THE GESTURE IN DIRECTION

OF CHORUS: CONSOLIDATED TRADITION

AND RECENT CONTRIBUTIONS
Qualification thesis of
MATTEO UNICH
February 2006
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REASON FOR THE CHOICE
In the world of choral music, the importance of the gestural factor is often underestimated. For those who have
on the occasion of attending concerts or choral events, it is a frequent experience to come across directors
with gestures that are generous to define as lacking. Among the main defects, we can list: managing
in the same way with both hands, the limited use of the left, reduced mobility of the arms
(or the non-use of the full brachial extension), attacks and closures not properly
resolved. In fact, since the gesture is the only means of communication between the conductor and the choir members during
the act of concert representation, greater awareness would be needed from the
directors in the use of gesture, and a greater commitment to the search for an unequivocal chironomy
from a rhythmic and expressive point of view compared to the interpretation. Another risk factor is
consists in the fact that, while orchestras change conductors very frequently, even in the case of
where there is the figure of the permanent director, the choirs are generally always conducted solely by their master.
for many years in a row. This creates, of course, an absolute dependence on the gesture of the director,
an addiction to the typical chiromancy of the master; this makes the ensemble poorly receptive in
confrontation of the signs of other directors who venture under his guidance and at the same time renders
mechanical the gestural repertoire of the resident conductor.
In this perspective, this work aims to provide a quick rereading of what is
"academic" gesturality, viewed in its aspects of classical standardization, approaching it with some
most recent acquisitions or those that are anyway not well known even by industry insiders.
Of course we are aware that directing a choir is not just about conducting: well
there are other characteristics that define a good choir director. Nevertheless, the fact that
to have a clear, expressive gesture that does not force the singers to struggle to understand
the intention of the teacher but that on the contrary he explicitly reveals it, is to be considered an important
prerogative, such that it makes those who possess it preferred over other equally valid artists.
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PSYCHOLOGICAL PRINCIPLES OF GESTURE
Encountering a group of boy scouts playing, it is easy to see them perform an act that can
to leave perplexed. If for the conduct of the game it is necessary for one of them to be blindfolded, his
companions do not just cover their eyes with a handkerchief or a scarf, but bring it in front
they aim at the subject and mime the act of hitting their face with a punch. The purpose of this gesture is to
checking if the blindfolded person is able to see or not, and the verification consists in the fact that, for
a simple psychological reaction, anyone who sees a punch coming towards their face inevitably reacts with
a sharp backward movement.
Directorial gestures should largely be based on reactions of this type: gestures that guide
the choir member unconsciously, that is, not requiring conscious understanding and processing,
which takes time, but that provoke reflex reactions, like the one that drives us to
to suddenly pull away from the ember of a cigarette that has been carelessly brought close to the skin. In
this way, in addition to having the certainty of the correct reaction from the choral complex that we
Stand in front, we can prevent the distraction of a single choir member, which is always possible, from causing harm.
at the merging of the group. It is enough for the director to remain within the field of vision of the individual, without
I need you to look at this directly. We will then have the advantage of acting more decisively.
subconscious level, beyond direct vision, and the possibility of letting the choir member look at the
own part without detaching from the umbilical cord of the choral ensemble.
THE REFERENCE PLAN
Let's do an experiment: alone, or even better in the company of a group of people, let's launch
in aria any object and let's propose to ourselves, or propose to those who are with us, to clap our hands
At the very moment it touches the ground. We will see that it is easy, and the clapping of hands.
always in perfect sync with the fall of the object. Why are we able to beat
the hands at the precise moment when the object touches the ground? Simple: we see both things,
the object and the ground, and we are able to evaluate second by second the approach to the floor
of the moving object. Transferring this experience to the level of directorial gesture, we discover
what we need, in order to achieve perfect synchronization in choral execution, is to provide a
visual reference for our gesturality, comparable to the floor level of the example
aforementioned.
The experience was completed and commented on by Master Piero Bellugi during a lesson of the Higher Course.
Perfection in Conducting, which I attended as a full student, Bertinoro (FC), 1996.
