Score Study Passes Article

7/25/2019 Score Study Passes Article

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/score-study-passes-article 1/18

Score Study Passes

By Lawrence Golan

Professor of ConductingUniversity of Denver, Lamont School of Music

Music Director and Conductor

Lamont Symphony Orchestra & Opera Theatre

The Helen N. Jewett Music Director

Yakima Symphony Orchestra

Music Director and Conductor

Denver Philharmonic Orchestra

Principal Conductor

Seoul Philharmonic

The art of conducting is an extremely multi-faceted proposition. One needs to be a

communicator, an interpreter, a politician, a fund-raiser, a spokesperson, a poster-child, a

negotiator…the list goes on and on. All that being said, however, perhaps the most

important characteristic of a good conductor is thorough preparation of the scores. I am

often asked how I go about preparing a score. In this article I will explain my preparation

process, which I call “Score Study Passes.”

Before going any further, I should point out that in my mind, there is a clear distinction

between score study and score marking. Not everything that one studies should be

marked in the score. As with many other elements of conducting, I believe that “the boy

who cried wolf” syndrome can be an issue in relation to score marking. If one marks too

much in a score, then he or she will see nothing. I do not take the approach of circling



every forte in green, every piano in red, every crescendo in blue, etc. This approach

makes it more difficult for the conductor to see any one marking.

I would also like to say a few words about purchasing scores before proceeding. I feel it

is very important to a) buy my own scores for everything I conduct and b) always buy the

finest, most critical “urtext” (original) scores available. I consider a fundamental aspect

of interpretation to be the realization of the composer’s intentions. With anything less

than the most critical score, this is impossible. What many conductors unwittingly wind

up doing is realizing the intentions of the editor rather than those of the composer . The

reason for this is that many non-urtext scores have markings in them such as slurs,

dynamics, and rhythmic alterations that were added by the editor without distinguishing

them from things written by the composer.

My approach to score study involves a systematic series of passes through the score,

during which I focus on a different issue with each pass. Throughout all passes, I write

down (on a separate sheet of paper) any ambiguities, inconsistencies, or questions to be

revisited later. I feel very strongly about NOT listening to recordings during the early

stages of score study (at least passes 1-16) because it can be detrimental to the

development of interpretive, independent thinking, and critical thinking skills. Finally, it

should be pointed out that this is an all-inclusive list of score study passes. It can be

applied to studying any symphonic, opera, choral, or popular score. For that reason, there

will be some passes that will simply not apply to some scores while other passes will not

apply to other scores. Similarly, some passes will be extremely time-consuming with



some scores yet will be very quick with others. For example, when studying an opera in a

foreign language, pass No. 7, Vocal Text Translation, could take several weeks. On the

other hand, when studying a piece with no vocal parts, that same pass should go fairly

quickly.

The list of score study passes is as follows:

1. Check for all pages

2. Binding

3. Slashes

4. Transpositions, Instrumentation

5. General Overview

6. Foreign Terms

7. Vocal Text Translation and/or Addition

8. Metronome Markings

9. Vocal Text Declamation, Breaths

10. Vocal Dynamics (sometimes more sparse than in instrumental music)

11. Cues, Attention, Unusual Divisis

12. Trills, appoggiaturas, grace notes, etc.

13. Added Ornamentation

14. Dynamics

15. Altered Rhythms

16. Articulations, Bowings, and Bowing Styles





2. Binding

The objective of this pass is simply to get the score to lie flat. I break the back of the

binding, first in the middle of the book, then in the other big sections, then page by page.

For scores with a spiral binding or that otherwise lie flat already, nothing needs to be

done.

3. Slashes

Most scores vary from page to page in terms of the number of staves per page. When the

entire orchestra is playing, there is often only one stave per page. However, if only two or

three instruments are playing for an extended passage, then there may be two, three, or

more staves per page. I put two horizontal slashes in between each stave on each side of

the page to help the eye notice when there is more than one stave per page (see example).

There are a few situations in which I do not add the slashes: 1) when the number of staves

is completely consistent throughout the entire piece (excepting the first page) and there is

ample space between staves, 2) when there is so much space between staves that there

can be no chance of the eye mistaking the page as having only one stave, and 3) when

there is an extended passage of only one or two lines and adding the slashes would only

clutter the page.

