CALIFORNIA STATE UNIVERSITY, NORTHRIDGE
ANALYSIS FOR PERFORMANCE: ANALYZING SELECTED WIND BAND
WORKS FOR CONDUCTING
A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements
For the degree of Master of Music in Music
in Band/Wind Ensemble Conducting
By
Jay M. Jarrett
May 2016
The thesis of Jay M. Jarrett is approved:
Prof. Mary Schliff Date
Dr. John Roscigno Date
Dr. Lawrence Stoffel, Chair Date
California State University, Northridge
ii Dedicated to Azin, my constant source of inspiration and joy.
Without your help and support, none of this would have been possible.
iii I would like to express my immense gratitude for Dr. Lawrence Stoffel, whose help and guidance has shown me how to be my very best. Thank you for your support and mentorship through these last two years. Your actions of kindness and encouragement will not be forgotten.
iv TABLE OF CONTENTS
SIGNATURE PAGE ii
DEDICATION iii
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT iv
ABSTRACT vii
INTRODUCTION 1
BEETHOVEN: ÉCOSSAISE, POLONAISE, AND MARCH IN F 5
Historical Considerations 5
Analysis 7
SAINT-SAËNS/FRACKENPOHL: PAS REDOUBLÉ 11
Historical Considerations 11
Analysis 13
GRAINGER: THEMES FROM “GREEN BUSHES” 17
Historical Considerations 17
Analysis 21
SCHOENBERG/JARRETT: 4 MOVEMENTS FROM: 24 “THE BOOK OF THE HANGING GARDENS” OP. 15
Historical Considerations 26
Analysis 27
MACKEY: SHELTERING SKY 34
Historical Considerations 34
Analysis 36
CONCLUSION 39
BIBLIOGRAPHY 41
v APPENDIX A: Score of Four Movements from: 43 The Book of the Hanging Gardens, Op. 15
APPENDIX B: Score for March in F, WoO. 19 60
APPENDIX C: Score for Écossaise, WoO. 22 69
APPENDIX D: Score for Polonaise, WoO. 21 72
APPENDIX E: Recital Program 80
APPENDIX F: Curriculum Vitae 84
vi ABSTRACT
ANALYSIS FOR PERFORMANCE: ANALYZING SELECTED WIND BAND
WORKS FOR CONDUCTING
By
Jay M. Jarrett
Master of Music in Conducting
The conductor’s role in an ensemble goes much further beyond the obvious: beating a pattern, controlling balance and dynamics, and maintaining tempi. The truest role of a conductor is to discover meaning behind the notes, to interpret the music’s message from the composer and convey that to an audience through performance. This role necessitates time spent in preparation, analyzing the music and developing an interpretation through which the music can be brought to life. With good preparation and score study the beating, cueing, and musical gestures all become useful tools in the conductor’s arsenal, and with little or a lack of detailed score study these things can stand in the conductor’s way.
The purpose of this thesis is to illustrate the preparatory process as it applies to five varying and contrasting works for wind band: a triptych of marches written by
Beethoven in 1810 (March in F, WoO. 19, Polonaise, WoO. 21, and Écossaise, WoO.
22) edited by the writer, Frackenpohl’s arrangement of Saint-Saëns’ Pas Redoublé,
Grainger’s Themes from Green Bushes, Four Movements from Schoenberg’s The Book of the Hanging Gardens, arranged for wind ensemble by the writer, and Mackey’s
Sheltering Sky. The five works each exhibit unique features and key facets to thoughtfully consider in rehearsal preparation. I will begin with an overview of my process of score
vii analysis. Throughout the thesis, I will consider the key historical, harmonic, and thematic features of each piece, using each feature not only to support an analysis of the works themselves, but also to enhance their performance in a master’s conducting recital for which they were chosen.
viii INTRODUCTION
Score study can best be described as the method in which a conductor approaches a piece of music in order to develop an interpretation that can be utilized for performance.
The majority of a conductor’s work is not done in a rehearsal room or performance hall, but rather, in the quiet of their personal study space. This idea contrasts the most obvious image of a conductor actually performing the music; however, it is in fact the place where conductors must focus most of their time and energy. Score study is where the conductor essentially learns the piece: the historical context, the form, and the orchestration choices of the composer, the melodic and harmonic content, and so forth. Legendary conductor of the Philadelphia Orchestra Eugene Ormandy describes the score study process as:
On the first level, his period of study, the conductor prepares himself both technically and artistically. On this level he must be musician, historian, stylist, orchestrator, and listener. He must study the score so that he “hears” is in his mind. As he does this he evaluates the music and makes a beginning toward balancing the many strands of musical line. He must understand the historical context in which a particular work is conceived, and bring to bear upon the growing interpretive edifice a thorough knowledge of the stylistic requirements inherent in the work.1
Therefore, the purpose of score study is more far-reaching than just understanding the music; it should produce a product that guides decision-making throughout the rehearsal process.
According to Frank Battisti and Robert Garofalo in their book Guide to Score
Study for the Wind Band Conductor, the process to study a music score must begin
1 Elizabeth A.H. Green, Mark Gibson, The Modern Conductor, xi.
1 fundamentally with the conductor’s approach to score study “as an imaginative musician, a creator, and not simply as a decoder of notation.”2 While the notation as well as the theory behind the notation are both important factors in gleaning a complete understanding of the music at hand, the real focus must remain on artistic expression.
Elizabeth Green beautifully and eloquently supports this conclusion through the Credo of her book The Modern Conductor:
Music lives only when the notes fly off the page and soar into glorious sound. The performer, the conductor, releases them from bondage through his or her feeling for their message, through the power of the imagination, and by means of the physical technique one devotedly acquires. We build the technique only to ensure that our music can achieve its unforgettable moments, evanescent as they are, before once more returning to its prison of impatient silence.3
Study should be balanced. The vision of music expression should balance and compliment the seeking of knowledge about the score. Too little or too much of either one could have a negative impact on the performance.
The process of score study begins, as Battisti and Garofalo suggest, with a process of orienting oneself to the score. This process involves carefully gleaning information from the score regarding its setting, date of composition, composer, possible introductory notes, and any other noteworthy item. Beyond this, the first conception of the music is created with the cursory glance at the first page and consequent leaf-through of the score.
From this, the conductor can glean any changes in tempi, meter, key, instrumentation,
2 Frank Battisti, Robert Garofalo, Guide to Score Study, 1.
3 Green, The Modern Conductor, xv.
2 and form that may occur throughout the music. These initial impressions play a key role in the conductor generating the mental concept of music to which Green refers.
Beyond the initial orientation process, the conductor must read through and analyze the score, completing a “thorough structural and stylistic analysis of the work.”4
The structural analysis should include: observations of main key areas, the basic form of the piece, tempo relationships throughout the piece and any tempo changes that occur, how each section within the form is phrased, any observed cadential activity, melodic instrumentation, as well as melodic and harmonic language implemented by the composer. This basic information about the music comprises the “nuts and bolts” that essentially make up the music. With this information the conductor is afforded the opportunity to synthesize the music into a personal yet fundamentally accurate interpretation of the composers work. The structural analysis ear makes the “basic features” of the music allowing the conductor to open up to the finer stylistic features; a good structural analysis will empower the conductor to highlight the artistic merits of the music whereas a poor or incomplete structural analysis will inhibit this expression from ever happening.
This analysis, done in preparation for the rehearsal process, is executed with the expectation of keeping the conductor from becoming a metronome. The artistic conductor does not simply beat the time, keeping the musicians together in the same place; rather the artistic conductor unifies the ensemble with a clearly defined and communicated musical idea. Eugene Ormandy continues on to describe this phenomenon:
4 Battisti, Guide to Score Study, 3.
3 The second level upon which the conductor functions is the rehearsal, in which he prepares the orchestra both technically and artistically. It is on this level that he acts as a guide to the orchestra, building up in their minds a concept of the work parallel to his own, for the eventual public performance requires an enlightened and sensitive orchestra playing not “under” a conductor, but rather “with” him.5
Each of the following chapters will address the musical selections, walking through the relevant facets gleaned from each piece through score study. Any relevant historical information that constructively impacts the working knowledge of the pieces will be divulged, as well as the key structural features that make each piece stand out as a unique work. For the sake of the length of this project as well as the scope of the pieces involved, I do not intend on listing an exhaustive structural analysis of each piece here.
However, by highlighting the historically relevant facts as well as the defining characteristics of each piece, the essential factors of the analytical process will be emphasized.
