CHAPTER 3 Becoming a Musically Aware Concertgoer What is in the Printed Program? Program booklets or sheets contain useful information to help you follow along and enjoy the performance. You'll find the names of performers and soloists, the conductor, an overview of the music that will be played, and usually some interesting tidbits about the works and the composer. Both recital and concert programs featuring one or more soloists may include biographical information. Concert Overview You'll probably notice many people in the audience who keep the program open to the overview during the performance. If you look at the overview page shown below for the London Symphony Orchestra, you'll see why. This overview lists the composer and title of each work and its key or tonality. For the four multi-movement works, each movement is designated by its tempo. On some programs, movements may also be numbered. Three of these works have a catalog designation. The date of composition is in parentheses. Two works include the name of the soloist. LONDON SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA MICHAEL TILSON THOMAS, Conductor LUDWIG VAN BEETHOVEN Symphony No. 5 inc minor, Op. 68 (1808) Allegro con brio Andante con moto Allegro, leading into Allegro WOLFGANG AMADEUS MOZART Concerto in A Major for Clarinet and Orchestra, K. 622 (1791) Allegro Adagio Rondo: Allegro Franz Hoeprich, Clarinet Soloist Intermission PETER ILYICH TCHAIKOVSKY Symphony No. 4 inf minor, Op. 36 (1877) Andante sostenuto; Moderato con anima Andantino in modo di canzona Scherzo: Pizzicato ostinato Allegro con fuoco GEORGE GERSHWIN Concerto in F Major for Piano and Orchestra (1925) Allegro Andante con moto Allegro con brio Michael Tilson Thomas, Piano Soloist/Conductor
~~~~1~ ~22 ~ CHAPTER 3 Becoming a Musically Aware Concertgoer Music library Lai mute Druskis I Pearson Education I PH College Key or Tonality The first work on the London Symphony program is Symphony No. 5 inc minor by Ludwig van Beethoven. The term c minor is the key or tonality of the symphony. Knowing the key is interesting, but the information is important mainly to musicians. Date of Composition Knowing when a work was composed helps listeners place it in the context of history and within events in the composer's lifetime. Beethoven had lost most of his hearing by the time he wrote Symphony No. 5. Napoleon was Emperor of France, and his armies were victorious throughout Europe. Cataloguing Systems On the London Symphony program, notice numbers following the Op. and K. markings. These are catalog designations for composers' works, usually in chronological order. Op. stands for Opus, the Latin word for "work." Most composers kept track of their works and assigned opus numbers. Mozart, however, was too busy performing and composing. After he died, Ludwig von Kochel catalogued his works. K. is for Kochel. Table 3.1 lists the most commonly used designations: Table 3.1 Music Catalog Designations Composer Designation Cataloguer Bach, J.S. BWV (for "Bach-Werke Wolfgang Schmieder: Them- Verzeichnis") atischsystematisches Verzeichnis der musikalischen Werke von Johann Sebastian Bach Haydn H. or Hob. A. von Hoboken Mozart K. Ludwig von Kochel Schubert D. 0. E. Deutsch Vivaldi R. or P. Peter Ryom
~ CHAPTER 3 Becoming a Musically Aware Concertgoer Tempo and Expression Terms Listed under each piece on the London Symphony program are some Italian terms that indicate the tempo for each movement or large section of a work. Once you understand tempo terms and descriptions, you'll be able to follow the music and understand the program. Between movements there is usually a short pause. Gershwin's Concerto in F, has three terms: Allegro Andante con moto Allegro con brio Gershwin wanted the first movement of the concerto to be played Allegro, meaning "lively or fast." He indicated Andante con moto for the second movement. Andante means "slow to moderate walking tempo" and con moto, "with movement." Allegro con brio for the third movement means "fast, lively with spirit." Table 3.2 lists Italian terms you will commonly find in concert programs: 1 Table 3.2 Common Terms for Tempo and Expression Tempo Indications (from slow to fast) grave extremely slowly and solemnly (grah-vay) largo very slowly, broadly (lar-goh) lento slow (len-toh) adagio slowly, leisurely (ah-dah-gee-oh) andante slow to moderate walking pace (ahn-dahn-tay) moderato moderate (mah-der-ah-toh) allegretto moderately fast (ah-leh-greh-toh) allegro fast, lively (ah-/eh-groh) vivace very fast (vee-vah-chay) presto very fast (press-toh) prestissimo as fast as possible (press-tee-see-moh) Terms Often Used to further Describe Tempos agitato agitated (ah-gee-tah-toh) animato animated (ah-nee-mah-toh) cantabile singing style (con-tah-bee-lay) con brio with spirit (cohn-bree-oh) con fuoco with fire (cohn-fwoh-coh) con moto with movement (con-moh-toh) eor ed. and (eh or ehd) espressivo expressively (es-preh-see-voh) grazioso gracefully (grah-tzee-oh-soh) ma but (mah) ma non troppo but not too much (mah-nohn-troh-poh) maestoso majestically (my-stoh-soh) meno less (may-noh) molto very, much (moh/-toh)
