Shostakovich 8 bassoon solos and a magical fingering for high Eb

THE BACKSTORY:

Written in 1943 when World War II was in its 4th year, Shostakovich's 8th symphony presented a particular challenge for its composer. Under the totalitarian regime of Stalin, any music considered pessimistic, dissonant or anti-Soviet was treated as a political offense punishable by imprisonment, being sent to a gulag (Soviet labor camp), or even execution.  At this point in the war, things were beginning to take a turn as the Germans were defeated at Stalingrad. The fact that Stalin had defeated the Nazis was a source of great national pride, despite many Soviet lives being lost. In such times of relative peace or victory, Soviet composers were expected to convey nothing but optimism. But Shostakovich was all too aware of the dear price in death toll that was paid for that Nazi defeat, and besides, he feared that Stalin would become even more powerful in its wake. 

Sure enough, at its first performance in November 1943, Symphony No. 8 was criticized for its gloomy, tragic, anti-Soviet nature which displeased Party officials. Furthermore, Shostakovich had failed to provide the politically obligatory triumphant finale to this symphony. 

Publicly, Shostakovich mockingly wrote, "The philosophical conception of my new work (Symphony No. 8) can be summed up in these words: life is beautiful. All that is dark and evil rots away, and beauty triumphs."  

But privately, Shostakovich had other things to say, such as, "It (8th symphony) cannot simply be seen as a reaction to Hitler's invasion...I was thinking of other enemies of humanity....Nowadays people like to recall the pre-war period as an idyllic time, saying that everything was fine till Hitler bothered us. Hitler is a criminal, that's clear, but so is Stalin...I haven't forgotten the terrible pre-war years. That is what all my symphonies, beginning with the Fourth, are about."   

"I feel eternal pain for those who were killed by Hitler, but I feel no less pain for those killed on Stalin's orders. I suffer for everyone who was tortured, shot, or starved to death. There were millions of them in our country before the war with Hitler began. The war brought much new sorrow and much new destruction, but I haven't forgotten the terrible pre0war years. That is what my symphonies are about , including Number Eight."

Also in  his Testimony memoirs, he says:"...the sorrow oppressed and suffocated us.  It suffocated me too. I had to write about it.  I had to write a Requiem for all those who died , who had suffered. I had to describe the horrible extermination machine and express protest against it.  The Seventh and Eighth Symphonies are my Requiems."

In 1948 Shostakovich's 8th Symphony was banned by decree of the Party's Central Committee. After the ban, it wasn't performed again until 1956, post-Stalin. 

Shostakovich 8 reflects Shostakovich's view of the world and the drama of the human condition. It is at times agonizing, screaming, sorrowful, tragic, depressing, mundane, chaotic, mocking, grandiose, relentless, shrieking, terrifying, meaningless, angry, monotonous, grieving, violent, brutal, horrific, crushing, desolate, confusing. Any adjective one can think of is depicted here, it seems.

Russian musicologist Marina Sabinina called this symphony "an epic song about war as the cruelest evil that could ever exist." (Although that may be true, we know that to Shostakovich, it was also about the unbearable per-war years under the Stalin regime.)

The first movement is reminiscent of Shostakovich's 5th symphony first movement, but this one is longer and more dramatic, featuring a brutal climax followed by a very long English horn elegy. The second movement is a march-like scherzo based on the opening 3-note theme. The third is another scherzo, with each quarter note in the movement articulated by some instrument or group of instruments. This pulverizing framework is punctuated by screeching woodwinds and militant trumpet solos. The fourth movement is a passacaglia of variations over a repeated bass line. The fourth movement ends in the key of C major, which almost seems like a calming relief. The bassoon solo opening the fifth movement continues in C major. This final movement is highly unusual. It sounds mostly peaceful, or maybe tired or resigned, and it definitely lacks the triumphant quality which was so important to the Stalin regime. It's not exactly happy, but it has moments of whimsical lightness. 

BASSOON-RELATED MATTERS: 

Bassoonists generally associate Shostakovich Symphony No. 8 with high Eb, since the second iteration of the 5th movement bassoon solo actually begins on high Eb in subito forte. It's unusual to see high Ebs in orchestral bassoon parts; it's even more unusual to see high Eb in bassoon solos, and it's outrageously unusual to see high Ebs in bassoon solos marked forte subito! The standard fingering for high Eb is the same as the high D but with the addition of the high Eb (also known as the F# trill) key. That fingering is quite unreliable on many bassoons, and trying to play it in a subito forte dynamic is ridiculously risky. But there is a MUCH better option, as I recently discovered.

LIFE-CHANGING FINGERING FOR Eb4:

High Eb

My former private bassoon student Connor Chaffin, now a freshman at Juilliard studying with Judith LeClair, enlightened me with this hitherto unknown high Eb fingering. This gem of a fingering is featured in  William Short's blog post entitled "Entering the Stratosphere". Because of this fingering, bassoonists' lives will no longer be turned upside down as they seek a Shostakovich 8 reed that reliably initiates high Eb while still sounding magnificently soloist for the rest of the notes.

