What is the difference between choral conducting and instrumental conducting? How to conduct different time signatures? Features of conducting metric and rhythmic structures
In this article, we will discuss the basics of conducting. Of course, conducting is a whole art, which is learned during for long years music colleges and conservatories. But we will touch on this topic only from one edge. All musicians have to conduct while singing in solfeggio lessons, so we'll talk about how to do it.
Basic conductor circuits
There are universal conducting schemes for simple and complex. There are only three of them - two-part, three-part and four-part. When conducting, each beat is shown with a separate wave of the hand, strong beats are most often shown with a downward gesture.
In the figure you can see the main three schemes for conducting with the right hand. Numeric marks indicate a sequence of gestures.
Bipartite scheme consists, respectively, of two strokes: one down (to the side), the second up (back). This scheme is suitable for conducting in sizes 2/4, 2/8, 2/2, 2/1, 2/16, etc.
Tripartite scheme is a combination of three gestures: down, to the right (if you conduct with your left hand, then to the left) and up to the original point. The scheme is suitable for sizes 3/4, 3/8, 3/2, 3/16, etc.
Quadruple scheme contains four gestures: down, left, right and up. If you conduct with two hands at the same time, then on “two”, that is, on the second beat, the right and left hand move towards each other, and on "three" they diverge in different directions, on the last stroke they converge up to one point.
Conducting more complex meters
If there are more beats in a bar, then such time signatures fit into a three-beat or four-beat scheme with doubling of some gestures. Moreover, as a rule, those strokes that are closer to the strong share are doubled. As an example, I would like to give schemes of such sizes as 6/8, 5/4 and 9/8. Let's say a few words about each.
Size 6/8– complex (composition 3/8 + 3/8), to conduct it you need six gestures. These six gestures fit into a quadruple pattern, where the movements down and to the right are doubled.
Size 9/8 also considered complex, it is formed by triple repetition in measure simple size 3/8. Unlike other complex meters, it is conducted in a three-part pattern, where each stroke is simply tripled. And the changes of gestures (to the right and up) in this case simultaneously show relatively strong beats.
Memo on conducting schemes
In order for the conducted conducting schemes not to be forgotten over time, as well as for their quick repetition if necessary, we suggest you download or rewrite a small memo with the main schemes for yourself.
MEMO "CONDUCTING SCHEMES" -
How do hands work when conducting?
We will also tell you about some purely technical aspects of conducting.
MOMENT 1. You can conduct with one or two hands. Most often, in solfeggio lessons, I conduct with one right hand, sometimes with one left (they play a melody on the piano with the right at this time).
MOMENT 2. When conducting with both hands at the same time, the hands should move in mirror reflection in relation to each other. That is, for example, if the right hand goes to the right, then the left hand goes to the left. In other words, they always move in the opposite direction: either they diverge in different directions, or, conversely, they converge and move towards each other.
MOMENT 3. In the process of conducting the whole arm from the shoulder should take part (sometimes even higher from the collarbone and shoulder blade) and to the fingertips. But a wide variety of movements is characteristic only of the activities of professional conductors of an orchestra or choir. In the solfeggio class, it is enough to clearly show the scheme, thereby helping yourself to sing rhythmically.
MOMENT 4. When conducting simple circuits the forearm (ulna) turns out to be the most mobile, it is she who takes on most of the movements - it leads the entire arm down, to the sides or up. When moving to the side, the forearm actively helps the shoulder (humerus), it moves away from the body or approaches it.
MOMENT 5. When moving up, it is important that the forearm does not drop too low, a natural low point is when a right angle forms between the forearm and the shoulder.
MOMENT 6. During conducting, the hand can respond to the main movements and slightly smoothly spring, while changing the direction of the gesture, the hand with the help of the wrist can slightly turn in the direction of movement (as if it serves as a steering wheel).
MOMENT 7. Movements as a whole should not be rigid and straightforward, they need to be rounded, all turns should be smooth .
Conducting exercises in 2/4 and 3/4 time signatures
To practice elementary conducting skills, follow the suggested simple exercises. One of them will be devoted to the size 2/4, the other - to the tripartite pattern.
EXERCISE №1 "TWO QUARTERS". For example, we will take 4 measures of a melody in 2/4 time. Pay attention to , here it is quite simple - mostly quarter notes and half duration at the end. Quarter durations are convenient in that they measure the pulse and it is this duration that each gesture in the conductor's scheme is equal to.
There are two quarter notes in the first measure: DO and RE. DO is the first beat, strong, we will conduct it with a downward (or sideways) movement. Note PE is the second beat, weak, the hand during its conducting will make the opposite movement - up. In subsequent measures, the rhythmic pattern is similar, so there will be exactly the same relationships between notes and hand movements.
In the last, fourth measure, we see one note DO, it is half in its length, that is, it occupies both beats at once - the entire measure. Therefore, this DO note has two strokes at once, you need to conduct the full measure that it occupies.
EXERCISE №2 "THREE QUARTERS". This time, 4 measures of the melody in 3/4 time are offered for study. The rhythm is again dominated by quarter notes, and therefore three quarter notes in the first three measures should easily fall on three strokes of the scheme.
For example, in the first measure, the notes DO, PE and MI will be distributed according to the scheme as follows: DO - for a downward gesture, PE - for a movement to the right, and MI - for showing the last beat with an upward movement.
