June's Journal

I am a senior at St. Olaf College majoring in Flute Performance. I created this blog to record my Independent Study this Interim as I research flute-related topics with the help of my flute professor, Dr. Catherine Ramirez, and share my musings. Enjoy!

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In Conclusion...

This is my last post as part of my IS. I wish that I could have given more attention to this project, but frankly, the time that I had set aside for more research and writing was sometimes taken up by practicing. However, I really learned so much!

My respect for Moyse grew even more and the mystery around the man that I had felt before reading about him is less clouded. Even without him physically present, he succeeded in growing my fondness, passion, diligence, and love for playing flute and music.

I feel that I share the journey as a growing musician with every flutist that I read about. Through this independent study, I learned that although we may all have different sounds, embouchures, flutes, or heritages, many of the difficulties we deal with as flutists are similar. I think that's how I fit into this abstract blob/community of flutists-- I am merely one of many who are trying to improve as flutists, musicians, interpreters, and human beings. And how exciting is it that there's no where to go but up!

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In Chapter 9, titled "Performing at Your Best" of Beyond Talent, the author, Angela Myles Beeching, discussed aspects of performing, such as stage presence, performance anxiety, and performance health. I have been familiar with many of these concepts as I soaked up this blog while I was preparing for my senior recital. However, I particularly thought that the addition of "10 Suggestions for Preventing Musician Injuries" by Dr. Michael Charness, who is a professor at Harvard Medical School (as well as a pianist), was helpful and relevant to my practicing nowadays. Of the ten, I found the following to be more revolutionary.

 Avoid playing more than 25 minutes without a 5-minute break. Try taping the last five minutes of a session, and use the five minute break to listen critically. You may need to use a timer to make sure you take breaks regularly. (I find that using the 5-minute break to listen to a recording is a great incentive to actually record myself. It means that I would use my time efficiently as I listen AND also take a break.)

Intersperse repetitive rehearsal of individual passages throughout a practice session to avoid overworking one set of muscles. Learning and safety may be enhanced by paying a passage five times every ten minutes, rather than thirty times in a row. (I find this to be thoughtful practicing. Not only should we think about passages that need improvement, but also the muscles that may be overworking, helping us to find ways to exercise all muscles equally.)

Don't neglect your general physical and mental health. (Not everything will improve just because I have spent time in the practice room! Reminders like these help me to find solace when I don't practice and to be more responsible about my mental, physical, and emotional health.)

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The way flutists play with vibrato has puzzled me for some time. I've heard so many differing opinions on the topic, that it is difficult to know what everyone wants! Is there a "correct" way to use vibrato in flute playing?

Here is a sound clip of Marcel Moyse playing the Carmen Entr'acte by Bizet:

http://www.robertbigio.com/moyse.htm

After listening to this recording, some would say that Moyse used vibrato pretty consistently throughout the entirety of the solo. However, we must understand that Moyse did not think of vibrato as we do today. As Peter Lloyd explains, Moyse used two terms, "vibrato" and "expression", to explain two very different concepts. A flutist's overall sound must always have some sort of expression, whereas vibrato is a whole another component to sound. When Moyse asked a student to play a melody line without vibrato, the student played with a straight tone. To this, Moyse exclaimed, "No! You are stupid! I said wizout vibrato--not wizout expression!" Lloyd further explains that vibrato is something that one consciously adds, rather than part of one's permanent sound: "It [continual wobble] starts at 7:30 at the beginning of their concert and it ends at 9:30 when they've finished their last piece. And nothing happens in between. And that has nothing to do with music."

The start of using vibrato on the flute, as Lloyd speculates, didn't start until the 1920's when Moyse was in the opera and was inspired by how the singers used vibrato as a means for expression rather than to enliven one's tone. And that's when the evolution of vibrato began-- just as singers' styles change, so does the characteristics of vibrato on the flute. I wonder then, how does a flutist use vibrato in a tasteful manner? I think this delves into a question of aesthetics as well as a question of informed performance practice and stylistic decisions. What is pleasant to listen to as well as what serves the musical style of the certain composer one is playing (as specific vibrato may be appropriate for a Mozart Concerto, but not the Dutilleux Sonatine).