4. Transpositions, Instrumentation

It is extremely important for me to know, at all times, what instruments are supposed to

be playing and what notes they are supposed to be playing (i.e., what is their



transposition, if any). While it may not come up in every rehearsal, there are many times

when I have to answer a note question, tune a chord, or for some other reason need to

know exactly what concert pitches are supposed to be played. It is true that a conducting

student who is focusing on one 10-minute piece for an entire semester may be able to

remember that in that particular piece, the horns start in F and remain in F for the whole

piece. However, in “real life,” when one is conducting dozens of scores each month,

some of which have multiple transposition changes throughout the piece, it is necessary

to have the transpositions written on each page. The amount of work that goes in to this

pass varies greatly from score to score. Some scores list both the instrumentation and

transpositions on every page. With these scores, there is nothing to be done. Other scores,

beyond the first page, only list the instrumentation—and not the transpositions. For these

scores, I go through and write the transpositions (Bb, F, C, etc.) next to the name of the

transposing instruments. I generally do this only on the left hand page of each pair of

pages. In other words, unless there is a change on the right hand page, I don’t re-write all

the transpositions on the right as well. There are still other scores that beyond the first

page don’t even list the instrumentation, let alone the transpositions. In these cases, I

write abbreviations for each instrument, as well as the transpositions, on each left hand

page, unless there is a change on the right (see example). Very rarely, I have encountered

scores that don’t even give the transposition on the first page! In these cases, I figure out

the transpositions based on harmonic context, and then go back and add them to each left

hand page—including the first one. Sometimes it is necessary to do a separate pass for

percussion instrumentation. While some scores list the instrument that is to play in each

margin or right at the entrance, other scores simply show a percussion note without





blended in a score by an American composer. Although I am certainly familiar with the

word blended in English, it is usually within the context of strawberries, bananas, or

chocolate chip cookie dough. I had never seen it in a score before. After analyzing the

context, which was a series of wind chords, I surmised that the composer meant for the

passage to be played completely harmonically, that is to say that no one instrument

should be more prominent than the others. I then wrote this into the score.

7. Vocal Text Translation and/or Addition

Obviously, it is essential that, whenever there is text being sung, I know the meaning of

the text. After all, the meaning of the text will affect the way I interpret the piece, my

gestures, beating style, etc. In most cases, a literal word for word translation will have

already been done and will be available somewhere. For example, word for word

translations of the standard operatic literature have been done by Nico Castel and are

available from Leyerle Publications. If I am studying a piece for which I cannot find a

good word for word translation, then I pull out a dictionary and do it myself.

Furthermore, when I am studying an instrumental version of a vocal piece (common with

“Pops” repertoire), I write the text (and, if need be, the translation thereof) into the score.

8. Metronome Markings

Setting the tempo of any given section is probably the most fundamental assignment I

have as the conductor. It is essential that I know exactly what I want the tempo of each

section to be and have it ingrained within my mind and body. This starts by having a

written metronome marking for each section. It does not mean that there can’t be



flexibility within the section or that I can’t change my mind, but at least the beginning of

each section should have my current intended metronome marking written down. When

there is a metronome marking given by the composer, I try it out by singing through the

passage as well as hearing and visualizing the various instruments playing their parts. If it

works musically, and I feel that the players in the orchestra that I’ll be conducting will be

able to play it, I keep the composer’s metronome marking (which is 95% of the time).

That being said, I always give myself the flexibility of a couple metronome notches in

either direction. I always have in my mind the circumstances surrounding the Beethoven

Symphonies’ metronome markings. The composer sat at the piano playing through each

section of each symphony (Nos. 1-7) while his nephew Karl clocked the music with a

metronome and made notations in a journal. Occasionally, Karl wrote things in the

journal such as “half-note equals 84 (but uncle Ludwig played it at 88 yesterday)”. If the

composer himself could fluctuate from day to day by a notch or two, then so can I.