That's HUGE.😀

Now, getting back to the rest of the symphony: the 2nd movement has some solo passages for 1st bassoon in octaves with contrabassoon which require careful practicing in advance of the first rehearsal. The tempo is around quarter=142, if not faster. These passages may be practiced with a metronome in order to decrease the likelihood of either dragging or rushing in the orchestra, and I always like to practice at many different metronome tempos so that I don't become locked into any particular tempo. For any problem spots, use altered rhythms and fermatas on notes that are causing technical difficulty.

Highlighted solo passages from 2nd movement

Be prepared for the 3rd movement to be very fast. It's usually conducted in one. The quarter notes look easy, but they move along very quickly.

The bassoons play the opening of the 4th movement passacaglia before being tacet for the rest of the movement. The 1st bassoon then begins the long wait for the solo which opens the 5th movement. During this time, it's advisable to make sure there's no moisture in your bocal, and if you're using a reed that favors the high range as I do, it's best to begin using that high reed for the ending of the 3rd movement and for the 4th, so you can trust that it's going to vibrate properly. Then your main job will be simply to keep it moist and ready to play, while checking carefully to see that your bocal is clear of moisture. 

Of course your preparation for playing this symphony will include listening to recordings of the piece. Make sure you know what the ending of the 4th movement sounds like as it leads into the 5th movement, where you'll emerge as soloist.

It's hard to know exactly what to think of this somewhat melancholy, almost playful solo, which shows up again, altered and expanded, toward the end of the movement. This is what Shostakovich presents instead of the Soviet-expected triumphant fanfare. Shostakovich may have been offering his version of hope in this movement, from the perspective of one who has lived through the horrors of Stalin and WWII, perhaps.  To interpret this lighter 5th movement of Symphony No. 8, it helps to consider what life was like in the Soviet Union during his lifetime, and draw conclusions accordingly. (Additionally, Shostakovich was suffering from gastric typhoid while writing this symphony!!) 

Perhaps one way of looking at the bassoon solo is that it might represent a Soviet survivor wandering through the war-torn remains of his country, remembering lost lives, trying to be optimistic, within a context of bleak, unsettling uncertainty. For me, it was a matter of playing through the solos many times to try to eventually intuit the way Shostakovich may have wanted it interpreted.

This is the fifth movement opening solo:

The tempo for this and the corresponding solo near the end of the movement may be a bit fluid, supporting the somewhat whimsical, dreamlike character of the solo. It's conducted in one beat per measure. The bassoon is an instrument that naturally becomes quieter in the higher range, unlike all other instruments. That means that considerable extra effort must be made by the player to bring about the forte dynamic which Shostakovich calls for in the highest part of the solo. It takes a lot of air and a reed that can handle it. When searching for the reed to use for this solo, I eliminated reeds that "cacked" or failed to come through on the high D and high Eb. (That means I eliminated almost every reed!)  My bassoon is a 15,000 series Heckel. Some older Heckels and other types of bassoons may have less of a tendency to "cack" in the extreme high range.

Some players of newer Heckel bassoons have trouble reaching the high D and C keys without also hitting the low Bb, B, C and D keys. My solution is to move the bell so that the low Bb is deactivated and to wedge a soft earplug underneath the low B and C keys:

Orange earplug inserted under low C key and Bb key deactivated

There are no low Bbs in the 1st bassoon part to Shostakovich 8, so I leave the low Bb deactivated throughout the symphony. I insert the earplug under the low C key before each of the high solos. (What would happen if I didn't do that? The notes would still come out, but they'd be altered at random times whenever my left thumb happened to hit one of the low keys accidentally. The pitch could be affected, and the tone quality could change. That's the last thing we need!)

Based on my experience, I recommend that you keep checking and testing your reeds each day when you're rehearsing and performing this piece. Our first rehearsal was on Wednesday, and I found that by Friday and Saturday's concerts, my chosen reed didn't seem quite as remarkable as it seemed on Wednesday. But I thought the changes were weather-related (the temperature and humidity were vacillating wildly) and I was reluctant to take the risk of changing reeds. In retrospect, I wish I'd been more flexible, since after the final performance I discovered that I had other reeds in my reed case that would have been great (and fresh) for the solos. So I learned the hard way not to assume that a chosen reed will remain your best option for 4 consecutive days. 😬 (If only we could have performed it one more time after I made this discovery!!)

A very helpful tip was offered to me by my teacher, K. David Van Hoesen. He said before playing any solo in the high range, it's wise to remove the high D and high C keys from your bassoon (maybe the high A too) in order to clean out the vents with a pipe cleaner.  Push the pipe cleaner all the way to the inside of the bore. Afterwards, look into the bore of the bassoon, and you'll likely see residue that came out of the vents. Remove that with a swab (and then WASH the swab!).