5 Green, The Modern Conductor, xii.
4 BEETHOVEN: ECOSSAISE, POLONAISE, AND MARCH IN F
Beethoven’s Écossaise (WoO. 22), Polonaise (WoO. 21), and March in F (WoO.
19) are three short original band works that Beethoven wrote in 1810. The origin of these three works, most significantly their author, belies their importance to the wind band as a medium for musical expression. Regardless of their length, these three pieces represent an approachable avenue for the performer to play original Beethoven works of contrasting styles and music that reflects the wind band’s venerable tradition. While there did exist, at one point, modern editions of some of these works, they have been long out of print, illustrated the need for a new, modernized edition for wind ensemble. The set was created with an intended order of performance in mind: 1. Écossaise, 2. Polonaise, and 3. March in F. However, because of the nature of these works — they were originally separate pieces — they can and should be performed separately if the conductor wishes to do so. They have been gathered together in a set purely out of the sake of convenience as well as a flow for performance.
Historical Considerations
The marches, written in 1810 all survive as works without opus number (WoO.).
The March in F (WoO. 19) is the second march of a set of two marches that Beethoven composed for the Empress of Austria, Maria Ludovika. However, the Écossaise and the
Polonaise seem to have no apparent origin, they simply belong to Beethoven’s musical output for that year. In the same year, Beethoven completed the incidental music for
Goethe’s Egmont, as well as three songs to the words of Goethe (Op. 83) both of which
5 Grove’s describes as “congenial” commissions at the time, leading to an interaction and infatuation with “the very young, talented and seductive Bettina Brentano, a friend of
Goethe.”6 While Egmont was a largely successful piece, the marches written in 1810 remain a relatively unknown portion of Beethoven’s output. The lack of recognition surrounding the works does not preclude them from being acknowledged for their educational value to school bands and teaches. Bruce Gleason notes “Beethoven’s original works for wind band provide a worthwhile addition to study units about band and instrument development history…their inclusion in interdisciplinary units is an excellent way to incorporate music and social studies.”7
The other notable historical fact regarding this music is the Janissary compositional style the marches exhibit. Groves defines Janissary as a “Turkish ensemble of wind and percussion instruments known in the Ottoman Empire as mehter, introduced in Europe in the 17th century and later imitated there using Western instruments.”8 While Janissary music came to Europe through the Ottoman Empire, the impact it had on European composers was through the integration and expansion of the wind and percussion sections. David Whitwell explains that the expansion took form in
6 Joseph Kerman, Alan Tyson and Scott G. Burnham, “Beethoven, Ludwig Van, §7: 1809-1812,” Grove Music Online, Oxford University Press, Accessed April 27, 2016, http://www.oxfordmusiconline.com.libproxy.csun.edu/subscriber/article/grove/music/400 26pg7#S40026.7.
7 Bruce Gleason, “A Guide to Teaching Beethoven’s Marches,” Music Educators Journal, Vol 82, No. 4 (Jan. 1996), 19.
8 Joseph Kerman, Alan Tyson and Scott G. Burnham, “Beethoven, Ludwig Van, §7: 1809-1812,” Grove Music Online, Oxford University Press, Accessed April 27, 2016, http://www.oxfordmusiconline.com.libproxy.csun.edu/subscriber/article/grove/music/400 26pg7#S40026.7.
6 “introducing exotic new percussion instruments such as the bass drum, cymbals, and triangle.”9 Groves further clarifies a hierarchy of these instruments, with the most important being the large bass drum, or Turkish davul and that in the final twenty-five years of the 18th century, the triangle and cymbals were added to the standard instrumentation of the ensemble.10 These important changes are evident throughout the music of the three selected Beethoven works for band.
Analysis
With each of the three Beethoven pieces, the most important features are found in how the Janissary style is featured and the unifying dynamic motif employed among all three compositions. Both features hold different bearings on the interpretation of the music by the conductor. While taking into consideration the Janissary influence from the historical overview, the percussion must be balanced proportionally with the rest of the band. In order to achieve the Janissary sound, the triangle, bass drum and cymbals must be prominent throughout the composition. With respect to the triangle, the choice matters greatly in the general affect of the music—a triangle too big or small may not be appropriate for the sound of the ensemble. Balancing the sound of the ensemble against the triangle is normally not a difficult task, as the triangle’s frequency affords it the ability to ring out above most ensembles. Conversely, the bass drum and cymbals have the tendency to drown out the other players in a band when they are employed, so care
9 David Whitwell, The Wind Band and the Wind Ensemble of the Classic Period (1750– 1800), Volume 4, Northridge, CA: WINDS, 94.
10 Michael Pirker, “Janissary Music in Oxford Music Online,” Oxford Music Online, Accessed April 27, 2016
7 must be taken in both dampening the bass drum as well as selecting the correct size of cymbals.
The Écossaise and Polonaise both feature the triangle prominently throughout the composition. In the Écossaise, the triangle has almost constant eighth notes with three quarter-note “interruptions.” The triangle also deviates from its eighth-note pattern with one quarter-rest on the final off-beat of the piece. This constant eighth-note rhythm provides forward motion in the piece, as well as a rhythmic stability that accents the dynamic contrasts where they occur. It is important to mention that because of the constant activity of the triangle in this piece, the dynamic contrasts are especially important to emphasize; this highlights the variance in the part and allows it to be more interactive in performance. In the Polonaise, the triangle has an almost counterpoint- rhythmic relationship with the snare drum. These rhythms alternate in their activity with those in the snare drum throughout the entire piece until the final phrase where the repeating snare drum roll shifts back to the first beat of the measure (contrasting with its established rhythm of a drum roll on beat two). When this change occurs at Measure 31, the alternation continues with the triangle until the two come together in a collegial moment at Measure 43, where they finally share the same rhythm, seen in Figure 1.1.
Figure 1.1, Measures 41–43, Polonaise, Ludwig Van Beethoven, Ed. Jarrett
8 It is important that the snare drum player and triangle player understand the relationship
Beethoven creates here and shares into it through agogic accent and dynamic contrast, while also balancing the dynamics. While the March in F does not use the cymbal and triangle as the other two works do, it does feature the bass drum and piccolo—two instruments that played large roles in the Janissary transformation of band music. The bass drum has a more constant presence than the snare drum throughout the March; likewise, the piccolo exhibits the melody throughout the majority of piece. These two instruments display the same Janissary influence found in the Écossaise and Polonaise from a different perspective.
While time period and style unify these three pieces, the use of varying dynamics as a tool to contrast the melody is also a tool common among the three pieces. Each piece features the same dynamic motif: a two-measure shift to piano followed by a shift back into forte or fortissimo. In the Écossaise, this dynamic shift occurs in the Trio. Figure 1.2 illustrates this, showing how Beethoven creates more contrast in this integral connecting section.
Figure 1.2, Measures 17–20, Écossaise, Ludwig Van Beethoven, Ed. Jarrett
9 The technique is employed throughout all sections of the Polonaise, where it seems to be as important a facet of the music as the actual rhythm and melody. In the first A section, as well as the return of the A section again at Measure 21, he varies the technique by making the first half of the phrase forte and the second piano, seen below in Figure 1.3.
Figure 1.3, Measures 1–8, Polonaise, Ludwig Van Beethoven, Ed. Jarrett
In the B section in addition to the final statement of the A section at measure 39,
Beethoven uses the original two-bar dynamic motif in its original format. Finally, in the
March in F, the technique is found in the original two-bar motif at measure 31 in the final phrase. This important dynamic motif plays a key role in the development of the melodic ideas Beethoven shares through these works. Because of its prolific use through all three pieces, the dynamic motif must be considered and highlighted by the conductor through gesture, amplifying the contrast it brings with its appearances.
10 SAINT-SAËNS/FRACKENPOHL: PAS REDOUBLÉ
Pas Redoublé falls into the category of Saint-Saëns’ output that is purely entertaining music. Fast-paced, exciting and spunky, the music whirrs through a myriad of transformations rhythmically, melodically, and orchestrationally to produce music that is sincerely audio entertainment. As the double-quick step march unfolds through its melodic statements, Saint-Saëns challenges the musicians of the band with technically demanding chromatic material and key areas retained through the original composition into Frackenpohl’s transcription for band. This delightful work yields to both listener and conductor a child-like excitement brought to life through the stark dynamic contrasts, fast tempo, colorful orchestration choices, and dervish-like melodic content.
