ERIC EJ1146299: Exploring the Interpretative Platform: Composer and Pianist Thinking on Greenbaum's "First Light"

2016·0.25 MB·English

by  ERIC

aa u s t r a l i a n
s osc i e t y
f o r mmu s ic
Exploring the interpretative
e d u c a t i oen
incorporated
platform: composer and pianist
thinking on Greenbaum’s First Light
Diana Blom
Western Sydney University
Abstract
This study investigates the compositional and contextual thinking of composer, Stuart Greenbaum, and the
preparatory thinking, and teaching experience of pianist, Yvonne Lau, in the preparation of the solo piano work,
First Light. Adopting a practice-informed interview approach with questions drawn from the researcher’s own
preparation of the work, the study discusses information the composer would like the performer to know and
issues the pianist encountered while preparing the work. It also places the findings in relation to seven stages of
learning a new piano work identified in the literature (Chaffin & Imreh, 2002; Viney & Blom, 2014). The paper ends
with reflections on how both composer and performer intuitively discuss music elements as a whole, emphasizing
their connections; how teaching (and being interviewed) offer opportunities for reflection; what can be revealed by
different methodologies; the role of score instructions and program notes; and what engaging with new repertoire
brings to learning about preparation of a piano work.
Key words: First Light, contemporary classical piano solo, preparation, stages of learning a new work
Australian Journal of Music Education 2016: 50(1), 39-53
Beginning preparation of a new piano work commercial CD release and teaches the work to
involves first ‘scouting it out’ (Chaffin & Imreh, her students. Much of this information informs
2002), that is, playing through to identify structure the establishment of an interpretative platform
before sectional work begins, followed by several to gain a better understanding of the music while
further stages in the preparation. The preparation preparing the work for performance but also
of the Presto third movement of the Italian informs later stages of the preparation process.
Concerto by J. S. Bach was the work Chaffin and Asking the two interviewees to draw on their
Imreh observed and documented over thirty-three practice-based knowledge of the work, the study
hours. However, when a piece of music is recently responded to the following research questions:
written, not part of the established canon of piano
1. Which aspects of the work would the
works, plus “stylistically unusual and conceptually
composer like the performer to know about?
challenging” (Viney & Blom 2014, p. 2), an earlier
2. What were the issues for the pianist in
stage is proposed where an interpretative platform
learning First Light?
be established before or while the technical and
structural scouting it out is taking place. 3. How does this knowledge fit into the
This study draws on the compositional and recognized stages of learning a new work and
contextual thinking of the composer, and the inform a performer’s preparation of the work?
preparatory thinking of the pianist who prepared
a work, First Light by Stuart Greenbaum, for
Australian Journal of Music Education 39
Blom
Literature review that were little short of piratical” (Berio cited
from 1981 interview in Perlove, 1998, p. 47). His
First Light was composed in 1997 and is dedicated
1992 version, however, rewritten in precise time
to the composer’s mother, Elizabeth Scarlett. The
signature and traditional note values was never
score note identifies as influences Romanticism,
adopted as frequently by performers as the first
a repertoire played by the composer’s mother;
version. Perlove notes that “because of differences
rock and other contemporary music styles to
and innovations in notation, contemporary music
which the composer turned while growing up; often relies as much on an oral tradition as on
contemporary voicings of such American pianist/ a written text” (p. 47) and says flautist, Sophie
composers as Lyle Mays, Keith Jarrett and Herbie Cherrier, for example, consults directly with
Hancock; and the Romantic harmony of Chopin, composers, who help her translate their scores.
Beethoven, Schubert, Mendelssohn and others, Other musicians, lacking such a luxury, may study
part of the composer’s musical heritage. The note recordings (when possible), or discuss the piece
ends by saying, “the question is not so much one with teachers and colleagues who may have had
of style as it is of function, and this strikes me as past contact with the composer. “When these
being outside of ‘historical time’” (Greenbaum, options are not possible, performers make their
1997). First Light is neither stylistically unusual own interpretive decisions” (p. 48). Through a
nor conceptually challenging but it is a work performance note in the score, composers can
composed fairly recently and its mixed parentage, offer information which is structural in nature,
reflected in the score’s program note, offers several information which composers often do not feel
stylistic, interpretative and technical challenges. is suitable for the listener’s program note (Blom,
Bennett, & Stevenson, 2016, p. 8). And while many
Composers communicating about composers have written about their compositional
their works to performers process and thinking in a work, fewer have
written with information specifically for the
Schoenberg is, famously, purported to have said: performer. Pianist Diana Blom (2006) interviewed
“The performer, for all his intolerable arrogance, is composer Ross Edwards when preparing his
totally unnecessary except as his interpretations solo piano work, Kumari, for performance and
make the music understandable to an audience recording, having struggled with her conceptual
unfortunate enough not to be able to read it in planning of the work. Composer Steve Reich’s
print” (Cook, 2001, p. 1). This view is echoed in (1992) writings on performance emerge, in large
trombonist Barrie Webb’s (2007) comment of part, from his own performing of his works in an
observers being forgiven for thinking “that the ensemble, and discuss a range of issues including
performer is a kind of second-class musician, an understanding of the background of his
simply reproducing the wishes of the composer- fellow performers and what each contributes to
creator” (p. 255). Yet the relationship between the music, the influence of non-Western musics
composer and performer has several levels. on his own composing (structure rather than
Composers are often happy to talk about their particular sounds), and the seating of ensembles
music to increase understanding for performers and orchestras when playing his music. Talking of
and listeners; for some the performance note performers who have difficulty performing works
is an opportunity to give the performer more which have freedom in them, and who say “I don’t
technical information; and for others the score says want to be free. I want to be told what to do”, John
is all. Yet the score alone can be problematic. For Cage wrote a piece especially for them, and hopes,
Luciano Berio, adopting a proportional notation in the future, to have all kinds of performers –
in his first version of Sequenza 1 (1958) for solo those who like musical freedom, those who hate it
flute led performers to “perpetuate adaptations (Cage & Kostelanetz, 1988, p. 27).