Some bassoonists use a special high note bocal for solos like the ones in Shostakovich 8. The only solo I ever use a high note bocal for is for the swan song in Carmina Burana. Other than that, I always use my normal bocal (Heckel CC1) because I like the intonation and sound to be as stable as possible. For high solos including the ones in this post, I prefer to use reeds which favor the high range, with my normal bocal. Sometimes I hear bassoonists talk about how to "make" high reeds....for me, it's more a matter of allowing each reed to show me what it specializes in. Some reeds show themselves to be wonderfully soloistic, while others love the low range. Some reeds sound good in the high range but suck elsewhere. I've learned to accept each reed's inherent characteristics rather then trying to force a reed to be what it's not meant for.

As with any major solo, it's a really good idea to record yourself playing it. That's always a very important part of my preparation. Recording your playing enables you to identify and improve aspects that might otherwise go unnoticed.

 

Here's a video of the bassoon solo that opens movement V:

https://youtu.be/UFFStB9G4og?si=C6HieVF3FyV0u1FJ&t=2987

And the bassoon solo without orchestra, interpreted slightly differently:

https://youtu.be/0MV0comipuk

If you used a high reed for the solo, switch back to a normal reed as soon as the opening solo is finished. The bassoons play a series of accompanying quarter notes, some of which are seen below, followed by a brief solo beginning in bar 160, ending on a low C in 164. Next there's an exposed passage (in 2 beats per measure) with other instruments including 2nd bassoon:

Next comes a 1st bassoon solo which is not terribly difficult, but it's conducted in one. It's important to count carefully to come in at the correct time, and metronome practice is beneficial for this also since it's easy to get behind, especially after taking a breath:

Soon after that passage, it's time to switch back to your high reed in preparation for the final bassoon solo. Once again, be sure to listen to enough recordings so that you know exactly where to enter for the final solo:

There's no question that it's challenging to incorporate the magical high Eb fingering (mentioned above). It's definitely not easy to transition from high Eb to high B! The entire opening phrase of this solo is a technical terror, until the bassoonist takes plenty of time to patiently work it out as smoothly as possible. Lots of slow, careful practice, starting with just that first interval, is called for. Not wanting to risk forgetting the fingering under pressure😟I wrote the fingering in my part, just in case. Like the opening solo, this is conducted in one beat per measure, with a certain amount of flexibility or freedom being acceptable, especially since Shostakovich indicates ritards and a tempos (and animando in the opening solo).

Here's a video of this solo with orchestra:

https://youtu.be/UFFStB9G4og?si=L7eQyy2DXjqSgLSa&t=3625

And just the solo by itself:

https://youtube.com/watch?v=7cVgsMlA3ww&si=AJvjEqfVzRVtgW6u

It's a truly epic symphony with bassoon solos like no other. Don't be surprised if you see this on bassoon audition lists!

Bernard Garfield's advice to a high school bassoonist and his eye-opening Ravel Piano Concerto

When I was in high school I listened to Bernard Garfield's recordings of the Weber Andante and Ronda and the Mozart Bassoon Concerto constantly. (If you're not familiar with these great recordings, they're on YouTube.)  He showed me, through his beautiful and immaculate playing, what the bassoon was capable of. Being naive at the time, I saw no reason why I shouldn't be able to do exactly what he was doing. I wrote him a letter expressing my appreciation, and he replied with a piece of advice. He told me to learn to make good bassoon reeds, and then I'd become "an ace"!

 Luckily for me, I grew up in the state of New York which offered a fantastic program for high school aged musicians called the NYS School of Orchestral Studies. (Sadly, this program was discontinued due to lack of funding in 2020 after a 50-year run). This was like an augmented version of all state, with New York state students being chosen for the program through competitive auditions. We were housed at Skidmore College in Saratoga, NY--the summer home of the Philadelphia Orchestra, and we were coached by the legendary principals of the Philadelphia Orchestra. Such an incredible opportunity!

It was daunting to be spending the summer among such great artists. John de Lancie, longtime principal oboist of the Philadelphia Orchestra, coached the woodwinds. He was tough!  He expected technical precision, accurate intonation and on-time attacks no matter what. We bassoonists were terrified during his sectionals, because he'd make us play alone if he suspected anything was less than perfect. I think it was during his sectionals that I began to comprehend how challenging it would be to become a professional woodwind player.  But I lived through it somehow, without giving up on my dream of becoming an orchestral bassoonist.

Bernard Garfield coached the bassoons. He was easier on us than Mr. de Lancie, partly due to his temperament, I think, and partly due to his understanding of what it's like for students to find out what's expected of bassoonists at a high level. He spoke of rhythm, phrasing, sound, and all other aspects of bassoon orchestral playing. He took the time to hold a special seating audition to determine which of us would play principal on Mahler 1 in our final concert. That audition was unspeakably nerve-racking, but it was all part of the learning experience. One of the works we played that he coached us on was Tchaikovsky Symphony No. 4.  He referred to the 2nd movement bassoon solo as "the gem of the orchestral literature" for bassoonists.