Historical Considerations
Originally written for four-hand piano in 1887 with brief notations indicating an intended band instrumentation, Pas Redoublé was transcribed for band by Arthur
Frackenpohl in 1972. The instrumentation for the transcription includes the core arsenal of band instruments, with a small expansion in the clarinet to include the high E-flat as well as low contralto and contrabass clarinets. The title translates to “quick march” and the piece itself is labeled a “double-quick step” which indicates a faster tempo than what would normally be with the pas ordinaire. Frackenpohl labels the tempo at quarter note =
144 beats per minute.
Because the band arrangement was never completed by Saint-Saëns himself, the piece for band is just as much a product of Frackenpohl’s work as a transcriber as it is the
11 composer’s work as a writer. Frackenpohl earned both his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Eastman School of Music and a doctorate from McGill University. He also studied composition with Darius Milhaud and Nadia Boulanger at Fontainbleau School in Paris and earned the First Prize in Composition there in 1950.11 Frackenpohl’s approach to the transcription seems to be that of an archivist: changing very little of the original music as possible. In fact, the transcription is so well-preserved to the original that the only real changes are: doubling at the unison to produce varying colors within the band setting, doubling at the octave to emphasize clarity in some spots, and a handful of articulation differences that emphasize the natural abilities of the band instruments to produce a certain sound. All of these things, one could speculate, Saint-Saëns would have completed had he been able to finish his own edition.
Pas Redoublé, in the history of Saint-Saëns’ work, is not the greatest or grandest of the composer’s work. The piece itself, it seems, was originally intended as a band work. It was first written for piano four hands with the dedication “to the League of the
South Tourists.”12 Two autograph scores exist, one complete copy (the “printer’s copy”) including 12 pages of music for piano four hands with no additional notations and one incomplete sketch of four pages of music that have some indications of instrumentation choices for band by the composer including, “cornets et bugles, p. 2.”13 Beyond this there are few historical mentions of the band work. The transcription was identified as the
“most performed” band work by the composer from 1980-1985 through a research
11 Nikk Pilato, “Arthur Frackenpohl – Wind Repertory Project,” www.Windrep.org, November 20, 2015 accessed April 12, 2016, http://windrep.org/Arthur_Frackenpohl
12 Ratner, Sabina Teller, Camille Saint-Saëns 1835-1921, 246.
13 Ibid. pg. 246.
12 project conducted by Richard K Fiese.14 The transcription is dedicated to “Harry Phillips and the Crane Wind Ensemble” by Arthur Frackenpohl.15 While the work is not the best of Saint-Saëns’ output, it is incredibly entertaining and perfectly captures the innocent joy of the two-step march.
Analysis
The hallmark traits of Pas Redoublé are found in the form of the piece, the style of the piece, and the ways in which contrast is used to create excitement. Beginning with the form, the march is laid out in a very peculiar and unique fashion, as seen in Table 1:
14 Battisti, Frank, The Winds of Change, 125.
15 Camille Saint-Saëns and Arthur Frackenpohl, Pas Redoublé (1887) transcribed for Concert Band by Arthur Frackenpohl, Delaware Water Gap, PA: Shawnee Press, Inc, 1972, 2.
13 Table 1. Formal Anaysis of Pas Redoublé, Camille Saint-Saëns.
Section Measure
Introduction Measures 1–6
First Strain Measures 7–38
Interlude 1 Measures 39–54
Second Strain Measures 55–78
Interlude 2 Measures 79–84
Trio Measures 85–120
Interlude 3 (False Break Strain) Measures 121–136
First Strain Recapitulation Measures 137–152
“Break Strain” (Second Strain and Trio) Measures 153–169
Interlude 4 Measures 169–184
Coda Measures 184–220
Codetta Measures 221–226
The first peculiar feature of note is the use of an “interlude” throughout the march to separate the major sections. This technique used in Pas Redoublé is reminiscent of John
Phillip Sousa’s use of the four-measure motif as a brief interlude separating the major sections of his march, The Fairest of the Fair. In the latter, Sousa uses the four-measure phrase found in the introduction as a link between the strains, doubling it to create the connective material. This idea from The Fairest of the Fair was not necessarily contrasting in style with the first strain, but rather supported its style. In the former, the material Saint-Saëns uses throughout the interludes of Pas Redoublé is not derived from
14 the introductory material; it is an entirely new and contrasting musical segment. It is similar in articulation and punctuation with the introductory material, but as the interlude progresses it becomes smooth and fast, with a scalular sixteenth-note motif that is passed through the sections.
The next peculiar feature is how Saint-Saëns approaches the trio and break strain sections. The approach taken in Pas Redoublé is different from a standard march in that the break strain does not arrive immediately after the trio, but is rather delayed. Saint-
Saëns takes the material from the interlude and uses it after the trio, creating a “false” break strain that crescendos into a sudden piano dynamic: a false recapitulation of the material from the First Strain (measure 137). Then, before a full statement of the first strain has taken place Saint-Saëns launches into the break strain, constructed by combining the melodic material from the second strain and the trio. For the conductor, this information is key to bringing out the melodic lines, dynamic contrasts, and sudden shifts that create the energy of the music. Frackenpohl even instructs the conductor in his rehearsal suggestions for the score:
When there are two melodies in counterpoint (mss. 63-70, 105-117, and 153-169), be certain a dynamic balance is achieved. Observe the dynamic markings in measures 117, 137, 169…the contrasts in volume in those measures import an air of expectancy and add to the excitement of the performance.16
These rehearsal suggestions point out the importance of highlighting the dynamic markings through these sections. Care in balancing the ensemble, especially at measure
137 where the false first strain recapitulation occurs adds to the overall excitement of the work.
16 Camille Saint-Saëns and Arthur Frackenpohl, Pas Redoublé, 2.
15 Finally, the use of an extended coda section—and even what could be argued as a codetta—brings into the humble march form something atypical in form and further prolongs the excitement of the musical journey. The use of the coda, while certainly common throughout the Classical period and even Romantic period sonata-allegro form, is rather uncommon in the march form. In the setting of Pas Redoublé, the coda acts through its usual function—to prolong the cadential movement through the finale of a piece of music. Pas Redoublé departs from a standard American March form in that the use of a coda replaces the slower, grandioso restatement of the trio. In this instance the use of the coda rather than the grandiose trio enables the composer to keep the tempo up throughout the finale of the piece. The conductor has the option then, at that point, to even increase the tempo more upon the arrival of the coda or a point after that. This further adds to the flourish and excitement of the finish, completed by the last dominant- tonic harmonic movements of the codetta found at the last seven measures of the piece.
This tempo, of course, must be limited to what the ensemble is capable of achieving with excellence and precision. Because of these stark contrasts, dynamic shifts, and unexpected twists in the form, Pas Redoublé demonstrates the excitement of the march form through a new musical means.
16 GRAINGER: THEMES FROM “GREEN BUSHES”
Themes from “Green Bushes,” subtitled a “Passacaglia on an English Folktune” is an expanded arrangement for the complete forces of a modern concert band by Larry
Daehn. Originally collected as a folksong the song theme undergoes sixteen transformations with a final coda that comprises the passacaglia form.17 The salient feature of this piece is twofold: the ever-changing melodic instrumentation that goes hand in hand with the transformation dance form of the piece to create an exciting band composition.
Historical Considerations
The music of Green Bushes originates from a popular folksong that was collected, in total, ten various times throughout Grainger’s ethno-musicological career gathering folk music. This particular setting is inspired by two separate recordings: one, the singing of Louie Hooper and the other, the singing of Joseph Leaning in Somerset and
Lincolnshire, respectively.18 Grainger composed the piece between 1905 and 1906 while he resided in London and Denmark. The folksong itself is a popular one: it was also used by Ralph Vaughan Williams in his English Folk Song Suite as well as George
Butterworth in The Banks of the Green Willow.19 The date of composition as well as the content of “Green Bushes” infers that inspiration of the piece is a result of Grainger’s
17 Percy Aldridge Grainger and Larry D. Daehn, Themes from “Green Bushes” (1921) wind-band setting by Larry D. Daehn, New Glarus, WI: Daehn Publications, 1987, 2.
