Advanced Recorder Technique [2]

Citation preview

Heyens / Bowman

Advanced Recorder Technique The Art of Playing the Recorder Volume

2

Breathing and Sound

ED 9762

Recorder

Gudrun Heyens

Advanced Recorder Technique The Art of Playing the Recorder Volume 2: Breathing and Sound Translation: Peter Bowman ED 9762

Volume 1: Finger and Tongue Technique ED 9761

www.schott-music.com Mainz · London · Madrid · New York · Paris · Prag · Tokyo · Toronto © 2005 SCHOTT MUSIK INTERNATIONAL GmbH & Co. KG, Mainz · Printed in Germany

Contents Foreword

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1. Physical Sensitivity

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2. Becoming Aware of Breathing

5

3. Diaphragm Awareness

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4. Breathing Exercises (without the instrument) 5. Breathing Exercises (with the instrument)

Order Number: ED 9762 Cover: Nathaniel Hone (1718–1784) „The Piping Boy“ (1769) BSS 51566

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10

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6. Breath Support (“flexible tension”)

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7. Exercises for Sound

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8. Vibrato

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9. Phrasing and Breathing

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10. Suggestions for Note-Shaping in Examples from the Repertoire

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Foreword Volume 2 of “Advanced Recorder Technique” is concerned with breathing and sound. A technique for breathing is introduced which deals exclusively with the particular requirements of blowing on the recorder both as a physical action and as creative note-shaping. It is intended for advanced recorder players, recorder teachers and amateur musicians who want to develop awareness and confidence in their use of breathing. All exercises and explanations relate directly to developing the skills necessary for playing the recorder. Intonation is given priority over physical skills and from this it follows that exercises for developing awareness of the breathing apparatus are provided rather than a programme of physical training.

I have avoided the inclusion of a chapter on the essential anatomical, medical and physiological basics of breathing-technique. Instead, my concept relates directly to the medical approach found in Margot Scheufele-Osenberg’s “Die Atemschule”, Übungsprogramm für Sänger, Instrumentalisten und Schauspieler, Schott, Mainz ED 8705 (ISBN: 3-79578705-x) (“Understanding Breathing”, A programme of study for singers, instrumentalists and actors). This excellent, comprehensive and easy to read publication contains valuable information and provides useful advice where breathing problems occur. Gudrun Heyens

Glossary of Terms American English

British English

Thirty-second note Sixteenth note Eighth note Quarter note Half note Whole note Soprano recorder Alto recorder

Demisemiquaver Semiquaver Quaver Crotchet Minim Semibreve Descant recorder Treble recorder

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1

Physical Sensitivity

When the body is actively involved with sport, drama or music, when it is used as an “instrument”, it is essential that we learn to become physically aware and internally sensitive. By “internal sensitivity” we mean the perception of delicate inner movements and events when feeling physically “normal”, i.e. at and beyond the pain threshold on one hand and enjoying a feeling of wellbeing due to a state of extreme relaxation on the other. Our various lives and experiences with their conscious and unconscious learning processes during childhood and puberty mean we perceive “physical sensitivity” individually and subjectively – there is no common measure. Any kind of teaching concerned with inner physical processes is, therefore, difficult and complicated. Much about a person’s general and current physical and mental condition, however, can be read from his outward appearance – the way he moves, speaks, stands and plays his instrument. The psychologically trained eye of a doctor allows him to draw conclusions from the way a patient moves, for example, about the presence of illness or neurosis. In the same way an experienced music teacher knows that the production of a certain sound is the result of the student’s particular physical disposition. He is also capable of drawing conclusions about the student’s physical sensitivity from her instrumental sound. Nevertheless, he will never know exactly how the player herself physically “felt” at the moment of tone production.

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Teaching which involves physical contact between teacher and student would therefore appear to be the most successful method: it would be possible for the teacher to see and to feel (by touching) before assessing and making a judgement. Despite that, his diagnosis will also be subject to limits, in as much as he cannot see inside his student and the student herself (especially if she is a beginner who for the first time is having to focus on internal sensitivity) finds it difficult to describe subtle inner sensations. The teacher is initially confronted with imprecise, vague terms which make further work difficult. This method of confronting the problem as a rule leaves woodwind teachers, as with singing teachers, no alternative other than to continue the work using such imagery as will enable the student correctly to perform a particular action intuitively, thereby sharpening the perception of the accompanying physical sensation until it can be remembered and repeated. Teaching, where direct physical contact between teacher and student must be avoided, turns out in this case to be particularly difficult because of the absence of any possibility for the teacher to check and control, leaving the student entirely dependent on her own powers of judgement. It therefore becomes even more important for her seriously to try to comprehend the teacher’s verbal and pictorial imagery and to engage with other techniques for developing the imagination.

Becoming Aware of Breathing Exercise 1 Take a five minute break to sit on a chair and attempt to think of nothing. After a while observe your breathing and describe it. Draw the movement of your breath with your hand, taking care to ensure that your hand movement corresponds to both internal and external breathing motions. Make an upwards movement for inhalation and a downwards movement for exhalation. • How fast is your hand moving? • Do the motions of inhalation and exhalation follow seamlessly one after the other? • If there is a pause after exhalation, how long does it last? • Do parts of your body move during breathing? If so, which ones? • What do you think of your breathing – is it deep or shallow?

1.

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What did you discover? The breathing process is in three phases: inhalation, exhalation, rest. When in a state of rest, the amount of air used is very small, breathing is experienced as shallow and exhalation takes longer than inhalation. The transition to the rest phase occurs as part of the natural flow of breathing. The length of the rest phase can vary. Enjoy a peaceful sense of well-being during the rest phase and notice how relaxed your body feels. Exercise 2 Imagine various situations in which your breathing is activated and stimulated in particular ways: 1. when swimming 2. during the final sprint of a race 3. climbing stairs to the fourth floor with heavy shopping 4. listening to boring music 5. sleeping 6. during an argument in which you are furious?

Amount of Air

Tempo

Physical Feeling

Effect

Lots

Steady

Complete

Calm movement

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

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2

Becoming Aware of Breathing

Exercise 3 How do you breathe in when you: 1. call out to someone who is some distance away 2. suddenly get a cramp while swimming in the sea and have to cry out for help 3. whisper in someone’s ear 4. yawn 5. cough 6. sneeze?

Amount of Air

Tempo

Physical Feeling

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

Exercise 4 How do you breathe out when you: 1. blow up a balloon 2. are finally able to put down the heavy shopping bags 3. blow a bit of fluff from your clothes 4. blow out the candles out one after the other on the birthday cake 5. blow out all the candles together in one puff 6. blow out just one candle 7. breathe on to your sun glasses before cleaning them?

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Effect

Becoming Aware of Breathing Amount of Air

Tempo

Physical Feeling

2

Effect

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

Note: In everyday life breathing is an unconscious process. Your inhalation has a direct relationship to your exhalation: you always unconsciously breathe in only as much air as your body needs for the following action. The same should be true when deliberate and conscious breathing is employed: inhalation must entire-

ly be oriented to the needs of the following action, e.g. when blowing a particular instrument with its special mouthpiece and breath pressure or when meeting the dynamic or expressive requirements of a musical passage.

About Inhalation Try two extremely different ways of breathing. Imagine the following: Exercise 1 When swimming you are suddenly engulfed by a massive wave – your head is held under water for a long time and you urgently need to take a breath. You finally emerge from the water and gasp for air, sucking it in as fast as you can until you are full!

Exercise 2 You accept air as though it were a gift. With open arms, mouth, throat and relaxed abdominal muscles, the air is allowed to “fall in”. Describe the difference in the way your body feels as well as the speed and volume of air inhaled.