~~~~IR~~~6 CHAPTER 3 Becoming a Musically Aware Concertgoer Table 3.2 (Continued) piu more (pyoo) po co little {poh-coh) pocoa poco little by little, gradually (poh-coh-ah-poh-coh) sostenuto sustained (sohs-teh-noo-toh) Terms Indicating Changes of Tempo accelerando quickening (ah-cheh-lehr-ahn-doh) ritardando slowing (ree-tar-dahn-doh) rallentando gradual slowing (rah 1-en-tahn-doh) rubato deliberate unsteady tempo (roo-bah-toh) Terms for loudness levels (from soft to loud) Abbreviation Italian Term English Meaning pp orppp pianissimo very soft (pee-ah-nee-see-moh) p piano soft (pee-ah-noh) mp mezzopiano moderately soft (meh-tzo-pee-ah-noh) mf mezzoforte moderately loud (meh-tzo-for-tay) f forte loud (for-tay) ff or fff fortissimo very loud (for-tee-see-moh) Terms for Changes in loudness crescendo becoming louder (creh-shen-doh) decrescendo becoming softer (deh-creh-shen-doh) or diminuendo becoming softer (dim-in-yoo-ehn-doh) Other Commonly Used Performance Terms a cappella choir or voices without accompaniment (ah-cah-peh-lah) glissando slide from pitch to pitch (g lee-sahn-doh) legato connected, smoothly (leh-gah-toh) pizzicato plucked strings, usually done with player's finger (pih-tzih-cah-toh) staccato detached, separated tones (stuh-kah-toh) tremolo rapid repetitions of a tone or chord (treh-moh-loh) vibrato pulsating tones for expressiveness (vih-brah-toh) What Concert Traditions Do I Need to Know About? Like every activity that brings people together, music has developed formalities and traditions over hundreds of years. Similar traditions exist in other areas, such as sports. In golf and tennis, for example, the crowd is quiet while a player addresses the ball or prepares to serve. And in football, soccer, and boxing, the fans cheer whenever they feel like it.
CHAPTER 3 Becoming a Musically Aware Concertgoer _2_, '--_ Symphony and Chamber Orchestra Procedures Warm Up Before the concert, performers randomly enter and take their seats. Players warm up individually, checking the condition of their instruments and adjusting reeds, mouthpieces, bows, strings, and drumheads. Concertmaster The concertmaster usually is the last orchestra member to enter the stage. As the conductor's assistant, especially in musical matters, the concertmaster sits at the front of the violin section closest to the conductor. Tuning Before the conductor enters, the concertmaster signals the oboe to sound the traditional tuning pitch "A." The placement of the oboe in the center of the orchestra and its unique tone make it especially effective as a tuning instrument. If a work is a piano solo, the instrument is moved out to the center of the stage between the audience and the conductor, and the concertmaster sounds the tuning "A" on the piano. Entrances and Exits of the Conductor and Soloists Featured soloists usually enter and exit the stage just ahead of the conductor. If a piece of music does not call for a soloist, then the conductor enters the stage when the players are ready, greets the performers and the audience, mounts a podium, faces the orchestra, raises his or her arms (with or without a baton), and signals the down beat for the start of the music. When Should I Applaud? Here is the basic guideline: When in 'douht, wait until nw.1t of the audience applau'd.1. Unless you know the music well, avoid rushing to applaud, no matter how moved you are. You will find differences in when to applaud with each type of music. An audience at an opera performance
CHAPTER 3 Becoming a Musically Aware Concertgoer During an opera, the audience usually applauds after an aria. However, during an instrumental performance a few people are likely to applaud at inappropriate times. For example, applauding during the pause between movements of a symphony breaks the continuity of the entire piece. Save yourself embarrassment by checking the printed program for the number of movements. A brief summary of appropriate times to applaud follows: Symphony Orchestra, Chamber Orchestra, and Chamber Ensemble Concerts the concertmaster (first violinist) enters the stage from the wings the conductor enters from the wings a soloist or soloists enter from the wings the orchestra concludes an entire piece-symphony, concerto, overture, and so on the conductor acknowledges key players, who usually stand the conductor signals the orchestra to stand the conductor or soloist returns to the stage Large, Mixed-Media Productions: Opera, Broadway Musicals, Ballets, Oratorios 111 the conductor enters the stage or orchestra pit the curtain rises on the stage and set (except for very serious works-use previous guideline) the star or stars enter a powerful song, aria, or ballet display concludes (use previous guideline) the curtain comes down the soloist, conductor, or composer returns to the stage following a performance Sejii Ozawa What Is the Conductor's Role? As you watch a conductor during a performance, you might get the impression that setting the tempo and beating time are the conductor's main functions. They are not. Almost any member of the orchestra can do those things. As important as beating time is, interpreting the music is more important. Coordinating