Music - Orchestra Rehearsal

REHEARSAL   

Rehearsals that occur early in the production process are sometimes referred to as run-throughs ... primarily used to assist performers in learning dialogue and to solidify aspects of blocking and stage movement.

For works that present a particular challenge for certain sections, orchestras may have section rehearsals or sectionals in which a section of the orchestra rehearse on their own under the direction of the Principal player in the section, or, in some cases, also with the conductor.

Prior to rehearsing a concerto with an orchestra, 

a soloist will rehearse it 

with a pianist substituting for the entire orchestra
 (thus, two pianists in the case of piano concerto).

A professional ensemble rehearses a piece in order to ensure that the pitches of the different sections match. The conductor calls out bar numbers or rehearsal letters to direct the orchestra to different sections which he or she would like to perform.

In a seated rehearsal ("Sitzprobe"/"prova all'italiana"), the singers sing with the orchestra, focusing attention on integrating the two groups. 

The dress rehearsal is a full-scale rehearsal where performers work out every detail of the performance. 
        In some orchestras, there may be a limited audience during the dress rehearsal (typically university music students). 
        An open dress is a dress rehearsal to which specific individuals have been invited to attend as audience members. 

A preview, although with a full audience (including individuals paying for a lower admission), is arguably also a rehearsal: in complex performances, it is not uncommon for the production to stop, or even return to an earlier point in the performance, if there are problems. 
    

A Q-2-Q (cue to cue) is a type of technical rehearsal intended primarily for the lighting and sound technicians involved in a performance. 

Cue to cues are often preceded by a dry tech, in which the technicians rehearse their cues without the actual performers present at the rehearsal.

Source: Wikipedia

Music - Orchestra Conducting

CONDUCTING 

* The role of the conductor  中文

(L) a conducting lesson

 
(R) Lead like the great conductors

* What an orchestra may see of a conductor - conducting Verdi's Triumphant March in Aida opera

* An orchestra may see a dancing conductor - conducting Bernstein's Candide opera

Previously, conductors might beat time by banging a staff against the floor.

Jean-Baptiste Lully served Louis XIV, 
the French king who loved to dance/ballet.

Then, Lully struck his toe with the conducting staff, creating an abscess. The wound turned gangrenous, but Lully (intending to ballet again) refused to have his toe amputated; the gangrene spread, resulting in death.


Other conductors (usually the composers) would use bare hands.

 Mozart conducting his own
 Abduction from Seraglio opera

Starting with Mendelssohn, conductors would use a baton.
* Bernstein conducting Confutatis in Mozart's Requiem
* A 7-year-old conductor

Further, a pianist could also be a part-time conductor in a piano concerto ... conducting when not on the piano.

Beethoven  - Symphony no. 9 (aka "Choral") - “Ode to Joy”  

 - excerpts from Copying Beethoven (2006 movie) 

Totally deaf then, he conducts as his pretty student signals underground/understage.

Bernstein conducting Haydn Symphony No.88 with his face.

Music - Orchestra Plan Layout - Percussion Section

ORCHESTRA 

Percussion Section 

(back row in the above layout):- a 2-hour overview
(1) tuned percussion:
        * vibraphone, marimba, xylophone, glockenspiel, tubular bells  
        * handbells, tuned cowbells .....
(2) auxiliary percussion:
        * big drum, snare drum
        * cymbals, triangle, woodblock, tambourine, gong, castanets ..... 
(3) timpani 
The timpanist is traditionally regarded as the principal of the percussion section.

Keyboard Section:  

* Piano
* Pipe organ  - demo
* Celesta  - demo

Music - Orchestra Plan Layout - Wind Section

ORCHESTRA   

Woodwind Instruments  

(to the right of the piano and the harp in the above layout) 

2–4 Flutes - demo (one doubling Piccolo)
2–4 Oboes - demo (one doubling cor anglais or English horn)
2–4 Clarinets - demo (one doubling Bass Clarinet)
2–4 Bassoons - demo (one doubling Contrabassoon)
The size of the woodwinds section can be expressed as 1-1-1-1 (chamber), 2-2-2-2 (Brahms), 3-3-3-3 and 4-4-4-4 (with doubling). 

Brass Instruments  

(beyond the woodwinds in the above layout)  

4–8 French horns - demo
2–6 Trumpets - demo
2–6 Trombones - demo (one or two doubling Bass Trombones)
1 Tuba - demo    

Source: Wikipedia

Music - Orchestra Plan Layout - String Section

ORCHESTRA   

- instruments

The string section is the largest group in the orchestra and forms its core.