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2

Becoming Aware of Breathing

What did you discover? for 1) The rapid sucking in of air tenses the abdominal muscles almost to the point of pain, the upper part of the body rises and there is an audible rush of air due to the tensed vocal chords. Inhalation is short, fast and jerky. for 2) A deliberate loosening and relaxing of the abdominal muscles, neck and throat is required some time before the actual taking of breath. This method of inhalation will therefore be experienced as slow and calm. Because the throat is set wide there is no sound of rushing air. Breathing occurs almost unnoticed by observers.

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Aim of the Exercise: Following repeated execution of both exercises until the difference can easily be felt, focus on the “gift of breath” and constantly try to reduce the time between relaxing your body and the actual taking of breath. Concentrate in particular on ensuring that the inhalation occurs silently (as though forming a surprised but happy “Ah” with your mouth) and is physically smooth and even.

Diaphragm Awareness “Feeling” your diaphragm: How do you breathe when you: 1. are suddenly startled 2. can’t stop sobbing 3. pant like a little dog 4. have a laughing fit 5. snort to remove an insect that has flown up your nose 6. have to cough heavily? What did you discover? In the course of any of the above you will experience involuntary spasmodic movement of your flanks, between your ribs and in the lower abdominal muscles. These muscles are controlled by diaphragm movement. Extract from: Chapter 3.2 “The Diaphragm”, in “Understanding Breathing” by Margot ScheufeleOsenberg: ‘Stated simply, the diaphragm is a dome-shaped muscle, provided with nerves, which rises into the chest cavity. It separates the chest and abdominal cavities. Placed centrally in the body, it is an extraordinarily delicate muscle which takes up a different position depending on whether we are inhaling, exhaling or in the rest phase. The diaphragm is the central breathing muscle. The muscles of the flanks, the back, the intercostal muscles between the ribs and the muscles of the lower abdomen serve merely as auxiliary muscles. They are governed by the diaphragm and are not capable independently of controlling breathing. These auxiliary breathing muscles serve the diaphragm (flexible tension), for expansion (inhalation), especially at the back, as well as for contraction (exhalation) over the entire torso (upper and lower parts).’ ‘(…) Before inhaling, a signal is sent via the nervus phrenicus from the respiratory centre in the brain to the diaphragm’s central tendon – the diaphragm flattens down, leaving the position of rest it maintained during the breathing rest phase. In other words: the diaphragm goes down – inhalation position. The deeper I exhale, the more exaggerated becomes the diaphragm’s upwards dome shape – exhalation position. During the rest phase, i.e. after exhalation, the diaphragm returns to its rest position i.e. its natural “moderate” dome shape.’

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‘(…) So-called “diaphragm breathing” is in fact a pressure mechanism operated by the diaphragm. All the organs which lie above and below the diaphragm, in the upper part the heart and lungs and in the lower part the liver, gall bladder, stomach, pancreas and further afield, the whole of the intestinal tract as well as the pelvis, are set in motion by the moving diaphragm.’ ‘Furthermore, the diaphragm is penetrated by the aorta (large artery) and the vena cava inferior (large hollow vein). Depending on whether the diaphragm flattens down or domes upwards the vein appears in an x-ray either as thin (empty) or full (blocked). A direct inner pressure on the organs occurs because of the diaphragm. This pressure can be more or less depending on how strongly or weakly we activate the diaphragm. The result of an unforced, complete exhalation and thereby an increasingly higher domed diaphragm is that, as seen in an x-ray, the heart appears to become broader. (…) When inhaling, the diaphragm falls, air is sucked in and the heart is lengthened because of the connection between the lower left pericardium (sack) and the diaphragm. The amount of air exhaled, depending both on the extent to which the diaphragm flattens and on the resulting decrease in air pressure in the lungs, will be the same as that taken in the following breath. However, according to Parow, musicians may want to take more air in the subsequent breath if the following instrumental or song phrase is longer.’ ‘Dr. Heinrich Egenolf “(…) We know that when breathing calmly the diaphragm “rises” higher. In contrast it turns out, paradoxically, that when exhaling by panting the diaphragm falls as when inhaling. The physiological explanation of this process is very simple: when exhaling by panting (e.g. words like “mooooo” or “meeeee”, where the laterally sloping abdominal muscles are pushed outwards) a rebound, caused by the forceful downward movement of the diaphragm, occurs. The flattening diaphragm of the “panting” exhalation understandably exerts a far more intensive pressure than occurs during inhalation and in this panting action can be found the greatest source of power (for shouting, screaming, blowing an instrument and for strengthening the diaphragm itself).”’

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4

Breathing Exercises (without the instrument)

Exercise 1 Sit on a stool with your legs set straight from your hips and your feet flat on the floor. Allow your upper body to fall forward onto your thighs with your head dangling between your legs. Feel the weight of your body and then place your hands at the sides of your back, on the flanks. Breathe in slowly either through your nose or by sucking the air as though through a straw placed between pursed lips. What do you feel?

What did you discover? Because of your body position the stomach muscles are unable to stretch in order to make room for the filling lungs and falling diaphragm. Instead, you will very clearly feel the expansion of the lower ribs and flanks.

Exercise 2 Stand at an open window and breathe in once or twice so deeply that you can feel it filling your entire body. Place your hands around your waist with thumbs to the rear and fingers pointing forwards. Blow all the air out: pffffff, purse your lips as though sucking through a straw. Through this small opening suck the air slowly and continuously back in. Be sure not to breathe any extra air in through your nose. Using a metronome (
= 80) count how long your inhalation lasts. When you feel completely full blow all the air equally slowly and evenly back out through the same small opening. At the same time, hold your right hand in front of your mouth so that you can feel and control the flow of air. Determine the length of your exhalation by counting the metronome beats.

Inhalation: Exhalation:

Exercise 3 Stand with your legs set straight from your hips so that you have a secure stance. Place your hands on your flanks and relax your shoulders and upper arms, allowing them to “sink” until they feel heavy. Breathe out pffffff until you feel completely empty and then suck the air in again slowly and audibly through tightly pursed lips. Count to ten while doing this (
= 80). Maintain the same mouth position and blow all the air out in ten separate short puffs. Is the air really all gone? Before breathing in again, maintain the out-of-breath condition and try to relax your stomach muscles (imagine that your stomach falls over your skirt/belt). Feel the change with your hands.

• How do you feel the relationship between inhalation and exhalation? • What is easier for you: inhalation or exhalation? • Why? 10

Breathing Exercises (without the instrument) What did you discover? A column of air builds up slowly in your body during inhalation through the small opening of your pursed lips. You can feel the widening of the lower edge of your ribs, flanks and of the stomach. Because of the slightly forced exhalation which results from the resistance of the small lip opening you

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will feel that the tensed and stretched condition of the muscles reduces only slowly. During exhalation you can even experience a feeling of becoming “wider” but do not deliberately force this!

Exercise 4 Stand with your hands around your waist as in Exercise 2. Inhale through the nose in three separate impulses; hold your breath for the duration of one beat and then exhale pfff in six short puffs. Take two beats for the rest phase during which you relax your stomach muscles before inhaling again.

Do the same exercise again but breathing in and out in single smooth motions.

• Is the amount of air inhaled the same as with the “impulse” method? • Which method of breathing do you find easier? • Why?

Exercise 5 Repeat Exercise 4 but this time exhaling with only three short puffs! Again, repeat the exercise but without the jerky breathing.

Note: During inhalation you will have come relatively quickly to the position of feeling “full” and pushing the limits of your physical capacity whereas exhaling all the air in the time given will require a considerable amount of effort. You will have to concentrate

and actively blow. This experience is of great importance for the application of breathing technique in recorder playing. Some exercises with the recorder follow.

