From Score Selection to Performance
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FROM SCORE SELECTION TO PERFORMANCE: TEACHING FROM THE PODIUM, A DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF WORKS BY COPLAND, SCHUBERT, KIMBER, VIVALDI, VAUGHAN WILLIAMS, AND KILAR by JoAnna M. Cochenet A Thesis Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Master of Music in Instrumental Conducting at The University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee May 2010 FROM SCORE SELECTION TO PERFORMANCE: TEACHING FROM THE PODIUM, A DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF WORKS BY COPLAND, SCHUBERT, KIMBER, VIVALDI, VAUGHAN WILLIAMS, AND KILAR by JoAnna M. Cochenet A Thesis Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Master of Music in Instrumental Conducting at The University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee May 2010 ________________________________________________________________________ Major Professor Date ________________________________________________________________________ Graduate School Approval Date ii ABSTRACT FROM SCORE SELECTION TO PERFORMANCE: TEACHING FROM THE PODIUM, A DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF WORKS BY COPLAND, SCHUBERT, KIMBER, VIVALDI, VAUGHAN WILLIAMS, AND KILAR by JoAnna M. Cochenet The University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, 2010 Under the Supervision of Professor Margery Deutsch The content of the thesis entitled ―From Score Selection to Performance: Teaching from the Podium, A Discussion and Analysis of Works by Copland, Schubert, Kimber, Vivaldi, Vaughan Williams, and Kilar‖ discusses the pieces I conducted on my recital in the spring of 2010. This paper includes a chapter for each piece with sub-content on the following: foundational material (composer, title, and historical information, performance length, and so on); technical and musical challenges with consideration to any pertinent historical information; the preparation and analysis of the scores in order to conduct them, as well as any specific conducting techniques required to perform the piece; the teaching of each piece to the appropriate performing ensemble based on limited rehearsal time; and the reason for choosing them. The content was collected and cited and also includes my own experiences as I studied and rehearsed the pieces. The information assisted me in my preparations for the conducting recital, but also offers my research and reflections to any future teacher-conductors interested in these pieces: how to prepare the scores and how to rehearse and teach these pieces to an ensemble as the conductor. What I learned from studying these pieces can be applied to other repertoire. My experience with this music will support the idea that the conductor is also the teacher who must relay all pertinent information to the performing musicians in the best way he or she knows how. ________________________________________________________________________ Major Professor Date iii © Copyright by JoAnna M. Cochenet, 2010 All Rights Reserved iv Table of Contents I. List of Figures………………………………………………….…………….vii II. Acknowledgements…………………………………………………………viii III. Program …….…………………………………………………………………x IV. Rehearsal Schedule…………………………………………………………...xi V. Instrumentation.……………………………………………………………...xii VI. Selecting the Program……………………………………………………….xiii VII. An Introduction and Reflection about Preparing, Conducting, and Teaching Aspects of the Scores………………………………………………………..xiv VIII. Aaron Copland: Letter from Home a. Preparing the Score………………………………………………………17 b. Program Notes……...…………………………………………...……….19 c. Composer Biography……………………………………………….........22 d. Technical and Musical Challenges………………………………………26 e. Conducting the Score……………………………………………………27 f. Teaching Aspects………………………………………………………..27 IX. Franz Schubert: Symphony No. 8 in B minor (“Unfinished”) a. Preparing the Score………………………………………………………28 b. Program Notes…………………………………………………………...36 c. Composer Biography…………………………………………………….38 d. Technical and Musical Challenges………………………………………40 e. Conducting the Score……………………………………………………41 f. Teaching Aspects………………………………………………………..42 X. Michael Kimber: Celebration Fanfare a. Preparing the Score……………………………………………...………42 b. Program Notes…………………………………………………..………44 c. Composer Biography………………………………………….………...45 d. Technical and Musical Challenges………………………………………46 e. Conducting the Score……………………………………………………47 f. Teaching Aspects………………………………………………………..47 v XI. Antonio Vivaldi: Concerto for Two Cellos, Strings, and Continuo in G minor PV 411 a. Preparing the Score………………………………………………………48 b. Program Notes…………………………………...………………………49 c. Composer Biography………………………….