The beat stops here: lessons on and off the podium for today's conductor

321 Pages·2017·4.172 MB·English

by  Gibson, Mark

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The Beat Stops Here
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The Beat Stops Here
LESSONS ON AND OFF THE PODIUM FOR
TODAY’S CONDUCTOR
Mark Gibson
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Library of Congress Cataloging- in- Publication Data
Names: Gibson, Mark, 1956–
Title: The beat stops here : lessons on and off the podium for today’s
conductor / Mark Gibson.
Description: New York, NY : Oxford University Press, [2017] |
Includes bibliographical references and index. | Description based on print version
record and CIP data provided by publisher; resource not viewed.
Identifiers: LCCN 2016019895 (print) | LCCN 2016019769 (ebook) |
ISBN 9780190605896 (updf) | ISBN 9780190605902 (epub) |
ISBN 9780190605872 (hardcover : alk. paper) | ISBN 9780190605889 (pbk. : alk. paper)
Subjects: LCSH: Conducting.
Classification: LCC MT85 (print) | LCC MT85 .G5 2017 (ebook) |
DDC 781.45—dc23
LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2016019895
1 3 5 7 9 8 6 4 2
Paperback printed by WebCom, Inc., Canada
Hardback printed by Bridgeport National Bindery, Inc., United States of America
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To the concertmistress of my life,
Kirstin Luise Greenlaw;
she who to this day continues
to laugh at my jokes,
and at my bowing suggestions.
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CONTENTS vii
Musical Examples and Illustrations  • ix
Preface  • xi
Foreword  • xiii
Acknowledgments  • xvii
PART 1 REPERTOIRE LESSONS  • 1
Introduction to Repertoire Lessons  • 1
A Glossary of Conducting Gesture  • 2
1 Overture  • 11
Ludwig van Beethoven: Die Geschöpfe des Prometheus, Op. 43 (1801)  • 11
Gioacchino Rossini: La Cenerentola (1817)  • 16
Felix Mendelssohn: Die schöne Melusine, Op. 32 (1833)  • 20
Giuseppe Verdi: Les Vêpres Siciliennes (I Vespri Siciliani) (1855)  • 24
Johannes Brahms: Tragische Ouvertüre, Op. 81 (1880)  • 29
2 Opera  • 37
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: Don Giovanni, K. 527 (1787)  • 37
Sestetto: “Solo, solo in buio loco” 
Giuseppe Verdi: Un ballo in maschera (1859)  • 43
Finale 3º Scena e Romanza 
Jules Massenet: Manon (1884)  • 49
Duo: “Pardonnez- moi, Dieu de toute puissance” 
Giacomo Puccini: Madama Butterfly (1904)  • 58
Duetto: “Bimba, bimba non piangere”  
3 Smaller Symphonic Works  • 71
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: Symphony No. 29 in A Major, K. 201/186a (1774) • 71
Antonín Dvořák: Scherzo Capriccioso, Op. 66 (1883)  • 78
Maurice Ravel: Valses nobles et sentimentales (1911, orch. 1912)  • 84
4 Concerto and Solo Works  • 95
Ludwig van Beethoven: Piano Concerto No. 4 in G Major, Op. 58 (1805–1 806)  • 95
Gustav Mahler: Four Songs from Des Knaben Wunderhorn (1887– 1899)  • 110
Jean Sibelius: Violin Concerto in D Minor, Op. 47 (1904)  • 121
5 Larger Symphonic Works  • 133
Nikolai Rimsky- Korsakov: Scheherazade, Op. 35 (1888)  • 133
Igor Stravinsky: Pétrouchka: Scènes burlesques en 4 tableaux (1911, rev. 1947)  • 152
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Contents
PART 2 PROFESSIONAL LESSONS  • 173
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Introduction to Professional Lessons  • 173
6 The Conductor as Teacher  • 175
Not the Eternal Tao  • 175
Are Two Hands Better?  • 179
Make Your Own Metronome!  • 181
Storytelling  • 189