In the last measure - half. In terms of duration, they take up a whole measure, three quarters, and therefore, in order to conduct it, we will need to perform all three movements of the scheme.
How to explain conducting to a child?
In classes with kids, the most difficult thing is to introduce the scheme, remember the movements and at least practice them a little. The solution of these problems can be helped by working with figurative associations.
Suppose, if we are learning the 2/4 conducting scheme, then each swing needs to be somehow artistically determined. In other words, to explain the gesture, you need to find a similar movement or sensation from life that is already familiar to the child. For example, about the downward gesture with which we show a strong beat, we can say that it is as if we are stroking a sitting cat from head to tail. And about the gesture directed at reverse side, say that we are pulling up a needle with a long thread. Or, for example, about the entire scheme, we can say that it is our hand that rides on a swing (description of a semicircle).
If we are talking about 3/4 time, each movement can also be explained separately. The downward movement is like playing with a basketball or such a movement when we pull a bell on a string. Movement to the right - on the beach we rake sand with our hands or we remove tall grass on the lawn with our hands. Upward movement - pull the same needle and thread or launch it into flight ladybug which sits on the index finger.
In mastering conducting, with children, as well as in learning musical notation, it is important to consistently increase the level of complexity of tasks. First, you can realize the pulsation in size purely musically - by ear and when playing the instrument, then separately work out the conductor's gesture, and only then, finally, connect your hand with singing.
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Formation and development of manual conducting technique
In the process of historical development, which was influenced by the continuously progressing composing and performing arts, the manual technique of conducting went through several stages before its modern form was formed, which is a sequence of various kinds of gestures-auftacts.
Conventionally, two main stages of evolution can be distinguished conductor technique: acoustic (shock-noise) and visual (visual).
Initially, the management of a musical performing group took place with the help of beating the rhythm with a hand, foot, stick, and similar means that transmit a signal to action through the hearing organs - the so-called acoustic or shock-noise conducting. This method of management originates from the time of ancient times, when primitive for the implementation of joint collective actions during ritual dances, he used various body movements, blows with honed stones and primitive wooden rods.
Percussive-noise conducting is often used today to guide the rhythmic and ensemble aspects of performance, especially in rehearsals of non-professional groups, but it is completely unsuitable for artistic and expressive conducting: for example, showing dynamic gradations "f" and "p" in the acoustic method would be determined by a decrease (“p”) or an increase (“f”) of the impact force, which would lead either to the loss of the conductor’s guiding function (since weak in dynamics impacts are lost in the total sound mass and are hardly perceived by ear), or to introducing a negative aesthetic effect that interferes with the perception of music as a whole. In addition, the tempo side with the acoustic control method is determined very primitively: for example, it is very difficult to designate a sudden or gradual change in tempo with the help of beats.
The next stage in the development of conducting technique was associated with the appearance of cheironomy. It was a system of mnemonic, conventional signs depicted by the movements of the hand, head and facial expressions, with the help of which the conductor, as it were, drew a melodic outline. The cheironomic method was especially widespread in Ancient Greece, when there was no precise fixation of pitches and duration of sounds.
Unlike the acoustic method, this type of conducting was distinguished by a certain inspiration of gestures, artistic imagery. A. Kienle describes this type of conducting technique as follows: “The hand draws a slow movement smoothly and in size, deftly and quickly it depicts rushing basses, the rise of the melody is passionately and highly expressed, the hand slowly and solemnly falls when performing the music that fades, weakening in its striving; here the hand slowly and solemnly rises upward, there it straightens suddenly and rises in an instant, like a slender column. according to: 5, 16]. From the words of A. Kinle, we can conclude that since ancient times, the conductor's gestures were outwardly similar to modern ones. But this is only an external resemblance, because. the essence of modern conducting technique is not in displaying the pitch and rhythmic relationships of musical texture, but in the transmission of artistic and figurative information, the organization of the artistic and creative process.
The development of cheironomy meant the emergence of a new way of managing a musical artistic group - visual (visual), but it was only a transitional form due to the imperfection of writing.
During the period of the European Middle Ages, the conductor's culture existed mainly in church circles. Masters and cantors (church conductors) used both acoustic and visual (cheironomy) methods of conducting to manage the performing team. Often, during music-making, religious ministers beat the rhythm with a richly decorated rod (a symbol of their high rank), which XVI century turned into a battutu (the prototype of the conductor's baton, which appeared and was firmly rooted in the practice of conducting in the 19th century).
In the XVII-XVIII centuries, the visual method of conducting begins to dominate. During this period, the management of the performing team was carried out with the help of playing or singing in the choir. The conductor (usually an organist, pianist, first violinist, harpsichordist) managed the ensemble with direct personal participation in the performance. The birth of this method of control occurred as a result of the spread of homophonic music and the general bass system.
The appearance of metrical notation required certainty in conducting as well, mainly in the technique of indicating beats. For this, a clocking system was created, which was largely based on cheironomy. Cheironomy was characterized by something that was absent in the shock-noise method of managing the team, namely, hand movements appeared in different directions: up, down, to the sides.