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We will achieve this goal through the use of the so-called starting position, that is, the stance.
that the body of the director, and specifically the arms and hands, take at the moment of the attack
the initial part of a piece. The correct technique requires that the hands and arms of the conductor move into
forward, at the height of the sternum and parallel to the ground, and remain still for a few seconds before
of the attack. In this way, the chorister has a visual reference plane that allows him to
understand at what point, or rather at what level the gesturality of acts overall
director.
From what has been presented so far, it seems logical that launching an attack too hastily is harmful.
because it does not allow the choir member to have a certain visual reference. On the other hand, a wait that is too
longen snare the singer, disorienting him and making the attack confused, at the mercy of the reaction times of
singles. It is necessary to pause just long enough to provide certainty about the position of the pine
as a reference, and in the meantime allows the director himself and the singers to focus on the departure
of the piece.
On this imaginary reference plane, the gesture of the conductor strikes a point that
we will call it the point of impact. In other words, the point of impact is the intersection between the gesture of
director and the reference plane, the immaterial place where, having reached the reference plane, the
the gesture reverses its direction and continues to the next movement.
Both the reference plane and the striking point are susceptible to changes in position as well.
visually striking, sometimes caused by practical needs, sometimes by artistic needs. A typical example can
be an arrangement of the choir that prevents the normal gestures of the conductor, which can
finding oneself forced to raise the reference plane to be sure of the possibility for
all the singers to see it.
One very important thing, often overlooked in both attacks and closures, is that the gesture
it must always be divisible into two clearly recognizable parts: to raise and to beat, burned and tense,
forward and march. It is unthinkable that one can start in sync simply by lowering the
hand without warning, especially since, as we said, the hand is already on the level of
reference, while to achieve an attack, a start, a closure, one must lean on it, or
even better to hit him. So the movement must be, even in the simplest
of opportunities, consisting of two components, one for ascent and one for descent.
DIFFERENCES IN HAND USAGE
As we have already said, one of the main flaws in directorial gesturality is the synchronous use and
indifferent between the two hands. Beating time in this way creates a heaviness in the execution and deprives the
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director of an important means regarding executive expressiveness. The two hands must
perform different and well-defined roles. The strong hand, the right for the majority, the left for the
Mancini must focus primarily on the rhythmic scanning, and is therefore indicated.
by Thomas as the hand of rhythm; it is she who must therefore dictate the execution speed, and it is from her
that provide instructions related to agogic: accelerandi, ritardandi, rubati, etc. The weak hand
should instead focus on the interpretative aspect and the attacks of the individual sections, and is therefore
defined by Thomas as the hand of expression; its field of application is in the context of
dynamic, even when in collaboration with the other hand: crescendos, diminuendos, exert yourself, etc.
It is clear that, as the hands deal with different aspects of gesturality, it is necessary to put
great commitment to research and acquiring absolute independence of the hands among themselves
them, or better yet – since this is what it's about – to free the weak hand from subservience
compared to that strong one. A simple exercise to start this journey consists of beating with the
hand of rhythm a rhythmic pattern among those indicated below, with absolute time precision and the use of
metronome, while simultaneously performing other simple tasks with the hand of expression,
preferably indicated by another person: for example moving a red pen to the right or to the left
with a black pen, or touching the nose, or pointing to an object present in the room, and other things, without limits to the
fantasy. It is important, in this exercise, to try to make it as independent and - in a certain sense -
mechanical possible the work of the hand of the rhythm: the fact of beating a rhythmic pattern must
involve the sphere of awareness as little as possible. In short, we should not focus on
on it, on the contrary, we must try to make its movement as possible
automatic, so as to leave conscious space to the hand of expression, whose management,
being the opposite of that of the rhythm rather varied, it is much more complex.
An apparent nonsense, but one that can actually cause discomfort, is this: with which hand to turn the ...
pages of the score? It seems, I repeat, a nonsense: it is not. I was used to it, as a conductor
of the choir not using a baton, turning the pages with the right hand, strong hand, hand of the rhythm,
which was apparently the most suitable and certainly the closest to the edge to turn
the page. Finding myself directing an orchestra while simultaneously conducting the choir, using the baton
I had my hand busy and I had to manage to turn the pages with my left hand. So,
even just as a simple suggestion without any claim to absoluteness, I advise getting used to
turning the pages with the hand of expression.