And here is a video clip of Emmanuel Pahud playing the Entr'acte.

I wouldn't say that either one of these two recordings is less expressive than the other, but I can hear that the concept of vibrato has definitely evolved. (Or perhaps it hasn't evolved, but has rather been explored in different ways by every flutist.) The most important part of playing though, in both of these recordings, is that both are tremendously expressive and it's not due to the vibrato. The vibrato may add to the expressive quality of the playing, but is not the reason for it. The expression comes from the depth and clarity of tone and how they both carry that quality of sound throughout the line to let it sing.

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The year before Marcel Moyse died, at age 93, Trevor Wye asked him if he still practiced. MM: Of course I still practise. TW: What do you practise? MM: I practise an A. TW: Which A? MM: (shrugs then smiles) That's the trouble. I never know which octave will come out!

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Thoughts on Practicing

One of the aspects of being a musician that appeals to me is the room for constant improvement. There is no point at which I will be finished and satisfied with my playing, so I continue to practice. This entry discusses various thoughts and habits Geoffrey Gilbert and Marcel Moyse have on practicing.

Gilbert has many suggestions on how to practice as documented in The Gilbert Legacy, written by Angeleita Floyd. I will list the ones that I found to be most insightful and important.

Use a metronome! We've all heard this countless number of times, but I think it bears repeating. On the matter, he said, "Don't practice too fast. Things that are slightly doubtful in rehearsal will only get worse in performance." William Bennett commented on Gilbert's teaching that "He didn't mind if you came to the lesson playing something really very, very slowly as long as it was one-hundred percent under control. You could come along playing a Boehm study, which was marked at 120 to the quarter and play it at 60 equaling the quarter--completely under control, and he was happy, and you would have achieved your objective." Gilbert also suggested that when working on a difficult passage, repeating the passage four times perfectly, then three, then two, then finally as written. The point is that playing the passage only once will seem much easier and manageable!

Concentrate on one concept at a time for 10-15 minutes (hand position, vibrato, tone colors, etc.) It is helpful to set a time period for focusing on just one aspect. Often, I find myself focusing on something like hand position for a few measures then get distracted by the music and forget about my hand position.

"To progress, practice regularly at least three hours a day with no goal except to improve." This is a very manageable goal, I think. Instead of setting more specific goals, such as "I am going to play this and that passage perfectly today!", I think the healthy goal of improving as a musician in regular practice sessions is more encouraging and beneficial to one's practice. This Gilbert quote reminds me of what Marianne Gedigian once said about practicing. She said that everyday, as we open our flute cases, is a new day for exciting possibilities.

Marcel Moyse is known to have practiced until he passed away. Trying to improve his flute-playing was never finished for him. Later in his career when he was busy teaching lessons and masterclasses during the summer, he would have to catch up on practicing in the fall: his son, Louis Moyse said, "For two months every year there was no flute except for lessons given to foreign students who followed him to St. Amour during the summer time. Around the middle of September he would put himself in shape again by playing for five or six hours daily and going through his repertoire which was more than 100 pieces known by heart."

Similar to what Gilbert said about practicing to improve, I've been told that one should be happy as long as something was achieved in a practice session. Did you learn how to play a high A pianissimo? Did you learn how to manage the air on the Mendelssohn Scherzo? Did you succeed in portraying the opening of the Copland Duo in a more interesting and musical way? It can be anything. Having broad (but still very effective and meaningful) goals make practicing less daunting and more interesting to me. Reading about various methods of practicing reminds me that practicing should be a time to experiment and play in a disciplined manner instead of a militaristic chore.

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Embracing Technique and Playing Naturally

When I encounter technical (dealing with fingers) problems in my practicing, it almost always helps when I stop thinking about the specific passage that is the culprit and instead focus on anything else that would solve the problem. For example, there is one particular measure in the flute excerpt for Stravinsky's Firebird Suite that gives me anxiety. The measure before rehearsal mark 14 has pesky 32nd notes that my fingers stumble through and my mind resorts to panic as it counts the rests that precede it. But in my last lesson, Dr. Ramirez (my flute teacher) suggested that I use my air to get through the center of these notoriously fast notes and it helped tremendously! Not only was I able to get all the notes to sound but using a fast and full air speed helped to serve the intent of the music itself. Focusing on my air, instead of worrying about my fingers, while practicing gave a foundation for me to enjoy this passage rather than fearing it.

