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Is Conducting Technique Over-Rated?


by Thomas McCauley John J. Cali School of Music Montclair State University mccauleyt@mail.montclair.edu


Philharmonic can sound like a village band. Under others, a village band can sound like the Berlin Philharmonic.” As hyperbolic as this statement may seem on first reading, Maestro Furtwangler’s point is well taken. Why is it that some conductors can elicit remarkable sounds from an otherwise less- than-capable ensemble, and others can not seem to evoke those same sorts of sounds from highly advanced performers? At first glance, the answer does not


T


seem to have anything to do with conduct- ing technique. We have all been witness at some point to a performance where the per- son on the podium appears to be a master of physical gesture while the sounds made by the ensemble bear little or no resemblance to those gestures. We have also seen and heard performances where the conductor is so physically limited that it is almost im- possible for a listener to watch without be- coming distracted; yet the ensemble sounds wonderful. In fact, if one were to view a recorded performance of Maestro Furtwan- gler, one could argue that he possessed very little discernable conducting ‘technique’ by today’s standards. Before we go any further, it must be un- derstood that an effective rendering of any piece will only be possible if the conductor brings impeccable musicianship and open- ness to the podium. There is no substitute for musicianship, preparation, or sincerity. So, if it isn’t technique alone, what is


the ‘thing’ that successful conductors have that others do not? The answer I believe lies in the successful conductor possessing two important attributes:


TEMPO


he great conductor Wilhlem Furtwangler once said, “Under some conductors, the Berlin


1. A loud, specific, clearly defined version of the piece burned into their imaginations


resulting from careful study and meticulous preparation.


2. Possessing the tools, which include gestural, verbal, and pedagogical, that are necessary to realize the above vision of the piece.


The only substantial way of obtaining a


specific, clearly defined version of any work is through careful, constant study. There are as many ways to internalize a score as there are people who internalize them but, regard- less of the methods used, the outcome must always be the same; The conductor must be able to hear her/his version of the piece ‘loudly’ inside before stepping onto the po- dium for the first rehearsal. The method I currently use to internalize a score comes from Mallory Thompson of Northwestern University with whom I had the privilege to study during my doctoral residency. The method consists of three distinct


levels: Discovery, Imagination, and Inter- nalization.


Discovery This level of study includes:


• Becoming familiar with the composer through books, articles, and recordings.


• Becoming familiar with other compositions the composer was working on before, during, and after the composition of the piece to be studied.


• Fully analyzing the piece in terms of form, phrases, thematic material, use of instrumentation, and harmonic content.


52 Imagination


It is here that we begin to imagine what the composer wants from us. This phase in- cludes: • Trying to ‘hear’ the piece internally. Try to hear not only pitches and rhythms, but the timbre of the instruments as well. It is best to try to hear small sections at first.


• Trying different ‘versions’ of each phrase or section. Play it on your instrument, play it on piano, sing it. Try to form a strong internal ‘image’ of the piece.


•Making decisions based upon what we believe the composer wants.


•Writing those decisions in the score.


If you’re having a difficult time mak- ing decisions, try it one way this time and another the next. The important thing here is to MAKE A DECISION. It’s also important here to talk about


the use of recordings in the preparation of a piece. I try hard to never use a recording of a new work to learn it. The pitfalls here are many: • You cannot help being consciously or unconsciously influenced by a recording, particularly if you are a young conductor.


• It is difficult to fully develop a strong inner ear by listening to a recording.


• You will never fully develop your musical imagination by listening to a recording of the work you are trying to learn.


JANUARY 2013


Once the above is complete, I begin the second phase of the process.


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