One of the most neglected topics
at music schools, and one which is paramount to building a successful career as
a composer, is rehearsal technique. It is difficult to teach; professors don’t
usually attend their students’ rehearsals prior to school recitals, nor do they
usually demonstrate rehearsal technique in a seminar for composition students.
Most composers ultimately learn through trial and error.
Composer Dan Visconti and I tackled this topic last summer at
Fresh Inc Festival, where we’re both on faculty along with Fifth House Ensemble. We devised a skit, which Dan christened “Goofus and Gallant” in
homage of the cartoon characters from the children’s magazine Highlights whose purpose was to overtly model
good and bad social behaviors. Like Goofus and Gallant, Dan (Goofus) and I
(Gallant) presented three mock rehearsal scenes along with the help of members of Fifth House Ensemble. I ran the skit again for the students in my Chicago College of Performing Arts Composition Program (this time, I played both Goofus and Gallant)
along with the assistance of Gaudete Brass Quintet. From these two sessions, as
well as from numerous observations I’ve made over the years of a broad range of
composers’ social interactions in rehearsal situations, I have devised a list
of things composers should consider when rehearsing with musicians. While some of the items might seem obvious,
I’ve seen enough rehearsals in which they were not to warrant listing them
below.
The Dos and Don’ts
Be early to rehearsal in case the musicians have questions on
their parts; if you’ve not yet met some (or all) of the performers beforehand
and your piece is for chamber ensemble or smaller, then personally greet each
performer. Use people’s names instead of calling them by the name of their
instrument. Be warm and attentive; bring your score (yes, some people actually
go to rehearsals without one) as well as a pad of paper to take notes as you
listen on spots that you’d like to check. Find out from the musicians when
they’d like feedback from you, as some groups might want to run the entire
piece prior to hearing your thoughts, while others might want to intermix
smaller sections and feedback. When they’re ready for your comments, let the
performers know what you’re really happy with, along with the spots you’d like
to address.
Be ready to help the performers get back on course if they’re
getting hung up on a spot. One of the most painful rehearsals I sat through
involved musicians who were having rhythmic issues on a passage while the
composer sat impassively watching them, not offering any feedback on where or
how they were getting off track. In addition to burning up valuable rehearsal
time, the composer came across as disengaged from the musicians. I’m all for
waiting to see if an ensemble can make corrections on their own – I tend to
wait on speaking up about anything until I hear the performer repeat the mistake
again, as they usually self-correct upon another run-through – but there’s a
limit to how long a composer should wait before offering some constructive feedback
to solve the problem.
Additionally, it never helps a composer’s cause if you ignore your
performers, if you’re rude to them or insult their playing, if you invade their
personal space to try to point something out on their score, or if you start
screaming at them. Always stay professional and keep your cool. You never know
which performers you’re working with today will become frequent collaborators
in the future.
Working with a Conductor
Think of a conductor like the skinny part of an hourglass: you’re
on one side, and the ensemble is on the other. All interactions go through the
conductor, as he/she is the person in control of the rehearsal, not you. So if
a musician asks a question during the rehearsal, let the conductor answer;
otherwise, he might view this as a challenge to his authority. I always talk with a conductor in advance of
any rehearsal to find out when he would like feedback from me. Many conductors
will want to run the piece first and then turn to you for comments; some will
want to get through the entire rehearsal and receive feedback from you
afterward.
Giving the Performers Space
Performers need time to run through the piece and woodshed challenging
spots without the composer present. I also like to give them time to make their
own interpretation of my piece. Student composers tend to be responsible for
finding performers, as well as organizing and running all rehearsals, but
professional composers who are working with pre-formed ensembles should let the
performers have time to rehearse first. I never come to an early rehearsal of
any work unless the performers request for me to do so; I usually hear the last
rehearsal or two, and that’s it.
To wrap up this post, I offer one more piece of advice: thank your
musicians at the end of rehearsals. Thank
them after the performance, too; post-concert appreciation can be expressed by
a handwritten note or email, chocolates or another tasty snack, etc. These
small gestures (which are independent
of any formal payment you or an organization is making) go a long way in
letting performers know how much you value their time and skills in helping
bring your music to life.