40 50(1) 2016
Greenbaum’s First Light
For oboist Christopher Redgate, composer on fingering and technical challenges which in
Roger Redgate’s highly complex solo oboe work, turn informed phrasing and interpretative goals.
Ausgangspunkte (1988), technical demands of “The gray stage”, a transitional phrase in which
quarter tones and extreme high notes involved the decisions of the previous stage become
him in learning “to ‘think outside of the box’… automatic, saw the linking of short segments into
realizing that I can break some of the rules” , longer segments, the beginning of memorization
(p. 143). In an analysis of Bryn Harrison’s 2002 plus “a new focus on interpretation” (p. 242)
work for solo piano, êntre-temps, undertaken with consideration of dynamics, phrasing and
by pianist, Philip Thomas and two analysts, Eric pedaling. In “Putting it together”, memorization is
Clarke and Nicholas Cook (Clarke, Cook, Harrison strengthened. Slow practice, playing to practice
& Thomas, 2005), the pitch structure is considered audiences, putting “final touches” (p. 245) to
by Harrison and Cook, “in a sense, too easy to interpretation and increasing the tempo were
analyze to need analyzing” (p. 43). However, pianist all features of this stage and of the fifth stage,
and composer discuss the accuracy of complex “Polishing”. And the final stage, “Maintenance”
rhythmic notation. In response to a question from required regular, but not too frequent, runs
the pianist about the accuracy of his rhythmic through the piece. Also of interest is Chaffin and
playing, the composer said, “As far as I can tell, I’m Imreh’s choice of the Bach movement for their
struggling to tell” (p. 45). Instead the piece is not
study over Debussy’s Clair de Lune. Because Imreh
concerned with “matters of larger scale structure
took only four hours to learn the Debussy, it was
and design…but…focus[es] instead on detailed
considered “so much easier [as to be] relatively
aspects of touch and articulation in relation to the
uninformative” (p. 94) due to the observation
material and the rhythm properties, and rhythmic
methodology adopted.
treatment, of the material” (pp. 60-61). For the
Learning Kumari for solo piano, by Australian
composer, “the notation is something to explore,
composer Ross Edwards, pianists Liam Viney and
within which as yet unknown discoveries can be
Diana Blom (2014) adopted a practice-led data-
made – but that those discoveries depend on
gathering approach via a guiding questionnaire to
engaging with the notation in detailed and serious
research their process. Kumari has two movements
terms” (p. 63). Here is music with complex notation
and could be considered moderately difficult,
which requires accuracy but not exactitude over
technically. However, both pianists encountered
articulation and touch and at the heart is music as
problems when starting their learning, finding
human action (p. 64).
the work “stylistically unusual and conceptually
challenging” (p. 2) despite both being very
Stages of learning a new piano work
familiar with Edwards’s compositions. They offer
Within the learning of a piano work new to the five “elements as a framework for developing
pianist, Chaffin and Imreh (2002) recognize six an interpretive platform in unfamiliar or
stages. The work, the Presto third movement contemporary classical repertoire” (p. 5) – “Element
of the Italian Concerto by J. S. Bach, played by 1: Getting to know the composer; Element 2:
pianist/researcher, Gabriela Imreh, was observed Reading the score; Element 3: Engaging with
over thirty-three hours. The first stage involved the musical parameters; Element 4: Anchoring;
running through the piece to identify structure and Element 5: Discussing the issues” (pp. 5-6).
so that sectional work could begin – literally For Kumari, these elements involved discussion
‘Scouting it out’. Learning the movement, “Section of dynamics, physical movement because of
by section”, helped establish motor memory with the extreme registers in the piece, rhythmic
“familiar patterns of notes [merging] to form new, considerations, the title and program notes,
larger patterns” (p. 240); decisions were made and use of metaphor. Viney and Blom found
Australian Journal of Music Education 41
Blom
that contemporary classical repertoire which understand and shape the work in performance;
presents challenges may require a stage where an dynamics, especially the extreme dynamic shifts;
interpretation platform is established, and suggest the sense of pulse throughout the work; use
that this stage may occur before Chaffin and of sustain and soft pedal; and performer body
Imreh’s (2002) “Scouting if out”. movement (Appendices A and B).
