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Orchestral Excerpts Lesson Notes v2

The document provides detailed lesson notes for practicing orchestral excerpts, emphasizing the importance of using a metronome, memorizing context, and achieving even note quality. Specific guidance is given for various Dvorak and Sibelius pieces, as well as works by Britten and Schubert, focusing on dynamics, phrasing, and rhythmic precision. Key techniques include bow length adjustments, avoiding slidey fingerings, and maintaining stability during performances.

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Amos Sharp
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4 views4 pages

Orchestral Excerpts Lesson Notes v2

The document provides detailed lesson notes for practicing orchestral excerpts, emphasizing the importance of using a metronome, memorizing context, and achieving even note quality. Specific guidance is given for various Dvorak and Sibelius pieces, as well as works by Britten and Schubert, focusing on dynamics, phrasing, and rhythmic precision. Key techniques include bow length adjustments, avoiding slidey fingerings, and maintaining stability during performances.

Uploaded by

Amos Sharp
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Orchestral excerpts lesson notes

Practice every excerpt with a metronome to stop them rushing. Memorise the context of
each excerpt. Practice playing the excerpt with a recording.

Dvorak 1:

 Spicy and quiet opening


 Trills fast immediately
 Start crescendo at beginning of crescendo
 Play the accents and Fzs
 Bar 48, 50 and 54 = long bows
 Slightly decrescendo after the fortes/Fzs in places like bar 47/49/51.
 Play the accents in bar 54

Dvorak 2:

 Faster than you think.


 In the first and second bar, crescendo and decrescendo with bow length.
 At the end of the second bar, play the ornament in time.
 Start bar 182 on a 1
 Stay stable during the string crossings
 Play the subito piano

Dvorak 3:

 Think carefully about context e.g. faster than you think, orchestra playing at same
time.
 Start with a full sound – it’s a solo
 Make the triplet rhythm quite clear as this makes it easier to play bar 62.
 It does not rit until right at the end.

Dvorak 4:

 Needs to be rhythmic and stable.


 Go for simpler phrasing
 Subtle, non-provocatory shift in bar nine.
 In bar 11, make the transition calm and precise.
 Make lift pronounced
 17-19: quavers and semi-quavers as part of one, vibrate on all.

Dvorak 5:

 Bar 58 quavers short and orchestra like – emphasise the top note (the tune)
 Long bows in bars 60-62 and similar passages – use bow length to play tenutos and
accents.
 63-64 and 72-73: virtuosic
 Bar 70: aim for the note, don’t think about the shift.
 Bar 70-71: long bows.

Dvorak 6:

 Practice with metronome


 Every note needs to be even
 Dotted rhythm method (sorts synchronisation): Long short etc, slurred, make
progressively faster until it merges into normal rhythm.
 Don’t cut upbows short.

Sibelius 1:

 Consider context
 All notes even
 Metronome practice
 Sort the upbeat by adding it note by note into bar 1
 Differentiate between crescendos and accents.
 Don’t rush
 Dotted rhythm method

Sibelius 2:

 All notes even


 Metronome practice
 Sort the upbeat by adding it note by note into bar 1
 Don’t rush
 5 before 7: fourth beat first note is an F
 Dotted rhythm method

Sibelius 3:

 Pay lots of attention to detail


 Start crescendos at their beginning
 Avoid slidey fingerings
 Count rests very precisely, the panel will (especially at the end)
 Beginning of 11 is very big with a subito piano at the end of bar one – emphasise
difference.
 Play marcato after 11 at mf (to allow the crescendo before and the subito piano
afterwards to be more obvious)
 In the a tempo leggiero at the end of three lines up from the bottom, avoid
thumping the third note in each triplet. Do this by practicing emphasising the first.

Introduction and Allegro 1:


 Use Bow length for crescendos, accents and tenutos
 Three different bow strokes:
o Natural – slightly off (not trying to play on)
o Tenuto – on (trying to play on and heavy)
o Staccato – loud and off (Alex staccato method very pronounced)
 Make sure it doesn’t get quieter when the notes are staccato.
 Last bar third line and first bar fourth line: near the heel, relax, don’t try and play too
loud
 Tenuto semi-quavers from last bar of the third line: Heavy and loud.

Introduction and Allegro 2:

 Virtuosic and string like


 Aim for top notes
 You can add some crescendos but don’t go too quiet at the bottom notes because
they will sound quieter anyway because they are lower.
 Play the double note triplets in the upper half of the bow with relatively long bows
coming from the lower arm.

Introduction and Allegro 3:

 The cell of the fugue is the first half of bar 1 – this bit should be emphasised every
time it comes up.
 Shift up to the A in the middle of bar 1, not up to the D on the second beat (it
disrupts the rhythm of the cell to shift during it)
 Really make sure the rhythm is accurate, precise and confidant – this is really
important in a fugue. The panel will sense your doubt if there is any.
 Remember and play all the dynamics.

Schubert symphony in C minor:

 Like a violin solo at the opening


 Ab in Bar 35 can be louder than Ab in bar 37 to allow for subito forte in bar 39.
 Bar 39: becomes orchestral again – use long bows for this
 Become more familiar with the notes
 Make the excerpt cleaner.

Britten March:

 Practice slowly for detail


 Stay near the heel for most of excerpt
 At 5 and four before 6 the stroke is on the string (there are slurs) whereas the notes
are more separated five after 5 (there are no slurs)
 Long and non-separated bows third bar of 5
 Play the diminuendo on the fifth bar of 5 (very crucial as there are two crescendos
after which will not work if it does not get quiet enough)
 The forte four bars before 6 should be relaxed to allow scope for a further crescendo
leading up to six.
 Avoid slidey fingerings

Britten Wiener Walz:

 Remember it’s a waltz


 Needs to be precise
 Make sure you start the crescendo when written – it is very long
 Remember the molto diminuendo four before 18.

Britten Fugue and Finale 1:

 Fugue with a rhythmic cell – appears in first two bars.


 Needs to be precise with all the details played.
 Practice slowly and with a metronome.
 Avoid slidey fingerings.
 Remember where it ends!

Britten Fugue and Finale 2:

 Long bows
 Play accents
 Make sure your fingers prepare early for the notes in the second line (and you really
know what they are). At the moment the bow is ready before the fingers.
 Play the crescendos
 Precise rhythm.
 Last note should not be too long as another part comes in after

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