BASIC CRITERIA OF 'ACADEMIC' GESTURE
The basic principles upon which the gestural direction of a choir is based are the same as those of conducting.
of the orchestra and were established by Hector Berlioz in his treatise on orchestral conducting. Without
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to delve into the matter, we can establish some general criteria to guide us in the search for a
personal gesture that is simultaneously respectful of the standards established over time and now
heritage of choirs and orchestras from all over the world. These basic criteria, according to M° Walter
Marzilli, a teacher at the Pontifical Institute of Sacred Music in Rome, and which obviously refer to
almost exclusively in the hands of rhythm, are:
The gesture corresponding to the first time of the measurement must proceed from top to bottom.
in a vertical sense and downward direction, therefore in a beat;
The gesture that indicates the penultimate movement of the measure should be made to the right (the right)
of the director, something that is usually not specified in management treaties, and that sometimes causes not
little confusion among readers);
The gesture indicating the last movement goes in a vertical direction, but in the opposite direction to
first, then markedly upwards, giving a sense of lifting contrary to the sense of beating of the
first movement.
Deriving from these basic principles some typical patterns indicative of the main times,
we can establish that:
the measures in one should simply be tapped with a gesture for each movement-measure,
executed from top to bottom and strictly in a vertical direction, bouncing immediately
from the starting point upwards, as if hitting an elastic surface;
the measures in two - which based on the aforementioned principles would suffer from an overlap
of vertical movements in the upward downward/downward upward direction - they are performed with two movements, the first
slightly to the right (as it is the penultimate) and the second to the left, leading to
a U-shaped or V-shaped figure;
the measures in three must be taken simply by applying the three principles: first downwards,
second to the right, third up;
All quotes from Maestro Walter Marzilli are taken from the notes of the Choral Conducting Seminar he held.
at the Pontifical Institute of Sacred Music in Rome during the summer of 1995, which I attended as a full student.
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The measures in four are always performed according to the general criteria, which allow freedom to
second movement. This is generally beaten to the left, to mark a clear
difference compared to other movements, however creating a problem that we will expose shortly;
the measures with a number of movements greater than those that are not subdivisions of times already
exhibited – can be freely beaten, respecting the three basic criteria.
Now let's comment on the schemes presented, remembering that they are always established examples in
time and in tradition but still susceptible to improvements and modifications. Nothing to say,
obviously, as far as the way of beating the measures in a single time, if not remembering that
any deviation from perfect verticality risks creating confusion, suggesting a
plurality of tempos in the beat. For measures in two, however, it is necessary to make a distinction between the
two proper times, for which the rule stated above applies, and the short time, which
According to Scherchen, it should be articulated by alternately beating the movements one and two (from above
downwards and upwards, hitting and lifting) blocking the hand at the ends of the
movements, thus creating a dry motion between the two points of start and end of the same gesture
vertical. The measurement in three does not pose significant problems, while the figure in four presents, as
said, a problem of some relevance, which we will now discuss.
The lateral movements of the starting point on the reference plane are limited to times in three and in
four movements. The measure in one and the measure in two, in fact, are beaten on the same point,
while the measure in three presents, in the second movement, a deviation to the right that can
to be about fifteen to twenty centimeters. However, this deviation is always made
starting from the point of contact of the first half and returning to it with the subsequent movement. In
four beats, on the other hand, the point of strike on the reference plane in the second movement is towards
left, while that of the third movement, bypassing the central point to which they refer
one and four is to the right. If we indicate, approximately, a distance of about fifteen
centimeters between the lateral touch points and the central point, we realize that the distance that the hand
it should travel between point two and point three is double, so about thirty centimeters. In other
The hand of rhythm has the same time to cover the distance, the physical space between the points.
between one and two (fifteen centimeters), between two and three (thirty centimeters) and between three and
four (again fifteen), so between two and three it must go at double speed.
