Part 4 (2/2)

Expression in choral music is dependent upon the text to just as great an extent as in the case of solo singing; and choral conductors may well ponder upon the above words of one of the world's greatest singers, and apply the lesson to their own problems. The average audience is probably more interested in the _words_ of vocal music than in anything else; and since both vocal and choral performances are usually given before ”average audiences” it behooves the conductor to look into the minds of those before whom he is directing, and to adapt the performance to the att.i.tude of the listeners.

CHAPTER V

INTERPRETATION IN CONDUCTING

(_Continued_)

TEMPO

[Sidenote: EXPRESSION IN INSTRUMENTAL MUSIC]

In the last chapter we discussed expression and interpretation from a general standpoint, closing with certain comments upon the interpretation of vocal music. But it must be admitted at once that expression in instrumental music is a vastly more intricate matter than in the case of vocal music; and in order to get at the subject in any tangible way, it will be necessary for us, first, to a.n.a.lyze music into its expressional elements; second, to decide which of these elements belong exclusively to the composer and which are shared by the interpreter; and third, to examine each of these latter elements in turn from the standpoint of the conductor as interpreter.

[Sidenote: THE ELEMENTS OF EXPRESSION]

There are eight elements upon which expression in instrumental music rests. These are:

1. Rhythm 2. Melody 3. Harmony 4. Pitch registers 5. Timbre 6. Phrasing 7. Tempo 8. Dynamics

Of these, the composer is able to indicate _exactly_ the first four, to convey his meaning fairly well in the fifth and sixth, but to give only a relative idea of the seventh and eighth. The interpreter is thus concerned with the first four only as it becomes necessary for him to find out from the notation what the composer intended to express. On the other hand, he is considerably concerned with the fifth and sixth factors (_timbre_ and _phrasing_) and has the main responsibility in the last two (_tempo_ and _dynamics_). This being the case, we shall treat _tempo_ and _dynamics_ first of all, as being the two primary factors of expression with which the conductor is concerned.

[Sidenote: IMPORTANCE OF TEMPO]

Wagner, in his famous essay on conducting, takes the rather radical ground that everything else is dependent upon the proper selection and management of tempo. He says:[12]

The whole duty of the conductor is comprised in his ability always to indicate the right tempo. His choice of tempi will show whether he understands the piece or not.... The true tempo induces correct force and expression.

[Footnote 12: Wagner, _On Conducting_, translated by Dannreuther, p.

20.]

In another place in the same work he treats the matter further, as follows: (p. 34)

Obviously the proper pace of a piece of music is determined by the particular character of the rendering it requires.

The question therefore comes to this: Does the sustained, the cantilena, predominate, or the rhythmical movement? The conductor should lead accordingly.

It is doubtful whether many modern conductors would entirely agree with Wagner's statement that correct tempo always ”induces correct force and expression.” Nevertheless tempo is so important that probably no one will quarrel with us if we at least give it first place in the order in which the elements of expression are discussed.

In modern music the composer indicates the tempos of the various movements much more definitely than was true in earlier days, so it would seem as if not nearly so much responsibility rested upon the conductor; and yet there is still a wide difference of opinion among musicians about the matter, and in many cases the conductor subst.i.tutes his own judgment for that of the composer, a.s.suming that the latter either made a mistake in indicating the tempo, or else that he had not tried the composition at the tempo preferred by the conductor, and therefore did not realize how much more effective it would be that way.

[Sidenote: FINDING THE CORRECT TEMPO]

In the main, there are five methods upon which the conductor depends for determining the correct tempo of a composition. These are:

1. The metronome indication, found at the beginning of most modern scores.

2. The tempo or mood expressions (_andante_, _allegro_, _adagio_, _et cetera_), which have been in universal use for two centuries or more, and which are found in practically all music, even when a metronome indication is also given.

<script>