The first attempts to create metric conducting schemes were purely speculative: all kinds of geometric shapes were created (square, rhombus, triangle, etc.). The disadvantage of these schemes was that the straight lines that made them did not allow one to accurately determine the beginning of each beat of the measure.
The task of creating conducting schemes that clearly indicated the meter and at the same time convenient for guiding the performance was solved only when the graphic design began to be combined with raising and lowering the hand, with the appearance of arcuate and wavy lines. Thus, modern technology conducting was born empirically.
Appearance symphony orchestra, and, consequently, symphonic music, led to the complication of the musical texture, which made it necessary to concentrate the control of the performers in the hands of one person - the conductor. In order to better manage the orchestra, the conductor had to refuse to participate in the ensemble, that is, to distance himself from it. Thus, his hands were no longer burdened with playing the instrument, with their help he could freely measure each beat of the measure, using timing schemes that would later be enriched with auftact technique and other means of expression.
Conducting has come to a modern high level only when all the above-mentioned means - the acoustic method (in modern conducting is occasionally used in rehearsal work), cheironomy, the designation of shares using visual display geometric shapes, timing schemes, using a conductor's baton? began to be applied not separately, but in the form of a single action. As I.A. Musin: “A certain alloy was formed, where the previously existing funds merged together, complementing each other. As a result, each of the funds was enriched. Everything that performing practice has accumulated in the process of centuries-old development is reflected in modern conducting. The shock-noise method served as the basis for the development of modern conducting. But it took many years before the up and down movements of the hand began to be perceived independently of the sound of the blow and turned into a signal that determines the rhythmic beats. Conducting today is a universal system of gestures-aftacts, with the help of which a modern conductor can convey his artistic intentions to the orchestra, make the performers realize their creative idea. Conducting, which was previously limited to the tasks of managing an ensemble (playing together), has turned into a high visual arts, V performing arts great depth and significance, which was largely facilitated by the improvement of the technical base of conductor's gestures, namely the formation of a whole system of auftactic.
Bibliography
conducting cheironomy timing technique
1. Bagrinovsky M. Conducting technique of hands. - M., 1947.
2. Bezborodova L.A. Conducting. - M., 1985.
3. Walter B. About music and playing music. - M., 1962.
4. Ivanov-Radkevich A.P. On the upbringing of a conductor. - M., 1973.
5. Kazachkov S.A. The conductor's apparatus and its setting. - M., 1967.
6. Kanerstein M. Questions of conducting. - M., 1972.
7. Kan E. Elements of conducting. - L., 1980.
8. Kondrashin K.P. On the conductor's reading of the symphonies of P.I. Tchaikovsky. - M., 1977.
9. Malko N.A. Fundamentals of conducting technique. - M.-L., 1965.
10. Musin I.A. On the upbringing of a conductor: Essays. - L., 1987.
11. Musin I.A. Conducting technique. - L., 1967.
12. Olkhov K.A. Questions of the theory of conducting technique and training of choir conductors. - M., 1979.
13. Olkhov K.A. Theoretical basis conductor technique. - L., 1984.
14. Pazovsky A.P. Conductor and singer. - M., 1959.
15. Pozdnyakov A.B. Conductor-accompanist. Some questions of orchestral accompaniment. - M., 1975.
16. Rozhdestvensky G.A. Preambles: Collection of musical and journalistic essays, annotations, explanations for concerts, radio broadcasts, records. - M., 1989.
17. Music Encyclopedia. In 6 vols. / Ch. ed. Yu.V. Keldysh, M., 1973-1986
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CONDUCTING (from the French diriger - to direct, manage, manage), a type of musical performing art, management of a group of musicians (orchestra, choir, ensemble, opera troupe, etc.) in the process of preparation, during public performance and / or sound recording of a musical works. It is carried out by the conductor, who seeks to convey to the ensemble the composer's intention, his artistic intentions, ensures ensemble harmony and technical perfection of the performance. The conductor's performance plan is based on careful study and reproduction of the text of the score. The conducting technique is based on the hand movement system. The most important moment in conducting - an auftakt (preliminary wave), a kind of "breath taking", evoking the sound of an orchestra, a choir as a response. significant place in the conducting technique, timing is given, i.e., designation with the help of a wave of the hand (mainly the right hand) of the metro-rhythmic structure of music. The left hand usually gives instructions in the field of dynamics, expressiveness, phrasing. In the practice of conducting, however, there is a free interpenetration of the functions of both hands; the look and facial expressions of the conductor play an important role. Modern conducting requires from the conductor a wide education, thorough musical and theoretical training, a keen ear, a good musical memory, and an active, purposeful will.
The origins of the art of conducting can be traced back to ancient times. In the early stages of the development of folk choral practice, the functions of a conductor were performed by one of the singers - the leader. In ancient times (Egypt, Greece) and in the Middle Ages, the choir was often controlled through a system of conditional symbolic movements of the hands and fingers (see Cheironomy). In the 15th century, with the increasing complexity of polyphony, the development of organ playing, and the resulting need for a clearer rhythmic organization of the ensemble, a method of conducting with the help of “battuta” (a stick, from the Italian battuta, literally - a blow) developed, which consisted in “beating the beat”, often quite loud ("noisy conducting"). With the approval of the general bass system (17-18 centuries, see also Basso continuo), a musician performing the digital bass part on the harpsichord or organ (usually the author of music) began to act as a conductor. He directed the performance mainly with his playing. In the 18th century, the role of the first violinist (accompanist) grew significantly, who helped the conductor manage the ensemble, either playing the violin or interrupting the game and using the bow as a trampoline. (In the opera house, this practice led to the so-called double conducting: the bandmaster at the harpsichord led the performers who were on stage, the concertmaster led the orchestra artists.) From the 2nd half of the 18th century, the violinist-accompanist gradually became the sole leader of the ensemble. The functions of a conductor and a soloist are combined even later (in the 19th century - in ballroom and garden orchestras, in the 20th - early 21st centuries - in chamber ensembles, sometimes when performing classical concerts with an orchestra, in authentic performance).
