Musical Expression!

Stephan

Vermeersch

EN

Clarinets & Saxophones - Performer - Composer - Improviser - Teacher

Musical Expression


The Art of expressive playing:

interpretation, phrasing, articulation, sound, color ....

(full pdf)


Content


 1. Introduction
   Why expressive playing matters.
   • Overview of interpretation, phrasing, articulation, and tone color as         core to artistry.
   • The sources as a lineage of thought.
 2. Historical Foundations
   • Lussy’s treatises on expression and rhythm.
   • Riemann on phrasing.
   • Stiévenard and musical prosody.
   • Emmanuel on the history of musical language.
   • Gajard and plainsong rhythm.
   • Wick and Thalberg on pianistic singing style.
 3. Interpretation
   • Casals (via Blum) on sincerity, moral force.
   • Stokowski on universality and color.
   • Hansen on semiotics.
   • Fabian/Timmers/Schubert on empirical studies of expressiveness.
   • Finn and Vandercook on conducting and expression.
4. Phrasing
   • Keller on rhetoric of phrasing.
   • Thurmond’s note-grouping method.
   • Tabuteau’s number system (Storch).
   • Marcellus, Bonade, Russianoff, Kincaid, Londeix on phrasing traditions.
   • Thalberg and pianistic bel canto phrasing.
5. Articulation
   • Prosodic models (Stiévenard, Riemann, Keller).
   • Stein, Pino, Guy, Gholson on clarinet articulation.
   • Teal, Umble, Delangle on saxophone articulation.
   • Matthay and Christiani on pianistic articulation.
   • Vocal articulation as modeled by Wick.
6. Tone Color
   • Farkas on musicianship and tonal concept.
   • Stokowski on orchestral color.
   • Casals’ sincerity of tone.
   • Barry Green on energy and imagery.
   • Deplus, Delangle, Dangain, Médioni, Estrin on instrumental timbre.
7. Interpretive Psychology
   • Barry Green’s trilogy (inner game, mastery, energy circle).
   • McGill’s “sound in motion.”
   • Casals’ honesty, Marcellus’ pedagogy, Bonade’s discipline.
   • Fabian/Timmers/Schubert on cross-cultural expressiveness.
8. Conclusion
   • Synthesis of interpretation, phrasing, articulation, color.
   • The performer as mediator between score and listener.
   • Expressive playing as human communication.


References

  1. Philip Farkas: The Art of Musicianship: A Treatise on the Skills, Knowledge, and Sensitivity Needed by the Mature Musician to Perform in an Artistic and Professional Manner, 1976
  2. David Blum: Casals and the Art of Interpretation, 1977
  3. Mathis Lussy: Musical Expression (Traite de L'expression, 1877)
  4. Mathis Lussy: Le Rhythme Musicale, 1884
  5. Mathis Lussy: Musicology  Book 1 Anacrusis in modern music (L'anacrouse dans la musique moderne, 1903), Book 2 Musical rhythm (Le Rythme Musical, 1884)
  6. John Krell: Kincaidiana, 1997
  7. David McGill: Sound in Motion: A Performer's Guide to Greater Musical Expression, 2009
  8. Hermann Keller: Phrasing and Articulation: A Contribution to a Rhetoric of Music, 1973
  9. James Morgan Thurmond: Note Grouping: A Method for Achieving Expression and Style in Musical Performance, 2000
  10. Leila Storch: Marcel Tabuteau - How Do You Expect to Play the Oboe If You Can’t Peel a Mushroom?, 2018
  11. James Umble: Jean-Marie Londeix-Master of the Modern Saxophone
  12. Emile Stiévenard: Essay sur la Prosodie Musicale, 1924
  13. Adolph F. Christiani: The Principles of Expression in Pianoforte Playing, 1885
  14. Tobias Matthay, Musical Interpretation, 1914
  15. Maurice Emmanuel, Histoire de la Langue Musicale
  16. Leopold Stokowski: Music for All of Us, 1943
  17. Dom Joseph Gajard: The Rhythm of Plainsong, 1945
  18. Hugo Riemann: Vademecum der Phrasierung, 1912
  19. Finn Egeland Hansen: Layers of Musical Meaning, 2006
  20. Leopold Stokowski: Music for All of Us, 1943
  21. William J. Finn: The Conductor Raises His Baton, 1946
  22. Vandercook: Expression in Music, 1989 

  23. Barry Green: The Inner Game of Music (1986)

  24. Barry Green: Bringing Music to Life (2009)

  25. Barry Green: The Mastery of Music: Ten Pathways to True Artistry (2003)

  26. Keith Stein: The Art of Clarinet Playing

  27. David Pino: The Art of Clarinet Playing

  28. Larry Guy: The Daniel Bonade Workbook

  29. Larry Guy: The Complete Daniel Bonade

  30. James Gholson: Robert Marcellus’ Thoughts on Performing & Teaching

  31. Karen Andreas Bronson: through his own words: an exploration of the pedagogy of Robert Marcellus

  32. Jacob Ludwig:  Robert Marcellus: The Art of Clarinet Playing and Teaching

  33. Stephan Lee Clark: Leon Russianoff: Clarinet Pedagogue

  34. Larry Teal: The Art of Saxophone Playing

  35. Carol Anne Kycia: Daniel Bonade: A Founder of the American Style of Clarinet Playing

  36. Frank Médioni: Le souffle Portal

  37. Mitchell Estrin: Stanley Drucker Clarinet Master

  38. Guy Dangain: La Musique, ma Vie

  39. Bruno Martinez: L'Azcèse et la Flamme Guy Deplus

  40. Claude Delangle: Les voies du saxophone

  41. Dorottya Fabian, Renee Timmers, Emery Schubert: Expressiveness in Music Performance (Empirical approaches across styles and cultures)

  42. Friedrich Wick Piano and Song (original Klavier und Gesang)

  43. Sigismond Thalberg: L'Art du Chant Appliqué au Piano Op.70

  44. Hal Galper: Forward Motion - From Bacht to Bebop