String Section  

The leading voice among the strings is the violin.
Violins, with 4 strings tuned in fifths,
 can play 2 or 3 notes simultaneously.

Orchestral violins are divided into 2 sections: “firsts” and “seconds”.

** First violins  (melody)  - demo
** Second violins  (harmony) 

** Violas  (the alto of the family, tuned a fifth below the violin) -  demo
** Cellos  (the tenor and bass of the family, tuned an octave below the viola) - demo  
** Double basses  (French or German bows) - demo

The size of the strings section can be expressed as, 

for example, 16-14-12-10-8.

They are primarily played with a bow. 

Some special bowing techniques:
* pizzicato (pluck) left-hand pizzicato
* tremolo
* harmonics
* col legno (with the wood)
* con sordino (mute)

But, like the harp, they can also by plucked.

** Harp  (47 strings and 7 pedals) - demo

Some other techniques to create special effects: 

* glissandos / glisses 

* harmonics

Music - Chamber Music

Chamber Music

... composed for a small group of instruments (more than 1) ... that could fit in a palace chamber. 

For more than 200 years, chamber music was played primarily by amateur musicians in their homes. Today, many amateur and professional musicians still play it for their own pleasure. 

Source: Wikipedia

Duo

* Violin & Cello Duo
        e.g. Beethoven's Duet for Violin & Cello











Trio

* Piano Trio (piano, violin, cello);
        e.g. Tchaikovsky's: In Memory of a Great Artist












Quartet

* String Quartet (2 violins, viola, cello);
        e.g. Pachelbel's Canon in D

* Piano Quartet (piano, violin, viola, cello);
        e.g. Mozart's Piano Quartet K.493

* Flute Quartet (flute, violin, viola, cello);
        e.g. Mozart's Flute Quartet in D












Quintet

* Piano Quintet (piano plus string quartet);
        e.g. Schubert's Trout Quintet

* Clarinet Quintet (clarinet plus string quartet);
        e.g. Mozart's Clarinet Quintet

* Wind Quintet (flute, oboe, clarinet, French horn, bassoon);
        e.g. Beethoven's Wind Quintet Op.71











Sextet

* String Sextet (2 violins, 2 violas, 2 cellos);
        e.g. Tchaikovsky's Souvenir de Florence












Septet

        e.g. Beethoven's Septet, Op.20


















Octet

* String Octet (two string quartets)
        e.g.  Mendelssohn's String Octet Op.20

Nonet

Decet

Music - Genres of Art Music

Genres of Western Classical Music 

Solo Recital 

A musical performance highlighting: 
* a single performer 
        (e.g. piano recital - Ständchen (Schubert/Liszt))
* a performer accompanied by a pianist 
        (e.g. violin recital - Ave Maria (Bach/Gounod))
        (e.g. aria - Komm, lieber Mai (Mozart))
* a performance of the works of a single composer 
        (e.g. Chopin on his 200th birthday)

Duet or duo recital

A duet has 2 performers, most often 2 singers or pianists:
* "piano duet" or "piano four hands": 2 pianists on 1 piano 
        (e.g. Schubert's Marches Militaires)
* "piano duo": 2 pianists on separate pianos
        (e.g. Mozart's Sonata K.448)
* others: 
        (e.g. Fauré's Fantaisie flute-harp duo)

In Renaissance music, a duet specifically intended as a teaching tool, to be performed by teacher and student, was called a bicinium.

Concerto 

* usually one solo instrument accompanied by an orchestra
        (e.g. Mozart's Piano Concerto No.21)
* usually has 3 movements (fast, slow, fast)


A sonata also has 3 movements (fast, slow, fast).

Symphony   

* an extended musical composition generally scored for orchestra
* many symphonies have 4 movements (fast, slow, a minuet/scherzo, fast), usually at least 1
        (e.g. Beethoven's Symphony No.2)

Symphonic poem   

- aka tone poem

* usually 1 movement in which the content of a poem, short story, novel, painting ... is illustrated
        (e.g. Sibelius's Finlandia)
* first applied by Liszt to his 13 works in this vein

Overture

* originally applied to the instrumental introduction to an opera

        (e.g. Prelude to Bizet's Carmen)
* Beethoven and Mendelssohn began to use the term to refer to independent instrumental works
        (e.g. Tchaikovsky's 1812 Overture)

Suite

* an ordered set of instrumental/concert band pieces
* they may be extracts from a ballet (Nutcracker Suite) incidental music to a play (L'Arlésienne Suites) opera film (Lieutenant Kije Suite) entirely original movements (Holberg Suite, The Planets).