In summary, the literature offers seven stages in The interviews were recorded and transcribed,
the learning of new piano work: and analysed, firstly in relation to the topic
1. Interpretation platform (Viney & Blom, 2014) raised in the questions, then, in relation to other
2. Scouting it Out; emerging themes. The voices of both composer
3. Section by Section and pianist are heard in the findings section.
4. The Gray Stage
5. Putting it Together
Findings
6. Polishing
7. Maintenance (Chaffin & Imreh, 2002, Inter-cultural
pp. 240-246).
Greenbaum considers the work cross-cultural
because of identifiable jazz, minimalist and
Methodology
romantic influences although he finds “cross-
Australian composer, Stuart Greenbaum, and pollenisation” is also useful “to describe when you
Australian pianist, Yvonne Lau, who prepared have something that is the result of a collision or
the work for commercial CD release1 and taught other type of interaction of two things that are
it to students, were interviewed face-to-face otherwise normally thought of as separate”. The
by the researcher. The interview questions, for composer feels that American composer-pianists
both participants, (see Appendices A and B) who use contemporary voicings, Lyall Mayes,
adopted practice-informed questioning whereby Keith Jarrett and Herbie Hancock, “would all have
the questions arose from the researcher’s own played Chopin, Beethoven and Schubert, so
experience preparing First Light for performance we’re not actually talking about two completely
in a concert with an intercultural focus, and for independent streams. We’re talking about a jazz
commercial recording in 2006.2 Ross Edwards’s stream that has some knowledge of romantic
Kumari was also played at the same concert, music anyway”. For Greenbaum, the interest
and many of these questions arose while is to what extent these “boundary crossings”
preparing that piece (Blom, 2006). Areas of happen in a superficial level or at a deeper level.
enquiry, therefore, focused on: whether the The jazz influence is heard in his use of off-beat
work is intercultural or is cross-cultural, if at all; quavers, syncopated rhythms, and chords often
relationships to other works; what a performer “constructed around stacked 3rds and chromatic
brings to the piece from other musics played alterations”. But there’s also the influence of bi-
and heard; the program note/performance note tonality, a harmonic device he also used in The
content; sections and structure, in particular the Founding for choir and instruments, composed
first section; use of imagery and metaphor to around the same time. Greenbaum notes
while there might be some “shared technical
1. 1998 First light, CD of Australian piano music. Yvonne possibilities” between works written around the
Lau, piano. Published by Fellowship of Australian same time, they often inhabit “quite different
Composers.
worlds…and…felt like totally different pieces”,
2. 2006 First Light by Stuart Greenbaum; Kumari by Ross
largely because of structural differences.
Edwards – Diana Blom piano. Jo Wha CD Wirr 004
(Wirripang). The work has also been recorded by Amir First Light, for example, was written “from the
Farid on the CD Satellite Mapping, released in 2016 by inside-out” and Greenbaum started by writing the
Move Records, MD 3402.
first three bars after sitting down at the piano – “I
42 50(1) 2016
Greenbaum’s First Light
liked the chords followed by the melodic run and The program/performance note
then the arrival at a point of bi-tonality after a…
The text in the front of the score is a program
very clear harmonic centre with jazz-added notes”
note and Greenbaum says he sometimes
moving from white note C major, effectively, to
mixes up information for a program note and
the “unexpected dissonance” of E flat against
performance directions. However, on rereading
the G major chord. Whether the first composing
the text for First Light he notes there are some
for a piece is really the beginning of the work is
aspects which could be “instructional for the
something he often discusses with his student
performer to the extent of understanding that
composers. He finds the piece is more concerned
with “phrases that flow into each other by not there are two different, overt traditions that
being resolved and sometimes that non-resolution this music draws from…and they have different
is achieved harmonically and sometimes… performance practice associated with them”.
rhythmically and sometimes…a combination”, than This leads to the issue of “how much instruction
harmonic analysis. do you put in a score in performance notes to
For Greenbaum the title of a work is very tell people what to do”. Greenbaum feels that
important. Sometimes it is there from the these days he gives more direction. He notes that
beginning, sometimes, like First Light, it isn’t. with a composer such as Ross Edwards, when
Composers “have a responsibility... to give a title... performers know a number of his pieces, “that
[which is] a successful way into the piece for the tells them something before they played the next
audience’. The title, First Light, has two ideas. Firstly, piece [of Edwards] regardless of the performance
the first two bars have “a sunny, welcome the new notes or not”.
day aspect” to them; and secondly, metaphorically, Greenbaum is happy for performers to use
“the dawn of new things”. And dedicating the imagery and/or metaphor to understand and
piece to his mother drew in influences from the shape a work of his through performance as long
repertoire she plays which are part of Greenbaum’s as this is not in a program note for the audience.
own musical heritage, and therefore paying He uses metaphors when working with performers
homage to her and being able “to have a piano and to help them grasp the feel of a work of his.
a xylophone and drums and recorders…strewn In relation to style, despite not being given any
around the lounge room floor” at home.