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Breathing Exercises with the Instrument

Exercises for recorder-specific blowing How do you breathe when: 1. playing the trumpet 2. playing the oboe 3. playing the saxophone 4. playing the flute 5. playing the alto recorder 6. playing the soprano recorder? • Try to play all the instruments – or at least the mouthpieces of a trumpet, oboe and saxophone – so that you can compare the requirements of inand exhalation against those of the recorder. • Simulate the various tone production methods by placing your mouth against the back of your hand whereby your lips form the embouchure necessary for each of the different instruments and the back of your hand the resistance offered by each of the mouthpieces. • Describe how it feels, especially the strength of the pressure and the tension in your flank and stomach muscles.

What did you discover? You will notice that the mouthpiece of the recorder provides little resistance to your breath while playing and, having already experienced the natural tension of blowing through the small openings of the mouthpieces of the oboe and trumpet, you will find it difficult to continue to feel the tension. This is a little easier when playing the high notes since in order to obtain the best tone and intonation you will need to blow with a faster air speed. However, even in the high register the recorder requires no special muscle strength to obtain good tone, intonation or attack. It is wrong (and completely unnecessary) when playing the recorder to use physical tension which does not arise naturally from the inhalation and blowing of the instrument (bearing in mind variations for intonation, variable dynamic, note length, articulation, emotion). The use of any greater muscle strength to maintain the tension will negatively influence the sound, making it cramped and hard, inflexible and monotonous.

Exercise 1 Sit on a chair with a straight back. Your legs are set straight from your hips and your feet are flat on the floor. Your stomach muscles are so relaxed that they spontaneously move sympathetically with the slightest movement of breathing. (Imagine: your upper torso becomes very heavy and sinks down onto your stomach which forms a broad foundation underneath.) Bring your recorder or the recorder head joint to your lips, breathe in no more air, for example as you do when sleeping and exhale through the recorder (finger g2 if using the whole instrument).

What did you discover? You should have heard a very quiet, breathy note without definite beginning or end, which sounded like a sigh. And if you blew unintentionally, with a minimal amount of air you will have heard at the end a very short and quiet flageolet note.

Exercise 2 Standing upright, your weight is distributed evenly between your legs. Place the recorder at your mouth, imagining that you have to play a victory fanfare on the trumpet. Breathe in accordingly, finger and blow a fortissimo multiphonic. Hold the sound at the same volume for a few seconds and answer these points: • How does it physically feel? • Where do you feel the tension? Which muscles? • What do you think of the air speed? • Describe the quality of the sound! • Describe the expressive qualities (effects) of the sound!

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Breathing Exercises with the Instrument

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Exercise 3 Breathe in again and this time play g3. Again, begin the note fortissimo, characterise the sound and register the amount of physical tension. Next, play a sliding decrescendo and again take careful note both of how you physically feel and of the sound quality. Play high g3 and, bearing in mind its pitch and register on the instrument, indicate with an “X” on the following graph the point at which you found your tone particularly beautiful and pleasing. Reflect on how

you felt physically. Repeat the process, trying to find the “normal sound” of g3 right from the very beginning.

Note g3



 Exercise 4 Breathe in slowly through your mouth, trying to create a feeling of width, and play g1. Imagine that you are blowing this note into a 300 metre deep gorge or well. (If you find this difficult to imagine try calling, without recorder, a deep ohhhhhh into the imaginary well.) Your lower jaw hangs down, your mouth is open and hollow, cheeks are relaxed and tending to be puffed out, stomach muscles are loose and your general physical feeling should be one of “depth”. Describe again the sound quality of your note; how many points would it get on the above scale? Apply the following words when describing the g’s, above, and try to associate them with the points scale:

soft, weedy, broad, hard, metallic, robust, gentle, thin, tight, fat, full, broad, edgy, shrill, resonant, relaxed, aggressive, enticing, tinny. Complete this list with your own descriptions of the sound. The note sounds (like a): ............................................ ....................................................................................

Exercise 5 Finger g3 again but play with the breath and physical disposition necessary for g1! g3 should sound but if it does not a minimal increase in both should help. Play the high note with the greatest possible feeling of physical “depth” and assess its quality. Repeat this exercise with other high notes. At first the pitch will be too low and the notes will sound weak and breathy. Build each note from “below” up to the point where it sounds most beautiful. At no point should you feel physically tense. Increase the speed of your breath slowly. What did you discover? The goal of this exercise is to achieve the greatest possible level of physical “looseness” when playing high

notes. Only when this is achieved will the sound of the instrument blossom and the prerequisites for the natural resonance of the individual notes be established. A trained and attentive ear allows control and correction of pitch without, for the recorder, unnecessarily high tension which anyway would make the sound generally stiff, uniform and penetrating.

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Breath Support (“flexible tension”)

The Concept of “Support”

Exercises

Margot Scheufele-Osenberg defined the concept of “support” in the following way: ‘In the anthology of my book “Atemschulung” (Understanding Breathing) we realised that all the singing and instrumental teachers quoted variously argued against the inconsistently used concept of “support”. For many singers and wind players this has led to dangerous misinterpretations and, as a result, incorrect breathing techniques. This situation has now been countered by Dr. J. Parow’s excellent formulation of the concept as “flexible tension”. He says: “All the elements which surround the diaphragm (thorax (chest), back, sides and stomach) including, as support for the thorax, the spinal column, participate equally in this powerful tensing action. The minimal “emission of air” during sound production occurs, contrary to normal exhalation, not as a result of a decrease in tension but rather by maintaining strengthened lateral tension. This begins in the middle of the torso and continues into the upper region. The lower region consists of the pelvis, the pelvic floor, coccyx (tail bone), the five bones of the lumbar vertebrae and, anchored to the second lumbar vertebra, the beginnings of the diaphragm which provide firm support for its powerful movement and are the foundation of flexible tension i.e. of the entire abdominal muscular system.’ ‘(…) The stomach muscles, beginning at the pubic bone and running up to the breastbone, should remain loose above the navel for, according to Husler and Parow, “When singing or playing an instrument the most subtle processes take place at the front, where the muscles of the diaphragm, stomach and inner breast interlock”. Remaining for the application of flexible tension in the torso, therefore, are the strong back muscles, the small inner and large outer stomach muscles, the rib cage, to which the diaphragm is attached and which extends from the back over the costal arches to the breastbone, all the ribs with their intercostal muscles as well as the lower stomach muscles, below the navel, which are directly attached to the pubic bone. All these elements must be flexible in order to support the movement of the diaphragm, to be able to give way and to give support. I should not need to mention that only after the intake of air does the tension begin simultaneously with speaking, singing or playing an instrument.’ ‘Breath support is more a “feeling” and an inner attitude than a learnable technique. It is not a condition but rather has to do with action. It has a stabilising effect through a compensating, equalising dynamic.’

for developing awareness of “flexible tension”

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a) Without your instrument Exercise 1 Stand leaning with your back against a wall or door. Your knees are loose and your head and shoulders hang slightly forwards so that you can feel your flanks against the wall. Breathe in slowly through your nose and feel how contact with the wall decreases. Now puff your cheeks, all the time be aware that your back is in contact with the wall, then blow the air out slowly and evenly through tightly pursed lips. For the duration of your exhalation you will feel your back’s contact with the wall. Exercise 2 Begin as for Exercise 1. This time do not let the air out evenly but rather in short regular bursts. You should feel the contact with the wall periodically reduce. Exercise 3 Inhale slowly through your nose. Make the opening in your lips a little bigger and hold your left hand in front of your mouth. Blow the air against the palm of your hand and slowly count to ten ensuring a steady stream of air. Can you still feel the wall? Exercise 4 Stand away from the wall and place your right hand on your flank. Breathe in so that your back nestles gently into your hand – your back may become slightly rounded. As you steadily blow against your left palm do not lose the feeling of roundness in your back. Exercise 5 Inhale through your nose in five bursts until you feel your stomach and flanks have stretched to their maximum size. Pant the entire amount of air out through pursed lips – again in five puffs – and observe the movement of your stomach and flanks. Check the operation with your hands. The stretching reduces and breathing muscles relax and return to their initial position. Repeat this several times. Exercise 6 Inhale with three short bursts. You will not yet have stretched to your maximum. Establish the difference in the way you feel for the fivepulse-inhalation and note this moderate tension. Now exhale all the air in five puffs.