One evening I walked into the lobby of our Skidmore College dormitory where, much to my surprise, I witnessed Mr. Garfield playing the piano accompaniment for one of his Philadelphia Orchestra colleague's son who was playing a Vivaldi violin concerto. Not only was this man the bassoon hero of that era, but he also mastered the piano! 

One of the great benefits of the School of Orchestra Studies was that we were allowed to attend all rehearsals and concerts of the Philadelphia Orchestra. My musical standards rose considerably from observing those rehearsals and concerts. One concert stood out....I was sitting next to a violin student who was learning to appreciate the bassoon. With our rigorous schedule of rehearsing, theory classes, sectionals, practicing, etc., sometimes it was difficult to stay awake while sitting in the audience. The Ravel Piano Concerto was being performed, and my fellow student had fallen asleep. When Bernard Garfield began the famously fast 16th note passage in the 3rd movement, my violinist friend suddenly awakened, sat bolt upright and loudly whispered, "I didn't know a bassoon could GO that fast!!!"  

Later I explained to my friend that most bassoons can't go that fast, but this was Bernard Garfield. The passage is actually written for 2 bassoons to trade off.  Some orchestras have both bassoons play the entire passage in unison. But Bernard Garfield took on the entire frightful solo by himself, and nailed it. 

At the School of Orchestral Studies I became accustomed to that solid, pleasantly resonant sound of his 7,000 series Heckel bassoon. His tone was always sweet and perfectly centered. The goal of each note being perfectly placed--technically, tonally, pitch-wise, resonance-wise--that was a lesson I carried with me from Bernard Garfield. 

Because he was so well known, some of his quips were widespread. A man of great wit, he reportedly advised certain aspiring bassoonists to "turn it into a lamp!" (spoken in his thick NY accent).  More seriously, he reportedly advised young bassoon students to go into music as a career "only if you can't imagine yourself doing anything else".

My college years were spent at Eastman where I studied with K. David Van Hoesen. Even though I was not officially one of Mr. Garfield's students, I consider him to have been a strong influence throughout the years, which is likely true of most bassoonists. Just yesterday I re-familiarized myself with his Weber recording, marveling at the timeless awe that he inspires. And whenever I balk at the never-ending task of reedmaking, I remind myself that he told me I could be an ace if I mastered it!

 

Mozart's opera The Marriage of Figaro and double tonguing on bassoon

This past week the Columbus Symphony has been performing in the pit for the Opera Columbus production of Mozart's The Marriage of Figaro.  The Columbus Symphony sometimes performs in the pit for the local opera and ballet companies, which provides certain challenges beyond what we find in the orchestral literature.

The Marriage of Figaro is certainly one of the greatest operas ever written and as all bassoonists know, Mozart was a true master of bassoon writing. The opera contains gorgeous lyrical solos as well as some daunting, nearly unplayable technical passages, as a great example of a challenge beyond what we usually see in orchestral lit. 

Judging from the cheering and uproarious laughter of the audience (it is an opera buffa after all) during our performances, I'd say it was a huge success.  I found myself thanking my lucky stars that I taught myself to double tongue early in my career, because I would not have come close to pulling off Mozart's bassoon expectations without a reliable double tongue.

One of the most common excerpts for orchestral auditions is the Overture to The Marriage of Figaro, and it includes long successions of double tongued Ds and As. Many bassoonists learn to double tongue (the double-tongued notes are circled in red below) just so that they can play this excerpt up to tempo (which is around 144 bpm or faster):

 But there is even more double tonguing later in the opera, and it's actually more difficult than the double tonguing in the overture. The following tonguing at the end of Act II is way too fast for even the fastest single tongue:

 

Here is what it sounds like in measures 923 - 928 of the above page:

At the end of Act IV (the end of the opera) there is a lengthy succession of very fast tongued notes played with the celli and basses. It's very exposed in the small orchestra we're using in the pit this week. This is the part:

And this is what it sounds like in measures 487- 495 from the above page:

For this passage, assuming the player can double tongue at the given tempo, if any inaccuracy is detected, I advise playing the passage all slurred several times (with precision!) to ensure that the fingers are moving correctly. Once the fingers are moving with reliable accuracy, then add the double tonguing. 9 times out of 10, that fixes any problems.

There's no doubt in my mind that double tonguing on the bassoon is absolutely essential for not only the Overture of the Marriage of Figaro, but for the ends of Acts II and IV as well.  

 When I was a student of  K. David Van Hoesen at the Eastman School of Music, double tonguing was not taught to bassoon students at Eastman.  Mr. Van Hoesen knew how to double tongue, but for some reason he chose not to teach it to his students.  My best guess is that he thought we all had bigger fish to fry. 😂

Once I started my job in the Columbus Symphony, it didn't take long for me to realize that double tonguing was more than just a parlor trick-- it's actually a necessity. I think it was the 4th movement of Mozart's Haffner Symphony which brought me to that realization, or maybe it was the Smetana Overture to the Bartered Bride. I had a fast single tongue, so I was able to get by in most situations, but I decided I'd have to teach myself to double tongue if I wanted to be able to play every note in my parts as written.  If you're a bassoonist who doesn't yet double tongue, learning it will be time and effort well spent. Double tonguing on the bassoon has become mainstream!