Many directors do not even notice the difference, simply relying on the rhythm, but that is not to say
that this applies also to the performers who work under him. Maestro Giorgio Tagliabue, in the
beautiful series of articles on gestural communication published by 'La Cartellina' addresses the issue and
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suggests some exercises, using a metronome at very slow tempos (48 at the sixteenth note!), that
they are needed to make this change of speed unnoticed. This obviously does not solve the
problem - especially from the point of view of the executor - but makes the gesture spontaneous and natural for
the director. A brilliant solution to the problem, instead, was proposed to me by the aforementioned M°
Marzilli, and it consists of unifying the point of impact at the center of the reference plane,
differentiating the direction of movement after the actual stroke, that is after the
hand movement over the point of impact. To explain ourselves better, let's assume we have in front of us,
on a table, a tambourine (to be used as a substitute, or rather as a materialization, of the plan
of reference), and to hit it with the hand always in the center (the striking point), moving the hand
to the left or to the right only after making the serve. To serve a measure in
four beats on our tambourine we will have a simple first time, articulated in a lift
and a percussion followed by a return upwards, the two with percussion, hand to the left and
return, the three with percussion, hand to the right and return, and the four with percussion and hand
towards the other, ready to fall for the next one. The figure of the four thus takes on the
the shape of a flower, also giving the recipient a certain perception of the point of impact, no longer
susceptible to lateral deviations on the reference plane. The same type of technique can be
adopted for scanning in threes, while the times in twos and ones are already counted for them
same nature at the same point and do not require any other modifications.
Last note, perhaps superfluous: the dynamics of the piece should be represented with an expansion or a
reduction of the gesture, following the indications of strong or soft; therefore small gestures in the soft and
broad gestures in the strong, with all the intermediate shades. Also in this case, unfortunately, it happens
often to see directors whose conducting hand has no dependent variation in extension
from the dynamics: in other words, the rhythm is marked with gestures of the same dimensions
, generating in the choristers a sense of addiction and perhaps even a slight trance, and
reducing the dynamic possibilities of the group itself.
THE SUBDIVISIONS
When the slowness of the speed of a piece is such that it does not allow for the execution of the schemes.
typically, it is necessary to divide the basic movements into fractional units that must be carried out as
if they were fragments of the main movement. In other words, a ternary one divided into three
accents should not be struck with the scheme of beats in three, but by breaking up the movement of the one into
three wedges of the value of one accent each, thus creating a series of reference planes or of
dummy breaking points that allow for articulating the main gesture by dividing it into its
rhythmic components.
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It is evident that any basic time can be divided in different ways, depending on the situation.
rhythmical, and it is not enough for the number of accents to define the aspect of the division (the example
more trivial in this sense is given by the divisions of 3/4 and 6/8, which are articulated in three
binary movements the first is in two ternary the second while both measures are made up of six
accents), and therefore the overall rhythmic situation should be carefully considered before
choose the most suitable rhythm scheme. Numerous reference texts are indicated in the bibliography
from which to draw graphic schemes with the most common subdivisions, all respecting the criterion of
maintain the overall structure of the movement, breaking it up even visually in its
fundamental rhythmic components.
THE DEPARTURE GESTURE
What has been said so far concerns the 'center' of the execution, that is, the conduct to be maintained during the
piece. We said nothing, however, regarding the so-called "attack", that is, the actions required for
allow the choir to start the execution of the piece with absolute synchronization. The
the main factor – not the only one – to consider in choosing the starting gesture is,
naturally, the initial rhythm.
We remember that the initial rhythm of a piece can be of three different types:
tetico, when the departure is on the strong beat of the measure;
anacrusis, when one or more notes precede the first complete measure;
headless, when a strong beat finds a pause and the departure is on the weak beat
immediately following.
These types of initial rhythm give rise to three different types of attack, which we will now analyze.
The initial tetic rhythm requires, for the initial attack, the execution of an empty movement that
matches the last movement of an imaginary previous beat. It often happens to see
directors, embarrassed in front of this gesture of departure, who solve the problem by beating
an entire empty measure to start the group: it would be enough to beat it mentally and show
the choir the gesture corresponding to the last movement. This attack could be visualized
taking as an example the beginning of 'Lord of the Peaks' by Bepi de Marzi. Singing internally
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the first note, consisting of a minimum and two half notes, is sufficient to raise the hand from the surface
of reference corresponding to the last semi-minimum and gently lay it on the same plane, in
correspondence of the striking point, on the next beat, which will constitute the start of the chorus.