Moyse's philosophy on technique, as described by Trevor Wye in his book, was that "You have only to learn the flute with your ear and your brain--not your tongue, lips and fingers". However, in the beginning of his career, he was known for constructing exercises for technique, often formulating them for himself and his students. He had a very disciplined and organized willpower that he himself implemented and then also on his students. Poul Birkelund, one of his students, remembers in "one lesson [1938], he spent half an hour making all the possible finger combinations to help my technique. During one lesson, he wrote out all the different combinations of notes using five fingers. He wrote them all out." Later in his career, he was more reluctant to discuss technical matters, especially in masterclass settings. Moyse thought that technical problems may become a destructive obsession and he often told his students to "do it the natural way", which I find to be a healthy philosophy. 

Thomas Nyfenger's philosophy on technique is similar to Moyse's in that it encourages natural ways to play the flute. He criticizes excessive motion of the fingers and suggests that the flutist moves his/her fingers only as far as is necessary to close and open the keys. He further explains that energy is required to close the keys but one only has to relax to open the keys, which is the cessation of energy--the player does not have to "lift, raise, jerk, mutilate" to open the key.

What I have learned in the practice room and in lessons was only encouraged by Moyse's and Nyfenger's philosophies. Technique should not be a hindrance in making music! There are exercises and practical ways to fix technical spots--one must trust that the practice and work put into such exercises will ingrain the muscle memory in the fingers and play the flute naturally and without excessive effort. In that way, the flutist can focus on what is truly important which is the meaning and interpretation of the music.  

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Moyse Connections

As I started my Independent Study, I read literature about the great flute pedagogues of older generations. One in particular, a man named Marcel Moyse, grabbed my attention. Born as an orphan, he was adopted into a loving family in Saint Amour, France, and had a very fond memory of his childhood and Saint Amour, often returning to the village throughout his life. He had a great respect for flute and music and wished for his pupils to continue the legacy. Toward the end of his life, he often said, "Who will carry on after I'm gone? Who will continue the tradition of Tolou, Dorus, Altés, Taffanel, Gaubert, Hennebains?"

Some of those who have carried on with Moyse' influence are William Bennett, Trevor Wye, Paula Robison, Louis Moyse, and Jean-Pierre Rampal. I was originally interested in reading about Marcel Moyse because of my past experiences studying with William Bennett and Paula Robison. I have never personally met Moyse (obviously), but I felt closer somehow to Moyse as I learned from WIBB and Paula Robison. They spoke of him with the highest respect and wanted to continue his legacy as much as Moyse did himself. As much as Moyse genuinely cared for his students, his students revered him as a teacher as well. Of his students, Moyse said, "The affection which I have for my pupils--even if I am sometimes knocked in my feelings--is more solid than you could imagine."

During the masterclass that I attended, Paula Robison gave a very powerful "lecture" (it was really more like story telling) on her teacher. She described his upbringing, his move to the US, his hobbies, her personal relationship with him, and brought his rich personality back to life. She talked about the "sacred obligation" of flutists and the responsibility that we have to bring the richness of our own flute heritage to our playing. It was a profound experience that made me realize how meaningful and deep our flute history is. More than the flute lineage though, I was happily overwhelmed by the respect for the music itself that Moyse had brought to Paula Robison and Paula Robison to us. It really made me re-think why I am a musician. Ultimately, it's not about me but it's about serving the music. But what does that mean, I asked myself. For me, music is a means to express humanity. To serve music, musicians express the turmoils, absolute joy, catastrophes, sublimity of humanity and the world that the composition demands. As she ended the class, she said, "I'm thanking Moyse with every note that I play. I just never stop thinking about him. I feel like he's around! (laughs) Maybe he's here right now... I was playing the Carnival of Venice before you all got here. See if I can get him to come!" I hope that he was there, smiling, as we diligently carry on.