With the best wishes for the year 2001. May it be full of music and of the
> joy to make music.
>
> Rien

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