program notes, Lau recognized the romanticism in
As the pianist had not had access to a program or
the work. Reading later that there were influences
performance note, the title of the work introduced
from nineteenth century classical composers of
the ideas of “light and colours and brightness”
piano music, plus American pianist/composers,
which she tried to draw into her interpretation. She
this confirmed her initial thinking but she got “the
talked of colour and key in two ways: harmonic
general idea just from the music itself”.
keys and key speed and touch. Higher registers in
the piece allowed a different opportunity to play
Shaping and structure
with colour and to approach the harmonic keys
The overall structure of the piece consists of very
differently. So “rather than going straight into the
long phrases, building to mini-climaxes then
key with the big romantic sound, trying to vary
moving on. Lau, the pianist, drew on, what Rink
the key speed so that it becomes more distant
calls, her “informed intuition” (2002, p. 36), that is,
or perhaps using the soft pedal … to change the
colour completely”. She said that when you think recognition of “the importance of intuition in the
colour, it doesn’t have to be “pretty colour…[but] interpretative process but also that considerable
has everything to do with the touch and key speed, knowledge and experience generally lie behind
how quickly the key’s depressed”. it – in other words, that intuition need not
come out of the blue, and need not be merely
Australian Journal of Music Education 43
Blom 20& ‰ ˛j˛ ˛ ˇ‰ ˛˛˛ ˇˇˇ ˛˛ ˛˛˛˛ ÎÎÎ ˇˇˇ ?˛˛ ˛˛˛˛ ˛˛˛... ˛J ˛ ˛ ˛
J
ctyappirciacilolyu csl”?a (mspsp.i ˇc3a6l) .r oSmhea pnthbircˇa wseady tinh et hwa˛ot. rtkh “e˛Ji nm aˇi ddle Îmshfe, ft,h ffo, ut˛og. hfftbf ˛ovjifa t ˇhreisp aesa “tae ds tpruhβpcratusˇeras.l palnuds aa ccaodloeunrzisat,i c
of the phrase is the loudest point and then you thing”. And in “the last two syÎstems [mms. 140-
° ° °
taper off on either side…This doesn’t happen 147] where it fades away you can do lots of colour
every time…but as a general rule I played it like changes there because there’s lots of repetition
that unless it was marked differently”. For her, this (see Figure 3). Pretty much every time he has
ijsu “sat kpneorfwo2rn5?m”. Wan˛hcee˛n t r˛taeda˛icthi˛Joinn˛g… Fs˛Jirosmt L42eigth˛hit.n, gsh ˛Jteh afot43’us n˛Jd˛ ˛ ˛J“brreinp44gea ˛tth. taht˛Ji sid s˛eyas˛ tien˛mto tiht…r˛e[em˛ oar˛ kfion˛ugr] ˛tJiitm& aes˛ sc”o I˛ lcjoouurlfdu l
it difficult to guide students “to have direction in and perhaps star-like as possible and then [where
their playin?g bÎÎecause it could…ra42mˇ˛ble˛ on a43 biˇˇt .. it] s44aysβ “faˇd.ing away”…Ρt.o make the sou˛nd quite
Î ˇ ˇ. Î Î
if they don’t really direct it and know where it’s distant”. She finds students “build up too quickly
going…the build-up is very long so° they need to and i°t’s very hard for them to play a system of
be able to pace it out”. She gave several examples three bars, three times without … going from
where rep3e0tition plus dynamic changes require a pp to f straight away”. In relation to teaching the
b“tuoi lhdo-uldp i wt &bhaicchkÎ aisnnd’t ttoo oth siundk dpepn f ˛aonr dt˛h tee˛ lwlbsh˛ sotul˛ed be˛anrt ˛s ˛˛ ˛sotfr tu˛hcetum˛re “q ou˛Jfi Ftbei˛˛˛r s...at lLoinghg˛˛˛t t timo set utod ˛˛egnett˛˛s jb, uit˛t t iatk’s˛e jos ksaoym, e
rather than domipng a crescendo”. She found that they dmof eventually get it and then it’s very good”.