It is important to emphasize that the movement must be absolutely consistent with the beginning of
same speed, optimal width to indicate the sound intensity (therefore very small in
case under consideration, since the starting dynamics are pp). We also recall that in this context
we analyze only the gestures, thus disregarding any interpretive and vocal aspects that also
must guide the directorial gesture, particularly in the initial attack of the piece to be interpreted.
The initial anacrustic rhythm, on the other hand, can present different aspects, particularly depending on the
length of the initial anacrusis. If the value before the dash is of a movement, the gesture of
departure will, in a sense, fall back into the case of the tetanic attack: it will be executed on time and with the same
previous indications, the movement that – in a hypothetical previous shot – is immediately
antecedent to the written value. If the anacrusis, as often happens, were on the fourth beat of a
measure in four, the starting gesture will be a "three"; if it were the last beat of a measure in three, the
the gesture will be made on the 'two', and so on. The case is different for the anacrusis of a value less than a
movement, which can be resolved in different ways. According to Scherchen, the hand of expression
he talks about the left, assuming that the right hand is used as the rhythmic hand) it must mark
with a lift, upwards, the previous time, and subsequently the hand of the rhythm beats strongly
the beginning of the movement within which the anacrusis division is located. Most conductors
just beat the previous movement and that of the anacrusis (taking the example of an upbeat
in semicroma, on the fourth beat of a measure in four, the three and the four would be struck.
measure), a solution that seems redundant and risky to us, especially because it presents two
"to beat", each of which could be interpreted by the performer as the previous beat.
the anacrusis. If the speed of the piece is not very high, it is often sufficient to beat clearly the
movement within which the anacrusis is found, and it is a solution that we welcome.
Finally, in difficult cases, Thomas (with sporadic hints) and Tagliabue (with much greater clarity)
they suggest the use of the metric removal technique, which will be the subject of the next paragraph.
The initial acéphalous rhythm rarely presents problems. In the simplest case, when the movement
the initial is replaced by a pause, it is sufficient to clearly beat the movement of silence, which
it will thus replace the starting gesture. In more complex cases, when the pause value is very short,
for example, it will be sufficient to clearly apply the metric lifting technique or to apply with the
what variations the model suggested by Scherchen for the departure with anacrusis (in this case it
he will execute in lifting with the hand of the expression the last beat of the previous measure, then he will do the
beat of the first movement on the pause, however brief it may be.
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THE CLOSING GESTURE
Equally important as the initial gesture, the closing represents the final moment of the piece.
so the last impression left on the listeners. Even in this case - especially
in this case, it should be said - it is necessary to remember that the gesture must be dual, traceable
to a rise and a lowering. To give an example, we could remember that to cut
anything from sewing thread with a pair of nail scissors to a log of wood with
a hatchet, a gesture of opening is needed (the opening of the scissors, the raising of the hatchet) and one of
the actual closure (the closing of the blades, the descent of the axe). The same thing must apply
for the closing gesture, which is the subject of several pages of Thomas. Whatever the situation
musical or textual, in my opinion it is essential to notify the choir that the note is about to close or
the final agreement, with the only exception of the abrupt endings, like a sudden break (strong final rhythm), which
they are simply performed on the beat of the movement (usually the first of the measure),
immobilizing with both hands facing down, possibly below the plane of
reference. In other cases, particularly those with a defined final rhythm of quiet, meaning not referred to
first part of the measure, it is necessary to clearly signal to the choir the moment of closure. If the
Note that the final agreement follows directly from the previous measure, the hand of the rhythm will be raised on
hit of the movement that precedes the closure and it will be lowered again at the moment it is desired
the extinction of sound. If instead you want a small pause before the last held chord, you
he will establish an alternative reference plan, raising both hands up, pausing for a moment
in a stationary position and subsequently starting from this point for a lift and a descent that
constitute the actual closure. The change in the reference plan (and, of course, of
punctuation), if done well, will give that minimum disorientation to the singers, such as to make
to give them a 'sustained' attack, suitable for soft closures slightly separated from the strike.
previous.