However, it is important to note that going faster or slower by a notch or two is

categorically different from disregarding the composer’s metronome marking by drastic

amounts in either direction. Also, it is important for me to maintain tempo relationships

set up by the composer, even if I have chosen a slightly different tempo. For example, if

the opening section of a piece is marked half-note equals 100 and the next section is

marked half-note equals quarter-note, then I maintain that relationship even if my

opening tempo was 96.

9. Vocal Text Declamation, Breaths



Vocal text declamation refers to when and how the singers will articulate the text,

especially at the ends of words or phrases. It is often necessary to slightly alter the printed

rhythm in order to fit in the enunciation of an ending consonant. Sometimes a half-note is

changed to a dotted quarter-note with an 8th rest OR a double dotted quarter-note with a

16th

rest OR a quarter-note with a quarter rest. Any of these options may be fine but all

the singers must do it the same way and someone needs to decide which way. The extent

to which I get involved in these decisions depends on my function in the preparation of a

choral or vocal piece for any given concert. If I am preparing the chorus or individual

singers for a performance, then I need to make, mark, and if necessary, explain each text

declamation decision. However, if there is an independent chorus master or vocal coach,

then I consider these decisions to be somewhat akin to bowings (to be discussed later). In

other words, I leave most of these decisions up to the chorus master, maintaining veto

power, of course, as the conductor of the performance.

10. Vocal Dynamics (sometimes more sparse than in instrumental music)

Composers sometimes write very explicit dynamic instructions for the vocal parts, and

sometimes they don’t. When dealing with chorus sections, I always make sure that I mark

in a dynamic for each section if the composer hasn’t already done so. At times, I do the

same thing for vocal solo sections. However, this is a different case. Although there may

be ideal dynamics on paper, the reality is that regardless of what is on the page, printed or

penciled, the singer must sing loud enough and the orchestra must play soft enough in

order for the singer to be heard. For this reason, coupled with the notion of artistic liberty



for the soloist, composers often don’t even bother to write dynamics at all for individual

vocalists.

11. Cues, Attention, Unusual Divisis

Although cues and “attention” are virtually the same thing and I mark them the same

way, there is a slight difference. A cue is used to indicate to a player or players who have

been resting for a fair amount of time that it is time to come in. On the other hand, it

might be important to suddenly bring out or otherwise pay attention to a player or players

that have already been playing. For example, perhaps the violas have been playing an

accompanimental figure for several measures but all of a sudden they have the prominent

melody that needs to be brought out. In either case (cues or attention) I mark a semi circle

around the entrance and an abbreviation for the name of the instrument or instruments

(see example). Finally, it is important for me to be aware of any unusual divisis, decide

what the various options are, and mark my decision into the score.

12. Trills, appoggiaturas, grace notes, etc.

This is not the place to go into a dissertation about ornamentation. For that, see Lawrence

Golan, Performing Bach (a handbook on Baroque Performance Practice) published by

Mel Bay Publications. Here, let it suffice to say that there are some basic rules of

performance practice that govern trills, grace notes, and appoggiaturas. I go through each

score, analyze each trill, grace note, and appoggiatura, and decide if I believe that the

applicable general rule should be followed. If so, I do not mark anything. I only mark the

cases that I think should be exceptions to the rule. The basic rules are as follows. In the



Baroque period, trills generally start on the upper note, on the beat, and notes written as

ornaments (i.e., in smaller print) are generally appoggiaturas, on the beat, and last for the

printed duration. In the Romantic period and after, trills generally start on the principal

note, and notes written as ornaments (i.e., in smaller print) are generally grace notes,

before the beat. The Classical period was transitional in this sense and instances of both

styles are prevalent. Therefore, it is impossible to state any general rules and every case

must be taken individually.

13. Added Ornamentation

This and the next two passes are mainly for Baroque music. Baroque composers wrote

some ornamentation into their compositions, but often expected the performers to add

more. The most common example of this is cadential trills.

14. Dynamics

In Baroque music, the composer often left it to the performers (in the case of orchestral

music, the conductor) to add dynamics to some or all of the piece.

15. Altered Rhythms

This pass refers mainly to the issue of dotted rhythms. For a complete discussion of this

subject, see Lawrence Golan, Performing Bach (a handbook on Baroque Performance

Practice) published by Mel Bay Publications. In Baroque music, and sometimes in later

music as well, it is necessary to make decisions about altering dotted rhythms in order to

conform to the surrounding context. For example, sometimes it is appropriate to under-





17. Phrasal Analysis

In this pass I go through the piece and break up the music into phrases and mark them

into the score. I find the most common phrase length to be 8 bars, but others such as 4, 2,

3, 5, and so on occur with great frequency. Marking the phrases is extremely helpful in

terms of memorizing music and/or keeping my head out of the score. By thinking of the

music in terms of larger phrases, I don’t have to look at every measure of the score, I just

look at the phrases.

18. Harmonic Analysis

I do a general outline of the harmonic structure as well as detailed chordal analyses of

passages with anticipated tuning problems.

19. Form

In this pass I figure out whether the movement is in sonata form, rondo, theme and

variations, etc., and mark the major sections and themes into the score. This is also very

helpful in terms of memorization and/or keeping my head out of the score.

20. Phrasing (i.e. Direction of the Line)

Like some of the earlier passes, this one is more applicable to Baroque music, though it

certainly has its place in some later music as well. Just because a piece is devoid of any

written phrase markings or “hairpins” it does not necessarily mean that it should be

played completely monotone, without any rising and falling inflections. I go through each



phrase and, if not already marked by the composer, decide to which note I would like the

line to go, and mark it in the score with a curved arrow (see example).

21. Characters, Emotions (If programmatic, then also Story Line, Images), and ways to

achieve these (sul tasto, non vibrato, tonguing, etc.)

Notes, rhythms, articulations, dynamics, etc. are not the final product of music, they are

just the means toward an end. The end desire is to express to the audience the character or

emotion of any given passage. I go through each section and try to figure out what the

composer was going for and/or decide what characters and emotions I would like to

convey to the audience, and then write them into the score. I am not necessarily looking

for extremely deep concepts here—they are often as simple as “cheerful” or

“melancholy” or “angry.” If the piece is programmatic, then I also figure out what each

part of the music is supposed to represent and mark that in as well.

22. Rubato

Although I certainly allow for flexibility and spontaneity both on my part and that of the

players, I do go through and mark any places where I know I would like to add rubato of

some sort.

23. Rehearsal Figures, Measure Numbers

Most scores come with some sort of rehearsal letters, numbers, and/or measure numbers.

However, there are some that don’t. In these cases, I first check the parts to see if they

already have some. If so, I transfer them into my score. If the parts don’t have any either,



then I make up my own, write them into my score, and have the librarian transfer them

into the parts.

24. Conducting Techniques: Patterns, Tempo Changes, Fermatas, Strokes, etc.

After I have made all of the above musical and interpretive decisions, I then go through

the score and decide how I am going to physically show everything to the ensemble. I

mark where I will be in 4 or 2, in 3 or 1, etc. I also mark how I will conduct all of the

fermatas and cut-offs as well as any other conducting techniques that I feel are necessary

to mark.

25. Read books, articles, program notes, etc. about the composer and piece

26-1000. Study, Practice, Memorize

I consider passes 1 through 25 to be my “initial score study.” Whenever possible, I do

those passes well in advance of a concert and then put the score away for a while. As the

rehearsal period approaches, I take out the score, review it repeatedly (including

everything that I have written in it), practice conducting it, and memorize it. (I generally

conduct standard symphonic pieces by memory, except for concertos). Even if I am not

planning on conducting a piece from memory, I still memorize it as much as possible in

order to keep my head out of the score and more actively engage the musicians in the

ensemble.



By diligently completing these “score study passes” for every piece I am to conduct, I go

into rehearsals with great confidence. I know everything I need to know about the

composer, the piece and my interpretation of the piece. This is something that musicians

pick up on immediately and appreciate very much. As a former professional orchestra

player, I can confidently state that there are very few things that orchestra musicians

dislike more than conductors who are unprepared and/or don’t know what they want.

These “score study passes” help me to avoid being one of those conductors.

Score Example on next page: Weber, Overture toOberon



Documents

Score Study Passes Article