In the 19th century, with the development of symphonic music, the expansion and complication of the composition of the orchestra, it was necessary to free the conductor from participation in the general ensemble, to focus his attention only on conducting. The conductor's baton is gradually replacing the bow. Among the first conductors who used it are K. M. von Weber, G. Spontini, F. A. Khabenek, L. Spohr. R. Wagner was one of the founders of modern conducting (along with L. van Beethoven, G. Berlioz, F. Liszt and F. Mendelssohn). Since the days of Wagner, the conductor, who previously faced the audience, turned to face the orchestra, which ensured a more complete contact with the musicians. Gradually, a modern type of conductor-performer is emerging, who is not at the same time a composer; the first such conductor was H. von Bülow. Among the largest foreign conductors of the late 19th - early 20th century: H. Richter, G. Mahler, A. von Zemlinsky, F. Schalk (Austria), A. von Nikisch (Hungary), F. Motl, F. von Weingartner, K. Mook, R. Strauss (Germany), Ch. Lamoureux, E. Colonne (France). In the 1st half - the middle of the 20th century, K. Böhm, G. von Karajan, E. Kleiber, F. Shtidri (Austria), J. Ferenczyk (Hungary), J. Barbirolli, T. Beecham, A. Boult, A. Coates, G. Solti (Great Britain), G. Abendroth, B. Walter, K. Sanderling, O. Klemperer, R. Kempe, K. Kleiber, H. Knappertsbusch, F. Konwitschny, W. Furtwängler (Germany), D Mitropoulos (Greece), K. M. Giulini, V. De Sabata, N. Sanzogno, A. Toscanini (Italy), V. Mengelberg (Netherlands), G. Fitelberg (Poland), J. Georgescu (Romania), L Bernstein, E. Leinsdorf, J. Ormandy, L. Stokowski, J. Sell, R. Shaw (USA), R. Desormières, A. Kluitens, I. Markevich, P. Monteux, C. Munch (France), V Talich (Czech Republic), E. Anserme (Switzerland); in the 2nd half of the 20th century - C. Mackeras (Australia), N. Arnoncourt (Austria), F. Herreweghe (Belgium), J. E. Gardiner, C. Davies, R. Norrington (Great Britain), C. von Dohnany , V. Zawallisch, K. Mazur, K. Richter (Germany), R. B. Barshai, D. Barenboim (Israel), K. Abbado, R. Muti (Italy), J. Domarkas, S. Sondeckis (Lithuania) , B. Haitink (Netherlands), S. Celibidache (Romania), J. Levine, L. Maazel, Z. Meta, S. Ozawa, T. Schippers (USA), P. Boulez (France), N. Järvi (Estonia) ).
In Russia, until the 18th century, conducting was associated mainly with choral performance. Foreign opera companies composers F. Araya, B. Galuppi, A. Paris, G. F. Raupakh, J. Sarti and others. orchestral conductors there were serf musicians (S. A. Degtyarev). One of the first conductors of the modern type was K. A. Kavos. The largest Russian conductors of the 2nd half of the 19th century are M. A. Balakirev, A. G. Rubinshtein and N. G. Rubinshtein. The activities of K. F. Albrecht, I. I. Iohannis, and later I. K. Altani and especially E. F. Napravnik were fruitful. Outstanding conductors of the early 20th century - E. A. Cooper, S. A. Koussevitsky, N. A. Malko, D. I. Pokhitonov, S. V. Rakhmaninov, V. I. Safonov. After 1917, the activities of A. V. Gauk, N. S. Golovanov, V. A. Dranishnikov, A. M. Pazovsky, S. A. Samosud, V. I. Suk unfolded; classes of opera and symphony conducting were created in the conservatories. Among the famous Russian conductors of the 20th century are N. P. Anosov, E. P. Grikurov, V. B. Dudarova, I. A. Zak, K. K. Ivanov, K. P. Kondrashin, A. Sh. Melik-Pashaev , E. A. Mravinsky, V. V. Nebolsin, N. G. Rakhlin, E. F. Svetlanov, K. A. Simeonov, Yu. Jansons, late 20th - early 21st century - Yu. A. Bashmet, V. A. Gergiev, D. G. Kitaenko, E. V. Kolobov, A. N. Lazarev, M. V. Pletnev, V. K. Polyansky, V. A. Ponkin, G. N. Rozhdestvensky, Yu. I. Simonov, V. T. Spivakov, Yu. Kh. Temirkanov, V. I. Fedoseev.
