Adrian Boult - A Handbook On The Technique of Conducting PDF
Adrian Boult - A Handbook On The Technique of Conducting PDF
Adrian Boult - A Handbook On The Technique of Conducting PDF
A HANDBOOK on -
The Technique
of Conducting.
BY
ADRIAN C. BOULT.
/r ^s
Brigham Young University
{/
HAROLD REEVES,
Music and Mu
210. Shaftesbury Avenue,
LONDON, W C. 2.
A!'
9,
^ HANDBOOK on
The Technique
of Conducting.
BY
ADRIAN C. BOULT.
London Agents
http://archive.org/details/handbookontechniOOboul
PREFACE.
This Handbook has been drawn up for members of the Conducting
Class at the Royal College of Music. Its object is to place in the hands
of students an essay on the underlying principles of the technique of
every chance for most people to get a great deal of pleasure out of it
Preface - - - - 3
Section 1.—Technique - - - 7
2.— Position 7
3 — The stick - 9
— Movement
r>. - - 11
6.— Practice 16
7. — Preparing a score - 17
8. — Rehearsal - - - 19
9. —Performance - - - 20
10. —Accompaniments - - - 21
to beat time with his stick in his right hand and with his left to give any
necessary indications of expression that might not have been properly
arranged at rehearsal. Except as regards pace the conductor was indeed
almost powerless unless he had had adequate time for rehearsal. The
modern orchestra or chorus is a very different kind of instrument it —
will for instance take a sign at rehearsal where formerly it needed a
verbal explanation and possibly even a double repetition of the passage.
Rehearsals are reduced very much in number, and it is now quite usual,
though never satisfactory, for a difficult programme lasting two hours to
be rehearsed in three. The conductor has, therefore, had to learn to
show his ideas on the interpretation of a work by means of his stick and
hand in fact, it is now almost true to say that if one watched the
:
cinema film of a good conductor at work one could tell what he was
conducting without hearing the music. This, of course, is a very different
thing from suggesting that the audience should watch the conductor at
a concert. His work must be directed towards the eyes of his orchestra
and only towards the ears of his audience.
Section 2« — Position,
It has probably occurred to most people that there is a very striking
difference in the power with which singers are able to get hold of their
audience, but few will believe that this is not only a question of per-
sonality. As a very general rule, the singer who leans back has far more
difficulty in making good than the singer who leans forward. It seems
very well to throw your chest out and your shoulders back in order to
breathe freely, but this can really be done better when the weight of the
body is on the front part of the foot and not on the heel. The motive
power of the song is thus directed straight at the audience, whereas
the singer who leans back throws his weight upwards and over the heads
of the majority of his hearers sitting in the stalls. This exactly applies
to conducting. Your players are usually below your hand and you
cannot get hold of them unless you lean towards them, taking care to
keep the head and shoulders back, in order to avoid a crouching attitude.
With a chorus the matter is different, but it is perfectly possible to conduct
a chorus high above you and yet lean forward, or even stand on the toes,
though this is not necessary. Indeed, Sir Henry Wood has been kind
enough warning should be added here against too much
to suggest that a
standing on the toes. It is apt to bring on cramp during a long day's
rehearsal. He himself finds it best to keep the weight always firmly
on the heels.
"
Another thing to guard against is the foolish looking habit of " giving
at the knees. It is easy to think that extra emphasis is put into
a down beat by a slight loosening at the knee, but a glance at anyone
else who does this will put an end to this belief. The same can also
be said of the habit of walking about while conducting. An occasional
movement may do no harm, but the less of this the better.
only a part of the orchestra, say the first violins, both the Line of Sight
and the Rest Position are turned towards them.
8
Section 3. —The Stick*
without a stick. With small choirs and orchestras very beautiful results
can be obtained in a way that could not be done if a stick were used,
for the human hand is more expressive than a piece of wood, and this
is readily felt by responsive players who are near enough to the conductor.
The point is surely this properly used the stick is simply an extra
:
joint, a lengthening of the arm. It follows that in cases where the stick-
less conductor would use the whole forearm for a gesture, with his
wrist at some 20 inches from his chest, the conductor with a stick can
achieve the same result with his arm practically still and his wrist 4 or 5
inches from the chest. The stick, like the gear box of a motor car, will
save a great deal of energy provided it is properly used.
every joint must remain perfectly loose and must contribute to the move-
ment. In fact a proportion must always be kept between the movements
of the different joints. The point of the stick must travel farther than
the fingers and, as it were, round the fingers, the fingers farther than
—
the wrist, the wrist farther than the elbow and the elbow round the
shoulder, which can itself never move.
ends with the first beat of the next bar. Music leans forward and its
course might be compared to a cascade down a salmon ladder pushing
forward to the edge of each step and then dropping to the step below,
2, 3, 4, 1 : 2, 3, 4, t
io
The feel of the stick will only come after a great deal of practice; but
this can be encouraged by holding the stick and playing with it at all
sorts of times when reading or talking and not really thinking of what the
hand is doing. Unconscious freedom is thereby developed.
Section 5. — Movement.
