Letter from Jack (9/22)
“A horse! A horse! My KINGDOM for a horse!”
Richard III, Act 5, scene 4, line 13
Our string section met Richard the III last night- winds, brass, and percussion, we’ll learn about him at the retreat. He’s one of Shakespeare’s most evil and self-serving villains who has long put his cunning mind to the task of seizing the throne of England for himself. When his day finally comes, he brings havoc and cruelty to the land during his short reign.
The quote above comes from the end of the play, where we find Richard alone and helpless on the battlefield, surrounded by his enemies and having to fight on foot without the help of his horse. The quote has two possible interpretations:
- Richard is desperate for a horse and is willing to give up his kingdom for the chance to escape.
- Richard is musing bitterly that something as simple and mundane as a fleeing horse will cause the downfall of his kingdom.
Either one of these ideas speaks to the eternal truth that in desperate times, things that seem simple or even mundane are often the deciding factor between success and failure.
This is also true in music performance! For instance, what separates a successful orchestral performance from something that falls flat or is lackluster?
Hopefully you have your own thoughts or opinions about this. For me, unity is the main idea. If an orchestra (or band, or choir, or rock group) plays music together and with the same intention, I’m usually sold on their performance.
Playing together means more than just keeping a steady pulse (although that’s really important!). It also means playing in tune, thinking carefully about articulation, sustaining the sound, and ending the sound in a pleasing way. It means following your bowings and having a plan for your bow placement. It means finding a good place to breathe that doesn’t disrupt the flow of the melody. It means playing with a good tone and blending with your section. It means agreeing on musical DIRECTION and line.
I’m hopeful that you will continue to explore this basic (but VITAL) areas of music making on your own this week so that we can all show up prepared (and horsed!) to our retreat this weekend.
Here is the rehearsal order for this weekend’s retreat. You’ll receive a full schedule of the day- this is only the rehearsal segments.
11:15am- 12:15 am Full Orchestra
- Singing River. Maybe some Walton if time!
2:20 PM- 3:20 PM Sectionals
- Strings rehearse Walton Movements 3 (The Princes in the Tower) and 5 (I would I knew Thy Heart)
- WW/Brass/Perc in sectionals
3:30 PM-4:45 PM Full Orchestra
- Walton (all movements)
- Elgar: Pomp and Circumstance no 4
I can’t WAIT to see you this weekend! What a gift it is to make music together.
Jack.