the compo?ser “writejs in his˛ phrasÎing because of Thˇe compˇoser descˇr.ib˛es ˛how First Lig˛ht explores
˛. ˛ ˛
those long no◊tes that are tied over, the[n] taper strong dyn°amic shifts, for example “in ms. 3 from
off the ends o°f phrases” (ms. 31-34). While the forte to ppp and back to forte in the blink of an
piece is textually largely chordal with melody, the eye”, for him, is an issue of touch which draws
pianist spo34ke of “bring[ing] out the inner voice” on jazz idioms. Hairpin crescendos are part of
(rbieneac mlolyms b. e3e9s89in -a4g& s1 “o t–php ˛˛srepa˛ea bn e...teao mFs”˛pi sjg(o svue˛oreei c˛ F1eig) g,˛ uworieint h2g ) m˛u.ps.…˛ 11a˛0n-d1˛ 1th1e ˛nj i˛t ˛jcm(ela.ugbss.˛˛s,i˛ icmc”...a, sal ˛mn9j8du ˛ atshnice˛d, r“ ems˛h asar. pe1 i3sno3˛gm) btw˛heh edi ˛ecrahbm ˛ba araet˛ni jacd l˛gs floeo sb“wat˛Jur rorievf sat hl e
inD Fyirnsta Lmig&ich?st .44f Toarbb l˛bLk˛˛˛ainu...gˇ ab b.or˛˛˛efj tahbe˛˛˛o ...luats˛˛˛ tsj tfirnubacˇÎÎÎÎlt uc.rrees acne43dn dcoo‰ lobu˛jr bb˛˛ ˛bpo˛fo brine˛˛ptse”,42a ˇstt. rc˛uhbco˛-truu˛rsa li.n G p44roeepÎnn mbbÎβau.usbimc˛J… pˇ[owinhtisc hÎo]u wt “hthirels idea
°pp ° °
(mms. 12?6-14439)b w˛h.icbh˛j bu˛ild.sb ˛tjhrouÎgh pp, p43, mbˇp., and bu42ilds˛ u.p an‰d b44uilbdbsb ÎÎÎup” from pp tÎÎÎhrough
38 ° ° ° * ° j
10&5 &?bbbbm˛˛Îβ˛˛˛˛p......nˇb˛˛˛˛.j˛j˛˛˛˛b˛˛.... bb˛˛˛˛˛Jj Îβ˛ÎÎÎ ˛ ˛ ˛ˇˇˇ ˛jˇ˛ ˛bjb˛ˇˇ.bp˛˛˛Îb...˛jb˛˛˛Jjb˛˛˛b˛˛˛ ˛˛ ˛ b˛Î˛˛ bb˛˛˛bbb˛˛˛˛J ˛˛˛˛j.ˇ˛˛ ˛.bbbbbm˛˛˛f˛˛˛jJ
? bb°˛˛.. ˛˛ ˇˇ ÎÎ ÎÎ b˛ °ˇ. Î
Figure 1: mms. b3˛8.-41 FJirst Light (1997) by Stuart Greenbaum. Reproduced with pbeÎrmission from Promethean Editions.
° ° °
j b˛b˛ ˛
110 ˛ j j b˛ b˛
& ˛˛˛˛˛...bˇ. b˛b˛˛ ˛˛˛ b˛b˛b˛ ˛ b˛bb˛˛˛˛ ˛˛˛˛.... b˛J b˛b˛b˛ b˛ ˛jb˛ bbb˛˛˛j
? Œ. b˛jb˛ ‰bb˛˛j ˛Î. b˛J ˇ bÎŒbbbˇa. bˇ.b˛b˛ b˛
bÎ
° °
Figure 2:1 m14ms. 110-113 Firsbt˛ Libg˛ht (199˛7) by Stuart Greenbaum. Reproduced with permission from Promethean Editions.
b˛ ˛ b˛ ˛ b˛ ˛ Î 3 ˇ. 2
& ˛. J ˛ b˛ J J bÎÎ 4 ˇˇ.. 4
44 ˛˛.. 50(1) 2016
? b˛Œ. ˇ.b˛j˛b˛b˛ b˛. bb˛˛J ˛˛ ˛ bb˛˛.. b˛˛J ˛ˇ. b˛J 43 ˇˇ ‰b˛J 42
° ° ° ° °
118
& 42 bbnˇˇˇ 44 .. bbˇ˛... b˛˛ ˛˛.. ˛˛j 43 ˇˇ b˛ b˛ 42 ˛ b˛ 44
J J
? 42 b˛ b˛ 44 .. bb˛˛.. ˛J ˛. b˛J 43 ˛. b˛J ˛ 42 bˇ 44
° ° ° ° ° °
122 x 2
& 44 b˛ˇ... b˛˛J ˛˛.. bb˛˛˛˛jj˛˛ ÎÎÎ ˇˇˇ b˛ ˛b˛b˛b˛ ˛b˛b˛ 42 bb˛˛˛... bb˛˛ b˛ .. 44
? 44 b˛. ˛J ˛. b˛J Î Î 42 bˇ b˛ ˛ .. 44
° ° ° * °
Greenbaum’s First Light
99 a tempo 126 cresc. each time x 3
& 44 bb˛˛˛... bb˛˛˛j ˛˛˛... ˛˛˛j ÎÎÎ 43 ‰b˛jb˛ ˛b˛b˛ 42 ˛b˛- ˛ 44 nbÎβ. b˛J ˇ Î & 44 .. bbb˛˛˛(... , )bb˛˛˛j˛ ˛˛˛b...˛ ˛˛˛j 43 ˇˇ b˛ b˛ ˛ b˛˛bb˛˛. 42 bb˛˛˛... bb˛˛ b˛ .. 44
pp pp p mp
? 44 b˛. b˛j ˛. b˛j Î 43 bˇ. 42 ˛. ‰ 44 bbbÎÎÎ ÎÎÎ ? 44 .. bb˛˛. ˛ ˛ ˛˛ ˛˛. ˛ ˛ b˛ 43 b˛ˇb.˛ ˛ 42 bˇ b˛ ˛ .. 44
J
° ° ° * ° ° ° ° °
10&5 bbb˛˛˛...nb˛˛˛˛j ˛˛˛˛.... bb˛˛˛Jj ÎÎÎ ˇˇˇ ˇ bb˛ˇˇ. b˛j˛ ˛b˛ ˛ b˛ b˛ bb˛˛J ˛˛j. ˛ bbbbbm˛˛˛f˛˛˛jJ 12&9 44 .. bbbmc>˛˛rfe˛sc...(. efa c, hf tfim )beb>˛˛˛j˛ ˛˛˛b...˛ >˛˛˛j 43 ˇˇ b˛ b˛ ˛ b˛˛bb˛˛. 42 bb˛>˛˛... bb>˛˛ b˛ x ..3 41
? bbb˛˛˛... ˛˛J ˇˇ ÎÎ ÎÎ b˛ ˇ. bÎÎ ? 44 .. bb˛˛. ˛ ˛ ˛˛ ˛˛. ˛ ˛ b>˛ 43 b˛ˇ.b˛ ˛ 42 bˇ b˛ ˛ .. 41
° ° ° j b˛ b˛ ˛ °> °>J ° °> #lo˛nUg
11&0 ˛˛˛˛˛˛...bˇ. b˛b˛˛ ˛˛˛ b˛b˛b˛ ˛jb˛bb˛˛˛˛j ˛˛˛˛.... bb˛˛J bb˛˛b˛ b˛ b˛ ˛jb˛ bbb˛˛˛j 13&2 41 ###˛˛˛ fr#ee˛ ra#lle˛ntando ˛#˛#˛#˛ ˛ #˛ ˛ ˛#˛ ˛ ˛#˛#˛ 44
ff >
? Œ. b˛jb˛ ‰bb˛˛j ˛Î. b˛J ˇ bÎŒbbbˇa. bˇ.b˛b˛ b˛ ? 41 nn˛˛> & f #˛#˛ ˛ ˛#˛ ˛ ˛#˛#˛ ? 44
bÎ
° √ √
° ° U U
11&?4 b˛˛˛Œ˛.... ˇ.bb˛˛Jj˛˛bb˛˛bb˛˛ b˛˛. ˛ b˛ bbb˛˛˛J ˛˛˛J b˛ ˛ ˛J bbÎb˛˛ÎÎ.. b˛˛J ˛ˇ. b˛J 4433 ˇˇˇˇˇ... ‰b˛J 4242 13&?4 4444 aÓ tempŒo∑ ‰Ïb˛j bbbb˛˛˛˛ÎŒb..... &bbbbbbbb˛˛˛˛˛˛˛J˛j˛˛˛˛˛˛˛˛........bbbbbb˛˛˛˛˛˛˛˛JJ loUÎÎÎÎÎÎÎÎng ? Ó Œ∑‰bÏ˛j bbbb˛˛˛˛ÎŒb..... &bbbbbbb˛˛˛˛˛˛˛J˛j˛˛˛˛˛˛˛˛........bbbbbb˛˛˛˛˛˛˛˛JJ vÎeÎÎÎÎÎÎÎryU long
° ° ° ° ° b˛ bÎb b˛ bÎb
(until end)
° °
11&8 42 bbnˇˇˇ 44 .. bbˇ˛... b˛˛ ˛˛.. ˛˛j 43 ˇˇ b˛ b˛ 42 ˛ b˛ 44 14&0 (.. a b √)˛. b˛J ˛. ˛J 43 ˇ b˛ b˛ 42 ˛ b˛ 44 ˛. b˛J ˛. ˛J 43
J J ppp lfiakdei nag d aiswtaanyt nursery rhyme,
? 42 b˛ b˛ 44 .. bb˛˛.. ˛J ˛. b˛J 43 ˛. b˛J ˛ 42 bˇ 44 & .. b˛. ˛J ˛. b˛J 43 ˛. b˛J ˛ 42 bˇ 44 b˛. ˛J ˛ ˛ b˛ 43
° ° ° ° ° °
122 x 2 144 (√) x 2 ˛ ÎU
& 44 bˇ˛... b˛˛J ˛˛.. bb˛˛˛˛jj˛˛ ÎÎÎ ˇˇˇ b˛ ˛b˛b˛b˛ ˛b˛b˛ 42 bb˛˛˛... bb˛˛ b˛ .. 44 & 43 ˇ b˛ b˛. 42 ˛ b˛ .. 44 ˛. b˛J ˛. J
U F
? 44 b˛. ˛J ˛. b˛J Î Î 42 bˇ b˛ ˛ .. 44 & 43 ˛. b˛J ˛ 42 b˛. ˛ ˛ .. 44 b˛. ˛J ˛. b˛J Î
° ° ° * °
Figure 3: mms. 126-147 First Light (1997) by Stuart Greenbaum.
Reproduced with permissPiEo0n30 f r–o 7m Promethean Editions.