Obviously, the 'dimensions' of the closing gesture will vary based on numerous other parameters,
first of all the sound intensity to be attributed to the closure itself.
SOME TIPS FOR THE HAND OF EXPRESSION
As we have seen so far, the hand of rhythm is guided by defined criteria, which tradition and use
they have refined and in a certain sense made stable. The hand of expression, on the other hand, does not have
rules that outline its use, and it is therefore entrusted to the goodwill of the director, as well as to his
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experience. In any case, valid guidance can be offered that can serve as guidance for
develop a personal gesture that does not lack the necessary clarity.
A common flaw in choral formations is the lack of gradualness in crescendos and in
diminishing: the chorister, especially if amateur, often reacts with strong and sudden dynamics to
request for a crescendo or a diminuendo. 'Crescendo means getting louder, diminuendo means getting quieter.'
"strong" recites an old motto of the conductors. The hand of the expression must indicate the crescendo or the
diminishing by helping the team to control itself. The orientation of the palm is very important: in
a crescendo, for example, the hand that rises - crescendo - with the palm facing down to
indicating a compression, a leavening, will prevent the development of sound from being too
suddenly. Similarly, in the case of the diminuendo, it is better to accompany the descending motion of the
hand holding the palm up, so that the gesture indicates a softening of the sound, and not
a sudden drop as indicated by the palm facing downwards. Based on these simple
directions each director can develop a gestural repertoire that, moving away from the obvious, helps
the choirs to understand his intentions. The hand of expression must draw what the
the director wishes to make his requests visible. Another example of the role of the weak hand is
that of sound: apart from the obvious adjustment of the vertical finger in front of the lips to ask
a pianissimo on the verge of silence (while the hand of rhythm does not cease its motion, otherwise the
it really stops!), gathering the tips of the fingers as if mimicking the closing of the corolla of
a flower requires a delicate sound from the singer, while the open hand with spread fingers is pushed
Unceasingly upwards will be interpreted as a request for wide and powerful sounds.
Even the departures of the individual sections are entrusted to the hand of expression. The basic criterion that
regulating these gestures is the same as the general starting gesture, orienting itself to the initial rhythm for
to obtain a clear and unequivocal gesture from a rhythmic point of view, and on the interpretative aspects and
dynamics for the amplitude of motion. The hand will move to the reference plane and will perform a lifting.
for a tetic starting rhythm or a beat for the anacrusis and for the acephalus (obviously, beat and
absolutely question it in time), then it will return to the reference plane for the real departure
and proper. The point of impact must be positioned, from a spatial perspective, in the direction of
section to which it is intended, and all the higher the further away the reference vocal group is.
other terms, if the choir places the male sections behind the female ones – as is customary practice
The gestures directed at the tenors and basses must be made on a reference plane.
significantly higher than that of sopranos and contraltos.
A splendid example of hand gesture expression is provided by the footage depicting
Arturo Toscanini conducting. The hand of rhythm moves as if driven by its own will,
detached from the rest of the body, while the hand of expression - in this case the left one - indicates
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in a clear, precise and unequivocal manner the intentions of the artist, whether it is about departures, of
dynamic or expressive indications.
SOME EXCEPTIONS TO 'ACADEMIC' GESTURE
The gesturality that we define here as 'academic' has numerous and indisputable qualities, first among them
to provide clear and generally accepted guidelines useful for the formation of chironomy
staff of each director. However, it is not free from flaws, also because it concerns, ultimately
continuing, of a simple agreement, there are some circumstances in which it is advisable to be more
flexible compared to the rigid application of the rule. The simplest case concerns, as is obvious, the
attacks to be delivered with the hand of the expression towards the opposite end, therefore from the side
of the hand of rhythm. To give a trivial example, a "right" director (therefore using the right hand as
the hand of rhythm and the left as the hand of expression) may find it difficult to give
attacks to his far right, in the direction of sopranos and tenors if the choir is arranged
according to the 'a cappella' scheme (which generally includes sopranos and tenors to the right of the conductor and
contraltos and basses on the left), or contraltos and basses in the case of the concert choir, arranged in
similar to orchestral music. In particular, the attacks intended to be penalized are
all female voices, or in any case the voices located in the front area of the choir, because as mentioned
above, if the gesture is directed at voices located in the second row, the reference plane must shift
upward, while the gestures directed to the voices in the front row lie on the same level of
reference of the rhythm hand. Obviously, the described situation creates a crossing, with the hand
the expression must somehow override that of rhythm. This is possible, but ugly to
meeting and uncomfortable to execute, so we feel it is appropriate to humbly suggest giving the attack
calmly with the hand of the rhythm, which will certainly not be penalized by this, resuming
immediately after the movement scan.