 

Making bassoon reeds with GSP cane

 Bassoon Reedmaking

1. Soak GSP cane in water for a few hours or overnight.

2. Fold cane in half using a knife as a guide (fold the cane over the knife blade, but don’t actually use the knife to cut the cane).



3. Use pruners to cut the ends of the cane off if necessary. The bark should be 1 and 1/18” long. (The top wire is applied at 1 inch, and there is a 1/8 inch “collar” of bark above the top wire.)





4. Score the bark with lengthwise knife marks, barely breaking through the bark, which will enable the tube to be round.



5. Fold the reed in half and apply the top wire at 1 inch from the bottom.

6. Wrap string around the reed below the wire and moisten the reed with water.

7. Use parallel pliers to nudge the bottom of the reed open so that the forming mark may be inserted.



8. Insert the forming mandrel, being careful NOT to TWIST!  Insert it straight in, slowly. If it won’t go all the way to the line on the mandrel, loosen or remove some of the string. Never twist the reed or mandrel.

9. Remove some of the string at the bottom of the reed and apply a wire to the bottom of the tube, with the wire twisting on the opposite side of the reed from the top wire.  This bottom wire should go around 3 times instead of the normal 2 times so that it’s extra strong.

10. Allow the reed (called a “blank” at this stage) to dry, ideally for at least 2 weeks. ————————————————————————————————————————————————

11. Remove string and wires.

12. Straighten out the piece of cane and bevel each end by rubbing the bottom third of the bark on a sanding block.

 

13. Fold the cane and wrap dry string around the bottom third. Apply the middle wire at 5/16” below the marks where the top wire was. 

14. Apply the bottom wire at 3/16” from the bottom, making sure the wire twists on the opposite side from the middle wire.

15. Apply the top wire at 1” from the bottom. It should twist on the same side as the bottom wire.

16. Apply a small amount of Duco cement to the edges of the bark below the middle wire.



17. Cut off the twisted part of the bottom wire.



18. Wrap the reed with thread between the bottom and the middle wire, forming a “Turk’s head” around the bottom wire and then folding the middle wire form over the string just under the middle wire. 







19. Apply Duco cement to the string wrapping and dry overnight.                                       ————————————————————————————————————————————————

20. While dry, ream the inside of the tube.  Ream until you reach the stopping mark on the reamer, since there should be no guesswork involved.

21. After reaming, smooth the inside of the tube with a rat tail file or rolled sandpaper.

22. Measure from the bottom of the reed to the top (2 1/8 from bottom wire or 1 1/18 from top wire) 

23. Soak the reed in water for a few minutes.

24. Cut the tip off the reed off at 1 1/8” from the top wire. Measure carefully, being cautious not to cut too much off.

25. Use the top profiler. Start with the side with wire twist on top. Continue using top profiles until no more cane is removed, then turn the reed over and tip profile the other side. Make sure the cane is kept wet so it won’t crack!



26. Cut the corners of the sides of the tip with a knife and cutting block.

27. Hand finish the blades as needed, being mindful of maintaining the heart in the center of the blade.  It’s possible that your reed might not need any hand finishing, so be sure to play on the reed before hand finishing.



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Guidance for High School Orchestral Bassoon (and Woodwind) Playing

 

 

In major metropolitan areas throughout the world, high school woodwind players are afforded the opportunity to perform in local youth orchestras, some of which are affiliated with professional orchestras. For students in the Columbus, Ohio area, the Columbus Symphony Youth Orchestra (CSYO) is a fine example of an organization which provides high level orchestral experience for high school aged musicians. Based upon my experiences with the students of the CSYO, I've assembled a few pointers for young orchestral wind players.

One of the first basics an orchestral player must learn is how to follow the conductor and how to allow the conductor to provide the pulse of the music. Each musician in the orchestra relies on their individual sense of pulse, which is ideally locked into the pulse provided by the conductor.  If you are not watching the conductor, then you may not know what their pulse is. (While focusing your eyes on your sheet music, you can still watch the conductor peripherally, but it doesn't happen automatically. While peripheral vision is always available, it doesn't do any good unless you notice it, or use it.)  If you feel out of touch with your internal pulse, just practice more with a metronome so that when you turn off the metronome, you can still hear it in your mind. That's your internal pulse. Focusing on the conductor (and aligning your pulse with theirs) is particularly important for wind players, for unlike the string players, we are not members of large sections of musicians all playing the same parts.

 Equally important is the goal of listening carefully to your orchestral colleagues, in your section and in other sections. Similarly to peripheral vision, your ability to hear others is always available, but it won't do any good unless you actively choose to hear the playing of others. Unless you consciously listen to others, you will only hear your own playing, ignoring how it fits in with the playing of the other musicians. When you listen carefully to your colleagues, you'll be able to figure out how to fit in stylistically, rhythmically, dynamically and pitch-wise. That's how you become a good ensemble player.