…………………………51 d. Technical and Musical Challenges………………………………………53 e. Conducting the Score…………………………………………………….54 f. Teaching Aspects………………………………………………………...55 XII. Ralph Vaughan Williams: Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis a. Preparing the Score………………………………………………………56 b. Program Notes…………………………………………………………...60 c. Composer Biography…………………………………………………….61 d. Technical and Musical Challenges……………………………………....63 e. Conducting the Score…………………………………………………….63 f. Teaching Aspects………………………………………………………...64 XIII. Wojciech Kilar: Orawa a. Preparing the Score………………………………………………………65 b. Program Notes…………………………………………………………...69 c. Composer Biography…………………………………………………….72 d. Technical and Musical Challenges………………………………………73 e. Conducting the Score…………………………………………………….74 f. Teaching Aspects………………………………………………………...75 XIV. Rationale……………………………………………………………………..76 XV. Sources……………………………………………………………………….80 vi List of Illustrations and Musical Examples Fig. 1 (Photo of Copland)……………………………………………..………...……...25 Fig. 2 (Schubert Norton Score, mm. 107-10)….......................…………………..…….29 Fig. 3 (Schubert Dover Score, mm. 107-10)..….………………………………......…..29 Fig. 4 (Schubert Norton Score, mm. 38-42)………………………………………....…32 Fig. 5 (Schubert Norton Score, mm. 1-8)…………………………………………....…34 Fig. 6 (Schubert Norton Score, mm. 202-4)…………………………………………....34 Fig. 7 (Schubert Norton Score, mm. 122-9)…………………………………………....34 Fig. 8 (Schubert Norton Score, mm. 9-11)……………………………………………..34 Fig. 9 (Schubert Norton Score, mm. 9-11)……………………………………………..34 Fig. 10 (Schubert Norton Score, mm. 73-9)……………………………………………..35 Fig. 11 (Schubert Norton Score, mm. 61-7)……………………………………………..35 Fig. 12 (Orchestra Seating Diagram)……………………………………..………….…..58 Fig. 13 (Thomas Tallis hymn: Why Fum’th in Fight?)…………………….....………....59 Fig. 14 (Vaughan Williams theme)…………………………………………..……...…..59 Fig. 15 (Orawa meter diagram)………………………………………………..…..….....67 Fig. 16 (Kilar notation)…………………………………………………………….…....68 vii Acknowledgements Thanks are extended to those who have assisted me in this project in preparation for my graduate conducting recital and thesis. Thank you to: Professor Margery Deutsch, Dr. Sharon Hansen, Dr. John Climer, Dr. Michael Kimber, Clinton Nieweg, and Steven Rindt for supplying errata lists, additional musical and historical information, and for their guidance through this project. Also thanks go to members of the Orchestra-List for their ideas and personal experiences, to other faculty and mentors that I may have forgotten, to my wonderful fellow musician classmates for practicing their music and sitting through rehearsals with me, giving me advice for their instrument and how they feel about the music, and to my family and friends for being an amazingly patient and generous support system through all of my studies. viii It is cruel, you know, that music should be so beautiful. It has the beauty of loneliness of pain: of strength and freedom. The beauty of disappointment and never-satisfied love. The cruel beauty of nature and everlasting beauty of monotony. -Benjamin Britten, English composer (1913-1976) ix Program Master’s Instrumental Conducting Recital JoAnna Cochenet Sunday, April 25, 2010 Helen Bader Concert Hall - UWM Community Orchestra Letter from Home Aaron Copland (1944, revised 1962) (1900 – 1990) 7‘ Sunday, April 25, 2010 Helen Bader Concert Hall - UWM Community Orchestra Symphony No. 8 in B minor “Unfinished,” D.759 Franz Schubert I. Allegro (1797-1828) (1822) 12‘ Thursday, May 6, 2010 Helen Bader Concert Hall - UWM String Orchestra Celebration Fanfare Michael Kimber (2003) (b. 1945) 2‘ Thursday, May 6, 2010 Helen Bader Concert Hall - UWM String Orchestra Concerto for Two Cellos, Strings, and Continuo in G minor PV 411 Antonio Vivaldi I. Allegro (1678-1741) II. Largo III. Allegro (date unknown, c. 1700-1740) 9‘ Sacia Jerome and Lea Blackney, cellos Thursday, May 6, 2010 Helen Bader Concert Hall - UWM String Orchestra Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis Ralph Vaughan Williams (1910, rev. 1919) (1872 - 1958) 16‘ Thursday, May 6, 2010 Helen Bader Concert Hall - UWM String Orchestra Orawa Wojciech Kilar (1986) (b. 1932) 10‘ Total Time: 56‘ x Rehearsal Schedules String Orchestra Tuesday, April 27 1:00 Vaughan Williams 2:00 Kimber 2:15 Break 2:30 Kilar 3:15 Vivaldi (with harpsichord, no soloists) Thursday, April 29 1:40 Vaughan Williams 2:20 break 2:35 Kilar 3:10 Vivaldi (with harpsichord, no soloists) Tuesday, May 4 (Dress Rehearsal) – Bader Hall 1:00 Vaughan Williams 1:45 Vivaldi (with soloists) 2:15 break 2:30 Orawa 3:15 Kimber Thursday, May 6 (Dress Rehearsal) – Bader Hall 12:30 Kimber 12:40 Vivaldi (with soloists) 1:10 Vaughan Williams 1:55 Kilar Thursday, May 6 (Concert) – Bader Hall 7:00 Call 7:30 Concert University Community Orchestra The University Community Orchestra meets weekly for two and a half hours each term for their concert program. xi Instrumentation Copland 2 *2 *3 *2 2 2 2 0 T+2 hp pf str Schubert 2 2 2 2 2 2 3 0 T str Kimber str: 3 3 2 2 1 Vivaldi str: 2 solo celli 3 3 2 2 1 continuo Vaughan Williams str: Orch I 7 7 5 5 2 str: