PianoAnd: Collaboration

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accompanying, Beethoven, Care selve, collaboration, Handel, Joel Krosnick, Juilliard String Quartet, Montserrat Caballe, Roberta Peters, Spring Sonata, Voicing

String quartet. Source: Wikimedia. Public domain.

What is collaboration?  What does the term imply?

I recently came across the book The Collaborative Pianist’s Guide to Practical Technique by Neil Stannard.*

*Thanks to Gail Fischler.

 The introduction states that:

Collaborative pianists need all the same technical skills required of soloists, and some would argue that they need to be able to play mezzo forte and under.

My immediate reaction was, “Wait a minute!” Let’s look more closely.

A Definition

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Collaboration

Collaboration is working with others to do a task and to achieve shared goals. It is a recursive[1] process where two or more people or organizations work together to realize shared goals, (this is more than the intersection of common goals seen in co-operative ventures, but a deep, collective determination to reach an identical objective[by whom?][original research?]) — for example, an endeavor[2][3] that is creative in nature[4]—by sharing knowledge, learning and building consensus. Most collaboration requires leadership, although the form of leadership can be social within a decentralized and egalitarian group.[5] In particular, teams that work collaboratively can obtain greater resources, recognition and reward when facing competition for finite resources.[6] Collaboration is also present in opposing goals exhibiting the notion of adversarial collaboration, though this is not a common case for using the word.

(Note:  color and bolding added by GS for emphasis.)

Breaking it down

This implies much more than the prevailing misconception, by now outdated, concerning collaborative piano playing. Even after more than 50 years of the progress begun by Gerald Moore and further championed by Gwendolyn Koldofsky and others, a significant number of pianists continue to subscribe to the habit of just showing up without practicing.

An additional component of this view seems to be a desire to stay out of the way!

I strongly disagree with this idea. If one’s sole interest is not to be heard, then why show up at all? (Gerald Moore’s humorous book, “Am I too Loud?” was first published in 1962!)

The author of the book quoted above says, “some would argue that they need to be able to play mezzo forte and under.” If one is to interpret this as a recommendation to play mf and under at all times, I have to ask, “Why?”

The music

The piano part/reduction is part of the total fabric of sound. It is crucial to have a point of view about the music which is expressed primarily by the manner in which one plays.

Even when playing for very young musicians, the bass line can be prominent. They need the support. An obligato line above or below the singers’ range should be heard. Introductions, interludes, and postludes are shaping the piece, not interfering. The rhythm should be clear and compelling, providing a foundation for inexperienced musicians. Why are we there? How are we supporting a young musician’s efforts if we may as well not be in the room at all? Do we not have a responsibility to be there?

In other situations, with more experienced singers and instrumentalists (who produce more sound), the solo line is not always the most interesting. Think of Beethoven’s “Spring” sonata (violin/piano), for example:

The violinist clearly has the theme throughout the opening statement. And then, in the 2nd system, 4th bar, the piano has thematic material, marked crescendo, proceeding without pause into a restatement of the same theme. Since the piano part is occupying a higher range at that point, it will be heard.

Note that the violin and piano parts are both marked piano, even though each plays thematic as well as non-thematic music. The equal dynamic markings would imply that both parts are to be heard. Why would the piano part be less important/played at a lower dynamic than the violin?

We have another example in Händel’s “Care selve” from Atalanta:

In this aria, the vocal and piano lines are beautifully interwoven. Listen to the incomparable Montserrat Caballé and her superb pianist, who should have been credited on YouTube! What do you hear? Is the pianist voicing his part? The bass line is always there, the melody is clear when echoing the singer, and the interludes fill the room.

A heads up: prepare to be floored!

Teatro Real de Madrid, 1979

When learning Handel’s “Sweet Bird,” I listened to several recordings so I could learn more about ornamentation. Roberta Peters’ performance with a flutist was stunning. They opted to do only the exposition (one page), then added two more pages of a duet. Their sounds blended perfectly, with the most amazing trills. I was in awe listening to the ensemble’s perfectly matched sound, ornaments rhythmically free (rather than using regular note values, the performers, who were often trilling in 3rds, used slower notes, then faster, then added a turn). I listened to the recording over and over, mesmerized.

Point of view

When I was a scholarship student at the Aspen Music Festival, the Juilliard String Quartet was in residence all summer. Their open rehearsals were attended by singers of all voice types and interests, and students who played a variety of instruments. Why were so many students attending, week in and week out? The quartet talked about the music. During one rehearsal, a disagreement continued for several minutes. The cross-rhythms in Brahms needed clarification among the players.

One instance in which cross-rhythms are found is in 6/8 time, when the notes can be divided into groups of 2 or 3. When there is one more than one part, both groupings can happen simultaneously.

In this memorable rehearsal, each player was staking a claim to the way he wanted to play a section containing cross-rhythms. The violist opted for one rhythmic grouping; the cellist another. When the 2^nd violinist chose a larger note grouping, the 1^st violinist decided, “I’ll just fit in.”

At that moment (it didn’t take long!), the other three players ganged up on him. “No! You have to make up your mind!”

The rehearsal had just become more… interesting, as the quartet’s cellist Joel Krosnick would say.

The decision was made, and the quartet tried it out. Each player was doing something different! It was wonderful.

What would have happened had everyone opted to “Just fit in?” How compelling can that be?

I submit that staying out of the way is not music, and it certainly is not collaboration. If you have nothing worth saying, why play at all?  If you can’t be heard, what’s the point? What contribution does that make?  How is that supportive?

Bottom line

In order to collaborate as pianists, we need to ask for the music in advance (and obtain it!), practice well, and have a point of view about the music. In rehearsals, our point of view may change. Collaboration means hearing what the other musicians have to say. An interpretation reached by sharing ideas is what collaboration aims to achieve.