Lit .: Wagner R. About conducting. St. Petersburg, 1900; Weingartner F. About conducting. L., 1927; he is. Performance of classical symphonies. Advice for conductors. M., 1965. [T. 1: Beethoven]; Bird K. Essays on the technique of conducting the choir. M.; L., 1948; Mattheson J. Der vollkommene Capellmeister: 1739. Kassel, 1954. Kassel, 1999; Wood G. About conducting. M., 1958; Performing arts of foreign countries. M., 1962-1975. Issue. 1-7; Schünemann G. Geschichte des Dirigierens. 2. Aufl. Wiesbaden, 1965; Pazovsky A. Notes of a conductor. 2nd ed. M., 1968; Kondrashin K. On the art of conducting. L.; M., 1970; Berlioz G. Orchestra Conductor // Berlioz G. Big treatise on modern instrumentation and orchestration. M., 1972. Part 2; Tiles B. Conductor at the Opera House. L., 1974; Rozhdestvensky G. Conductor fingering. L., 1974; Conducting Performance: Practice. Story. Aesthetics / Intro. article, add. and comment. L. Ginzburg. M., 1975; Munsh Sh. I am a conductor. 3rd ed. M., 1982; Khaykin B. Conversations about the conductor's craft. M., 1984; Das Atlantisbuch der Dirigenten: eine Enzyklopädie / Hrsg. von S. Jaeger. Z., 1985; Matalaev L. Fundamentals of conducting technique. M., 1986; Yerzhemsky G. Psychology of conducting. M., 1988; Galkin E. W. A history of orchestral conducting... N. Y., 1988; Olkhov K. Theoretical foundations of conducting technique. 3rd ed. L., 1990; Musin I. Conducting technique. 2nd ed. SPb., 1995; Schuller G. The compleat conductor. N.Y., 1997; Grosbayne V. A bibliography of works and articles on conductors, conducting and related fields, in various languages, from the 16th century to the present time. N.Y., 1934; Concert and opera conductors: a bibliography of biographical materials / Ed. R. H. Cowden. N.Y., 1987.
In conducting, the technique of hand movement is important not only in itself. The art of conducting is actually the result of a number of important creative phenomena. Their basis is author's intention presented in the score. If we consider conducting technique in a narrow sense, only as hand movements, then the main purpose of conducting is lost - the artistic interpretation of choral or orchestral works.
Nevertheless, the conducting technique and its certain elements can be conditionally divided into three main groups. The first group makes up timing schemes that determine the movements of the hands in accordance with the size and meter-rhythmic construction of the works.
The second group is the feeling reference points each beat of the measure, as well as the conductor's possession of the system of auftacts.
The third group is associated with the concept and feeling of "melodiousness" of the hands. On the basis of this concept, all varieties of performing strokes are built.
For a student working on an annotation choral work, this section of it should be a fixation in writing those technical skills and attitudes that he acquired in the conducting class and during independent work on the study this work. At the same time, an important condition for a qualitative analysis of the peculiarities of conducting the work under study should be the meaningful and verified application of selected conducting techniques in the performance process, and not just the automatic implementation of the teacher’s settings and instructions.
Characteristics of conductor's gestures
The nature of the conductor's gesture largely depends on the nature and tempo of the music. It must contain such properties as strength, plasticity, scope, tempo. All these properties have, however, relative characteristics. Thus, the strength and tempo of the movements flexibly follow the character of the music. For example, when the tempo of the work is accelerated, the amplitude of hand movements gradually decreases, and when it slows down, it increases. An increase in the amplitude of movement and "weight" of the hand is also natural for conveying amplification of sonority, and a decrease in the volume of a gesture is natural with diminuendo.
Keeping in mind that all parts of the arm are involved in conducting: the hand, the shoulder, and the forearm, the conductor, when accelerating the tempo, moves from the movement of the whole arm to the wrist movement. Accordingly, with the expansion of the tempo, the reverse process occurs.
The brush is the most expressive part of the conductor's apparatus. Hands can transfer any stroke, from legato to staccato and marcato. A light and fairly fast staccato requires small, sharp carpal movements. To transmit stronger gestures, you need to connect the forearm.
In slow, calm music, the movement of the hand should be continuous, but with a clear sense of the "point". Otherwise, the gesture becomes passive and amorphous.
Of great importance for the nature of the gesture is the shape of the brush. It, as a rule, is modified depending on the nature of the stroke of the performed work. When conducting calm, flowing music, a rounded, "dome-shaped" brush is usually used. The music is dramatic, with the use of the marcato stroke, requiring a firmer, fist-like brush.
With staccato, the brush takes on a flattened appearance and, depending on the dynamics and tempo of the work, participates in the conductor's process in whole or in part. At minimum sound intensity and fast pace the main load falls, as a rule, on the movement of closed and straightened extreme phalanges of the fingers.
The nature of the gesture is also influenced by the level of the so-called conductor's plane. The height of the hands when conducting does not remain unchanged once and for all. Its position is affected by the power of sound, the nature of sound science, and much more. The low position of the conductor's plane suggests a rich, thick sound, a touch of legato or marcato. Highly raised hands are appropriate for conducting "transparent", as if soaring works. However, these two positions should not be abused. In most cases, the most acceptable is the initial average position of the hands. All other productions should be used episodically.
