JAVS Fall 1999

33

ORCHESTRAL TRAINING FoRuM

by Robert Vernon

Anyone who aspires to a true artistic level will have to develop opinions and choices and take artistic responsibility for interpretive decisions. Interpretation in music can vary, and everything that has to do with interpretation belongs to relative or changing values. It is important then to emphasize the basic elements of music, those values that don't change when preparing an audi tion. These basic elements are intonation, rhythm, tone, and elements of bow articulations, in cluding spiccato strokes of every speed and variety. Certain commonsense things are applicable in your preparation. Start everything from the string and avoid accents at the ends of phrases, no matter how loudly you are playing. Don't ex aggerate nuances. Play sforzandi, hairpins, and other phrase indications with musical taste and within the musical structure. Choose simple fingerings that allow you to achieve clarity and good intonation. Do not play double stops unless non-divisi is so indicated. Rhythm must not be so rigid that it sounds accented; it should serve the musical line with pulse and direction. If there are more than one or two bars of rest in an excerpt, simply make a pause without meter. It is not necessary to count every bar of rest. Playing an orchestral audition is, in some ways, different from the type of playing one has to do in the section. In orchestra, we are often expected to exaggerate dynamics, to play tempi impossible to execute, and to play with varying degrees of excess bow and vibrato. Dynamics are certainly important, but use common sense in this matter. We are not competing against the loudest forces of the orchestra in an audition. In the section, we tend to play pianissimo spiccato strokes more on the string in order to produce the type of pianissimo sounds required as a group. The audition playing should have, as its priority, well-executed strokes. It is better to be asked to play softer than to give the audition committee the impression that there is a funda mental problem with your spiccato. Tempo and dynamics are interpretive; great section playing in an orchestra depends largely on accuracy of strokes and articulation. Remember, there is a distinction between sounding off the string and playing off the string. I will try to make this dear in the three individual excerpts I have chosen. I have suggested metronome markings for the excerpts when I thought it appropriate. When you walk on stage, don't ask for a tempo. Play the tempo you have prepared and feel comfortable with, but be prepared to be flexible. I have attempted to map out some general principles and tried to clarifY some of the problems in the individual excerpts. In all cases I have identified the excerpt's style and place in history. I did this in an effort to enhance the perception and study of these musical excerpts. Because the excerpts are taken out of a larger context, I encourage you to examine and study the full scores from which the excerpts are derived. MENDELSSOHN SCHERZO Mendelssohn had known Shakespeare's Midsummer Night's Dream since childhood. His over ture to the play was one of his first masterpieces. The Scherzo, a very important excerpt for the viola, is in the light and nimble-footed vein of the overture. This excerpt should be played in the middle of the bow. All eighth notes should be spiccato and each one should be placed or taken from the string. The first 16th note of each 16th note group should be dropped horizontally, not placed as I suggest for the eighth notes. The 16th notes should then stay on the string, taking advantage of the natural bounce of the bow. This sautille stroke must sound off string, even though it does not leave the string. Different interpretations do bring different tempi. If the tempo is slower, you will find it easier to play this excerpt in the lower middle half of the bow. k the tempo increases, move more toward the upper middle part of the bow. I have chosen a