The few on conducting, including Berlioz's hand-
articles that exist
book, give the technical movements in the very simple forms in which
they appear in diagrams 1 and 5. These are reproduced as an indication
of the fundamental direction of thought implied in the different move-
ments of the stick.
moves slowest is the moment after it has " clicked " on the beat, and its
fastest moment is immediately before the next click. It must be borne
in mind that a click is not necessarily a jerk : in fact in legato playing
the click produced by the very slightest movement of the fingers,
is
Great care must be taken that the stick never stops in the middle
of a bar, as this is certain to interfere with the smooth run of the
rhythm. Even in ritardandi it should be avoided ; in fact a complete
stoppage of the stick should only occur when the rhythm is definitely
—
broken in a ritardando it is only bent, and the curve of the bend would
be spoilt if the point of the stick were allowed to keep still even for a
moment.
The diagrams have been arranged in a rather peculiar order, which
is really that of difficulty. It has been said that Figure 1 shows a skeleton
of three beats in a bar, but the actual movement of the stick is approxi-
mately as Figure 2, the click usually being, not at the final corner of
the movement as Figure 1, but on the way there. This point will be
specially discussed at the end of this section in the paragraph on legato.
Six in a bar in compound duple time, that is to say 6/8 and 6/4, is
shown in Figure 9, though here sometimes the upward turn of direction
ii
is made before the fifth beat instead of after it. I think this is a mistake,
as more space is always wanted for the sixth beat, in preparation for the
new bar.
sub-division produces the same result. It will be seen in each case that
the scheme is almost identical with Figure 7, that is, 8 beats in a bar
with one left out.
12
6
4s
2» >3
10
13
work slowly it is necessary to adopt Figure 15, that is to say, to base
it on Figure 1.
One in a bar
perhaps the hardest time of all to conduct, for except
is
in fast dance rhythms, like the Scherzo of the Eroica Symphony, or in waltz
measures, one cannot achieve real expression if the stick simply swings
up and down. Some curve must be made if any legato is drawn
to be
out of the orchestra and this is approximately shown in Figure 16. The
slower the beat and the stronger the legato, the greater the curve, but
this must never arrive at the point of beating in a circle : the click of
the one beat in a bar must never be eliminated.
We now come to the discussion of legato, but this must not be thought
of until ease has been acquired in the simpler figures above. It is obvious
that when controlling a long cantabile tune one cannot beat in the same
way as in some passage of a staccato nature and it follows in slow music
that after the click of each beat a certain time must elapse before the
preparation for the next beat is begun that is to say the stick must go
;
Starts are sometimes puzzling when they do not come on the first
beat of the bar. Here the important thing to remember is that the
first movement of the sound must occur when the stick has returned
exactly to the Rest Position, i.e., the point at which it was resting before the
beginning of the movement. shown in Figure 19 by R, and 1
This is
shows (as usual) the first beat of the movement. This action should
take the form of a loop, for if the stick moves straight up and down a
moment of indecision will probably occur at the turning point. Figure 20
shows a common but unsatisfactory way of starting, for it could only
be after considerable knowledge of the conductor that an orchestra
could possibly enter with any ensemble on the first beat. The more
responsive players would certainly try and begin at the moment when
the stick on its downward course was nearest to the point R.
n
21 23 24
22 Ri
1.5
Starts on subsidiary beats of the bar are achieved in exactly the
same way, with the simple difference that the preparatory loop is best
made in the opposite direction to that of the beat as shown in Figures
1 and 5. For instance, where the on the second beat of a bar
start is
A useful rule for the use of the left hand is that it should rest except
when it is needed to express something that the right hand cannot do.
The more effort that is made to put expression into the point of the stick
the less the left hand will be needed and the more effective it will be
when brought Above all, care must be taken to avoid the
into play.
habit of letting the left hand double the right by making identical move-
ments throughout long passages. This must only be done at rare moments
of considerable emphasis and also sometimes when the two extreme
sides of the orchestra are playing a passage of difficult ensemble. In-
stances of this occur more often in the theatre than in a well planned
concert room.
Section 6. — Practice*
The most important part of practice —the unconscious handling of
the stick— has been dealt with at the end of Section 4, but one or two
other suggestions may be made here.
Holding the stick perfectly loose describe the widest possible circle
with the fingers alone, if necessary holding the right hand with the left
so that there can be no movement possible at the wrist. When a loose and
easy movement has been secured, let go with the left hand and slowly
16
—
widen the circle by bringing the wrist gradually into play, now holding
the forearm. This done, the elbow can be introduced as a pivot, and
finally the shoulder.