Breath Support (“flexible tension”) You should clearly feel the jerky movements of your breathing muscles. Exercise 7 Inhale again in three short bursts and then breathe out in five, this time not thrusting but imagining a long, constantly interrupted stream. The flow of air is interrupted by the tongue which is placed on the gum behind the upper front teeth. Do not exhale through your nose when the flow of air from your mouth is blocked. _______t _______t _______t _______t ________t ________ How does this feel different from the ‘puffing’ exhalation? Exercise 8 Place your hands on your waist and inhale in three impulses through your nose. Exhalation (tssss) should be slow and sparing. After about five seconds quickly snatch a breath, ensuring that your throat is set wide. Say “ah” when snatching the breath.

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Exercise 9 Begin this exercise as for the previous one but this time snatching the breath through your nose. Take only a small amount, as much as you need for the next short exhalation. Do not breathe in extra and do not keep reserve air. Exercise 10 Breathe in with three impulses and think of phrases of varying lengths (5 secs., 10 secs., 20 secs.). Breathe out (tssss) and take in breath again, focussing on using “flexible tension”, 1) saying “ah” and 2) through the nose. The amount of air you breathe in depends on the length of phrase you have in mind. Note: Inhaling in impulses helps develop control and awareness. However, as you gradually feel more secure, you may begin to alternate between impulse breathing and the smoother, more even inhalation, eventually replacing the former altogether.

Exercises b) With your instrument Exercise 1 Finger g2, place your right hand on your right flank, breathe in slowly through your nose and play a long note (mezzo forte to forte). How long did your note last? (... seconds) How did your flank feel in your hand? How did your body feel generally? Exercise 2 Now play e3 and g3. Describe the note length and your physical feeling. When playing the following repertoire examples your ear should exercise sole control over the quality of your tone. Variations in intonation or loss of tone must be recognised instantly so that you can respond flex-

ibly with your breath to make any corrections. Constantly check that you maintain a feeling of physical well-being.

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Breath Support (“flexible tension”)

Example 1

Concerto in e minor for Recorder, Flute, Strings and B. c. 4th Movement: Presto, Bars 143–150

G. Ph. Telemann

= 138

Breathe in slowly and evenly through your nose until you reach your maximum capacity and the flexible tension feels good.

2. while continuously reducing and increasing abdominal tension; 3. maintaining abdominal tension.

Play the long note: 1. while continuously reducing abdominal tension;

Assess the sound quality and how you feel. Keep your throat wide open and your head, shoulders and arms loose and free.

Example 2

“Monologe 4” for Recorder and Small Tam-Tam le le le

frull.

le

Gerhard Braun

cherr.

© Hänssler-Verlag, Stuttgart

This long phrase should ideally be played using circular breathing. However, it is also possible to play it using fast, inconspicuous snatched breaths. Play it ini-

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tially without regard to the directions for varying the sound, bearing in mind only the phrase lengths and adjusting your breath intake accordingly.

Breath Support (“flexible tension”)

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Example 3

Concerto in e minor 4th Movement: Presto, Bars 41– 44

G. Ph. Telemann

= 138

not be allowed to waver or diminish. It may be helpful to imagine blowing a line rather than an impulse. Play the phrase again and pay attention to whether it sounds clean. How are your breathing muscles working? Simulate the sequence of notes without your instrument by blowing against the palm of your hand and articulating with “t”. How do you articulate the low g’s? Can you feel the different breath pressures?

Play through the four bars paying particular attention to your intonation. If the g2 is too high reduce the tension and produce the necessary air pressure for g3 with your tonguing. The strength of the explosion produced by articulating the consonant “t” is a decisive factor in the way the intonation of the note sits. Nevertheless, the strength and tension of the following air stream should

Example 4

Cinquième Suite, Recorder and B. c. Pierre Philidor

Très lentement a

Allemande 2. a

Très lentement Sarabande a

All three examples are concerned with accurate intonation, using the alternative fingering for d2 which in all cases should sound light and unstressed. 1. Begin by again playing a flageolet note (see Exercise 1 from Chapter 5, “Breathing Exercises with the Instrument”). Hold it as long and straight as possible, maintaining a steady volume (pp).

a=

2. Now play short notes pianissimo. These should be separated by longer silences. The pitch must not sink at the end of the notes. Try to hit the correct pitch and dynamic right from the start and hold each note straight and steady throughout. 3. Despite the different lengths of the final note in each of the three examples, for practise, hold them even longer so that you have time to concentrate on how you feel physically.

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Breath Support (“flexible tension”)

Play the first example in slow quarter notes (if possible, slower than
= 40); do not breathe during the phrase and ensure that the correct pitch of the last note is maintained and does not sink. If you are uncertain about the intonation check your note against a harpsichord or piano and lengthen the final note again.

Preliminary Exercise for Example 5 1) Breathe in smoothly and play a simple technical sequence in fast sixteenth notes, repeating this for as long as possible before you have to breathe again. Try using snatched breaths – the rhythm and flow of your playing should be interrupted as little as possible.

2) Practise taking snatched breaths randomly after longer and shorter passages with the intention of checking your use of flexible tension. Alternate between breathing in through your mouth (ah) and your nose. 3) Repeat the same exercise, this time concentrating on the time taken over the snatched breath. Does it take an eighth or a sixteenth note? Shorter or longer? 4) Breathe in again and repeat the phrase until you feel the need for breath. Breathe in short and fast; continue playing and notice how long you are able to last (e.g. play the scale 10 times). 5) Inhale, again as fast as possible, taking only as much air as you need to play the phrase. Keep your throat wide open and, while playing, alternatively move your head, arms and shoulders. Do not relax your breathing muscles until you have completed the exercise.

Example 5

Concerto in a minor (P.83) for Recorder, Strings and B. c. Allegro, Bars 73–90 = 96

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A. Vivaldi

Breath Support (“flexible tension”)

This thirteen-bar passage should ideally be played at the higher tempo indication. For the purpose of practising, however, breaths can be taken at harmonically suitable places by omitting two sixteenth notes, . I suggest breathing at the end of bars 5 and 10. Try hard to estimate how much air you will need for the next five bars.

6

In parallel with this exercise try to increase your breath capacity by one bar at a time. At the same time, accept no loss in sound quality and always keep an eye on maintaining looseness in your entire playing “machine”.