Another debatable point of habitual gestural discipline is that of the constant motion of the hand.
of the rhythm. An always identical movement, after a while causes boredom and impatience, to the point that
to "disappear" from the view of the singers, victims of a kind of hypnotic trance. The remedies are
simple: vary the width of the gesture as much as possible, in adherence and with precise reference to
contingent dynamic situation; exploit small agogic circumstances, such as stolen moments, delays,
accelerating, to avoid becoming obsessively attached to the reference speed; avoid
also scan the long notes, holding them with one or both hands open with palms facing up
and counting mentally, then picking it up again with an attack inspired by a starting gesture;
vary, if the situation allows it, also the figure itself, for example moving from the 'four' to
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as much as possible, keeping in mind for this choice in particular the movement of the bass
of harmony.
As can be seen, in this case it is also necessary to apply the basic rules flexibly. And the
the same elasticity we always feel we should recommend, in any case where strict adherence to
Codified norms give rise to problematic or questionable results.
THE TECHNIQUE OF "METRIC REMOVAL"
We have already made some references to this technique in certain circumstances, and now we want to
to delve deeper into the topic as promised on those occasions. The metric lift is nothing but the inversion.
of the motion of a movement (therefore no longer in the direction of the striking point, but starting from
from it), with a character therefore of lifting, and absolute respect for the temporal scanning (= metric).
The reason for this reversal of motion can be found precisely in the lifting character that the movement
in this way, it prevents this sign from being mistaken for an attack, while the scope
its nature is in the phase immediately preceding a starting gesture. The main use -
even if not unique – the metric lift is indeed an indicative gesture of speed before departures
spiny, such as very short anacruses. Where there would be the temptation to strike two
movements, one empty and one containing the anacrusis, it is useful to replace the first of these two times
with a metric raise; if in fact it is normally struck, the singer might be led to believe
whether it is the movement that hosts the anacrusis, and therefore starting early. Replacing this
to beat with a lift, every mistake is excluded from the very aspect of the gesture.
At this point, it is not difficult to see that the technique of metric removal can be used, no longer
out of necessity but for convenience, in numerous other situations: also to give a simple attack
tied to a section, the hand of the expression can perfectly perform a metric lifting for
make the departure of the singers safe and clear; when the choir struggles to understand the speed of
the beginning of a piece, an uplifting rhythmic movement makes the time more understandable without being
mistaken for a starting beat; in many other circumstances the use of metric lifting can be
useful for simplifying some problems or for solving others.
SOME PRACTICAL INDICATIONS
Many indications derived from practical experience have already appeared in the previous paragraphs,
immersed in the plot of the speech. Now we want to delve into some tips that are
probably trivial, but not so obvious or taken for granted as to omit the explicit indication.
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A problem that often afflicts choirs, even more so in Italy where the vast majority of
the choral complex is made up of amateurs, lacking knowledge of reading and musical grammar (for
don't talk about the ability to correctly intone a melody expressed in musical notation
it is the rhythmic consistency of the performance. In other words, often the choirs or individual sections
they compose accelerate the execution trend, or - more often - slow it down. In these
almost the rhythm hand must radically modify the graphic-spatial appearance of the scheme,
making the gestures rounder and smoother if it is necessary to speed up the execution or vice versa
making the scan drier and sharper when it comes to slowing down the pace. In both cases
it is necessary to accommodate the gestural change of the hand of the rhythm with the intense use of the hand
of the expression, because the streamlining of the trend will almost automatically create, due to
of gestural acceleration, a noticeable crescendo from a dynamic point of view. In this regard
It is worth noting that there is an almost automated correlation that needs to be broken at every
cost, between "plan" in the sense of sound intensity and execution speed, as opposed to every
Request for speeding up the progress corresponds to a noticeable increase in loudness. The weapon
the best way to avoid these false developments of the narrative discourse is always by hand
of expression, also united with a correct use of facial mimicry.