Types of auftacts
The process of conducting is, in fact, a chain of various auftacts. Each auftact, by which the conductor warns the choir about a particular action to be performed, is an expression of the features inherent in this particular moment of performance.
Auftakt is a gesture aimed at preparing the future sound, and depending on whether it is addressed to the sound that occurs at the beginning of the countable beat, or to the sound that occurs after the start of this beat, it is defined as complete or incomplete. In addition to the above, there are other types of auftacts:
- detainee- used in cases where a particularly sharp introduction, accent or clear pronunciation of consonant sounds by the whole choir is necessary. For the most part it is used at a fast pace;
è - is used when showing a change of tempo and technically represents a transition to timing with shorter beats. The conductor "splits off" a part of its duration from the last beat of the old tempo and thus creates a new beat. When the tempo slows down, the counting share, on the contrary, becomes larger. The auftakt in both cases seems to be "approaching" the new tempo that is being prepared;
- contrast- used mainly to show abrupt changes in dynamics, such as subito piano or subito forte;
- combined- is used when the sound stops at the end of a phrase, sentence or period and at the same time shows an auftact to further movement.
Auftacts are different in strength and duration. The duration of the auftakt is entirely determined by the tempo of the work and is equal to the duration of one countable beat of the bar or part of the beat, depending on the type (to a full or incomplete beat) of the introduction. The strength of the auftact, in turn, depends on the dynamics of the composition. A stronger sound corresponds to a more active, energetic auftact, a weak sound - a less active one.
Conducting fermat and pauses
When conducting fermats - signs that indefinitely increase the duration of individual sounds, chords and pauses - it is necessary to take into account their place in the work, as well as the nature, pace and style of the composition. All types of fermata can be divided into two groups.
1. Removed fermats not related to further presentation musical material. These fermatas require the sound to stop after the expiration of their duration. They are found, as a rule, at the borders of parts or at the end of a work.
Example 35. G. Sviridov. "At the Green Shore"
2. Non-removable fermatas associated with further presentation and only temporarily interrupting the movement of musical thought. An unremovable fermata is a middle fermata that occurs only within a piece of music. It does not require the removal of sonority, after it there is no pause or caesura. A non-removable fermata emphasizes any chord or sound and lengthens it.
Example 36. R. Shchedrin. "Lullaby" 
In addition: there are fermatas that are not used simultaneously in all voices. In such cases, the general stop is made at the last fermat in the bar.
Example 37 in arr. A. Novikova. "You are my field" 
If there are no changes in dynamics during fermata sounding, then the position of the conductor's hands remains unchanged. In those cases when the sound during the performance of the fermata must be increased or decreased, the conductor's hands, corresponding to changes in dynamics, rise or fall.
In conducting pauses, one should proceed from the nature of the music being performed. If the music is energetic, impetuous, the conductor's gesture becomes more economical and softer in the pauses. In slow works, the gesture, on the contrary, should be even more passive in the pauses.
Quite often there are pauses lasting a whole measure or more. In these cases, it is customary to resort to the method of "postponing" empty cycles. It consists in showing, strictly in tempo, the first beat of each bar. The remaining beats of the measure are not clocked.
The so-called general pause is shown in a similar way [General pause - a simultaneous long pause in all voices of the score. Duration - not less than a measure] , indicated in the score with Latin letters GP.
applied before starting new phrase or an episode of backlash is performed by stopping the movement of the hand and then showing the introduction to the next beat of the bar. The caesura emphasized in this way gives a special breath to the music. The backlash is indicated by a comma or a tick.
Features of conducting metric and rhythmic structures
plays an important role in conducting right choice account share. It largely depends on what conductor schemes and what type of intralobar pulsation the conductor chooses for a given work.
The choice of beat depends largely on the tempo of the piece. In slow tempos with short rhythmic durations, the counting share is usually less than the metric one, and in fast ones it is more than it. At medium tempos, countable and metric beats usually coincide.
In all cases, when choosing a counting beat, one should find the effective duration of the conductor's gesture. So, if the conductor's gestures become too slow, then a new counting share should be established by dividing the metric shares (for example, the size 2/4 to conduct "by four"). If the conductor's gestures are too fast, then it is necessary to combine the metric beats and conduct, for example, the time signature 4/4 "by two". The tempo of the work and the metrical structure of the measure must remain in accordance with the author's instructions.
In some works, the drawing of the conductor's scheme does not coincide with the metro-rhythmic structure of the so-called asymmetrical measure. In this case, counting shares turn out to be unequal (for example, the size 8/8 with the grouping 3 + 3 + 2 is conducted according to the three-beat scheme, or 5/4 at a fast pace are shown by the “two” scheme). In all such cases, the grouping of beats must be clarified by establishing the correct musical and verbal accents.
In some cases, metrical accents do not coincide with rhythmic ones. For example, as already noted, within the framework of a three-beat meter, a two-beat may occur, caused either by inter-measure syncopations or some other reasons. Despite this, it is not recommended to change the drawing of the conductor's scheme.
Complex meter-rhythmic patterns, characteristic of many modern choral compositions, are sometimes shown by a hidden division of the countable share. Unlike the usual division of the counting share, the hidden division allows, without increasing the number of gestures, to identify certain complex drawings within a metric fraction. To achieve this, it is necessary to find such an intralobar pulsation, with the help of which it would be possible to measure both the sounding time of the beats as a whole, and the sounding time of each rhythmic component of the measure separately.