Timing is everything in music. It doesn't matter how well you play a passage if you're not playing it at precisely the correct time! Use your eyes to follow your conductor, and use your ears to fit in with your colleagues.

Pay attention to the conductor's words also! To this day I remember (and abide by) words of wisdom spoken by my youth orchestra conductor from high school. For example, once when a trumpet player was struggling with a technical passage, our conductor advised us to always practice with a handicap - if the passage is going to be performed at a tempo of 120,  then it should be practiced at tempos up to 125. Conductors are teachers as well as musical leaders, and if you aren't paying attention, you might miss some valuable information about music in general or about the piece being rehearsed. Also, it goes without saying that if you're tuned in to your conductor, then you'll always know where in the music you'll be starting, and you'll be ready to play on time. Remember: timing is everything!

The importance of CONFIDENCE

In any orchestra of any level, the woodwind players are soloists.  Since each wind position is a solo position, it makes sense to encourage wind players to play with great confidence. 

As a bassoon student of K. David Van Hoesen, I was taught that if I wanted to succeed as a musician, it would be necessary to play with absolute conviction. That means playing with great strength and authority, as though you totally know what you're doing, as though you know beyond doubt what the music is supposed to sound like, and you know how to deliver it. It means playing out, with a full sound, which is particularly important for a bassoonist because the bassoon has the most limited dynamic range of the orchestral instruments. It means playing with confidence.

The best way I know of to gain confidence is to prepare thoroughly to the best of your ability. That means listening to recordings of the music you're playing, and writing helpful notes in your part. For example, if you hear on the recording that you have an exposed passage in octaves with the 2nd oboe, write that in your part.  If you hear that one of your passages is not played by any other instrument, write "solo" in your part to avoid being caught by surprise.

It also means spending adequate time practicing your parts. Learn the notes, of course, using effective practice techniques such as slow practice, and use the metronome and tuner! Those devices teach you how to play with good intonation, accurate rhythm and a steady pulse. That will boost your confidence!  One of my own consistent practice techniques is to practice passages with a tuning drone to check intonation, which is especially effective for bassoon players considering our pitch instability. Woodwind players often augment their practicing by playing along with recordings of the orchestral works they're preparing. (Even professionals do that sometimes!)

What do wind players do while the conductor is rehearsing another section of the orchestra? Oftentimes it's wise to listen to what the conductor says to other sections because it can inform your own playing. Also, it may be a good use of your time to finger through your own part (moving your fingers as though playing the part, but without blowing into your instrument) while another section is being rehearsed (either silently "playing" along with the passage being rehearsed, or silently "playing" a different passage you're concerned about). Definitely do not check your phone or daydream, since you never know when your section will be called upon and it's best to be ready to jump in.

If you do those things (listen to recordings, mark your music, practice your parts assiduously with metronome and tuner, watch and listen during rehearsals) then there is no reason for you NOT to play with confidence! Preparation enables you to do your best, which naturally inspires confidence. 

Confidence, of course, is a mindset, which may be applied even when you do not feel that you've had quite enough time to prepare. Even in the professional orchestral world, confidence is not always felt by the player, but can be displayed anyway! If you're not feeling confident, then fake it, since confident playing is guaranteed to bring a better result than shy, timid playing!  It makes much sense to develop the habit of playing with confidence at all times, in any situation (including sight reading) while reinforcing and justifying your confident mindset with careful, contentions preparation and mindful attentiveness during rehearsals and concerts.

The earlier you take on the aura of confidence, the better!  It will serve you well throughout your life.

Shostakovich 10 & Britten Violin Concerto

This past week the Columbus Symphony with Music Director Rossen Milanov performed Shostakovich 10 and the Britten Violin Concerto featuring our Concertmaster Joanna Frankel.  For this demanding concert I found that in order to do justice to each solo and exposed passage, I had to use no less than 4 different reeds.  Furthermore, some of those reeds were used more than once during each concert.  That's a lot of reed juggling, and it goes against my usual policy of playing the entire concert on one reed to avoid the distraction of fussing with equipment.

Why did I decide to put myself through the hassle of keeping track of 4 alternating reeds?  This past week I couldn't ignore the vast differences in sound and character among my various reeds.  The program featured the bassoon over and over in a wide variety of exposed passages and I decided that in order to really sound my best on each of those passages, reed changes would be necessary.  Certainly I could have used one reed for everything, but the result would have been a compromise to say the least.

The last time I played Shostakovich 10 I wrote about it on this blog.  Apparently I didn't fuss quite as much with reeds back then.  We musicians are constantly raising our standards and expecting more of ourselves, so it makes sense that I'm more particular about reeds than I used to be.