To reiterate the definition provided above, when we collaborate, we:

…work together to realize shared goals [in] … a deep, collective determination to reach an identical objective…

What does “collaboration” mean to you? How did you arrive at your conclusions?

Comments welcome!

Check back for my next post, PianoAnd:  Children’s voices

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Anatomy of a Vocal Coaching

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Arne, Baroque, classical, Handel, Mozart, Stravinsky, Verdi

Image via Wikipedia

What happens in a vocal coaching session?

The singer arrives warmed up, with the music translated and learned. Along with possessing a beautiful voice, these are the basics.

On occasion, a singer receives a call for a last-minute audition. If the call comes after dinner and the audition is the next morning at 10, that constitutes a true emergency. In that case, it would be understandable for the singer to be less prepared.

In the great majority of coaching sessions, a coach does not expect to teach notes, rhythms, and do the translation from scratch. When the singer is prepared, there is so much more that can happen.

If all a singer (or instrumentalist or actor) brings to a performance is her/his beautiful voice, that is not enough.  Without consonants, correct vowels, many contrasting sounds in  the voice, and a dramatic interpretation, there is just one sound.  And the constant use of just one sound, no matter how beautiful, is not expressive.

A recent program

What follows is a description of my coaching sessions prior to a mid-September voice recital.

“Servasi alla mia bella/Amor commanda” (Floridante, Händel)

We made decisions about expressing the text.

• prominent initial consonants (i.e. “caro”)
• double consonants (which affect the rhythm)
• using warm, expressionless (for effect), or emphatic vocal qualities
• singing as if speaking the text, without being glued to the rhythmic notation

We practiced how much time to take between the recitative and the aria, allowing time to breathe. (An 8^th note rest is indicated. We took about 3 quarter rests instead.)

• We made a dynamic scheme to fit the text
• We added ornaments on repeats
• We wrote a cadenza for the end of the vocal line

We made the difference clear between Classical and Baroque ornamentation.

The ornamented sections needed to be practiced a few times under tempo. When there is more than one syllable involved, things can get a little tricky. (Where do you sing _ _ _ ?)

“E pur così in un giorno/Piangerò la sorte mia” (Giulio Cesare, Händel) was next on the program, but you get the idea, so let’s continue.

“Zeffiretti lusinghieri” (Idomeneo, Mozart)

• We explored ways to apportion the breath to express the words effectively while singing very long phrases.
• We practiced the written-in ornaments, making sure to be expressive and not rush. Sometimes a little more time was needed. As long as the tempo returns immediately after, no one will notice. They hear expressive singing, and are not keeping track with a metronome.
• The dynamics needed our attention. When a phrase repeats, for example, it needs to be varied.
• We practiced how to approach a fermata and how to continue after, gracefully.
• Endings of phrases needed care. Very often, an unaccented final syllable will be notated with the same rhythm as the accented penultimate syllable. They are not equal. Also, the final syllable may be sung on a higher note, making it sound louder (i.e. accented) if the singer is not careful.
• We added a few ornaments and a short cadenza of our own.

“Una donna a quindici anni” (Così fan tutte, Mozart)

• Sounding playful while singing through the phrases was something we worked on.
• We practiced singing “finger riso, finger pianti” with the high “G’s” short and just touched with the voice. Despina is laughing and isn’t thinking about how to produce her high notes!
• We added an ornament. You don’t need a lot, it’s where you sing them that’s important.
• Previous considerations such as double consonants and what to do before and after fermati were present in this aria as well.

“The Soldier Tir’d” (Artaxerxes, Thomas Arne)

• The singer had this aria down pat. It was new to me, and I had my work cut out for me! The piano reduction is clearly for trumpets and orchestra. My job was to make the various changes in instrumentation clear between sections, also incorporating plenty of variety in dynamics and articulation. So I had the trumpets play some passages detached, others smoother, some louder, some softly. The strings were sometimes legato and pizzicato at other times. Sometimes I used sudden dynamic contrasts between sections. Other times, I had one group of instruments crescendo or diminuendo into the next group’s entrance.

• Again, no repeated phrase was performed the same way as the previous one.

It took a lot of work, but in the end it was fun! Getting over the fear and just going for it made all the difference.

Arias from The Rake’s Progress (Stravinsky)

The piano reduction is discussed in a previous post.

• The singer and I worked on coordinating our parts, as these pieces are rhythmically difficult.
• We dreamt up some imaginary staging. That made it easier to sing expressively.
• A good example of using the text well:  the word “colder” is sung 3 times in the same phrase! Is the same word sung the same way 3 times in a row? NO… the story is conveyed so much more convincingly when the text is treated dramatically.

Gilbert & Sullivan arias and ensembles

I am going to take the liberty not to discuss this group at length. We made sure the words were clear and rehearsed one or two musical cues.

“Gualtier Maldè!/Caro nome” (Rigoletto, Verdi)

• Verdi style! How much give and take is there, and where? I can’t explain that in writing, but that is exactly what we practiced. Listening to good Verdi recordings with the score will give you a much better idea of his wonderful writing for the voice.

• In the aria, we worked on how to sound breathless while not letting the audience hear the breaths! (No hyperventilating allowed.)

• We double-checked the pitches in the cadenzas. It’s so easy to slip past one and then start leaving it out. (That is why every singer needs an eagle-eyed and -eared coach!)

• The passage at the top of the penultimate page is problematic, with its wide intervals, staccati, and accents. In order for the voice to be heard, I think this passage must be done under tempo.

Further detail would be difficult to express in writing. I hope this post provides an idea of what happens in vocal coaching sessions. Coaching and voice lessons are very different!

Please share your thoughts in the comment section below!

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