18 Ibid.
19 Ibid.
17 time gathering folksongs in the English countryside. Additionally, the writing for winds that Grainger produced must have also been influenced by his contract just the year prior with Boosey & Hawkes, London, between 1904 and 1905 to lease various wind instruments for his personal study.20 This year proved to be an invaluable experience for
Grainger, producing not only this piece for winds, but also Hill Song No. 2 where he
“practiced scoring for complete families of instruments.”21 Grainger eventually rescored the instrumentation of the original composition in 1921 to include the following compliment of instruments: 22
Piccolo Flute Oboe Clarinet Bassoon Double-Bassoon Soprano Saxophone Baritone Saxophone Trumpet Horns Timpani Side-Drum Bass-Drum Cymbals Xylophone Piano Harmonium Strings
The tune of Green Bushes remains one of the more famous folksongs in the repertoire, used by Grainger not only for “Themes from Green Bushes” in 1906 but, more
20 Frank Battisti, The Winds of Change, 22.
21 Ibid.
22 Percy Grainger and Larry Daehn, Themes from “Green Bushes”, 2.
18 famously, under the name Lost Lady Found, the final movement in his masterwork for band Lincolnshire Posy in 1937. Grainger states, in fact, that this first use of the folksong in 1906 was a precursor to its setting in the Lincolnshire Posy score, and where he actually began the process of composing the work, a process that took 31 years from start to finish.23 This process, Grainger says was “indebted, more or less, to unfinished sketches for a variety of mediums covering many years” inferring that Grainger considered the original setting of Green Bushes to be unfinished. When comparing the scoring of the Lincolnshire Posy setting of the tune with the Daehn arrangement of Green
Bushes (ref. Table 2), one discovers a startling similarity in the ensemble choice:
23 Percy Aldrich Grainger and Frederick Fennell, Lincolnshire Posy (1937) Full Score Edition Assembled by Frederick Fennell, Cleveland, OH: Ludwig Music Publishing Co., Inc. 1987, 75.
19
Table 2. Instrumentation Differences: Lincolnshire Posy, Percy A. Grainger, Ed. Frederick Fennel and Themes from “Green Bushes” Percy A. Grainger, Arr. Larry Daehn.
Lincolnshire Posy Instrumentation24 Green Bushes Instrumentation25 Piccolo Piccolo Flutes Flutes Oboes Oboes English Horn Bassoons Bassoons Double-Bassoon E-flat Clarinet E-flat Clarinet B-flat Clarinets B-flat Clarinets Alto Clarinet Alto Clarinet Bass Clarinet Bass Clarinet Soprano Saxophone Alto Saxophones Alto Saxophones Tenor Saxophone Tenor Saxophone Baritone Saxophone Baritone Saxophone Bass Saxophone Bass Saxophone Trumpets Trumpets Horns Horns Trombones Trombones Euphoniums Euphoniums Tubas Tubas String Bass String Bass Timpani Timpani Snare Drum Snare Drum Bass Drum Bass Drum Cymbals Cymbals Keyboard Instruments Keyboard Instruments
Both the Daehn arrangement of Themes from Green Bushes as well as Grainger’s own final scoring of the folksong in the Lincolnshire Posy score share almost the same ensemble. Where Grainger scored his setting for the complete saxophone and double-reed families (including the use of English Horn, double-bassoon, and bass saxophone) in
24 Ibid. 58. 25 Percy Grainger and Larry Daehn, Themes from “Green Bushes,” 3.
20 Lincolnshire Posy, Daehn elects a more “standard” instrumentation, with the one exception of contrabass clarinet. While the respective settings for the folksong are different in their progression and scoring, the choice by Daehn to orchestrate Themes from Green Bushes for the ensemble he did helps to validate this edition as the final successor in the line of arrangements that began in 1906 with Grainger himself, thereby
“finishing” the “unfinished sketch” in its original setting.
Analysis
Themes from Green Bushes is written in passacaglia form, with each statement of the melody taking the same number of measures (sixteen) to complete. A passacaglia is defined as “a set of ground-bass or ostinato variations” and for the most part, Themes from Green Bushes adheres to this definition.26 The passacaglia moves throughout sixteen different variations. Each variation—with the notable exception of two—having differing melodic instruments support the theme than the previous statement. Table 3 illustrates a chart for the thematic transformations of the piece, careful consideration of which must be taken to support the melody and highlight the expressive potential.
26 Alexander Silbiger, “Passacaglia,” Grove Music Online, Oxford University Press, Accessed April 15, 2016, http://www.oxfordmusiconline.com/subscriber/article/grove/music/21024.
21
Table 3. Thematic Analysis, Themes from “Green Bushes”, Percy A. Grainger, Arr. Larry Daehn
Theme Statement Melodic Voice Dynamic
1 (m. 1) Bass Clarinet, Bassoon, Tuba Pianissimo
2 (m. 17) Clarinets Piano
3 (m. 33) Clarinets (2, 3), Alto Sax 2 Mezzo-Piano
4 (m. 49) Flutes, Clarinets (1, 2) Piano
5 (m. 65) Flutes, Oboes, Alto Sax (1, 2) Mezzo-Forte
6 (m. 81) Flutes Oboes, Cornets (1, 2) Piano
7 (m. 97) Clarinets (1, 2, 3), Bassoons, Baritone Mezzo-Piano
8 (m. 113) Cornets (1, 2, 3) Mezzo-Forte
9 (m. 129) Alto Sax 1, Cornets (1, 2, 3) Forte
10 (m. 145) Flutes, Oboes, Clarinets (1, 2, 3) Fortissimo
11 (m. 161) Cornets (1, 2) – Accelerando Pianissimo
12 (m. 177) Cornets (1, 2) – melody changes Piano
13 (m. 193) Alto Cl., Bass Cl., Bari. Sax., Cornets, Horns, Mezzo-Forte
Trombones, Baritones
14 (m. 209) Flute Oboe, Clarinets, Xylophone Forte
15 (m. 225) Clarinets, Alto Saxophone 1 (tempo shifts faster) Mezzo-Forte
16 (m. 241) Clarinets, Alto Saxophone 1 (Dynamic increases) Forte
Coda (m. 257) Woodwind Flourish, 8 bar phrase Triple-Forte
22 While the melody remains constant throughout the piece, there are two variations where there is no change in the melodic voicing at the section change: variations 11 and 15.
Although the melody remains in the same voice as these sections progress forward, the tempo and dynamics both shift in the same way. At the beginning of both sections, there is a drop in dynamic (Variation 11 down to pianissimo and Variation 15 down to mezzo- forte) as well as an initial shift to a faster tempo. The lack of change in the melodic voice stresses the importance of dynamic and tempo changes that do occur, and a stable voicing for the melody allows both performers and audience to focus on the other ways in which the music is changing.
The final consideration of Themes from Green Bushes is the technical challenge it poses to the musicians. Daehn mentions in the score preface “the tempo at which the woodwinds can best execute the four-bar chromatic flourish (measure 257) should determine the top speed of the extended accelerando. This section poses the largest technical consideration, as the tempo at this point equals almost 100 beats per minute per dotted half note. This section not only bears the weight of being the most technically challenging throughout the piece, but is also the only place where a new statement departs from the form of the passacaglia: the coda. Because this flourish begins the coda and departs from the theme, it is all the more crucial that it is played with care and executed cleanly. Because of this, when considering tempo for this piece it is crucial the conductor first begin with determining an ending tempo to where variations lead.
23 SCHOENBERG/JARRETT: 4 MOVEMENTS FROM:
“THE BOOK OF THE HANGING GARDENS” OP. 15
Arnold Schoenberg’s The Book of the Hanging Gardens is, without a doubt, one of the most important and influential works from the composer’s output. It was this collection of songs that Schoenberg used as the proving grounds for what he would refer to as the “emancipation of dissonance” and what many others would refer to, famously and infamously, as atonality. The original work for voice and piano, is centered on a series of poems by Stephan George that tell a story of transformation—love that is found and then lost paralleled by a garden blooming and then dying. The poems emanate an air of sadness and separation that blossoms from the central figure’s inability to commit himself fully to the passion he has found for fear of the terrors that lay outside the garden’s walls. The poem ends with the central figure recoiling away from his love, the life found through the living things in the garden, and even his own perception of reality, rejecting and refusing to acknowledge the inevitability of the death of the garden. Clearly using inspiration from the poetry to form his own “departure,” Schoenberg recoiled from the world of tonal convention by creating the beautiful music that exists within the
Hanging Gardens.
Four movements were taken from the original composition—1. Unterm Schutz von dichten Blätergründen (Under the Protection of Dense Leaves), 4. Da meine Lippen
(As My Lips), 5. Saget Mir (Tell me), 10. Das Schöne Beet betracht ich mi rim Harren (I
Consider the Beautiful Flowerbed)—and arranged for the complete forces of the modern wind ensemble. The movements were selected, in part, for their location in the narrative
24 of the poetry and also for their compatibility with the wind ensemble. The work for band omits the poetry, but rather focuses on the music that Schoenberg created through his inspiration from the poetry. Schoenberg’s music, set in this new medium, is captured with a new purity that simultaneously embraces the essential idea that Schoenberg pioneered with the original work and distinguishes itself by separating the music and the poetry.