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7

Exercises for Sound

Long Notes Playing long notes has traditionally been part of the daily practise routine of woodwind players. Before beginning though, think carefully about the aims and objectives of the exercise. What is being trained, developed and learnt? Playing long notes conveys in the first instance the sporting notion of being able to play notes for a certain length of time. This is, of course, also an essential aspect of breathing technique. More than that though, each individual note should be a musical experience in its own right – should have its own form and fulfil a musical purpose. Musical shaping, alongside technical aspects such as intonation and increasing breath capacity, should therefore have priority when practising long notes. The prerequisite for this is a “permeable” playing apparatus, a body which, without stiffness but with movement and flexibility, makes possible the releasing of the sound and the resonance of the note. In the following exercises try to convey the physical idea of a note form which has a beginning, a middle and an end. Musically, only notes of this quality are useable. The rigidly “held” note always has the effect of lifelessness and of lacking in content. It is there to be used only when that particular effect is desired. Always practise long notes with the objective of giving them a living musical form. Formulate precisely the note shape before playing and then analyse whether the resulting sound matched your initial idea.

Sounds in Space – Long Notes While Walking Exercise 1 Finger d (or d#) – in the resonant middle register of the alto recorder, breathe in slowly through your nose and play the note while walking slowly across the room. When you have run out of air briefly stop, breathe calmly in again and continue walking. Play mf, trying to find the relaxed but full sounding middle of the note.

Concentrate, listen carefully and try to eliminate the fluctuations in tone that arise from your movement by “floating” – imagining that you are carefully carrying the note through the room. Don’t be timid; blow naturally throughout the exercise.

20

The sound quality of the note will change depending on your position in the room. Find the place where it resonates and sounds its best, and listen. Test the sound by walking to a corner and playing into it. Enjoy the different sound colours produced by your instrument and absorb them so that you will later be in a position to remember and reproduce them. Repeat this exercise over the following days using different notes so that you learn the individual characteristics of all your instrument’s notes. Exercise 2 Stand bent at the waist with your upper body, head and shoulders hanging forward, with your recorder in your mouth (fingering g2) and lungs as empty as possible. Now breathe in slowly, sucking the air in through the recorder as though it were a straw (do not take extra air in through your nose) and slowly standing upright as you go. Breathe out naturally through the recorder (a ‘g’ will sound) at the same time letting your upper body fall back down between your straddled legs. Do not try to control the outward flow of air – the note will be short. Stand upright, breathing in again through the recorder.

Exercise 3 Stand upright with your back against a wall or door. Breathe in slowly through your nose then play a ‘g’, sliding down against the wall at the same time, finally ending in a squatting position. Your movement and the length of the note should be identical. Return again to the standing position, matching your inhalation to the time it takes to return to the upright position. Both should end simultaneously.

Exercise 4 Stand in a room so that you can look at a wall, door or window. Now play g2 and try to relate to the note: it begins with you then moves away towards the wall or out of the window. Support this idea by accompanying the note with physical movement.

Exercises for Sound Exercise 5: Bell notes Stand with your legs apart, upper body turned to the left and head tilted right back so that your recorder is pointing up to the ceiling. Blow a note and at the same time describe a semicircle in the air with your recorder where the lowest point coincides with the halfway point of your long note and which ends back in the air on your right. You are imitating with your body the motion of a ringing bell. Finger g2. Simultaneously with your downwards movement form the vowels ooo (tightly pursed lips) through OOO (less tightly pursed) and back to ooo, so that the deepest vocal colour coincides with the lowest point of your body movement (head and recorder hanging down between your legs) and the intense sounding middle of your note. When you and your recorder arrive back up at the right hand side, inhale again and swing back. Recorder

Mouth

What did you discover? The note begins, grows through increased intensity, reaches its high point, relaxes and fades away. Your initial attempts will probably be marked by a sudden loud accent in the middle of the note. Try to coordinate blowing, physical movement and vocal colouring without losing the relaxed swing of your “bell”. The deep vowel (OOO) at the middle of the note should counteract a raising of the pitch of the note due to the increased air supply (crescendo). Your mouth space (oral cavity) will increase as you move from the flat “ooo” to the more open “OOO”. Allow your lower jaw to drop and then decrease the size of the oral cavity (ooo) again towards the end of the note.

7

Exercise 6 Stand relaxed and play the bell note without the accompanying swinging movement. Do it initially without the vocal colouring so that you can concentrate on the beginning and length of the note: downswing – middle – upswing. Initially accept incorrect intonation (too high as the sound intensifies; too low as it relaxes) in favour of obtaining a swinging tone. Breathe in slowly, either smoothly or in several short bursts (ah), and judge the amount of air you will need to be able to distribute it evenly throughout the entire length of the note. Take into account that the return, after the note’s high point, should be as long as the outward “journey”. You could take even more time for the fading away of the note than for the building up of it. Now play with the vocal colouring and deliberately counter the crescendo of the note by increasing your mouth (oral cavity) size. This will offset the increased air pressure and prevent a rise in pitch. (Imagine that you are shouting into a one hundred metre deep well.) When you want the note to fade out it is, on the other hand, important to make the oral cavity very narrow and shallow in order to avoid the pitch sinking. (Imagine: the note is sharp and boring its way out through the top of your skull.) Important: This kind of note-shaping is called “messa di voce”, and is a swelling and fading away of the voice . Its use had been fashionable in singing teaching from the final years of the sixteenth century. It was mainly used on long notes and, according to numerous original sources, was also used in instrumental music during the seventeenth century.

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8

Vibrato

From an historical point of view the term “vibrato” can be understood as consisting of a variety of ornamentation techniques: flattement; tremolo; trillo and tremblement. All of these techniques alter a single note either through repetition, articulation or fluctuation of pitch or rhythm. These parameters can be used alone or in various combinations and are executed variously with the breath, tongue, fingers or (for string instruments) with the bow. The wind treatises of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries offer no guidance regarding the use of breath vibrato for creating effects through note-shaping. It was not until the nineteenth century that breath vibrato was mentioned in teaching methods for the flute. There are, however, sources with detailed explanations for use on the recorder of the various kinds of finger vibrato beginning with Sylvestro Ganassi’s “La Fontegara” (1535) through the numerous English “companions” up to J. M. Hotteterre’s “Principes de la Flute …” (1707), which give precise details for the execution and performance practice of this ornament. There are a few early references to support the existence and use of breath vibrato in baroque music which use the human voice as a model for note-shaping on instruments: Martin Agricola, “Musica instrumentalis deutsch”, 1529 (first version). On the transverse flute or “Swiss Pipe”: “And if a true foundation you desire, then learn to pipe with trembling breath. For singing is greatly adorned thereby, when paid court by all the pipes.” After comparing the comprehensive source materials for the use of vibrato in singing it is clear that a standard and precise formulation of a method of forming vibrato cannot be made since the views of the various authors are expressed subjectively and are also heavily dependent on individual taste. Summing up, we can say that basically vibrato, breath vibrato, and not the (almost inaudible) “natural vibrato” (vibration of the voice), when deliberately employed as an ornament in recorder playing, can be used in the same way as the early sources describe for finger vibrato. A basic requirement for the recorder player to employ this knowledge of early performance practice is control over a flexible breathing technique and, as a consequence, freedom to shape the sound at will. An involuntary permanent vibrato is the result of a flawed breathing technique but, more than that, should be recognised as indicating a lack of awareness and should be corrected since such faults work against the artistic intention of highlighting places of great expression in the music.

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Literature: Bruce Dickey, Untersuchung zur historischen Auffassung des Vibrato auf Blasinstrumenten (Investigation into the Historical Concept of Vibrato on Wind Instruments), Basler Jahrbuch für historische Musikpraxis, Basel 1978 Greta Moens-Haenen, Das Vibrato in der Musik des Barock (Vibrato in Baroque Music), Graz 1988 Jochen Gärtner, Das Vibrato unter besonderer Berücksichtigung der Verhältnisse bei Flötisten (Vibrato with Special Consideration to its Application by Flautists), Regensburg 1974

Preliminary Exercises for Vibrato Exercise 1 Breathe in slowly through your nose, finger g2 and breathe out completely naturally through the recorder. (Compare Exercise 2 from Chapter 7, “Long Notes”). Imagine: puuuuh!

