In some ways, choirs and orchestras are natural collaborators - but we can sometimes have trouble speaking each other's language. This clinic offers suggestions for choir directors dealing with issues such as contracting, part ordering and preparation, rehearsal planning, ensemble seating, and the conducting gestures and directives most useful for both ensembles.
You came down from your throne and stood at my cottage door. I was singing all alone in a corner, and the melody caught your ear. You came down and stood at my cottage door. Masters are many in your hall, and songs are sung there at all hours. But the simple carol of this novice struck at your love. One plaintive little strain mingled with the great music of the world, and with a flower for a prize you came down and stopped at my cottage door.
Full Score Instrumentation 3:1 Ratio of singers:instrumentalists, strings:winds In the strings, 1 is better than 2 Budget and space concerns Availability and cost of music Check the score [orchestralmusic.com] Rental issues Number of performances Size of venue Admission Nature of the performing ensemble Performance of the full work, or partial Rental period String Count: 1 st violins, 2 nd violins, violas, cellos, double basses
Plan to rehearse with the orchestra separately Bowing changes, transitions, etc. can be worked out If not possible, be sure your first comments are to the orchestra Include time in the venue prior to rehearsals and performances for the orchestra to warm-up Part preparation Meet with concertmaster one month in advance of first rehearsal Distribute parts to players at least two weeks prior to first rehearsal
Get a contractor Contracting is a very time consuming task Let them handle problems at the worst times Get a concertmaster Field Marshal of the orchestra Bowings Establishes common bow stroke for the strings
Exact dates and times Venue Attire Compensation Complimentary tickets Recordings Mileage Portage Listing in the program Performance order - instrumentation
Listing In score order (mostly); band is different Woodwinds brass percussion & keyboard strings 2 2 2 4 4 2 3 1 tmp+1 str 2 flutes 2 oboes 2 clarinets 4 bassoons 4 horns 2 trumpets 3 trombones 1 tuba Timpani plus one additional player Strings
Extended families 2+1 = 3 players [i.e. 2 flutes, one piccolo] 2* = 2 players, 1 doubling [2 flutes, one doubles piccolo] Secondary instruments Flute Piccolo Oboe English horn Clarinet Bass clarinet Bassoon Contra bassoon
2+1 2 2 2 4 2 3 1 tmp str
2+1 2 2 4 4 4 3 1 tmp str
Transpositions Clarinet in Bb, A Horn in anything Changes within the work Changes within the section Trumpet in Bb, A, C, F Piccolo and double bass 8ves Assistants for brass principals
Obtaining the parts Borrow Rent IMSLP.org (instrumental equivalent of CPDL) Free Library of Philadelphia (www.freelibrary.org) Purchase Commission Match editions and numbering system between full score, vocal scores, and orchestra parts
Seating Hierarchy principal players Traditional seating Example 1 Logical groups Instrument families Example 2 and 3 The battery Example 4 and excerpt Strings 2 to a stand (except basses) Alternative seating Pit playing, musicals, operas Example 5
Example 1
Bowings establish consistent articulation/diction for the string musicians Placed in parts before distribution Pre-existing bowings (Starting clean is timeconsuming) Meet with concertmaster in advance Bowed parts passed down through the string principals highest to lowest Can/will change in rehearsal
Work from the full score Define every term in the score (http://www.dolmetsch.com/index.htm) Chart multi-movement works Acknowledge instrument changes in your score Plan first rehearsals using instrumentation from largest to smallest Post/distribute call times for multi-work rehearsals Dress rehearsal runs from top to bottom without a stop: percussion, instrument changes, brass endurance Include breaks: 15 minutes for 2.5 hours; 20 minutes for 3 hours
Speak first to the orchestra Speak towards a musical concept Darker/lighter, separate/connected, Vibrato/straight tone, full tone/thin sound, etc. Sing! Use your voice to demonstrate Don t major in the minors they can fix obvious mistakes Connect the musicians by identifying their role; who are they in league with, are they primary or secondary material, etc. Direct their listening.
Leave the technical decisions to the specialists Welcome requests, ask for demonstration if necessary Bow stroke; on the string/off the string continuum Bow distribution, bow rotation, bow speed, bow weight Sound point/lanes: sul ponticello/sul tasto Shifts, mutes, etc. Ask questions of your own Be as specific as possible Use your voice or other models
Rhythmic alignment Start bows on the string Pizzicato Most immediate sound, tends to rush Tone matters; play melodically, with vibrato Balance issue: lower strings ring more freely/loudly Gestures Breath and bow connection Acknowledge every beat: minimize but don t stop Conduct to the back of the string sections Cue entrances after long periods of rest (chart) Small gestures for small bows
Warm-up time before rehearsal and performance Concertmaster Separate entrance and bow Tuning Standing signal, silence Takes the A from principal oboe, cellist, or keyboard A for winds (woodwinds, then brass), then strings Shake hands Acknowledging soloists, standing the orchestra Compensation at performance
West Texas A&M University mbartley@wtamu.edu 806-651-2830 Amarillo Symphony mark@amarillosymphony.org