Heads, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes  • 193
Developing Score Reading Skills (by Annunziata Tomaro)  • 199
Quantifiable  • 213
7 The Conductor as Scholar  • 217
On Rewriting the Act 3 Finale of Bizet’s Les pêcheurs de perles (1863)  • 217
Heroism Denied: Movement Order in Mahler’s 6th Symphony  • 223
Puccini’s Turandot: A Conductor’s Perspective  • 225
8 The Conductor as Leader  • 231
Working with the Orchestra: Bill of Rights  • 231
Three- Part Conducting Rules for All Occasions  • 233
More Rules of the Road, a Baker’s Dozen  • 233
Talk Show: A Cautionary Tale  • 234
Quiz Show  • 234
Working in the Opera House: “Gott, welch Dunkel hier!”  • 236
Working with Singers: A Breed Apart  • 239
Working with Chorus  • 240
On Building a Career: Où voulez- vous aller?  • 244
Postscript: Present and Future Tense  • 255
Appendix A: Musical Works and Editions Referred to in the Text  • 257
Appendix B: Texts and Translations  • 261
Appendix C: Tempo Indications and Metronome Markings  • 271
Appendix D: Endnotes  • 283
Appendix E: Resource Materials/ Bibliography  • 285
Index  • 287
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MUSICAL EXAMPLES ix
AND ILLUSTRATIONS
1.1 C. Gounod, Faust. Act 4 No. 15 Scène et Serénade “Qu’attendez vous
encore?” (measures 52– 55) • 13
1.2 W. A. Mozart, Così fan tutte, K. 588. Act 1 No. 17 “Un’ aura amorosa”
(measures 6– 9) • 13
1.3 W. A. Mozart, Così fan tutte, K. 588. Overture (measures 15– 18) • 14
1.4 R. Wagner, Das Rheingold. Scene 1 (measures 97– 98) • 20
1.5 F. Mendelssohn, Märchen von der schönen Melusine, Op. 32
(measures 1– 2). String parts omitted • 20
1.6 G. Verdi, La traviata. No. 1 Preludio (rehearsal 1) • 26
1.7 J. Brahms, Symphony No. 3 in F, Op. 90. Fourth movement
(measures 301– 304) • 31
1.8 R. Wagner, Götterdämmerung. Siegfried’s Rhine Journey, rehearsal 34
(8 bars)  • 35
2.1 G. Verdi, Il trovatore. Act 3 No. 18 “Ah sì, ben mio”
(measures 42– 44) • 45
2.2 G. Verdi, La traviata. Act 2 (41– 44 measures after rehearsal 15) • 47
2.3 C. Debussy, Prélude à l’Après- midi d’un faune (measures 77– 79) • 65
2.4 U. Giordano, Andrea Chénier, Act 1 “Un dì all’azzurro spazio”
(rehearsal 34) • 67
3.1 W. A. Mozart, Symphony No. 35 in D major (Haffner), K.385. Second
movement (measures 18– 19) • 73
3.2 L. van Beethoven, Symphony No. 2 in D major, Op. 36. Third movement
(measures 93– 97) • 75
4.1 J. Brahms, Piano Concerto No. 2 in B major, Op. 83. First movement
♭
(measures 120– 123) • 97
4.2 F. Schubert, Symphony No. 7/8 in B minor (“Unfinished”), D. 759. First
movement (measures 38– 42). Bassoon and horn parts only • 112
4.3 G. Mahler, Symphony No. 5. Fifth movement (measures 1–6 ) • 114
4.4 G. Mahler, “Lob des hohen Verstands” from Des Knaben Wunderhorn
(measures 18– 21). String parts only • 115
4.5 W. A. Mozart, Die Zauberflöte, K. 620. Act 2 No. 21 Finale
(measures 278– 281) • 120
5.1 F. Mendelssohn, Overture to A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Op. 21
(measures 1– 5) • 134
6.1 Gustav Mahler, Silhouette by Otto Böhler. Published 1914 • 178
6.2 H. Berlioz, Symphonie fantastique, Op. 14. First movement (4–1 1 measures
after rehearsal 5). Berlioz’s note in the score states that “a measure of this
tempo is equal to a quarter of the previous” i.e. ♩ =  or ♪ =  ; however, as
𝅝 𝅗𝅥
his initial tempo is ♩ = 56, this makes his  = 132 a miscalculation • 185
𝅗𝅥
6.3 L. van Beethoven, Symphony No. 7 in A major, Op. 92. Third movement
(measures 141– 156). First ending and repeat not shown • 187