Does that mean I'm recommending using multiple reeds for a concert?  Not necessarily - it depends upon how much of a difference it seems to make, and whether or not your concentration is reliable enough to successfully execute the reed changes.  During Friday night's concert, my concentration proved to be fallible.  I missed an exposed entrance in the Britten Violin Concerto due to nearly forgetting a reed switch (and executing it later than planned) thereby demonstrating why I normally prefer not to switch reeds.  As one might imagine, I had carefully marked all the reed changes in my parts (using numbers to identify the different reeds) but sometimes it's possible to accidentally overlook even the most clearly marked instructions. 

In many professional orchestras there is an assistant, associate or co-principal bassoon.  That person would most likely play the Britten Violin Concerto on a program such as this one.  In Columbus the principal woodwinds play everything - there are no assistants.  Playing the Shostakovich is daunting enough, but it turns out that the Britten is no stroll through the park either!  There is a solo near the end of the Britten  which, under different circumstances, would give pause:

Considering that Shostakovich 10 was on the same program, this solo was relegated to the category of “just figure out how to ensure that the high Db comes out, and don’t give it another thought”.  That meant searching for a reed that favored the high range.  And for me, it also meant planning to de-activate the low C, B and Bb keys by inserting an earplugs underneath the keys.  That's because my left thumb unintentionally depresses the low note keys whenever I use the high D key.  (Bassoonists with larger hands never have to worry about this.)

yellow squishy earplug lodged under low C key (to de-activate the low note keys)

The first movement of the Britten features an unusual repetitive solo:

 

This solo doesn’t require a special reed necessarily, but I noticed that the sound of this solo varied considerably from reed to reed.  I don’t know if my particular bassoon is more reed-affected than most bassoons, but this past week, the sound and character differences resulting from reed choices were impossible to overlook.  Furthermore, I kept changing my mind about the reed choices!  By the final concert, I had finally settled on the reed I truly liked best for this solo - a reed that I thought had a full and slightly darkish sound even on short staccatos, and it was flexible dynamically.

That same reed handled exposed eighth note passages in movement II with adequate strength and projection:

This is conducted in one beat per measure, so the 8th notes are fairly fast.  Also, this is a passage that benefits from paying close attention to the conductor.

Identifying the best reeds for Shostakovich 10 was much more involved.  The day before the first rehearsal (which took place two days before the first performance) I lined up all of my best reeds for a "reed audition".  I went through several rounds of recording the two main Shostakovich solos on each reed.  I ended up with 6 reed “finalists”.  These are the two Shostakovich 10 solos I used for the "reed audition": 

Movement 1 solo

Movement IV solo

At first I wasn't sure if I'd use the same reed for both of these solos; both require a reed that is unusually strong in the high tenor range.  Also I was looking for a reed that made it possible to match tone quality from note to note in that range.  A certain type of sound, round and projecting, was included in the search.  I ended up using the same reed for both solos.  That reed was difficult to control in some situations and did not sound good in the low range, so I didn't use that reed at all except on those two solos.

An exposed passage near the end of the first movement also required a certain type of reed - one that favors the low range but can be played softly: 

Exposed passage in octaves with contrabassoon near the end of movement I

A reed favoring the low range is definitely needed later in this symphony, but the one I planned to use later was too loud for this passage. So I used two different low reeds in this symphony, which is definitely not my usual modus operandi.

The second movement features a rather raucous outburst which must cut through the orchestra.  This is the type of passage more commonly relegated to the trombones or tuba., so it calls for an unusual reed, one that favors the low range, has a big sound, and plays in tune in the low range:

from movement II

The bassoon solo in the third movement would normally be a fairly big deal for an instrument which is so often neglected by composers!  In this particular symphony, however, it is quite overshadowed by more dramatic solos.  Still, I struggled with finding the right reed for this:

Third movement solo

I tried many different reeds for this, but it never sounded quite right. Our concert hall is extremely dry and I thought this solo needed some resonance to sound decent.  Finally, by the last concert I found a reed that I was more satisfied with.  It was the same reed that I used for the loud low solos.  Originally I didn’t think this solo needed a low reed, but eventually my nonstop experimentation revealed that a low reed was helpful in creating the illusion of resonance.

After the major solo in the 4th movement the bassoon begins a series of low exposed passages:

from the 4th movement 

This is in unison with the low strings. If you try to hear the strings (who are likely to be located quite a distance away from you) and play with what you hear, you’ll likely end up lagging behind. Instead, it’s  advisable to follow the conductor.  We often hear conductors telling the strings to listen back to the winds. This is one of those situations when we truly hope that happens.  

The final bassoon solo of Shostakovich 10 probably inspires a reed change for even the most laid back of bassoonists.  It’s not that it can’t be played on a “normal” reed, but a reed specializing in the low range may ensure that each note responds on time, with a big sound, and perhaps most importantly, in tune.  This jaunty solo presents a carefree reversal of Shostakovich’s depiction of Stalin with despair, terror and rage which had characterized the symphony until this point.