The versatility of the tasks facing the conductor: interpretation of the composition, ensuring the coherence of the ensemble, constant self-control and control over the process of sounding - forms a wide range of problems that require special study and practice. Possession of a peculiar language, in which the conductor "talks" with performers and listeners, must be brought to perfection. As you know, this language is the language of gestures and facial expressions. Like any language, it serves to convey certain content. Fluency in a trained technical apparatus, including the artistic correspondence of gestures to certain music, the structure of gestures, the absence of physical and nervous tension, is perhaps even more important in the art of conducting than in other types of performance, because conducting is not just the possession of plastic gestures, but precisely the language addressed to performers.
The term staging, which exists in the methodology and practice of teaching, is a conditional concept, since the basis of conducting is not a static position or posture, but movement. Staging in conducting is a whole complex of motor techniques and their typical types; typical hand movements, which are the basis of all methods of conducting technique. This or that position is only a special case of movement, determined by the musical-semantic situation (individual characteristics of the work, group, conductor, etc. are taken into account). Teaching correct staging means gradually, consistently and systematically teaching the expediency, rationality, naturalness of conductor movements based on internal (muscular) freedom, using general principles in specific conditions of performance. The apparatus by which the conductor controls the choir is his hands. However, facial expressions, the position of the body, head and legs are also important. It is customary to distinguish the following interrelated elements that make up the conductor's apparatus:
- Hands, face, body of the conductor, making contact with the choir, directly affecting it.
- Hearing, touch, sight, muscle sensations are the main external senses.
- Areas of the central nervous system that control movements and are responsible for their coordination.
Thus, when a teacher is engaged in staging a conductor's apparatus, he "sets" the student not with arms, legs, body, but teaches conductor-technical thinking, the ability to expediently and accurately manage their movements.
“Setting up” the apparatus means bringing all its parts and elements into a reasonably coordinated and flexible system in accordance with the student’s sound-creating will and his psychophysical characteristics, linking motor skills with auditory representations; to lead the student not to the “initial exemplary position”, but to an understanding of the laws of technology and to their justified observance.
The conductor establishes and maintains contact with the performers; embodies the character of music, its idea and mood, infecting the team with its artistic enthusiasm, controls the sound.
The problem of staging the conductor's apparatus is, first of all, the problem of muscular freedom. Muscular freedom is the ability to coordinate the force of physical tension, i.e. the ability to strain and relax the muscles of the hands in full accordance with the nature of the music being expressed. Muscle freedom is the natural working muscle tone.
The formation of correct staging skills as the initial (basic) conducting skills is carried out during the first year of training. At this time, the foundations of technology are laid, the formation of motor skills takes place, and conditioned reflexes are developed. The production can be viewed from two sides: external - as the formation of a "pure" technique, and internal - as the formation of conditioned reflexes. In accordance with this, there are two different principles of staging - with and without drawing the student's attention to his feelings. When using the first principle, the student's attention is immediately fixed on his awareness of his sensations - the development of a muscular feeling (muscle controller). The second principle of setting directs the student's attention to the external "design" of motor operations. The first principle of staging is based on the analysis of sensations through the development of muscular feeling. Work in the conductor's class should begin with the development of a muscular sense. The first working skill should be considered relaxation (relaxation). Relaxation is not a passive, but an active action that requires a lot of willpower. This skill is not easily mastered. The ability to relax is more difficult for a person than the ability to strain muscles.
The development of a muscle controller, according to Stanislavsky, is based on the awareness of one's sensations when performing certain movements. From this, in fact, mastering the technique of conducting begins.
The first step is attentive "listening" to your feelings: you need to learn to check every position, posture, position, movement. Where do impulses come from? From arms, legs, back, neck? What part of the body does the student "feel" more acutely at the moment? That's where you need to look for a muscle clamp. But the determination of the localization of the clamp is only the beginning of the action; it ends with the elimination of the clamp, i.e. relaxation.
Hands, face, body, legs are the parts that make up the conductor's apparatus. Each of them has its own specific expressive properties and performs certain gestural or mimic actions, through which the conductor controls the performance.
All elements of the conductor's apparatus are equally important and need careful development, which can be successful only if systematic work is done to coordinate their actions.
The conductor must be taut, keep straight, not slouch, not hunched over, freely turning his shoulders. While conducting, the body must remain relatively still. It is also necessary to ensure that immobility does not turn into stiffness.
The position of the head is largely determined by the fact that the conductor's face must always be turned to the team and clearly visible to all performers.
The head should not be allowed to be too mobile. And vice versa. The tilt of the head forward or tilt back is also determined to a certain extent by the requirements of expressiveness.
Expressiveness of the face while conducting is exclusively great importance. Facial expressions and gaze complement the wave of the hand, "finish" its inner content, create a gestural subtext.
The conductor's facial expressions should not reflect anything that would not correspond to the meaning of the performed work, understanding musical images. The natural expressiveness of the face depends on the inspiration of the conductor, passion for music, on the depth of penetration into the content.
Perhaps the most important function of the gaze is contact with the performers, without which it is difficult for a conductor to achieve subtle and deep understanding on the part of the ensemble he directs.