What did you discover? The note has a loud, explosive beginning but immediately decrescendos, ending in pp. The air flows out in a torrent without flexible tension. The note “falls” from forte to pianissimo.

Exercise 2 Repeat the process of Exercise 1 but this time with flexible tension. Lengthen the note, blowing so that the decrescendo lasts much longer: you “carry” the note from forte to pianissimo.

Exercise 3 Breathe in slowly through you nose and repeat Exercise 1 but this time in reverse – beginning at pp. You fling out the forte.

Vibrato Exercise 4 Lengthen the note, during which you slowly and seamlessly increase your breath pressure from pianissimo to forte.

Exercise 5 Breathe in slowly and deeply with regard to executing this breathing exercise twice: 1. With irregular impulses:

2. Controlled: Compare and describe: • How you feel • The resulting sounds In the following exercises the focus both of our reflections and the exercises will be controlled breath, since only conscious and deliberate control of the flow of air can lead to the diversity of sounds necessary for the performance of music which requires the expression of different effects. The vibrating note should never occur by accident and should certainly never be the rigid and inflexible result of faulty and uncontrolled breathing. Rather, note-shaping should always be planned and utilised with regard to musical and stylistic requirements.

8

Exercise 6 (without instrument) Purse your lips as though whistling and blow into the air, accompanying the process with your hand whose motion should be identical to that of your breath.

Exercise 7 (with instrument) Repeat the exercise with g2 (eventually also using notes of the upper and lower registers). Are the upwards and downwards movements (crescendo – decrescendo) the same length? Which direction did you find easier? Why? What did you discover? The movements for crescendo and decrescendo should last the same amount of time. It is easier to increase the air pressure slowly than it is to withhold it for a smooth and even decrescendo. Concentrate particularly on the downwards motion, controlling the air and not just letting it “fall”. Exercise 8 Play g2 precisely in tune. Raise and lower the pitch so that the variation is clearly audible but always returning to the middle of the note, taking care that the wave shapes are regular and round, not irregular and jagged.

Exercise 8

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8

Vibrato

Exercise 9 Compare how you feel with the resulting sound while playing extreme opposites:

In the diagram g2 is presented as a room. When blowing, find the middle of the room. This is the place where the note is relaxed, unforced and sounds resonant and full.

Now go to the upper limit: the note begins too high and sounds rigid and forced. At the lower limit it sounds lifeless, quiet and too flat. Practise the following variants, keeping the amplitude of your vibrato within the room. Try also to realise the different frequencies, varying the tone to its extremes in order to make the difference clearly felt and clearly audible. Use your taste to judge the results: which do you like best?

Exercises for Vibrato All the following vibrato exercises should be played either on the notes of the C major scale or the chromatic scale from c2 – c3. Perform the rhythms through the smooth wave motion of the air and feel the tempo of four equal beats (
= 54 – 60). The exercise is not

24

about playing the complete scale in the manner of an etude. Take time after each note for critical judgement of your performance – insert rests and ask yourself (or better still, a listener) if the rhythm of the vibrato was recognisable.

Vibrato

8

Variations 1

=

as

2

( = 54)

4

3

7

6

5

Throat Vibrato Fast, shallow vibrato, used for the depiction of excitement, passion, joviality and heightened expression, which must be mastered by the player, can only be performed in a controlled manner with the throat. Because of their size, the movements of the breathing muscles are too slow to deliver the necessary fast impulses. They merely support the vibrato through the continuous motion of exhalation whereas the small inner muscles of the throat (vocal chords) and glottis are able to move the exhaled air at much higher frequencies (5 – 7 hertz). The “goats trill” (bleating), which arises from an extreme variety of the hard glottal stop, was scorned by listeners in the baroque period and has been denounced by authors in our own time. It will only be used here for the purpose of practice.

ous voiceless “ooo”’s, at the same time touching your throat with your finger. Direct your concentration to the small amount of air necessary for this.

Exercise 1 Tightly purse your lips and say “ooo” out loud several times in a row then repeat this without your voice and feel the hard glottal stop. Rapidly repeat numer-

Exercise 4 You giggle 1.) using your voice “he he he he”, then 2.) without your voice. The back of your tongue sits up high and your jaws are close together. Your mouth space (oral cavity) is small.

Exercise 2 The same exercise but now, whilst repeating, alternate from the voiced “ooo” to the voiceless and back again. Feel the strength of the glottal stop with the voiced “ooo”. Exercise 3 Now try to say the voiceless “ooo” even softer by adding a silent “h” at the start (“hooo”). Keep your lips tightly pursed and your finger on your throat. You can no longer feel the hard attack of the glottis at the beginning.

Exercise 5 Giggle with a regular pulse:

hi

hi

hi

hi

hi

hi

hi

hi

hi

hi

hi

hi

hi

hi

hi

hi

hi

hi

What did you discover? Only a very small amount of air is required to produce a fast throat vibrato – the vibration is so small and rapid that you can imagine moving a little cloud to and fro in front of your lips (form a tight “ooo” with your lips). Hold a finger in front of your lips and feel the small amount of air. Do you also feel a tiny movement of your lips?

25

8

Vibrato

Exercises With Your Instrument Exercise 1 Play each of the first pair of triplets with an accent; remember the “giggle”? Play each group on a single note in the middle register and pause after each one. When working through the exercises, imagine that the “action” takes place high up in your body, almost outside it, in other words just before the beak of the recorder. 3

3

3

3

3

3

Play each of the following exercises on the notes of the C major scale: Exercise 6

Exercise 2 3

3

3

Exercise 3 3

3

3

3

Exercise 6 is very important because it practises, in rhythmic form, an organically growing but controlled vibrato as we might use it musically. Take care to ensure that you make all four of the sixteenth notes audible and that you play the rhythm for the duration of the imaginary whole note (feel the four beats!).

Exercise 4 3

3

Exercise 7 Play an organically flowing vibrato for the duration of a whole note on all the notes of the C major scale.

Exercise 5 3

Pause after each note and make sure that it had four beats.

Exercise 8 Fast vibrato over a dotted half note:

26

Vibrato

8

Exercise 9 Take a deep breath and play the C major scale legato, beginning slowly then accelerating up to the high c3. Add vibrato to the final note at the same tempo as the last notes of the scale, i. e. fast, as if to continue the rapid finger movements in the air. The musical character expressed in this short phrase should be “victorious/triumphant”.

Exercise 10 Play the exercise again. Begin the final high C3 with the same fast, shallow vibrato but this time allow it to become slower until it flattens out into a smooth, straight tone.

Exercise 11 Focus now on the first note of the C major scale; take a deep breath and play a long c2 which begins straight then develops into a fast vibrato until it reaches the speed of the thirty-second notes of the legato scale.

Exercise 12 Play the same exercise with a long vibrating first note (as Ex.11) and a long vibrating final note (as Ex.10).

Exercise 13 Play a C major scale in slow whole notes, maintaining a strict tempo throughout. Make every note different by using all the techniques at your disposal. Use all kinds of vibrato but be sure to include some “straight” notes as well as some which use messa di voce ( ).

Exercise 14 Alternate between a note with vibrato and one without. Maintain a strict pulse throughout (four beats per note).

Exercise 15 Play this tune in slow quarter notes (
= 54), using vibrato on the half notes. Try to produce a natural, “organic” vibrato, not one that is “rhythmic”, without losing the beat.

1.

2.

