In the woods

As we get ready to wrap up the 2017-2018 academic year, I am quickly turning my attention to the activities of the summer.  This one will be interesting for me as it is the first summer in over a decade that I haven't filled up with summer camps and a great deal of teaching.  This summer, instead, will be full of family activities and taking a bit more time for me.  I am looking forward to attending my son's baseball games, hanging out with my wife, and organizing a few family outings and trips.   In addition, I will have some time to do things that I haven't done in many years. One of those activities is mountain biking. I used to spend a lot of time on the trails (and on the roads), but in recent years I've gotten away from it a bit.  Life, work, and general busy schedules and taken over and cycling is one of the activities that took a hit.

This summer, I intend to get on my bike and out in the woods and as many days as possible. I was out for a ride last weekend couldn't help but think how my whole system changes when I am in the woods. I am fed by sounds of the forest in the morning, the various shades of light throughout the day, and the way my mind and body seem to relax when I am there.  I think that some of this is due to my childhood camping trips and great memories that I have of being in the woods, camping with my family.  I am reinvigorated by the woods. I am inspired by the woods. 

As I was out of the woods on a recent ride, I couldn't help but think how Beethoven and Mahler we're both impacted by their time spent in the woods.  Both composers found inspiration in nature.   The Project Gutenberg EBook of Beethoven:the Man and the Artist, by Ludwig van Beethoven, Edited by Friedrich Kerst andHenry Edward Krehbiel, states,

"Beethoven was a true son of the Rhine in his love for nature. As a boy he had taken extended trips, sometimes occupying days, with his father “through the Rhenish localities ever-lastingly dear to me.” In his days of physical health Nature was his instructress in art; “I may not come without my banner,” he used to say when he set out upon his wanderings even in his latest years, and never without his notebooks. In the scenes of nature he found his marvelous motives and themes; brook, birds and tree sang to him. In a few special cases he has himself recorded the fact."

As I pulled out of the woods on a recent ride, I thought of this Beethoven quote: “How happy I am to be able to wander among bushes and herbs, under trees and over rocks; no man can love the country as I love it. Woods, trees and rocks send back the echo that man desires.”  I felt like in some way, he was affirming my need to be there on that day. 

In recent years, I have become more and more interested in the symphonies of Mahler and have learned that he, too, was highly impacted by nature.  Mahler would spend his summers on retreat away from the city, away from his usual conducting duties, composing his great symphonies.  In many ways, his time with nature reminded him of his childhood and brought him a similar calm and inspiration.  The sounds of nature were the sounds of a symphony orchestra.  He, as composer, was the conduit between nature and the audience.  “My music is always the voice of nature sounding in tone…” The phrase "Wie ein Naturlaut" was written over the first bars of his Symphony No 1. This can be translated "as if spoken by nature".  As one listens to the opening of the First Symphony, they can hear the sustained octaves representing the awakening of nature and the descending 4th sounding like birds calling as the forest wakes up.  The sounds are not those of man, but those of the world around us.

Our upstairs air condition went out of service a couple of weeks ago and we are waiting for a new one to be installed in a couple of weeks.  We are fortunate that is is not too hot yet in North Carolina, especially at night.  We have been sleeping with the windows open and fans running since the unit broke down.  One happy result of the broken AC unit (And trust me, there aren't many!) is the opportunity to hear the sounds of the night with the windows open. Our back yard is full of activity throughout the night and the sounds are spectacular.  There is so much activity.  If find the sounds to be calming when I wake up in the middle of the night.  Again, it reminds me of childhood camping trips and wonderful times spent in the woods and around nature.  We should all sleep with our windows open more!

I am really looking forward to experiencing "Wie ein Naturlaut" on a daily basis this summer while on my bike in the woods.  I find it inspiring.  I find it rejuvenating. I find it sustaining.  As Beethoven said, “Nature is a glorious school for the heart! It is well; I shall be a scholar in this school and bring an eager heart to her instruction."  

And you thought I was just going to be riding a bike!

Peace.

Scott

Just Listen

Just listen. I t seems like a pretty simple thing to ask of a group of young orchestral musicians.