Another situation that often occurs is the anticipation of departures, especially in
opportunity to regain speed after slowing down, or even of incorrect timing development
of the slowing down itself. To also visually symbolize the trend of speed, it is necessary to
gradually expand the gesture, so that the widening of the gesture draws the attention of the singers
the proportional widening of the execution speed. The last gesture, that before the resumption
of time, must be maximized and raised upward with intention, and if appropriate
with both hands. In case the rallentando is very pronounced, when the rhythmic hand
if you find yourself near the extreme apex of your parabola, it is time to make a small gesture – still
upwards, like a flicker – that reminds the choir members of the basic tempo and makes them restart
on the next beat together and in time.
CONCLUSIONS
As mentioned several times in the previous paragraphs, the foundations of commonly used gestures
In both choir and orchestra direction, these are now an established fact and historically well-defined.
This in any case does not mean that there cannot be new contributions that always make...
sharper and more precise the chironomy, especially aimed at transferring the reaction of the chorister to the gesture
from the sphere of consciousness to that of instinct, in order to reset or at least make uniform the
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reaction times of individual singers. Starting from Saminsky, recent proposals in the field
chironomic propose an emphasis on psychological elements, or rather a
deepening of research in terms of making gestures increasingly free from
pastime of the reactive awareness of the chorister (or orchestra professor as it may be), to propose in
changed an unconscious reactivity, and therefore more secure and manageable by the director. The latter, in
change, if in the past it could limit itself to applying rigidly inherited gestural patterns from the
previous generations, is now called to deepen his chironomic knowledge in the direction of
psychomotor
it would make the automatic reactions negative, that is, uncontrollable should he decide
to modify an executive parameter, such as the duration of a crown), but in such a way that
subliminally directing the reactions of the choristers, making them responsive to a set of gestures that
it is based on the instinctuality of the receiver. Every step that allows the director greater
awareness in this sense will constitute the best means for the continuation and improvement of
your managerial activity.
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BIBLIOGRAPHY
L. SAMINSKY, The Art of Conducting the Orchestra, essay contained in the homonymous volume by A.
LUALDI, Milan 1940
A. ZECCHI, The choir director, Milan 1965
K. THOMAS, Choral Conducting Method, edited by M. Boschini, Milan 1998
G. TAGLIABUE, the directorial activity: practice and discipline, series of articles published by 'La
"Cartellina" ed. Suvini Zerboni
H. SCHERCHEN, Manual for the orchestra conductor, edited by G. Deserti, Milan 1979
S. KORN, Direction and Choral Execution. The Possibilities, the Limits. Edited by F. Gatti, Milan 1994
P. P. SCATTOLIN, Preparatory to Direction, Bologna 2001
I am also grateful to Maestro WALTER MARZILLI, professor at the Pontifical Institute of Music.
Holy Roman, and to Maestro PIERO BELLUGI, internationally renowned orchestra conductor. Many
The arguments discussed in this work derive directly from their teachings.
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INDEX
REASON FOR CHOICE
PSYCHOLOGICAL PRINCIPLES OF GESTURES..........................................................................5
THE REFERENCE PLAN............................................................................................................5
DIFFERENCES IN HAND USAGE........................................................................................6
CRITERIA BASE OF 'ACADEMIC' GESTURE
THE SUBDIVISIONS
THE STARTING GESTURE...............................................................................................................11
THE CLOSURE GESTURE ...............................................................................................................13
SOME ADJUSTMENTS FOR THE HAND OF EXPRESSION ..........................................13
SOME EXCEPTIONS TO 'ACADEMIC' GESTURE ...............................................15
THE TECHNIQUE OF 'METRIC REMOVAL'....................................................................................16
SOME PRACTICAL INDICATIONS.............................................................................................16
CONCLUSIONS................................................................................................................................17
BIBLIOGRAPHY ...............................................................................................................................19
INDEX.............................................................................................................................................20