The final purpose behind creating the arrangement of Hanging Gardens for band rests in the availability of music without a tonal center written specifically for the ensemble. While many composers have written atonal music since its inception, the band has been unfortunately neglected from this music atmosphere. The masterworks like
Berg’s Wozzek, Webern’s Six Pieces for Orchestra Op. 6, and Schoenberg’s own Pierrot
Lunaire Op. 21 offer the finest examples of the genre to ensembles other than the band.
This, perhaps, came about because of the observation of the band medium as a “learning ensemble,” one relegated to schools and universities for the purposes of education alone.
This is a gross misunderstanding of the capabilities and sonorities of the group of winds and percussion known as the wind ensemble. The belief that the band deserves and is capable of every opportunity to enjoy the finest music written is held by every transcriber whether expressly stated or simply understood; the existence of this project simply submits an additional entry in that long and storied timeline which, even now, still lacks in examples of the genre of atonality.
25 Historical Considerations
Schoenberg began his work on the Hanging Gardens in 1908 and completed the work little over a year later in 1909.27 The piece premiered on January 14, 1910 in
Vienna and in the program notes for the performance, Schoenberg writes:
With the George-Lieder, I have succeeded for the first time in approaching an expressive and formal ideal which has haunted me for years. Up until now, I lacked the strength and the self-assurance to realize it. But now that I have started definitely upon this road, I am aware that I have burst the bonds of a bygone aesthetic; and, although I am striving towards a goal which seems certain to me, I foresee the opposition which I shall have to overcome; I feel the heat of the animosity which even the least temperaments will generate, and I fear that some who have believed in me up till now will not admit the necessity of this evolution.28
Schoenberg’s awareness of his vision for this new musical aesthetic was crystal-clear: he was working toward his emancipation of dissonance and a more free musical world ruled not by the dominance of consonant harmonies but where dissonance and consonance were equals with each other. One of the best explanations of Schoenberg’s style at this point comes from composer Eric Salzman, who says:
Chromatic motion functions without tonal controls to indicate direction or to set up long-range relationships. There is a definite impulse toward the highest chromatic density and, as a result, a strong tendency toward the constant and repeated use of all twelve notes on an even and revolving basis. The [music] holds together not only through the extended use of motives in the thematic sense but also through the play of distinctive pitch combinations which give characteristic sound and shape.29
27 Ethan Haimo, Schoenberg’s Transformation of Musical Language, 244.
28 Alan Lessem, Music and Text in the Works of Arnold Schoenberg, 38.
29 Eric Salzman, Twentieth Century Music, 35.
26 While musical motives still work to establish the thematic material in the music, chromatic motion no longer acts as the governor of the music, setting up relationship between things like dominant and tonic. Because of this, the music seems freer, less prone to falling into routine movement or predictable behavior. The Hanging Gardens not only follows this rule, it is the genesis of the rule.
In creating the band arrangement, the goal was not to write a new piece but to take the essence of Schoenberg’s work and transfer it to the medium of the wind ensemble. With this goal in mind, the issue of octave doubling became one of the most relevant topics at hand. Assigning the instruments to the individual voices proved an easier task than deciding if doubling was necessary, and when and how it should occur.
Analysis
When considering music without a tonal center, it is important for the conductor to recognize the fact that music exists both inside a conventional norm and outside what many would consider a “normal” sound. Elizabeth Green warns against the bias of tonality by saying, “the conductor should approach any score with an open mind as to its particular sonic vocabulary, values, and meaning, apart from whether or not it sounds good.”30 This is an important point to make because one of the roles conductors can play is that of a judge. Because music is a personal expressive tool of the composer, that composer may use any tool to achieve the expressive sound desired. The conductor’s perspective of the music sounding “good” or “bad” is, frankly, irrelevant in terms of the music’s viability to be expressed. The most important consideration is for the conductor
30 Elizabeth Green, The Modern Conductor, 168.
27 to act as a neutral interpreter of the music, not changing the meaning of what is expressed, but simply bringing it to life for the intended audience. Trying to interpret music without a tonal center through a lens of tonal relationships simply does not work to fulfill the goal of the composer in this instance. Therefore, the prudent approach to conducting music without a tonal center is to consider the rhythm, melody, and instrumentation, or as Elizabeth Green advises her audience, to approach the rehearsal of newer scores by focusing “on the basics—Rhythm, Articulation, and Pitch.”31
In the band score of Hanging Gardens, the most apparent feature to consider is the rhythm and the choices for subdividing the measures. From the precarious beginning of the first movement, two tubas begin with the low five-note motif that slowly adds in instruments to achieve a unity of bass instruments at beat three of measure six. The rhythm at this point is perilous as nearly every note falls on the second eighth note of each beat, effectively creating a chain of up-beats as shown in the opening tuba line of
Figure 3.1.
Figure 3.1, Tuba, Measures 1–2, The Book of the Hanging Gardens, Movement 1, A. Schoenberg, Arr. Jarrett
It could be tempting to subdivide the beats at this point to clarify the timing of each note, but the music calls for a smooth and connected phrase through the slurred marking. An acceptable approach for the conductor is to conduct a regular legato four-pattern and let
31 Ibid.
28 the tubas react to the placement of each beat. The alternative, conducting the phrase in a subdivided four-pattern, appears to the musicians too choppy for a smooth line and can be confusing for the trombone entrance on beat two of measure two.
The first ideal place for subdivision to happen is in measure ten moving into measure eleven, subdividing on beats four and one of the respective measures. This is the first place in the score where the complexity of the original piano accompaniment appears in the band translation. Moments like these—as well as the subsequent measure thirteen where the same motif expands into more brass, woodwinds and percussion— epitomize the rhythmic consideration for the conductor. Deciding when and how to subdivide the pattern in order to clarify the thirty-second notes in the winds and percussion will determine the clarity of the passage as well as the likelihood of a successful performance without obscuring the melodic line in the alto saxophone and clarinets, which should be prominent in the ensemble balance. There is also the technical consideration of the ensemble; the rhythmic as well as melodic complexity of the parts will merit an ensemble of strong caliber to perform with success.
A different concern for rhythm exists in the fourth movement, specifically with regards to the freedom of the rhythm. In the original score for the work, Schoenberg neglected to write a key signature. This gives the soloist and piano accompaniment a greater freedom of expression and has a free rhythmic feel of the movement, even though the music is meticulously and rhythmically written out by the composer. Demonstrating this notation in Figure 3.2, the rhythm is barred but without metered organization and freely flows from note to note, with the piano accompaniment following the soloist.
29 8 Schoenberg: Das Buch der hängenden Gärten, Op. 15
Figure 3.2, Measures 1–2, The Book of the Hanging Gardens, Movement 4, Arnold Schoenberg32
The marking Gehend, or “going” implies that Schoenberg wanted the melodic line to
move forward, flowing through the phrase and through the notes. Metering the movement
was necessary in the band version, especially when considering the forces of the
ensemble and the precision necessary to execute the passage in a unified manner. The
melodic figure in the clarinet opening demonstrates the decisions with meter in Figure
3.3.
Figure 3.3, Clarinets, Measures 1–3, The Book of the Hanging Gardens, Movement 4, A. Schoenberg, Arr. Jarrett
32 Arnold Schoenberg, Das Buch der Hängenden Gärten, Op 15.
30 While the rhythm is metered and clarified for the ensemble and conductor, the necessity for freedom of rhythmic expression is key to achieving the same musical effect of the original score. With this in mind, the conductor must advice the performers on phrasing the melodic line and ensuring the accompanying material is complementary to the melodic phrase. Subdivision is again a necessary consideration in the measures leading up to the climax of the movement, where the lower voices of the band carry the complex rhythmic ideas from the left-hand of the piano score. In Figure 3.4 the piccolo and clarinet melody is seen against the bass clarinet and bassoon rhythm bass rhythm.
Figure 3.4, Measures 16–19, The Book of the Hanging Gardens, Movement 4, A. Schoenberg, Arr. Jarrett
Because of the complexity of the rhythm, seen in 5/8 time, a subdivided beat pattern is necessary to maintain the integrity of the rhythmic line. For the conductor, the goal of demonstrating the pattern while keeping the rhythmic line connected should be the highest priority. This allows for the clarity in the beat pattern as well as the phrase
31 “going” forward and Schoenberg intended into the climactic moment at the downbeat of measure 19.