27

8

Vibrato

Exercise 16 Play Psalm 118 from J. van Eyck’s “Fluyten-Lusthof” in slow half notes ( = 54 – 60) using vibrato on the notes shown. The purpose of this exercise is to help you learn to apply and control vibrato, including being able to “turn it off”. Be your own harshest critic and be prepared to return to a slow vibration if you feel that you have lost control or that the tone quality has deteriorated. Play the other Psalms in the “Fluyten-Lusthof” in the same way, using this model as an exercise and not as instructions for interpreting the music.

You will need to work with vibrato on a daily basis for several weeks before it begins to sound musically natural and can be employed at will in all its forms. The great variety of ways it can be used may best be experienced by looking through all the slow movements in your music library and thinking about how you could use vibrato in each. This must be undertaken bearing in mind the essential considerations for interpretation: Instructions for the movement (Tempo

28

indications etc.), the main character or emotion expressed plus any secondary or subsidiary emotions of the movement. Only when you have a clear idea of what the composer wanted to say and of what you want to say (ideally these should coincide) can you begin to think about the “tools” at your disposal to express these ideas. Vibrato is one of several possibilities for shaping the sound which, with your breathing technique, you will now be able to use.

Phrasing and Breathing A “phrase” in speech is a group of words which together form an idiomatic expression. In music, a phrase is an independent section of a musical idea. “Phrasing” means the division of a piece of music into melodic and/or rhythmic sections. These sections can be indicated on the score by means of phrase marks. A musical phrase can be formed into a recognisable unit by means of articulation, dynamics and agogic stress and movement. For woodwind players though, as opposed to other instrumentalists, there is an additional indicator of phrasing – the necessity of breathing – whereby the intake of breath causes an automatic separation of two notes (exception: circular breathing). This does not mean, however, that a breath is an inevitable indicator of phrasing – musical imagination, the maintenance of physical tension and directing your blowing towards the end of the phrase can, despite interruptions caused by inhalation, indicate continuity of the phrase. We attempt to speak clearly in order to be understood and the same must be true for the performance of music. A speaker who attempts to hold his listeners’ attention with an unbroken stream of words, without taking breath or pausing, will very quickly lose his audience’s attention: the content of the speech will be incomprehensible. Just as a gripping speech has a structure, in other words it can be organised into sections, phrases, expressions, sentences and clauses, so all music is composed with a particular structure in mind. It is the duty of the performer to convey clearly the structure which the composer has provided. This can only be achieved if the performer is absolutely clear about the musical “story” he is to relate. If the performer does not understand the music he is about to play (that is, if he does not understand the musical content) then the performance will have an effect on the audience similar to that of a text being read in a foreign language which the speaker himself does not understand. Even if the sound is pleasing, inappropriate and missing stresses as well as incorrect and unsuitable vocal inflection and breathing (phras-

9

ing) will ensure that the text remains meaningless and for the audience the message will be incomprehensible. When working on a new piece two questions will initially play an important role: 1. What is the structure of the piece? 2. How can I represent this with my breathing? In general we can say that, as with all music up to the beginning of the sensitive Galant Style (around 1750), baroque recorder repertoire was composed on the principles of rhetoric, indicated by short phrases; long extended phrases, which could not be broken down into shorter sections or figures, were virtually unknown in the baroque period. There are a few clues which make the recognition of musical phrases easier – here they apply exclusively to solo music – for recorder music with basso continuo the inclusion of the figured bass and therefore knowledge of baroque harmony will play a more prominent role. The example of a folk song will quickly make it clear to you that phrasing is directly related to meaning. Here the text is identical to the course of the phrase and this means that even without the text you would still hear immediately where one phrase ends and the next begins. The end of a phrase can be indicated by: a) a cadence b) a rest c) changing from one sequence (repetition of a figure) to another d) changing from one emotion to another, often connected to a change in rhythm e) a constantly recurring rhythmic principle f) repetition of a motif g) groups of bars of the same length (eg. 4 bars/6 bars, 4 bars/6 bars). “Figures” can vary in length and are the smallest meaningful units in baroque music.

29

9

Phrasing and Breathing

Examples: a) Figures

b) Cadences can occur midway through a piece and easily be overlooked

c) Rests

d) Sequences

1st figure

2nd figure

in two parts

e) Change of emotion = change of expression

30

Phrasing and Breathing

9

f) Constantly Recurring Principle

g) Repetition of a Motif

Criteria for Placing Breath Marks The following examples from the unaccompanied solo repertoire will help establish criteria for placing breath marks. We give priority to musical considerations from the beginning. Prelude by Mr. Finger Bar 4 Repetition of the opening motif on the third beat. Bar 6 Repetition of the opening motif after the first sixteenth note of the third beat which is also the final note of the previous phrase. Simultaneously, a sequence begins in which this upbeat motif appears four times. Bar 11 The start of a new sequence on the third beat. Bar 14 There are two possibilities for the breath mark following the two principles present in this Prelude:

2. The shortened upbeat version

(

)

(The breath mark in brackets indicates the upbeat principle.)

1. The whole-beat opening motif Bar Bar Bar Bar

19 21 24 27

Start of a new short sequence. Opening motif Upbeat version of the opening motif The first sixteenth note can be seen as the final note of the cadence. It is followed by an octave repetition of the figure (change of register between it and the following note). Bar 28 The same. New figure which is also repeated. Bar 30 Repetition of the previous phrase.

31

9

Phrasing and Breathing

Prelude by Mr. Finger Gottfried Finger

3

5

7

9

11

13

15

32

Phrasing and Breathing

9

17

19

21

23

25

27

29

31

33

9

Phrasing and Breathing

Prelude by Signr. Vitali The overriding principle of this Prelude is the leaping figure which appears as an octave leap in bars 6 and 12 where it has a particularly “final” character. This is further strengthened by an exposed cadence in the high register in bar 12. Up to this point two sixbar sections are identifiable; the third section continues through to the end and has been lengthened by two bars. A descending line beginning with the high E-flat3 in bar 13 ends on the E-flat2 (bar 16) then begins

34

again with the high E-flat3 in bar 17. This results in two four-bar phrases whereas the two previous six-bar passages (bars 1-6 and 7-12) are each divided into two three-bar phrases. Play the Prelude through once carefully and clearly with the articulations and stresses as marked – this should make the formal construction clearer. Note: When phrasing a piece look for phrases consisting of the same number of bars.

Phrasing and Breathing

9

Prelude by Signr. Vitali Tommaso Vitali

3

6

9

12

15

18

35

9

Phrasing and Breathing

Prelude by Mr. Smith Bar 4 Two repeated notes within a figure often indicate that one thing is finishing and another beginning.

bar 11

bar 17

Here the first d2 precedes a phrase in the dominant, thus appearing to be the tonic note. The new figure begins with the second d2 which again leads to a cadence at bar 6. A breath would not sound right here because there is only one bar to play before reaching the next composed break. We see in bar 11 that two repeated notes can not only belong together but indeed be the characteristic feature of the figure.

36

We have to consider this figure if we want to breathe after the cadence in bar 17: here I would advise breathing before the first e as this pattern will subsequently form a sequence. However, in bar 13 the first case applies: the end of one figure and the beginning of another between two repeated notes. Bar 19: Breathe before the start of the sequence (the phrase is repeated three times) and after that in the third to last bar.