Australian Journal of Music Education 45
Blom
each level to fff to arrive at ms. 134. Here “the the same. Having discussed the principle of
logic of the music” is moved forward through the rubato, Greenbaum finds there are some places
dynamics, interrupted soon after by an “almost where “it’s actually better to be straight ahead in
off-stage effect” at ms. 140 through a drop to ppp, tempo” – for example, from mm. 99 on a more
giving “the illusion of a spatial effect…as much as “pop-influenced feel” takes over, “motoric in its
it is a dynamic effect”. rhythmic construction, as opposed to being linear
and lyrical… [and] it certainly has to groove”; and
Pulse and rhythm there are some places where “more rubato might
be possible” – ms. 62-70, for example, where a
In First Light, there are many things that are
‘Chopin-esque’ technique of modulating up a
assumed “beyond the written instructions”. Feld’s
4th by flattening the 7th degree” (Greenbaum,
(1994) notion of interpretative moves, that is,
2006, p. 2) is where “rubato can work through
the fact that we rarely confront sounds that are
that section”. Greenbaum suggests playing the
totally new, unusual and without experiential
piece with a metronome in the initial stages
anchors, is often more difficult for pianists playing
then “enhance something from a standpoint of
Greenbaum’s music as he finds they are less likely
knowing the exact subdivision of the score”.
to have played in ensembles of any kind and
The pianist found the piece easy to sight-read.
therefore not followed a conductor or a click track
Each time she played it through she “tried to add
or a beat. Therefore the composer speculates
more of what was in the score…”. From this she
“it’s no wonder that there’s more rubato in solo
identified timing and rhythmic issues – ties, dotted
piano music than in any other form”. In relation
rhythms – which took up much of her thinking
to the feel of First Light, Greenbaum notes that
in the early preparation. The rhythms in the work
while he hasn’t written “play this piece with no
often adopt a syncopated feel. Lau had not really
rubato” in the score, that’s not necessarily how
played real improvised jazz, but had played
jazz is played. There are places “where rubato
some “written out ‘jazz’ music”, and had an aural
is less advisable than other parts” and because
knowledge of jazz. Despite this understanding,
of performer background in relation to the
despite having probably taught the piece “with
influences, he doesn’t really want “to exactly
swung quavers and without depending on how
delineate where…rubato could be taken and
good the student was at the style…”, and “despite
[where] not”. In some pieces he does mark in the contemporary style [she]…still worked hard
rubato where “people are likely to misinterpret in trying to get the rhythm very accurate”. She
a rhythmic [device]” but generally is “not sure said she doesn’t think this style is “an excuse for
that fully prescribing the extent of slow down” is it being sloppy with the rhythm”. The pianist’s
useful. Greenbaum finds that “saxophone players interest in rhythmic accuracy was inherited from
generally interpret my music well…[and some] her teacher at the Eastman School of Music who
string players who can play my music really well”, taught her to play Debussy with “pretty strict”
but it depends on their backgrounds and “there rhythm, rather than with some freedom, as she’d
are a lot of pianists whose frame of reference previously played. Through studying with this
does not necessarily include pop or jazz or blues”. teacher, Lau came to understand “that Debussy
He finds commonalities of groove in jazz and was very specific in how he notated his rhythm”.
in Beethoven’s scherzos and symphonies – “it’s She found that adopting this strict rhythmic
dance music and there really isn’t much rubato at approach then allowed some play with colours
all. It rocks, it grooves”. Music at a slower tempo, and dynamics and “the way that you approach the
however, opens up for both classical-influence keys…”. Greenbaum “was specific in his notation
and jazz-influenced players issues of rubato and of rhythm [she says]…in that he wanted a note or
how to approach it, which is not necessarily a chord a specific length of time…”. The piece has
46 50(1) 2016
Greenbaum’s First Light
long-held tied notes and chords and the pianist Body movement
recognized the specificity of these and they were For the composer, physical gestures which “arise
another reason why she didn’t want to be too free as a result of interaction with the music” are
with the rhythm. good, but not those which arise “as a result of
using the music to glorify any misguided maestro
Pedal
associations”.
In relation to pedal directions, Greenbaum finds
Body movement for the pianist is closely related
there is no right or wrong answer to it, although
to the piece’s range and not to be “especially
in his music, for example where two different
showy”. For large chords “I would try and fall into
or conflicting harmonic centres are combined,
the keys so as not to create a really harsh ff but a
“somebody who didn’t know my style would
more rounded tone…[but] that’s just part of how
think – ooh a new chord therefore I must let the
I approach the keyboard and the way I play so I
pedal up and go – but where I might want to hear
didn’t do that consciously”. At the end of the piece,
the…chords…at the same time”. He therefore
Lau teaches her students to “hold their hands
uses pedal markings “to inform the pianist what
suspended above the keys or on the keys but
sonorities or harmonies overlap and which don’t”.
just to hold their position for the four beats and
In relation to sustain pedal markings, Greenbaum
one quaver and the pause, rather than …sitting
is very specific in the score and the pianist tries
back and letting the pedal do it”. She feels this is
to do as the composer asks. Having said that, she
important as “what people see reflects what they
adopted “half-pedal [at times to] try and help the
perceive as hearing”. Generally, “movements are
piano sound decay with the pedal” plus flutter
related to sound production” not for show “unless
pedaling where the pedal is raised halfway, “just
it was the very last note of the piece”. Playing
helping the sound die but keep[ing] your fingers
Ravel’s Alborado del gracioso a while ago had
still depressed”, for example where one fff chord
made her think about body movement because
is held for one bar, the pedaling helping it decay.