The legs should not be widely spaced, but not tightly shifted, as this will deprive the body of stability during sudden movements. The most natural is the position in which the legs are spaced about the width of two feet. One leg is sometimes put forward a little. If the conductor during the performance has to turn mainly to the left side, then the right foot is put forward, when turning to the right - the left. Changes in the position of the legs are made imperceptibly.
Of great importance in the development of typical conductor movements is the position of the hands. Freedom, naturalness and character of movements largely depend on this. It is unacceptable, for example, for the conductor to hold his hands with his shoulders raised high and his elbows turned upwards, lowering his forearm; it is also bad when the elbows are pressed to the body. These provisions deprive the freedom of movement, impoverish the expressiveness of the gesture. The position of the hands should be median, providing the opportunity to make movements in any direction - up, down, towards yourself, away from you.
Before starting each exercise, the hand should take a natural and appropriate starting position for the development of conducting skills. As such, it is advisable to consider the point of "time" - the first share as the most important and at the same time the same for all clock patterns.
The starting position can be found as follows: the freely lowered arm must be bent at the elbow at a right angle and slightly extended forward so that the forearm is at the level of the diaphragm and parallel to the floor. The hand also in a horizontal position should, as it were, continue the forearm, the fingers should be freely attached so that the thumb and forefinger do not touch the tips, and the rest remain rounded, but not pressed against the palm. Thanks to some advancement, the hand will take a certain middle position, in which the conductor has the opportunity to move it away from him or bring him closer to himself. In addition, a shoulder slightly extended forward will become like a spring, contributing to the elasticity of movements.
During conducting, the conductor's hand acts as a well-coordinated apparatus, the parts of which interact with each other. Any movement of one or another part of the hand cannot be made without the participation of its other parts. The most isolated, it would seem, movement of the hand is helped by the forearm and shoulder. Therefore, when we talk about independent movements of the hand or forearm, then this means their dominant role in the gesture. At the same time, each of the parts of the hand has its own expressive features and performs specific functions.
The most mobile and expressive part of the conductor's manual apparatus is the brush, which sets the character of the performance. The main, starting position of the hand is considered to be its horizontal position at the level of the middle of the chest, with the open palm pointing down. All other positions (for example, with the edge of the palm down, towards the horizontal plane, or the open position of the hand in the direction away from the conductor) are referred to as private performance moments.
The conductor's brush imitates different types touch: she can stroke, press, squeeze, chop, hit, scratch, lean, etc. At the same time, tactile representations, associated with sound ones, help to express various timbre features of sound: warm, cold, soft, hard, wide, narrow, thin, round, flat, deep, fine, velvety, silky, metallic, compact, loose, etc. d.
Fingers play an important role in expressive movements. The fingers in the main position should be kept in a slightly bent, rounded state. In conducting classes, teachers sometimes use an exercise (“put your hand on the ball, feel the roundness of a small ball”) for the correct position of the fingers. The fingers should not be held tightly together (“plank”), they should be somewhat spaced. This gives the hand freedom and expressiveness. In the fingertips, the conductor feels the sound mass or, as they say, "leads the sound." Graphic drawing melodies, phrases, especially in a calm movement, are most often provided by the plasticity of the hand and fingers. It is plastic, expressive hands and fingers that define the concept of “singing hands”.
Fingers indicate, pay attention, measure and measure, collect, scatter, "radiate" sound, etc.; imitate certain articulatory movements. Of particular note is the role of the thumb and forefinger. Each of their movements or positions brightly and characteristically colors, gives expressiveness to the movement or position of the whole hand. The thumb helps the brush in sculpting the sonority, in feeling the shape of the sound.
An important part of the hand is the forearm. It has sufficient mobility and visibility of gestures, which is why it plays the main role in timing. However, while performing the obligatory timing movements, the forearm at the same time can reproduce a gesture pattern that is peculiar in form, which enriches the expressive side of conducting, individualizes it. The forearm is characterized by an extensive range of movements, which allows displaying dynamic, phrasing, stroke and sound-colorful qualities of performance. True, the expressive properties of the movement of the forearm acquire only in combination with movements of other parts of the hand and mainly carpal.
The shoulder is the basis of the arm, its support. It “nourishes”, supports the movement of the arm and thus the shoulder helps to support and regulate the breath of the performers. However, like other parts of the arm, the shoulder also has expressive functions. The shoulder is used to increase the amplitude of the gesture, as well as to show the saturation of the sound in the cantilena, large, strong dynamics. It is generally accepted that stiffness, stiffness of the shoulders, as well as drooping, "drooping" shoulders deprive the hands of dexterity and speed of gesture.
The functions and expressive properties of individual parts of the hand do not remain unchanged. Movement techniques are a means of expressiveness and have the ability to change depending on the artistic intentions and individual characteristics of the conductor.
Parts of the hand (hand, forearm and shoulder) act in concert. In conducting technique, the most common movements are with the whole hand. However, sometimes, depending on the nature of the music, the hand or forearm can be included in the movement, with the relative immobility of the shoulder. The structure of the arm allows the movement of the hand with a relatively stationary forearm and shoulder, and the movement of the forearm with a relatively stationary shoulder. In all cases, the brush, as a rule, remains the guide and most important part hands