But when you think about it we're really asking an awful lot of these young folks in a large ensemble setting. We are asking them to read and interpret the written page. We want them to utilize their knowledge of key signatures, tonal center, and intonation to play in tune and to make pitch adjustments at all times. We want them to play musically and think about the direction of musical line. We want them to interpret the gestures of the conductor and follow them every step of the way. We want them to move freely and express the sound and feel of the music in a visual way as well. We want them to interpret the rhythms represented on the written page and play them together in unison.  All of this is done while in an uncomfortable suit under really hot lights in front of an audience.   You get the point. We are asking an awful lot of student orchestral musicians. But, so often I am compelled to say "Just Listen."

 At its core,  listening is absolutely crucial. It seems like a simple thing to say and perhaps it even seems like a simple thing to do. After all, they are making sound. And, why would they do it if it weren't listening?  Of course they are listening. But, do our students really know what to listen for and how to react to the things they are hearing? These might be the larger questions.

In recent weeks I have been compelled to consider what I am asking students to listen for. In other words, I am trying to be very specific regarding cues that they may hear that will help them with rhythmic accuracy, tonal accuracy, and musical interpretation. I believe that good listening needs to become a habit in student musicians. The only way that good habits will develop, is for us, the instructors, to provide students with solid cues that lead to appropriate reactions by the players. When a student musician has success in following these new-found habits, they will be more compelled to incorporate those habits into their everyday playing life.

Let me give you an example. Today, I was involved in a performance of the final movement of Beethoven's 5th Symphony. At the beginning of the final Allegro, which is in 2 beats per measure, there is a dotted half note. The violins were leaving that half note way too early, getting to the next measure easily a 16th value early if not more, and causing a real rhythmic problem. Simply asking the students not to rush that note, was an ineffective request to make. It really didn't yield any better results. However, when the students were asked to listen to the inner rhythm of the viola's 16th notes, they then had something meaningful to listen to that provided much needed information. Now on that passage, when the students are asked to just listen, they know what to listen for and can react appropriately with the knowledge that by listening, the passage will stay together.

I'm convinced that there are so many times in all repertoire that students want to know what to listen for, but are simply unsure. We as directors, must be very specific in providing suggestions for appropriate listening in the context of an orchestral rehearsal. Our students have so many things to think about when playing. Specific instruction will really clarify the process.

Let me give another example. Today, I was conducting Convergence by Carold Nunez. This is a really cool piece of music that I've programmed many times over the years. Most notably, it has a dance-like 7/8 section in the middle that can be really tricky for the second violins and violas. Throughout the course of rehearsals this week and the students really fought to avoid rushing. The two sections have the eighth, quarter, and dotted quarter notes passages that must lineup between sections. At some point during rehearsals I decided to stop conducting to really forced the students to listen, not only to their own section, but also to the sections around them.  Through this exercise, the second violins came to realize that, if they listened to the 1/8 note passage in the violas, the inner rhythm during their dotted quarter notes, they would much more accurately place the next pulse of this complex rhythm. In fact, during the performance today, at that spot in the piece, I stopped conducting so that the students would "just listen."  The technique was effective. The students knew what to listen for. And the passage was very successful.

Simple, right? Just listen. Well, no. Not really. I would encourage you to think about ways that you might encourage your students to listen more effectively. Find passages in your repertoire where the students can receive meaningful information from another section and incorporate it into their effective performance. Find spots in the repertoire where you can stop conducting and place more value on the skill of listening. It is actually very liberating for a conductor. It takes a great deal of the responsibility off of the stick and places it more squarely in the ears of the musician playing the part. Another way that one might consider this is that it's really the chamber ensemble approach to orchestral music. Again, I think the real skill is knowing when to lift one's listening attention more specifically to another section, knowing what to listen for, and knowing how to react to the things that one hears.

 Obviously, sometimes it is way more important that each musician watches the conductor. So, students need to know when the most important information is visual, and when the most important information is aural. They also need to know when they are giving the information to some other section to listen for. That, too, is an important piece of knowledge for every musician to have. When that is the case,  the section with the passage that is providing information to the other section may more effectively point that information out.