* In the Baroque era the suite was more precisely defined, with the pieces unified by key, and consisting of dances usually preceded by a prelude or overture. The suite was also known as Suite de danses, Ordre (the term favored by François Couperin) or Partita. 
* In the 18th century, the term may refer to the entire suite (J.S. Bach's orchestral suites)

Missa   

A form of sacred musical composition, it is a choral composition that sets the invariable portions of the Eucharistic liturgy to music
* mostly in Latin for the Catholics
* also written in the languages of non-Catholic countries 
        (e.g. English for the Church of England)
* can be a cappella, or can be accompanied
* many later Masses were never intended for an actual mass

Requiem or Requiem Mass 

- aka Mass of/for the dead (Latin: Missa defunctorum / pro defunctis)
A Mass celebrated for the repose of the soul or souls of one or more deceased persons
* It is frequently celebrated in the context of a funeral.
* The Mass and its settings draw their name from the introit of the liturgy (e.g. Mozart's Requiem)

Operatic Singing

* Singing onstage, without operatic stage set-up or acting  (e.g. Muzzeta's Waltz in Puccini's La bohème)

Glossary of musical terminology 

Harmony

Harmony is the result of combining musical notes, played simultaneously to form a chord. Some chords sound dissonant (e.g. C-D, C-B), others harmonious/consonant.

In conventional tonal music, certain phrases end in “cadences”, whose common examples are:

* the perfect cadence, which sounds conclusive

* the imperfect cadence, which sounds inconclusive and demands some kind of continuation

* the plagal, which sounds serious and final and is often used for the “Amen” of a hymn.

Musical form

The two basic forms are binary (A-B) and ternary (A-B-A). 

Variants of these have the following format types:

Six format types

(1) sonata form ([optional introduction,] exposition, development, recapitulation [,optional coda])
(2) ternary form (presentation, digression, re-presentation; A-B-A)
(3) theme & variations
(4) rondo  (e.g. Mozart's Rondo for piano & orchestra)
(5) fugue (flee/chase; a theme repeated at different pitches; see Art of Fugue; e.g. Art of Fugue)
(6) ostinato (obstinate; i.e. a short musical pattern that is repeated throughout; e.g. Ravel's Boléro)

typically used format types	tempo	symphony / string quartet   (4 movements:  fast-slow-slow-fast)	concerto / sonata   (3 movements: fast-slow-fast)
(1) sonata allegro form	fast	Mvt. 1, Finale	Mvt. 1, Finale
(2) ternary form	slow	Mvt. 2, Mvt. 3 (minuet/scherzo)	Mvt. 2
(3) theme & variations	slow	Mvt. 2	Mvt. 2
(4) rondo	slow	Mvt. 2	Mvt. 2
(3) theme & variations	fast	Finale	Finale
(4) rondo	fast	Finale	Finale
(5) fugue	fast	Finale	Finale
(6) ostinato	fast	Finale	Finale

Tempo   

From slowest to fastest:

• Larghissimo – very, very slow (19 BPM and under)
• Grave – slow and solemn (20–40 BPM)
• Lento – slowly (40–45 BPM)
• Largo – broadly (45–50 BPM)
• Larghetto – rather broadly (50–55 BPM)
• Adagio – slow and stately (literally, "at ease") (55–65 BPM)
• Adagietto – rather slow (65–69 BPM)
• Andantino – slightly slower than andante (although in some cases faster) (78–83 BPM)
• Andante – at a walking pace (84–90 BPM) (about the heart rate at an average walking speed)
• Andante moderato – between andante and moderato  (90–100 BPM)
• Marcia moderato – moderately, in the manner of a march (83–85 BPM)
• Moderato – moderately (100–112 BPM)
• Allegro Moderato - moderately fast (112-116)
• Allegretto – close to but not quite allegro (116–120 BPM)
• Allegro – fast, quickly, and bright (120–160 BPM) (molto allegro is in the allegro range)
• Vivace – lively and fast (132–140 BPM)
• Vivacissimo – very fast and lively (140–150 BPM)
• Allegrissimo (or Allegro Vivace) – very fast (168–177 BPM)
• Presto – extremely fast (180–200 BPM)
• Prestissimo – even faster than Presto (200 BPM and over)

Dynamics

• Pianissimo (pp) -- Very quietly
• Piano (p) -- Quietly
• Mezzo piano (mp) -- Moderately quietly
• Mezzo forte (mf) -- Moderately loudly
• Forte (f) -- Loudly
• Fortissimo (ff) -- Very loudly 

 

Source: Wikipedia

Music #443 - Bernstein

Leonard Bernstein

(1918 – 1990)

An American composer, conductor, author, music lecturer, and pianist. 