Final bassoon solo of Shostakovich 10

 

Very few composers throughout the history of western music have kept the bassoon player as busy as Shostakovich does.  I’ve often wondered what type of bassoon sound Shostakovich had in his head. It may have been the then-prevalent French bassoon, with its narrow bore, nasal sound and ease of high and lyrical playing.  (The first recording of Shostakovich 9 was made in 1946 with Koussevitsky conducting the BSO, with Raymond Allard - uncle of Maurice Allard - on French bassoon.)  Regardless of what type of bassoon playing Shostakovich was familiar with, it's our ongoing challenge to honor Shostakovich’s devotion to our instrument as best we can, even if it means changing reeds a few times.

Orchestral bassoon adventures: Bach St. John Passion

Columbus Symphony Bach St. John Passion with overhead English subtitles

Being an orchestral player is an ongoing adventure.  Even when you think you know what you're in for, there are so many variables - orchestra size and personnel, stage setup, conductors, soloists, tempos, number and timing of rehearsals, interpretations of the score, interpretations of the style, and for bassoonists, the functionality and quality of the reeds.

This past week, for the first time in 56 years, the Columbus Symphony performed the monumental  Bach St. John Passion.  I thought I knew what to expect.  I've listened to plenty of recordings of the piece, and I've played Baroque music before (although not nearly enough!) and I was definitely looking forward to the experience.  In this highly emotional masterpiece Bach tells the story of Jesus' betrayal, denial, arrest, trial, beating and crucifixion.  Emotion flows from start to finish, covering the entire spectrum from raw rage to the comfort of the lullaby "Es ist Vollbracht" in which Bach uses the hushed-voiced viola da gamba to symbolize comfort for the mourners.

Several weeks before our first rehearsal our music director Rossen Milanov sent detailed instructions for the continuo players (harpsichord/organ, cello, string bass, viola da gamba and bassoon).  The work is rather lengthy, so it was helpful to know in advance which arias and choruses I'd be playing.  The instructions included a link to a reference recording for stylistic guidance. 

The stylistic guidance helped with preparation.  It seems that there are varying opinions on the rules of Baroque performance practice.  We bassoonists enjoy the challenge of attempting to play the Bach cello suites, but for many of us, our experience in performing Baroque music, especially in an orchestral setting, is quite limited compared to the other periods of music history.  (This is unfortunate, because the library of Baroque music is so vast and rich.)

Our reference recording featured period instruments.  The Baroque bassoon, of course, sounds very different from the modern German bassoon.  The Baroque bassoon has a much lighter and more discreet sound, never overpowering any other instrument or voice.  It sounds more like a French basson than a German bassoon.  (Click here for a comparison of German and French bassoons.)  I tried to find a reed that I thought sounded more like a Baroque bassoon than usual.  That was not easy.

On top of that challenge, I was positioned in a new spot on stage, in front of the soloists, not far from the conductor's podium.  I was so close to the front of the stage that I could actually see audience members clearly, which is not normal for me.  The cello, organ, harpsichord and string bass were positioned far across the stage from the bassoon, and the size of the orchestra was very small.  As a result, at times I felt way too loud (and wished I had a Baroque bassoon!).

(squeezing the reed, trying not to be loud)

The experience of being present in the midst of a live performance of such a great work of musical art was absolutely indescribable, far surpassing my expectations.  Listening to recordings of this work is one thing, but hearing it performed live is a whole new experience. I felt as though I'd been transported to another world, an ancient world of emotional outpouring which culminates in immense ethereal beauty.  There were a couple of times when I nearly missed my entrances due to being caught up in the moment.  The vocal soloists Nicholas Phan, tenor; Dashon Burton, bass-baritone; Hannah De Priest, soprano; Paul Max Tipton, bass-baritone; Thomas Cooley, tenor; and Benjamin P. Wenzelberg, countertenor sounded magnificent, each singing with a total commitment to bringing the text to life.  The Columbus Symphony Chorus, prepared with great care and expertise by its director Ronald J. Jenkins, met the considerable choral challenges aptly.

Our viola da gamba player Rebecca Reed played as though transported from Bach's time--I am quite sure that she played the viola da gamba solos exactly the way Bach would have wanted them, with delicate perfection, finesse and grace.  I don't think I was alone in being transfixed (and comforted, as Bach intended) by her heavenly playing. 

Any orchestral program has the potential to affect its audiences, but the music of J.S. Bach is uniquely empowered to reach its listeners with great impact.  Bach is considered by many to be the greatest composer of all time.  Take it from Claude Debussy, who described Bach as "a benevolent god to which all musicians shall offer a prayer to defend themselves against mediocrity".  Or in the words of Albert Einstein: "This is what I have to say about Bach - listen, play, love, revere - and keep your trap shut."  Indeed, Bach's music has been analyzed, studied, dissected and described since it was written, but the bottom line is that its effect on the listener is beyond words.

The audience members left the concert hall transformed, as many expressed profusely to orchestra members on the way out.  At the conclusion of the Saturday night concert, people were not just applauding - they were cheering.  I don't know how many tickets were sold, but I do know that those who bought tickets received therapy they didn't even know they needed.  I know that their souls were stirred, soothed, inspired and transported to that other world - the world in which mundane concerns are laid aside, and life's true meaning emerges.