Is Conducting Technique Over-Rated?
Reprint from Tempo (New Jersey Music Educators Association)
Thomas McCauley
The great conductor Wilhlem Furtwangler once said, “Under some conductors, the Berlin 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, Mae- stro 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 ad- vanced performers?
At first glance, the answer does not seem to have anything to do with conducting tech- nique. We have all been witness at some point to a performance where the person on the po- dium 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 impossible for a listener to watch without becoming 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 under- stood that an effective rendering of any piece will only be possible if the conductor brings impeccable musicianship and openness to the podium. There is no substitute for musician- ship, 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 impor- tant attributes:
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 gestur- al, verbal, and pedagogical, that are necessary to realize the above vision of the piece.
The only substantial way of obtaining a spe- cific, 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, regardless 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’ in- side before stepping onto the podium 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 Internalization.
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 instrumen- tation, and harmonic content. Once the above is complete, I begin the sec- ond phase of the process.
Imagination
It is here that we begin to imagine what the composer wants from us. This phase includes: • Trying to ‘hear’ the piece internally. Try to hear not only pitches and rhythms, but the tim- bre 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 be-
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