His fame derived from 
- his long tenure as music director of the New York Philharmonic
- his conducting most of the world's leading orchestras
- his music for 
          Candide
          Wonderful Town
          On the Town (including New York, New York)
          his own Mass
          West Side Story  



Many of his works are regularly performed around the world, although none has matched the tremendous popular and commercial success of West Side Story   

Enacting 'Romeo & Juliet' in NYC settings.

* falling in love at first sight

* Tonight - the backstair was the balcony

* One Hand, One Heart (and its making) 

 

= = = = =
Bernstein was a skilled pianist, often conducting piano concertos from the keyboard.
* Mozart's Piano Concerto No.17   Mvt.3 Allegretto - Presto

He was also the first conductor to give numerous television lectures on classical music; e.g. 

* Beethoven's Symphony No. 1

* Beethoven's Symphony No. 7

Source: Wikipedia

Music #442 - Britten

Benjamin Britten 
(1913 – 1976)

An English composer, conductor and pianist, Britten was a central figure of 20th-century British classical music, with a range of works including opera, other vocal music, orchestral and chamber pieces. 

His best-known works include 
* The Young Person's Guide to the Orchestra 
* Peter Grimes opera  (especially Four Sea Interludes)
* War Requiem  (plus a dumentary)

Source: Wikipedia

= = = = =

Bonus:

* Variations on a Theme of Frank Bridge
* Simple Symphony
       Mvt.1 Boisterous Bourrée
       Mvt.2 Playful Pizzicato   (most famous)
       Mvt.3 Sentimental Sarabande
       Mvt.4 Frolicsome Finale

Music #441 - Shostakovich

Dmitri Shostakovich  

[ˈdmʲitrʲɪj ʂəstɐˈkovʲɪt͡ɕ]/[Дмитрий Шостакович]  (1906 – 1975)

A Soviet Russian composer and pianist, Shostakovich was a prominent figure of 20th-century music.  

The Second Waltz  (aka Russian Waltz)

- music to the Russian film The First Echelon (1955–1956)
* dubbed to a Fanfan movie clip
* André Rieu
* ballroom

* dubbed to a War and Peace movie clip
* Come Waltz with Me  dubbed to a War and Peace movie clip

 

 

Symphony No.5   
* Mvt.4 of 4   Allegro non troppo

Zhilyayev regarded this a genius' work, before Z disappeared on earth.

Symphony No.7 "Leningrad"

When Nazi started to bomb Leningrad, S was reinstated and made a rep of resistance. He released this symphony, which was spread to perform in UK and US in weeks. Leningrad was surrounded for 900 days and suffered more than 1 million deaths.

Symphony No.8

* Mvt.3 of 5   Allegro non troppo

String Quartet No.8

 

(L) Music for (R) the "Five Days Five Nights" (1960 movie) re post-Allied-bombing of Dresden.

Song of the Forests

Written to celebrate the forestation of the Russian steppes following the end of World War II, the oratorio has 7 movements:
- When the War Was Over
- The Call Rings Throughout the Land
- Memory of the Past
- The Pioneers Plant the Forests
- The Fighters of Stalingrad Forge Onward
- A Walk into the Future
- Glory
* Part 1 of 3

Suite for Jazz Orchestra No. 2

RESTRICTED TO ADULTS: 

Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk opera (1992 version): 

After 177 full houses for 2 years starting 1934, this opera was criticized by Pravda, S lost his jobs and had most of his "muddle instead of music" banned.

Source: Wikipedia

Music #440 - MUSIC SINCE WORLD WAR II

A great book on ...

THE GREAT COMPOSERS

written by Wendy Thompson

published by Hermes House

Music since World War II

Music Sets #441 - 449
(Please refer to the book for more composers in this period;
modern composers are not targets within my project scope.)

Modern Music:-

There are no more "schools" of composition: each composer now strives to find an original and entirely individual voice.

 * Minimalism
          Music relies on repetitive rhythmic and melodic ostinati for its hypnotic effect.

* Electronic music
          The use of electronic instruments, amplification and sampling has become widespread.

* Female composers
          Female composers began to challenge the traditional male hegemony in composition, 
          ... particularly in TV and film music.
    

Source: The Great Composers