DOCTOR OF MUSICAL ARTS PERFORMANCE PORTFOLIO ...

of an orchestral conductor, because on parade, the
j; nusicians have to be able to see the baton.
UNDERSTANDING TIEIE ENSEMBLE
It is of the utmost importance that the conductor
understands the ensemble. Spending quality time studying
each group of instruments and ideally studying the
instruments in each group can achieve this. Even more
important, however, is experience of playing a musical
instrument The conductor will then start to appreciate the
idiosyncrasies of the instruments in the ensemble. All
military conductors can learn to play all instruments in the
wind ensemble at least as far as being able to command all
major and minor scales, a short piece and transposing up
or down a tone (this last exercise being traditional and of
perhaps questionable value compared with the basic
technical necessities).
Scherýhen devotes a considerable portion of his book to
the science of the orchestra, which underlines the
importance of having an intimate knowledge of the
winstruments; that fall under the conductor's baton. The
military model, of course, takes this to its limit by
examining each student-conductor on each instrument of
the wind orchestra. The difficult area here is not so much
technique, but the ability to produce adequate tonal quality
on any wind instrument, given the short period of time that
a conductor would have available to practice. Scherchen
writes that; it is indispensable that the student should play
a string instrument well enough to be able to sit in the
orchestra.. He [sic] ought also to learn how to play a wind
instrument and avail himself [sic] of opportunities of
playing percussion. The percussion has steadily been
growing more differentiated and greater specialisation is
required as regards each of the instruments it may include.
In music of today, it often predominates at times and may
even determine the character of a whole movement. It is,
then, all the more appalling that many conductors (some of
them famous) should be so lacking in experience and
1"' IM agination in their attitude towards the possibilities of
this group. Some kind of practical study of
instrumentation on the lines set by Berlioz - Strauss
treatise is recommended. Let the student apply for help to
the principals of each group of instruments, go through
works with them and be thoroughly shown all novel
features and all special virtuoso effects, which each part
may include.
No longer can a conductor face an orchestra with hardly a
theoretical knowledge of its instruments and their
technique. He (sic] must have mastered their possibilities
with his (sic] own hands, andý by virtue of his (sic) power
of imagination, be capable of animating, stimulating and
offering practical suggestions for the accomplishment of
that which is alive within his own imagination (120
-
121).
THREE DISTINCT PURPOSES
The most primitive way of 'conducting' consists in merely
94? eating time. This may be done be audible counting or
marking the beats to ensure that players will keep together.
As the art of conducting progressed, visible representation
(276)
of the metrical course replaced the audible guidance ana
the perfect synchronism of the players which had once
been the only reason for 6onducting has now come to be
taken for granted.
"In conducting, a variety of artistic activities are united
and two opposite facets of genius are brought to bear - on
the one hand the pure conception of musical works
originating in the conductor's inner perception and
intuition - on the other hand the critical and discerning
watchfulness which has. to mould the playing to this
conception". (Scherchen: 151).
SPECULISTS IN THEIR OWN FIELD
Military music aspires to the same goals as Scherchen in
that there are three distinct purposes in conducting. The
stylistic development maybe different in order to suit the
state arena, but the education and training required
achieving utopia in conducting is the same. It has been
said that military conductors have additional constraints
placed on them in the state arena: however, one should
look first at the varying concerns and difficulties of
conductors in pit orchestras, ballet and opera before
making a special case for the military. They are specialists
in their own field and learn to deal with the peculiar
nuances of their chosen specialisation in the art of
conducting. Let us finally consider the case of the military
conductor who is standing to attention waiting for Her
Majesty the Queen to arrive at the saluting dais. The
conductor must conclude the National Anthem when the
Queen's carriage arrives at the dais and to ensure this the
conductor must have worked out a point on the route of
the carriage to start conducting the Anthem (with the
conductor's back to the ensemble), which is a matter of
time over distance. This may seem to be peculiar to the
military, but it is similar in important respects to waiting
for a cue on any London stage.
A final word from Scherchen: "How does one learn to
conduct? The current answer is usually by acquiring a
routine, which means, by being let loose without technical
knowledge on works, orchestra and audience, in order to
acquire through 'experience' in the course of long years of
anti-artistic barbarity, the tricks of the trade". The
impression may be given that there is no other course. I
would argue, however, that today there is an alternative to
be found in our colleges and universities and especially for
training military conductors, The Royal Military School of
Music, Kneller Hall.
References:
Scherchen. H. (1929). Handbook of Conducting.
Oxford University Press
Adkins. IL (1943). Treatise on the Afilita? y Band
Boosey & Co. Ltd
McElheran. B. (1996). Conducting Technique
Oxford University Press
Major Graham Jones MBE
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