“it’s such a physically demanding piece”. The Ravel
In a section of First Light where the pedal stays
required consideration of body movement, finger
down for eighteen bars, the pianist drew on her
movement, energy conservation and stamina, the
previous playing of another Greenbaum piano
first two useful for playing First Light – “Not only
work, The Moon, in which the composer has
getting from one spot to the other but conserving
marked “clocklike” in a similar section of that score.
your energy and having stamina to get through to
This notion of the steady, even beat of a clock (ms.
the end, trying not to have too big a movements
70-88) encouraged her “to make it as accurate as
in the repeated notes section so that you can get
possible” while flutter-pedaling the semiquaver
through it and then in the big sections to…have
phrases “because it would have been very muddy
the sound big enough and projected enough
even though it’s pp”. For the pianist, this “was an
which means you have to come onto the keys
interpretive thing”. Despite not knowing if the
from a greater height so that sort of thing. I think
composer “wanted it muddy at those places” she
that’s also part of the way you play and perform”.
adopted flutter-pedaling “just to make the finger
Movement for her is all directly related to sound
work clearer because it moves quite fast and it’s
production. While other pianists make eye, face,
a scale”. She gives ms. 77 (clock-like section) as an
body movements for show, she doesn’t think these
example saying “it could get pretty congested”.
necessarily help a performance.
Soft pedal was used “for colour rather than soft
playing” although in the coda it was used to help
the sound fade away.
Australian Journal of Music Education 47
Blom
As a teaching piece or click track keeping everyone to an even pulse,
left solo piano music open to much rubato. He
For the pianist, teaching students to play First
made useful parallels between Beethoven fast
Light offers “rhythmic accuracy, control of
movements – groove, no rubato – and slower
dynamics, being able to structure a piece so that
movements where rubato helps shaping. In First
you build to a small climax and then to a very
Light, there were sections where the music was
big climax and to be able to have the control
motoric, pop-influenced, and sections where
to make it work. Being able to play melody and
some rubato would be evocative. And rubato/
harmony, …bring other harmonic notes as well…
groove were closely related to dynamic markings,
and then being able to go from playing chords
which together structured the work and shaped
for pretty much all of the piece to the semiquaver
performance.
scale like passages”. The latter is something she
The key issues for the pianist in learning First
finds students have to actually practice. The
Light were concerned, firstly, with rhythmic
piece is also good for focusing on “colour and
accuracy. Aspects of style drew on her previous
the use of the soft pedal for colour, teaching
knowledge from playing repertoire of the
them how to vary the sound in terms of…a very
Romantic and Impressionist composers, and a
harsh percussive fortissimo versus a rounded full
broad understanding of some jazz influences,
projected fortissimo”.
engaging with Rink’s (2002) notion of “informed
intuition”, despite not being given a program
Conclusions
note. The pianist’s previous knowledge informed
Aspects of the work the composer would like the way she approached playing large chords,
a performer to know about include the role of rhythm and pulse, worked with key areas and
the title (important communication with the caused consideration of touch and movement.
audience), movement (only when moved by the However, adopting a jazz rhythmic swing was
music itself), insights into the compositional tempered and informed by the music of Debussy
process and to some extent pedaling (needed for as taught by a previous piano teacher with whom
overlapping deliberately conflicting harmonies). she had studied. The title had no background
However, he focused largely on two issues, cross- meaning because of no access to a program note
cultural stylistic influences and the role of rubato. but instead activated imagery which informed
Greenbaum used several synonyms in relation consideration of colour, register, harmonic key,
to cross-cultural influences – cross-pollination, key speed and pedaling. This reflected flautist
collision, interaction, boundary crossing – and Cherrier’s (in Perlove, 1998) comment that
discussed at length, the shared knowledge performers make their own decisions if contact
between contemporary jazz American pianist- with the composer or such connections are not
composers and the classical piano canon, and possible. Previous playing of another work by
his own knowledge, as a classical composer, of Greenbaum offered a way of handling long held
both idioms. This interaction can draw rhythmic, chord sections. Dynamics and structural shaping
groove, harmonic and dynamic gestures from of the work went hand in hand. Despite following
popular music idioms in with Chopin-influenced the composer’s score instructions carefully, she
modulation, bi-tonality and prescribed pedaling, introduced several pedaling variants to heighten
resonating with Reich’s (1992) drawing on some, shaping and colour and achieve the sound
but not all, aspects of non-Western music in his outcomes she felt were important to the piece.
compositions. Discussing rubato, Greenbaum had Here was Redgate’s (2007) thinking outside of
found lack of ensemble playing with a conductor the box in action. Body movement and finger
48 50(1) 2016