Phrasing and Breathing

9

Prelude by Mr. Smith John Smith

3

5

8

11

13

15

17

19

21

23

37

9

Phrasing and Breathing

Prelude by Signr. Nicola When playing this Prelude you will see that dividing it up using our phrasing criteria is difficult. A possible explanation for this is that the preludes of Nicola Matteis were originally composed for violin. They are taken from a collection of solo pieces published in 1705 under the title “Select Preludes & Voluntarys for the Violin” which was published again three years later in a transposed version for the recorder. Although the figures and the upbeat principle are clearly recognisable the piece is set such that there is no real point at which one can take a good breath – something which the violinist does not need to do

38

when playing his instrument. Rather, the phrasing here is based more on harmonic analysis and its interpretation through the use of dynamic and agogic stress and movement – the recorder player will have to take snatched breaths or make room for breathing by leaving out odd notes in order not to spoil the flowing character of the music. We find the same problem in the fast movements of the violin sonatas of Arcangelo Corelli which were also published in a transposed version for recorder and in which the best solution for breathing is also to leave out odd notes.

Phrasing and Breathing

9

Prelude by Signr. Nicola Nicola Matteis

3

5

7

9

11

13

15

17

19

21

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9

Phrasing and Breathing

Exercise Get to know the Fantasia by Quantz by playing it through several times and then mark in the places that are clearly ends of sections. • Count the numbers of bars and look for regular patterns. • Look for obvious and hidden cadences. • Identify figures and sequences of figures. Note: Length of phrases, breath capacity and tempo are in relation to one another. (Do not read the following until you have placed in your own breath marks; then compare them with the following suggestions.)

cal since it is pitched higher than the previous group of notes and it leads into the following figure. The continuation confirms this theory: the sequence in bars 14 and 16. 2nd phrase, bars 13-24: 12 bars made up of three times four bars. 3rd phrase, bars 25-40: 16 bars, change of figure after two lots of four bars and one set of eight bars. Second Section 1st phrase, bars 41-52: A twelve-bar repetition of the opening transposed down a fourth. The change of register in the middle of bar 52 again confirms the choice of the middle of bar 12 as the end of phrase. 2nd phrase, bars 53-64: 12 bars made up of three times 4 bars. 3rd phrase, bars 65-72: 8 bars; the figure changes after four bars. 4th phrase, bars 73-96: 24 bars made up either of three times 8 bars or two times 12 bars. Bars 73-80 are an exact repetition of the beginning. The phrase continues with a change of figure after two times 4 bars and again in the following eight bars. 5th phrase, bar 98 to the end is a six bar coda.

Fantasia First Section 1st phrase, bars 1-12: 12 bars made up of three times four bars. There are two possibilities for determining places to breathe: a) between bars 12 and 13 – this confirms the wholebar start to the piece, b) middle of bar 12 – this explains the second threenote group as an upbeat. It does not sound illogi-

Fantasia: Presto 3

6

11

16

21

26

31

36

40

3

J.J. Quantz 3

3

3

3

Phrasing and Breathing

9

41

46

51

56

61

66

71

76

81

86

91

96

1

2

100

41

10

Suggestions for Note-shaping in Examples from the Repertoire

G. F. Handel, Sonata in d minor, Adagio

ly, the c3 should be played with enormous tension and increasing intensity: begin the note straight and slowly add vibrato until it reaches its maximum intensity on the first beat of bar 5. The continuation into bar 6 with the tied b-flat2 should be played more gently than the c3 so that the whole phrase takes a calm turn downwards at the end. The b-flat2 in bar 12 is an appoggiatura to the following a2 and therefore must sound stronger than the a2 because the seventh chord, of which it is a part, is more interesting than the consonant resolution – the “holding up” effect is, in my opinion, greater when the note is played without vibrato but nonetheless with increasing intensity. Bars 11 and 12 represent a small musical unit as do bars 13, 14 and 15 in which the tied d2 (suspended six-four chord) and the subsequent c-sharp resolution can be felt as an additional small second voice. Again, the effect of this deeply felt suspension can be beautifully expressed through the use of messa di voce. The g2 in bar 16 can have an even more dramatic effect: it intensifies into a seventh chord and because of its higher register exhibits stronger expression than the calmer d2 in bar 14.

The long tied notes, which form a substantial element of the basic musical framework of this movement, must be understood according to their purpose, then interpreted and shaped accordingly. The d2 in bar 2 is a continuation of the triad which began down low in bar 1 and which climbs to the climax of the phrase at the high c3. The c3 produces strong tension leading into the first beat of the following bar so the sound of the d2 must show an increase in intensity. I suggest that the d2, in order to be softer again by the first beat of bar 3, is played not with vibrato but instead with a messa di voce (a single swelling and diminishing of the sound). The sixfour chord produced with the tied melody note at this point has little harmonic impact. The opposite, however, is true of the tied c3 which lands on an incomplete ninth chord (the e-flat in the bass, bar 4, refers the listener back to the previous low d). This sound expresses great tension, pain and suffering which, as it were, collapses in on itself on the following f-sharp (bar 5, diminished 5th leap downwards). Consequent-

G. F. Handel, Sonata in d minor 4th Movement, Adagio

Adagio

6 6

42

7 5

6 4

5

6

6

6

7

6

6

Suggestions for Note-shaping in Examples from the Repertoire

10

6

6

7

5

6

6

6

7

6

6

6

11

6

7

6 5

4

6 4

6 3

5

16 3

6

6

6

5

7

7

6

From: G. F. Handel, Fitzwilliam Sonatas, No. 3 Schott ED 10062

43

10

Suggestions for Note-shaping in Examples from the Repertoire

Corelli, Sonata in a minor for Alto Recorder and B. c., Op. 5 No. 3 Consider the long notes in the slow movement of Corelli’s sonata from a harmonic point of view and assess their musical content: e2 d2 b2 a2 c2 d2 f2 c-sharp d2 d-sharp2 f2 a1

44

bars 4–5 bars 5– 6 bars 16 –17 bars 17–18 bars 21–22 bars 23–24 bars 25 –26 bar 29 bar 30 bar 31 bars 39 – 40 bars 45 –56

Do the notes have a tension building/strong expressive or relaxing/calm character? In which register of the instrument do they occur? Do they lie within a rising or falling passage/phrase? For each of the notes to which you want to add vibrato decide on the type, tempo and frequency of the vibration. Consider that vibrato is capable of strong expression and that where little of musical significance is being said, it should not be used e.g. on the final note of a cadence. Compare your playing with a story: as you finish a sentence your voice automatically falls (if it is not a question or an exclamation). The character of the final note of a piece is very similar: it ends the phrase and comes to rest.

10

Suggestions for Note-shaping in Examples from the Repertoire

A. Corelli

Adagio

1) ( )

Alto Recorder

3) 2)

Original Violin Part

6

7

6+ 5

4

3

6

7

6+ 5

6

6 5

( )

( )

6 4

4

3( )

4 2

6

9

8

(6)

7

6

6

A. Corelli, Sonaten, Edition Noetzel 3539

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10

Suggestions for Note-shaping in Examples from the Repertoire

13

1)

6

(5 )

19

4)

( )

6 5 ( )

(5 4

3

7

6

)

6

6 5 ( )

6( ) 5

( )

( )

( )

6 4

5( 4

3(

)

( )

5)

25

6

46

4

6

6 4

( )

( )

( )

( )

5( 4

) 3

(

)

(

)

6

(

)

10

Suggestions for Note-shaping in Examples from the Repertoire 31

( )

( )

5) ( )

(5

)

(

6

7 5

( )

6)

( )

(5 4

6

4 2

)

3(

7

6

( )

37

( )

6

6 5

7 5

( )

4

7

3( )

42

6

7 ( )

(6)

( )

( )

( )

47

4

(6)

( 6)

3( )

(

( )

)

6

8) ( )

( )

6

(6) 4 5

6

4

( )

3

6

6

47