In the final two movements, five and ten, where the technical rhythmic demands are far less for the ensemble, the rhythmic goal switches to ensure the analogous melodies and harmonies are moving together, respectively with unified phrasing. A much higher priority in these movements is the clear declamation of the melody; this, hand-in- hand with balancing the harmony voices and supporting the soloistic voices must take precedence. An example of this in movement five is the alto saxophone and second flute entrance in the up-beat to measure seven. Seen in figure 3.5, the saxophone must be clearly heard over the rhythmic movement in the flute and piccolo, as well as that of the clarinets.
Figure 3.5, Measures 6–8, The Book of the Hanging Gardens, Movement 5, A. Schoenberg, Arr. Jarrett
32 The difficulty in this moment lies in the flute and piccolo parts. The conductor must work to unify the flutes and piccolo in their rhythm and dynamic, yet balance this against the melodic voices of the second flute and alto saxophones. The melody continues throughout the length of the work to hold the highest priority, and the conductor should consider balancing the melodic forces to highlight this ranking.
33 MACKEY: SHELTERING SKY
John Mackey’s Sheltering Sky, composed in 2012, is a beautifully written, nostalgic piece that exudes almost folksong-like music. While the themes seem reminiscent of several prominent folksongs (“Danny Boy” and “Shenandoah” to name a few), the music in the score is all original material. Jake Wallace provides a perfect description of the music in the preface to the score, saying “the tunes themselves are all original to the work, imparting a sense of hazy distance as though they were from a half- remembered dream.”33 This “hazy distance” is achieved primarily through the composer’s use of suspensions, elided cadences, and changing time signature. These things, combined with the stylistic choices of the composition lead it to achieve the goal of “hazy distance,” floating from one dream-like folksong to the next until it arrives at its conclusion.
Historical Considerations
John Mackey, although a fairly young composer, has made a significant impact throughout his career and output. His first work for band, Redline Tango, won the 2004
Walter Beeler Memorial Composition Prize as well as the 2005 ABA/Ostwald Award from the American Bandmasters Association; the latter he would go on to win again in
2009 for his piece Aurora Awakes.34 Mackey’s output extends beyond the realm of band into orchestral and vocal compositions, as well as chamber music, ballet, and incidental
33 Jake Wallace, Program note for Sheltering Sky, 2.
34 John Mackey, “Bio,” Bio, last modified, 2016, http://ostimusic.com/Bio.php
34 music for theatre. However, according to his biography, Mackey “particularly enjoys writing music for dance and for symphonic winds, and he has focused on those mediums for the past few years.”35 This focus is evident in the output of his work, as he has written twenty-seven works for winds in since his first submission of Redline Tango in 2005, eight of which earned the Editor’s Choice selection award on music retailer JW Pepper’s website.36
Sheltering Sky has reached a fairly wide audience since its 2012 debut. The piece appears on the state repertoire lists of Florida, Georgia, Iowa, Maryland, Texas, and
Wisconsin, as well as appearing on several band festival lists.37 Sheltering Sky has received at least twenty-eight recorded performances by collegiate, professional or festival bands since it was written in 2012.38 Some of the notable performances are from
Jerry Junkin and the Dallas Winds in 2015, H. Robert Reynolds and the USC Thorton
Wind Ensemble in 2014, and Tim Lautzenheiser and the United States Air Force Band in
2012, among several others.39
35 Ibid.
36 “Search John Mackey,” J.W. Pepper, Accessed May 1, 2016, http://www.jwpepper.com/sheet- music/search.jsp?keywords=john+mackey& pageview=list-view&departments=Concert+Band
37 “Sheltering Sky by John Mackey,” J.W. Pepper, Accessed May 1, 2016, http://www.jwpepper.com/Sheltering-Sky/10316759.item#.VyoLPRUrIWp
38 Nikk Pilato, “Sheltering Sky – Wind Repertoire Project,” www.WindRep.org, last modified April 29, 2016, http://windrep.org/Sheltering_Sky.
39 Ibid.
35 Analysis
The music of Mackey’s Sheltering Sky achieves an obscurity and timelessness that is uncommon among band music. The opening blossoms out of nothing, creating a tonic center through sustained notes. The first note, a rolled E-flat in the marimba, sustained E-flat in the clarinet, and a bowed E-flat in the vibraphone add a thickness and unique color to the single-note opening of the piece. Out of this solitary note, blooms the melody in the solo alto saxophone, supported by the clarinet, flute, bassoon, and saxophone sections. At this point in the work, the harmonic movement is so static that it seems that even the changing time signature is following the soloist, drawing in both listener and musician. As the music progresses, the movement from one theme to the next suggests that the composer has stumbled upon a new song. All of the ethereal and mesmerizing qualities of this music stems from the use of elided cadences, chord suspensions, and changing time signatures that have a flowing quality.
John Mackey wastes no time with the execution of the cadential elisions: the first one arrives with the oboe solo entrance at measure nine, effectively starting the next phrase a measure “early” to where the harmonic movement suggests the first theme should come. This practice is repeated again at measure fifteen with the trumpet entrance beginning the second theme a bar early, the return of the first theme a measure early at bar twenty-four, the third theme’s entrance at measure thirty-one, the return of the second theme at measure thirty-nine, and the final return of the first theme at bar fifty.
Throughout the piece, Mackey effectively elides the beginning and end of every major thematic section by starting the melody early in one instrument or another. This adds to the obscurity and timelessness of the piece because the melody always catches the
36 audience off-guard. A seemingly ordinary background note is suddenly shifted forward in to the role of melody, after its entrance. The effectiveness of the elisions is a result of
Mackey’s careful thematic planning and the conductor’s awareness of the true starting place for each phrase. The most crucial knowledge the conductor should consider is where each phrase begins and ends.
While the phrase elisions stand out as one of the distinctive features of the piece, the changing time signatures that follow the folk theme in the introduction and the first theme help give the melody a freer feel. While Mackey could have written the music in the first theme to be in 5/4 time, he instead elects to write a bar of 3/4 time, then 2/4 time, then 4/4 time. The primary result he achieves by writing his theme this way—also the reason why the conductor’s attention to this detail is prudent—is a shifting in the agogic accent. The emphasis, or agogic accent is a result of the natural stress and weight of a metered measure. Shifting the time signature of the measures at this point effectively adds more stress-points to the theme. This knowledge guides phrasing decisions and enables the musicians to express the music of Sheltering Sky in a more accurate way to what Mackey has indicated. The result of this metering is music that seems freer in this section, more genuine and life-like. Consequentially, the folksong John Mackey is composing becomes more like a real folksong: clumsy yet elegant, complex yet simple, plain yet beautiful.
The final feature of note in this piece is the use of chord suspensions to extend and prolong the music, most notably on the penultimate and final measures in the piece.
In the penultimate measure, the bass voices (bass clarinet, baritone saxophone, tuba, string bass) resolve to the tonic E-flat while the band remains on the Dominant B-flat
37 chord that sustains for a full three beats before resolving to the tonic E-flat add nine chord on the downbeat of the final measure. This is so bold a move because the music has an aural effect of a resolution that has not quite arrived; while the fundamental notes have resolved to the tonic, the remainder of the band is still caught in the dream of the music.
38 CONCLUSION
In her introduction to “Score Study,” Elizabeth Green says, “While the baton is the primary tool of the conductor, the score defines the practical usage of the baton.
Mastery of the repertoire, be it orchestra, choral, or wind, demands years of daily study.”40 If the “score defines the usage of the baton” it is a reasonable assumption that without knowledge of the score, the conductor will not adequately know how to conduct the ensemble. This means that within the wind repertoire, the marches, songs, symphonies, suites, arrangements, transcriptions, and program music all demand the same amount of careful attention and care.
A careful analysis of the history of a piece of music can help the conductor round out an interpretation of the work. This creates perspective—what styles were prevalent when the piece was written and how does it “fit into” those genres. This helps to establish a timeline for the conductor, understanding not only the music’s place historically, but also understanding its contemporary relevance for the audience today. Discovering the relevant facts about a piece’s origin can make the difference in understanding the meaning behind the piece of music: what were the composer’s intentions for writing the piece and what were his goals of communication through the music? All of this allows for the conductor to shape the interpretation and concept of the music.
Beginning a rehearsal with an inadequate amount of work done beforehand studying the score is a treacherous mistake that can ruin precious rehearsal time.
However, careful preparation of a score enables the conductor to rise to any musically
40 Elizabeth Green, The Modern Conductor, pg. 139.
39 challenging piece. Analyzing a score to understand the thematic material informs the conductor of how the composer transforms the theme through the composition.