the ensemble's performance and interpreting the music are the conductor's most important responsibilities. The conductor's downbeat coordinates the start of the performance and sets the tempo, with the orchestra or chorus following and watching for changes. To understand how conductors convey interpretation, you would have to attend a rehearsal or be on stage and watch how they use their hands, face, and body to urge musicians to play louder or softer, more forcefully or heroically, more smoothly or tenderly. Public television stations regularly broadcast symphony orchestra concerts. Camera close-ups of the conductor's face help reveal the interpretative process.,, A soloist adds another dimension to the conductor's work, because the orchestra accompaniment must be coordinated with the,...--.,
CHAPTER 3 Becoming a Musically Aware Concertgoer soloist's part. If, for instance, the soloist drags the tempo in a certain passage and speeds up in another, the conductor must inspire the entire orchestra to follow. Maintaining the balance between soloist and ensemble ensures that the soloist will be heard above the other instruments. The Conductor As Music Scholar It takes a lifetime of study for a conductor to learn the great body of music for symphony orchestra, chorus, ballet, or opera. Guiding an ensemble is demanding: A conductor must research various resources and examine writings about the music. Even a composer's note to a colleague can be informative. Why Do Some Conductors Use a Baton or Stick? If you think of the baton as an extension of the conductor's arm, you will understand why the conductor uses one. Players in all parts of the ensemble can see the conductor's beats more clearly. Using the baton to execute patterns maximizes visibility and reduces exertion. In the past, conductors used other objects-rolled-up music, a violin bow, a cane-but none was as effective as the white baton. In the seventeenth century, the composer and conductor Jean-Baptiste Lully pounded beats on the floorwith a wooden staff. During one performance, the story goes, he smashed the staff into his foot, which became infected. Lully died of complications, a victim of his own enthusiasm. How Do Conductors Communicate? Most conductors use standard conducting patterns that are universally recognized by classically trained musicians and even by many folk and popular music performers. This communication is one example of how music performance transcends geographic boundaries. Getting Ready to Play The conductor mounts the podium, waits until everyone in the orchestra is ready to perform, then raises his or her arms in the "ready" position. Downbeat The downbeat is the first beat of any pattern. The conductor moves the baton down from the ready position to somewhere near the front of the waist. When the baton reaches bottom and begins to move upward, the downbeat is complete, and the performers begin to play. Standard Conducting Patterns The standard conducting patterns are illustrated at right. The meter, or grouping of beats in the music, determines the pattern. Most music is grouped in recurring patterns-usually two, three, or four. Used less frequently are patterns of five or six beats. Conducting Activity Practice the standard conducting patterns for two, three, and four beats as shown. Then conduct the music on the recording accompanying this text. ONE BEAT 1Jl 1 1 THREE BEATS 1 3 ' TWO BEATS. \.'/ ) FOUR BEATS..,/ (~.,!.., 1 4 3 FIVE BEATS (3 +2) (2+ 3) l 2 1 6 4 5 SIX BEATS Drawing of standard conducting patterns
- I 30 CHAPTER 3 Becoming a Musically Aware Concertgoer Here are some suggested selections: The Two Pattern CD Disc 1, Track 10 CD Disc 1, Track 13 CD Disc 3, Track 2 The Three Pattern CD Disc 1, Track 15 CD Disc 1, Track 19 CD Disc 1, Track 4 The Four Pattern CD Disc 1, Track 9 Bach, Brandenburg Concerto No. 2, Third Movement: moderately fast tempo Mozart, Horn Concerto No. 2, Third Movement: fast tempo Copland, "Hoe Down" from Rodeo: very fast Bach, Cantata No. 140, opening chorus: moderate tempo Haydn, Symphony No. 94, Third Movement: moderate tempo Handel, "For Unto Us a Child Is Born" from Messiah: moderate tempo Vivaldi, The Four Seasons Op. 8, No. 1, "Spring," first movement Conductor's Left Hand Indications Expression The conductor's left hand indicates expression. For example, if the trumpets enter too loudly, the conductor, often looking like a police officer halting traffic, motions them to play more softly. Urging the violins to play louder, the conductor might use another left-hand signal. Cueing The left hand also signals a performer or section to play. Imagine a cymbal player who has been following the music for fifteen minutes, waiting for his or her part. The conductor's cue increases the player's confidence that the crash of the cymbals will occur at the right moment-and will avoid an embarrassing situation! John Williams conducting the San Francisco Symphony. CHALLENGE YOUR EXPERTISE During the performance of a symphony, what should you do if most of the audience begins to applaud at the "wrong" time? When is a piano instead of an oboe used to "tune" an orchestra?