A conducting workbook: Common rhythm problems of twentieth-century music
Ryan, William Everett
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https://hdl.handle.net/2142/21651
Description
Title
A conducting workbook: Common rhythm problems of twentieth-century music
Author(s)
Ryan, William Everett
Issue Date
1994
Doctoral Committee Chair(s)
Browning, Zack D.
Department of Study
Music
Discipline
Music
Degree Granting Institution
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Degree Name
D.M.A.
Degree Level
Dissertation
Keyword(s)
Music
Education, Music
Language
eng
Abstract
The Twentieth-Century has been a period of vast experimentation and exploration in music. These experiments have focused on many of music's parameters, among them not only pitch, but rhythm, articulations, dynamics, timbre, and density. This has resulted in an expansion of the ideas and techniques that musicians must be familiar with to accurately perform the music.
The Conductor has been most directly affected by the increased exploration and focus on rhythm. It is the conductor's primary responsibility to guide an ensemble through a composition by providing a visual beat through a series of beat patterns. The beats and beat patterns are directly related to the rhythms of the composition, and provide a reference for the ensemble to perform the rhythms. Because of the new rhythm ideas presented in Twentieth-Century music, it has become necessary for conductors to expand their conducting techniques so that these ideas will be accurately conveyed.
This workbook serves two purposes. First, to discuss the common rhythm problems that a conductor will face when conducting many Twentieth-Century compositions. Secondly, it provides musical etudes which address each problem so that the conductor can practice the new techniques with live musicians. The etudes were composed so they can be accurately performed by any instrumentation which might be available.
This workbook is designed to be used as a self-contained textbook for a one to two semester advanced conducting class. The students should already be familiar with the basic techniques of conducting, including beat patterns, pattern styles, cueing, attacks and releases, and crescendos and decrescendos. The workbook is presented in six chapters. Chapters one through five each address a different rhythm problem associated with Twentieth-Century music. Each chapter is followed by an etude which addresses the previously discussed rhythm problem. Chapter six and its accompanying etude are to be used as the final exam for the course. They present all of the previously discussed rhythm problems in various combinations with one another.
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