Understanding the theme can inform the conductor about musical phrasing for when the theme is stated and when the composer changes it. At the base of all these benefits, understanding the thematic statements throughout the piece will facilitate the conductor’s ability to cue in instruments, supporting the musicians and uniting the performers to all work toward the same musical goals. Additionally, understanding the rhythmic elements of the piece, as well as dynamic and tempo are important.
Whether working on contemporary music, ancient music, or anything between, the modern conductor has a responsibility and a calling to lead both the ensemble and the audience to experience the intentions of the composer. The roll of the conductor is an important one. Through the conductor the ensemble is unified in performance and a hierarchy of leadership is established that structures the ensemble and helps the musicians to learn the music and perform better. Mark Gibson adds to the text of the “Modern
Conductor” by expressing that “the conductor strives for CLARITY OF INTENT as well as CLARITY OF BEAT.”41 Creating intentional music, music with a purpose and music that has a meaning, is the purpose of a good conductor and this is facilitated through the study of music.
41 Mark Gibson, Preface to The Modern Conductor, xvii.
40 Bibliography
Battisti, Frank L. The Winds of Change: The Evolution of the Contemporary American Wind Band/Ensemble and its Conductor. Galesville, MD: Meredith Music Publications. 2002.
Battisti, Frank L., Robert Garofalo. Guide to Score Study for the Wind Band Conductor. Galesville, MD: Meredith Music Publications. 1990.
Beethoven, Ludwig van and Jay Jarrett. Écossaise composed for military band in 1810, adapted for modern band by Jay Jarrett. 2016.
Beethoven, Ludwig van and Jay Jarrett. March in F composed for military band in 1810, adapted for modern band by Jay Jarrett. 2016.
Beethoven, Ludwig van and Jay Jarrett. Polonaise composed for military band in 1810, adapted for modern band by Jay Jarrett. 2016.
Bruce Gleason. “A Guide to Teaching Beethoven’s Marches,” Music Educators Journal, Vol 82, No. 4 (Jan. 1996).
Grainger, Percy Aldridge and Larry D. Daehn. Themes from “Green Bushes” (1921) wind-band setting by Larry D. Daehn. New Glarus, WI: Daehn Publications. 1987.
Grainger, Percy Aldridge and Frederick Fennell. Lincolnshire Posy (1937) Full Score Edition Assembled by Frederick Fennell. Cleveland, OH: Ludwig Music Publishing Co., Inc. 1987.
Green, Elizabeth A.H., Mark Gibson. The Modern Conductor. 7th ed. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education, Inc. 2004.
Haimo, Ethan. Schoenberg’s Transformation of Musical Language. New York, NY: Cambridge University Press. 2006.
Kerman, Joseph, Alan Tyson and Scott G. Burnham. “Beethoven, Ludwig Van, §7: 1809- 1812” Grove Music Online. Oxford University Press. Accessed April 27, 2016, http://www.oxfordmusiconline.com.libproxy.csun.edu/subscriber/article/grove/ music/40026pg7#S40026.7.
Lessem, Alan Phillip. Music and Text in the Works of Arnold Schoenberg. UMI Research Press: 1979.
Mackey, John. “Bio,” Bio. last modified: 2016. http://ostimusic.com/Bio.php.
41 Mackey, John. Sheltering Sky. New Philidelphia, OH: Osti Music, Inc. 2012.
Pilato, Nikk. “Arthur Frackenpohl – Wind Repertory Project.” www.Windrep.org. November 20, 2015 accessed April 12, 2016. http://windrep.org/Arthur_ Frackenpohl
Pirker, Michael. “Janissary Music in Oxford Music Online,” Oxford Music Online, Accessed April 27, 2016. http://www.oxfordmusiconline.com/subscriber/ article/grove/ music/14133.
Ratner, Sabina Teller. Camille Saint-Saëns 1835-1921: A Thematic Catalogue of His Complete Works. Vol. 1: The Instrumental Works. New York, NY: Oxford University Press. 2002.
Reich, Willi and Leo Black Schoenberg: a Critical Biography. Trans. By Leo Black. New York, NY: Praeger Publishers, 1971.
Saint-Saëns, Camille and Arthur Frackenpohl. Pas Redoublé (1887) transcribed for Concert Band by Arthur Frackenpohl. Delaware Water Gap, PA: Shawnee Press, Inc. 1972.
Salzman, Eric. Twentieth-Century Music, an Introduction. 4th Edition. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey: Prentice Hall, 2002.
Schoenberg, Arnold. Das Buch der Hängenden Gärten, Op. 15. 1914.
Schoenberg, Arnold and Jay Jarrett. The Book of the Hanging Gardens movements 1, 4, 5, and 10 composed for voice and piano in 1915, arranged for modern band by Jay Jarrett. 2016.
Silbiger, Alexander. "Passacaglia." Grove Music Online. Oxford Music Online. Oxford University Press, accessed April 13, 2016, http://www.oxfordmusiconline.com/ subscriber/article/grove/music/21024.
Simms, Bryan R. The Atonal Music of Arnold Schoenberg 1908-1923. New York, NY: Oxford University Press. 2000.
Wallace, Jake. Program note for Sheltering Sky, John Mackey. New Philadelphia, OH: Osti Music, Inc. 2012
Whitwell, David. The Wind band and the Wind Ensemble of the Classic Period (1750- 1800). Vol. 4. Northridge, CA: WINDS.
42 APPENDIX A: SCHOENBERG SCORES
Schoenberg, The Book of the Hanging Gardens, Op. 15 Movement 1
43
44
45
46 Schoenberg, The Book of the Hanging Gardens, Op. 15 Movement 4
47
48
49
50 Schoenberg, The Book of the Hanging Gardens, Op. 15 Movement 5
51
52 Schoenberg, The Book of the Hanging Gardens, Op. 15 Movement 10
53
54
55
56
57
58
59 APPENDIX B: Beethoven March in F
Beethoven March in F (WoO. 19) Ed: Jarrett
60
61
62
63
64
65
66
67
68 Appendix C: Beethoven Ecossaise
Beethoven, Écossaise (WoO. 22), Ed. Jarrett
69
70
71 Appendix D: Beethoven Polonaise
Beethoven Polonaise (WoO. 21), Ed. Jarrett
72
73
74
75
76
77
78
79 APPENDIX E: RECITAL PROGRAM
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7
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arr. Larry D.(b. 1939) Daehn Larry arr.