Finally, I would point out that, quite often it is the rock and jazz musicians that are the real pros at just listening. They are the ones that don't have as much information written down in front of them. As a result, they are less likely to get so tied to the note reading aspect of music making. They are more likely to just listen (and react) in an ensemble setting. We, as orchestral musicians, could stand to learn a great deal from our friends in the jazz and rock world.

So there are some thoughts on the art of just listening. I hope that this provides some new insights for you or perhaps gets you thinking about listening on a little different level. I challenge you to encourage your students to listen this week. And also challenge you to think about how would you might specifically direct your students to listen. You might also consider putting down your stick in certain passages of a piece and force your ensemble to find the important information in other areas of the ensemble and to find the places where they are providing the important information.

I know that the students in the ensemble I conducted this weekend can all honestly say that they were encouraged to just listen. And, they really gave an effective performance that demonstrated their understanding of the skill of listening. I wish you the same success in coming weeks and months.

Peace.

Scott

Jorja Fleezanis Violin Recital

On Tuesday, July 19, I attended a wonderful violin recital given by Jorja Fleezanis, accompanied by Karl Paulnack, at the Dendrinos Chapel and Recital Hall on the Interlochen Campus. Ms. Fleezanis is professor of music for the Jacobs School of Music at Indiana University and was formerly the concertmaster of the Minnesota Orchestra from 1989-2009. Mr Paulnack is a sought-after accompanist and performer with a resume much too long to list here.

 

The program included the Dvorak Romance, Op. 11, The Fountain of Arethusa, Op 30, No 1, by Szymanowski, Bartok's Sonata No. 2 , and, most notably, Beethoven's Sonata in G Major, Op 96. The entire program was fantastic! Ms. Fleezanis performed each piece with passion, depth, and artistic understanding. The Szymanowski, for me, was really cool. It provided an emotional rollercoaster that told the story of Arethusa through music and the interpretation was fantastic. But, as she began her performance of the Beethoven, I knew we were in for something special. Something prompted me to re-read her bio at the beginning of the work and I saw that she had recorded the complete Beethoven Violin Sonatas on Cypres Records with fortepianist, Cyril Huve, in 2003. It was simply magical. The depth of understanding and interpretation of this great work was palpable. She had such a clear vision of the work and its ups and downs, phrases, conversations, and direction. It was simply stunning and I was gripped from beginning to end of the work.

 

If you get a chance to see her in recital or pick up the recording of the Beethoven Sonatas, I high recommend that you do so! You will not be disappointed!

 

Peace,

Scott

 

NCSSM Orchestra Beethoven V, Blacknall Performance

This is the video of another performance of the same work, Beethoven's Symphony No V. It is also from February, 2009. This is the NC School of Science and Math Symphony Orchestra. Enjoy!!

Beethoven V, Mvt s 1 and 2, NCSSM Orchestra

Enjoy these videos of Beethoven's Symphony No 5, Mvts 1 and 2. This performance is at the NC School of Science and Math in February, 2009. I am the conductor.

It has been a couple of very busy weeks at NCSSM. We had spring break 2 weeks ago and last week were very busy getting back into the swing of things in preparation for the last month of school.

Beethoven Symphony No. 5

Tonight, my orchestra was rehearsing Symphony No. 5, by Beethoven. What a gas! I love conducting Beethoven. I really can't think of anything better. His passion and fire are evident every time I jump into his music as a player, listener, or conductor. I am privileged to participate in it.

I just love it when a student group begins to feel the emotion of a work. That happened tonight. The moment was near the end of the 1st movement when the strings play a unison half note, tied to an eighth and then three separate eighths. This pattern repeats several times. We spent a few minutes going over the correct bow placement and bow-lifting routine and then put it together. I explained that the tied eighth really sounds like a rest. It was fantastic to see their reaction when they heard it really work. And, you could see it in the faces of the wind section as well. They knew it, too! For the rest of rehearsal, they just got it. I'd like to take some credit for it, but I can't. It is the magic of Beethoven, the power and passion of Beethoven.

This performance can't come soon enough. I just can't wait.

I had a busy day today and am glad it ended with this!

Peace.
Scott