When complete ease has been secured with this exercise on circles, it
can be taken with clicks, i.e., with a definite number of beats in the bar,
(according to the figures in Section 5) and the looseness and consistency
of the crescendo and diminuendo checked by the use of a mirror and
reference to the description in Section 3.
impression of the harmony will probably result from this and it may
be worth while to repeat the process two or three times until a sound
grasp has been secured of the construction and architecture of the work,
that is to say, of the balance of its keys and the balance of its climaxes
and any other aspect of it as a complete whole. One should feel at the
end of this process as if one were on the top of a high hill or in an aero-
plane looking at a distant landscape. One may not be able to take note
of all the detail, but the general and fall and scheme of the whole
rise
17
the work is more profound is the ultimate know-
studied at this stage, the
ledge, but this examination of detail must never be allowed to interfere
with the perspective of the work as a whole and it is well occasionally
;
to run through the work at performing pace in order to keep the vision
clear.
to say, without thinking of a group of four 3/4 bars as one 12/4 bar and of
a group of four 2/4 bars as one 8/4. When this is once grasped the aspect
of each page is enormously simplified, for the mind is unable to grasp a
succession of fast l's unless they are consciously or unconsciously grouped ;
and it is far better that this grouping should be conscious, as the process
of memorising will then take a very much shorter time. The time given
to the study of a score should be enough to gain a knowledge of the work
by heart, not perhaps of the part of every instrument, but it should be
possible to write out a short score of the whole, or to play it on the piano-
forte with a pretty certain knowledge of the orchestration. It should
then not be necessary to make any mark at all in the score, but if there is
any danger that, owing to nervousness or limited time for preparation or
rehearsal, there might be anything at all uncertain in the performance,
it is better to mark the score lightly at any unexpected point, for example
fact that it is not the detail, but the shape and structure of the work as a j,
whole that really matter and therefore, as the time of the performance
comes near, thought must be more and more directed towards structure,
and the work looked at from a distance, as it were, and as broadly as
possible. The audience should be made to feel that the whole score is
laid out on two gigantic pages which can be seen at a glance without
even the disturbance of any turning over, and the reason that this idea
must be firmly fixed in the mind during the early stages of preparation
is that during the performance so much detail work inevitably arises
that the issue will be obscured unless a very definite impression has
been formed beforehand.
18
\
are very few works of art which have not one supreme point which
must exceed all others in intensity, though not necessarily in dynamic
intensity. Sometimes, key-word can be found to describe
too, a
the underlying characteristic or atmosphere of a work which will help
to illuminate it in the minds of the players.
In studying a work many people get a fixed view of the printed page
into their minds : their sight helps them not only in absorption but
retention. It is a faculty that can be cultivated and is useful, but it has
its drawbacks, as the use of another edition (for instance, a miniature
score) causes confusionand when rehearsing a concerto or opera with
pianoforte accompaniment, it is then necessary to use the full score in
order not to disturb the impression.
for instance, the versions for two pianofortes of the Brahms symphonies.
Here, perhaps, the best possible perspective of the work could be gained
from following on the full score while others perform. Gramophone
and pianola reproductions can also be profitably followed in this way.
19
—
be on the slow side —there more time to speak (without stopping the
is
racing, but takes it pretty easy otherwise. The main thing at a re-
hearsal is to watch results and to act on them. At a performance it
is the other way about the conductor must take the lead.
: It is then too
late to alter things like faulty balance or wrong expression but the structure
and balance of the work as a whole and the right spirit are the two things
of paramount importance.
20
to have the instrument. It is quite enough to judge the pace of a few
of the salient passages from the ticking of a watch— 300 per minute -so —
that 150, 100, 75, 60, and 50 are definitely ascertainable.
very much easier to express one's own ideas on a thing than to absorb the
ideas of somebody else and impress these immediately on the people
under one's control. A few points may be useful. In many cases where
complicated passages are to be found in the right hand of a pianoforte
work, the left is playing a simple figure which can easily be heard and
"
followed. In fact, at any moment of distress " listen to the left hand
is a reliable lifebelt. Copies of cadenzas in classical concertos are not
often supplied to the conductor, but his ear will tell him when he is
getting to the dominant harmony which invariably goes before the entry
of the orchestra. The difficulty of a large orchestra drowning the soloist
21
is considerable and here I think the test is whether the members of the
orchestra can themselves hear the soloist. If they can it is perfectly
safe ; if they cannot, it is sometimes all right, but usually not. In many
cases very heavy brass is written in a passage that is purely accompani-
ment and here the use of the forte piano is of enormous help. This can be
followed by a crescendo at the end of the bar and a new forte piano at the
beginning of the next bar.
noted* at the rehearsal whether the soloist plays the scale at an even
pace throughout, and allowances can be made if necessary.
instrument. Follow the part of the instrument nearest to you and you
will gain a valuable insight into the point of view of the orchestral
player.
Even
you have no voice sing in the Choral Class
if ;
you can never
learn to conduct unless you learn to be conducted.
22
When actually conducting, never think of technique ; it is too late
by that time. It is your job to impress what you want on the orchestra
and choir somehow. How you do it is a matter for consideration after-
wards, or better still, beforehand.
farther away from you than orchestral players ever are. So make
sure that they can all see clearly and understand you and remember
particularly the Line of Sight (Section 2).
23
BRIGHAM YOUNG UNIVERSITY
Date Due
All library items are subject to recall at any time.
JUN 2 8 2010
nn
Ul» f
1 O
1 Ml
8 4UJ&
- '-'-^ .•--•; -! •-
' -V - •• 'ft' ^.'V:..
l^fiSSSf^alSB^ 'tela
At
'•'".'''•-'''.""':• "V'-'>
' *- •.''•'
£&