” Op. ” 15 ……… Ludwig Van Beethoven ……… Ludwig
trans. Arthur Frackenpohl (b. 1924) Arthur Frackenpohl trans. …………………… Program
Reception to follow to Reception
:
WoO. 23 arr. Jay Jarrett (b. 1987) Jay Jarrett WoO. 23 arr. WoO. 22 , WoO. 19
, ,
…………………………………………….John Mackey …………………………………...... Camille Saint …………………………………...... Camille mir im Harren im mir Marches for Military Band Marches for Military Blättergründen un brennen ich betracht Das Beet schöne
Saget Mir Saget Écossaise Polonaise F in March von dichten Schutz 1. Unterm sind reglos Lippen 4. Da meine 5. 10. The Book of the Hanging Gardens the of The Book “
of Triptych Themes from “Green Bushes” from Four Movements Sky Sheltering Pas Redoublé
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- ,
—
r 1810 excitement excitement both stand stand both
each each features a a features
es from new a creating was originally was originally in the yea the in Green Bushes d well it it d well
Lincolnshire Posy Lincolnshire an –
Polonaise, Polonaise,
the Turkish styling of styling Turkish the
March in F March in two musicians in 1921. in two musicians - strikes me as being a typical typical a as being me strikes Themes from “Green Bushes”
and the the and collecting the source material source the collecting . The . The
influence with their prominent use of prominent their with influence
from the English countryside from 1905 countryside English from the setting and rescored it for a slightly for slightly it a rescored and setting Écossaise Écossaise — Program Notes Program as three separate marches separate as three together. dancers side side folksongs in England, folksongsside England, in Green Bushes - - Throughout the process of creating the modern modern the process of the creating Throughout Janissary ce. ce. y updated the instruments used from the originals to to originals used from the instruments the y updated country
folksong, a type offolksong, downus to from type song a the come - cut lines… cut - Triptych of Marches for Military Band Marches for Military of Triptych cut lines” and “raciness” of the melodies comes through in in through comes of melodies “raciness” and the lines” cut ce these three pieces each showcase each pieces three these - band music. The The music. band n , The The composed originally Grainger Among country knownwas of best of one the folksongs manly its fresh its grace, raciness, its with be, to deserved clear da music, instrumental than rather when sung melodies, time the held While he would go on to set the folksong one more time, time, folksong more the one set would go on to he While risk arrangement by Larry Daehn. As the dance takes shape in in shape takes Asdance Daehn. the by Larry risk arrangement arranged for a modern band instrumentation in 2016. Gathered as 2016. Gathered in instrumentation band for modern a arranged
by Beethoven composed and triptych a Janissary names, same forms the sharing dance the around structured as having boldly out throughout cymbals and triangle the are that bass lines contrapuntal with tempo spritely pie the throughout as Beethoven of parts the integrity the maintain to I chose editions, simpl them, wrote to few respect a with doublings creating and counterparts modern their instrumentation. band modern the work1912 after in the premiered and of folksongrecordings the 1906. of his masterpiece movement last famously as the his original to back came he twenty of to twenty ensemble expanded his score: in folksong, writes on the Grainger Reminiscing “clear The b the com of melody the statement each nearly piece, this
*Principal
Bass Bass Trombone Anthony Colli Euphonium Robin Gin* Stamp Evan Tuba Angel Nazario Diego Patricio* Percussion Alonso Figueroa Preston Nowakowski Cameron O’Hanlon Anna Peloso* David Priore WahlEmerson
nd Ensemble nd Jarrett, conductor Jarrett, pkowitz, concert master concert pkowitz, M. Alto Saxophone Alto Andrews Caleb Tomo Downs* Saxophone Tenor Jason Samuels Baritone Saxophone Alec Olson Trumpet Francisco Richie GutierrezMichael Everett Kelly* Torres Joel Cameron Wilkins Horn French Beaty* Sam HaylettSarah Daniel Ward Wong Majesca Trombone Kitinoja* Zoe LaPorte Brigett Natalie Saralou Mr. Jay Recital Wi Recital
Mr. Julian Ya Mr. Julian
Hernandez
Flute & Flute Piccolo & Assaiante Armond Charlotte Betry* Shannon Canchola Orlando Jaime Anna Martone Oboe David Alyssa Peck* Bassoon Dawson*Tanner Clarinet Badgley Candis EscobarDemetrio LuxEthan Alec Macklin Julian Yapkowitz* Bass Clarinet Anthony Villa Anja Nichols Contrabass Clarinet Anja Nichols ______
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is felt felt
- is a is a Saëns and was Saëns and - , and fully believe I fully believe , and Sheltering Sky Sheltering
was originally composed composed was originally
hrase always seems to to seems always hrase und in preliminary preliminary und in gift, the purpose of the gift,
hands in 1887 with the intention intention the 1887 with hands in - en until the final note arrives. This This arrives. note final the until en y John Mackey in 2012, in y John Mackey Pablo Picasso Pablo
is comprised of three themes, each each themes, of three is comprised – c ke quality that transports the listener through through listener the transports that quality ke li - , composed b , composed Saëns layers both the second and third themes themes third and second the both Saëns layers , or “double quick step” quick , or “double - Sky
Saëns for four piano - tiful original composition for unfolds It an band. in composition original tiful inning almost imperceptibly and growing into a stirring stirring a growing into and imperceptibly almost inning ing into an energetic coda. coda. energetic an into ing Sheltering Sheltering Pas Redoublé your find is to life “The of meaning away” it give is to life was the first to inspire me to reach for dreams my reach to me first inspire was to the them. would catch beau stunningly form, beg arch conclusion. muted its into decays that crescendo heart and melodies folksongs of lyric simpler with reminiscent of music the evokes it composition original is an it while and meaning, of facet A of songscentral some Shenandoah). these (Danny Boy and howp one quality, unending is its music this is employed technique this has ended; one previous before the begin ev piece, the throughout by Mackey of chords used the language chromatic the with combined technique, vision a piece the gives depicts. music the moments the Saint by Camille (as fo arrangement band a of into reworking For composer). by the score original the in notations arrangement by Saint work this wascompleted reason, not whatever in later, 100 years almost by Arthur Frackenpohl completed instead 1972. musi exciting florid and This climactic a in culminates music The short interlude. by a separated Saint where moment lead together, nd
atonal atonal nd
king” the the king” favoring write in in write
dedicated to to dedicated the the
love that is that love the first workthe ly
that this this that — to a long tradition tradition long a to
the emotion is emotion the rrator, “spea rrator, Various solo piece introduced piece is loving Four Movements from: Four Movements gue. It was It gue. , Op.by 15 was composed of n addition Holzkamp. His encouragement His encouragement Holzkamp. e referred to as “ to referred e without a tonal center center tonal a without Op. 15 hauntingly beautiful, ethereal beautiful, hauntingly hat h hat
Donald Donald mance. It is my hope hope is my It mance.
tory oftory transformation is a setting of 15 poems by the German German of by the 15 poems setting is a Schoenberg would continue to to would continue Schoenberg
my arrangement arrangement my ting a whirr of variation and excitement that that excitement and whirr of a variation ting of a variety of ways throughout the remainder of his remainder of the ways throughout variety a se movements, the young man is discovering his is discovering young man the se movements, alto saxophone, oboe, flute, clarinet, trumpet, and and trumpet, clarinet, flute, oboe, saxophone, alto intermittently take on the role of role na on the take intermittently to the world. Using w the to
Hanging Gardens — — ement. For me, it represents a represents it For me, ement.
The Book of the Hanging Gardens the of The Book The shines throughout score of original Schoenberg’s beauty The premier This piece is my first formal venture into the mediums of composition of composition mediums the into first is my venture formal piece
et Stefan George that tell a s a tell that Stefan George et instrument voice, crea voice, instrument ending. virtuosic the up to leads as served 1909 and 1908 and years the between Arnold Schoenberg works his catalo in pivotal of most one the music wrote boldly Schoenberg where between equality the championed rather, and, harmonies consonant This consonant. and dissonant both harmonies composition of dissonance”, emancipation through style this life. po dying. then and blooming garden by a paralleled lost found then and position on their based for chosen were band arranged movements The ba the with compatibility as their as well of poetry arc the the in In the medium. four the throughout yet his love, surroundings contemplating and oflove. and frailty life both the at hints text the movements This arrang and famously ensemble an medium, for band masterworks of the adapting when considering truer is even This history. throughout neglected a medium, for band exist the few as very examples music, atonal worthy of fewer are even perfor joins ranks. those arrangement and band the in timbres of and voices variety the workband as this uses the instruments percussive the through elevated poems. of George music the the communicate to instruments euphonium the throughout of poetry music the moments. Hanging Gardens” the of “The Book of grandfather, my memory the
83 APPENDIX F: CURRICULUM VITAE Jay M. Jarrett 5424 Sepulveda Blvd. Apt. 206 Sherman Oaks, CA 91411 818-860-9015 [email protected] Education
M.M. Band/Wind Ensemble Conducting – California State University, Northridge, 2016 B.M. Trombone Performance – Northern Illinois University, 2009 B.M. Music Education – Northern Illinois University, 2009
Teaching Experience
Graduate Assistant, California State University, Northridge, 2014-16 • Responsible for administrative and managerial tasks for the band classes, as well as acting as the graduate assistant for the undergraduate conducting course.
Director of Bands, Golden Valley High School, 2012-2014 • Responsible for teaching Concert Band, Wind Ensemble, Beginning Band, Marching Band, Percussion (Drumline), Colorguard, Jazz Band, Rock and Roll History courses. Established Jazz program on campus. Received “Excellent” and “Superior” ratings and district festival
Director of Music, Kern Valley High School, 2010-2012 • Responsible for teaching Beginning Band, Advanced Band, Choirs, Beginning Percussion, Advanced Percussion, and establishing and teaching the Marching Band. Grew program from 130 to 180 students in one year.
Awards
Phi Kappa Lambda (National Music Honors Society) 2016 Graduated “With Distinction,” Cal State University, Northridge, 2016 Graduate Assistantship Position (Cal State University, Northridge) 2014-16 “Outstanding Graduate Student” Award, Cal State University, Northridge 2015, 2016 Graduated Cum Laude, Northern Illinois University, 2009
Affiliations
Member of National Association for Music Education (NAfME) Member of California Music Educators Association (CMEA) Member of California Band Directors Association (CBDA) Member of Southern Cal. School Band and Orchestra Association (SCSBOA) Member of College Band Directors National Association (CBDNA) Member of California Orchestra Directors Association (CODA) Member of California Alliance for Jazz (CAJ)
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