Wednesday 17 October 2012

The Old (and Young) Person's Guide to the Orchestra

Here's a theme and variations, with apologies to Benjamin Britten.   The theme is a rondo, which will keep recurring: an orchestral musician must primarily develop the ability to listen to and respond to what the other instrument sections are doing. This is more important than all the rest, tuning, dynamics, timing, etc.  It doesn't mean that these aren't important, but the player who is hearing what their role is in relation to the whole orchestra will almost automatically play in tune, in time and at the right dynamic. It is a fact that if you were to audition for a professional orchestra, it is not the individuals with the highest technical ability that would necessarily get the job, but the ones who can play as a part of the orchestra.