Educator
"Dear Sigmund! I wanted to thank you very very much for the lessons, I had a fantastic time learning from you. 🙏🏼"
Margarita Balanas,
International cellist,
Assistant conductor to Paavo Järvi
"Had this book by Sigmund Thorp for 9 years now (from my very first lesson) and I still use its lessons regularly! It is the single best book for finding any technical solution— absolute gospel for conductors!!"
Fergus McAlpine
Conductor / Arranger
Artistic Director, Zemlinsky Chamber Orchestra
Introduction
Over the recent years, my work has gradually had a shift from a significant artistic performing activity towards a clearer focus on teaching, research and artistic exploration and reflection. This development has been in accordance to and closely related to the competence requirements as described in Section 1-2.(2) and 1-2.(3). The development work has continuously been overshadowed by the focus on enabling myself to reach higher artistic goals, and at the same time to project these achievements into my own teaching. I have taught orchestral conducting since 1992 and over the last 15 years, my teaching has therefore reached a deep level with a highly nuanced perspective on the importance of non-verbal communication, both through my experience as a conductor and through my studies, research and reflections on conducting. Conducting an orchestra is an extremely subtle act of communication, and in fact, the conductor has to deal with TWO different instruments in this context; the orchestra and him / herself. The latter implying the application of body language; the use of arms, hands, fingers, head, torso etc. in addition to the conductor’s mental and musical presence in the moment. These aspects are intervening and becoming an integrated vessel for the conductor’s projection of the musical interpretation and communication. Having reflected on and assimilated the knowledge and the practice of these aspects I have developed a highly advanced subtle artistic tool in order to facilitate and enhance the music making together with the orchestra and ensembles.
The Anatomy of Conducting
«There is a red line through the exercises, and by assimilating and integrating the system into the conducting body, the conductor will not merely increase his or her ability to produce an adequate gestural representation of a musical performance but also enhance the projection and the non-verbal communication of the inner musical essence together with the musicians.» This is a quote from my description of the exercises for conductors that I have called “The Anatomy of Conducting”. The exercises were created around 1990 on the basis of Dr. Walter Hügler's (Trossingen) theoretical fundament on conducting and has since then been the subject of continuous quality development. The word “anatomy” describes the contextual relationship between the different layers in the music, the significance of the layers, and consecutively how the conductor should treat the layers in a best possible way in order to strengthen the communication with the musicians during a rehearsal or performance. Visual physical gestures can help the communication between the orchestra and the conductor, but at the same time, the movements might come in the way of the communication. The conducting anatomy is a tool for enabling the conductor to reduce to beating to an appropriate amount and size, which opens up for the possibility of exchanging movements with more inner presence from the conductor in the communication between the conductor and the orchestra. Having developed and applied the Anatomical system on both the standard orchestral repertoire, opera repertoire and my extensive contemporary repertoire over a period of more than 25 years, the exercises have become an extremely precise tool for immediately identifying what gestural and non-verbal communication elements to apply on to any musical context, independently of musical style, genre and character. The exercises have therefore proved to be very effective in developing both a good conducting technique and in developing the students' understanding of the importance of and the necessity of letting the orchestra play without too much gestural interference from the conductor, everything in the perspective of facilitating and enhancing the musical collaboration and communication between the conductor and the orchestra.
Movement work with Professor Emeritus Joseph Gifford, 1999 - 2015
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“While conducting, ask yourself, “Do I push or press too much? Do I work too hard? Or is the body in that balanced state where the music is moving through me rather than me ‘doing’ the music?” -Joseph Gifford
Being a conductor means that one has the opportunity of building a unique relationship to sound and movement. Through gestures, one initiates orchestral sound, but the conductor’s movements are also triggered by the influence of sound in itself, both the external sound and the experience of and the “visualization” of the inner musical sound one tries to project and convey. Self-awareness is therefore an important principle when it comes to both conducting and any teaching or learning process. Since 1999, I studied regularly with Professor Emeritus Joseph Gifford at Boston University over a period of 16 years. The studies with Prof. Gifford opened up to an expanded perspective on mental presence and awareness in musical performance, considering the body and the musical and mental presence as the conductor’s instrument, in addition to the orchestra. The studies with Prof. Gifford emphasized the importance of being present in the moment and also being present in the movement. The latter refers to a freer and refreshed body language, “on top of” a set pulses and patterns. As conductors, we produce movements as a consequence of our inner musical conviction. By projecting a clarity of musical thought and emotion through the eyes, beating patterns and body language, the movements can be performed with freedom, spontaneity and presence without sacrificing the clarity of the musical non-verbal communication. The intensive work with Professor Gifford therefore had a strong focus on the relationship between movement, creativity and communication, and it was organized through masterclasses and one to one-tuition. The goal was to obtain the ability to perform with a freer, more spontaneous and expressive body instrument and to become increasingly aware of how and why this greater freedom and expressivity takes place. In order to find an extended choice and range of movements connected to musical performing, the approach had an emphasis on exercises for: • centring and grounding • healthy alignment and breathing • relaxation and meditation • renewal techniques and movement improvisation • spontaneity, and creativity The intense work increased the awareness of old and tried idiosyncratic gestural patterns, enabling and encouraging the conducting body and musical presence to take risks and go into the unknown, in order to find new and fresh inner and outer resources. Professor Gifford taught me an inner / outer centeredness and ground which allowed a profound musical alertness during performing / conducting. In this state of being, the inner musical source could open up, the music would naturally be evoked and there was no need to mime the music. Joseph Gifford passed away in September 2017, at the age of 97 years.
Movement work, Qigong
Introduction
In addition to my long-lasting work with Prof. Gifford, I have been working for 18 years with Qigong, an ancient Chinese movement practice that combines calm and slow movements with breathing and visualization. However, these apparently diametrically opposite approaches to movement are closely connected to the act of conducting, as they both are aiming to obtaining a free and flexible body in combination with a musical and mental presence. In Qigong, the interaction between the breathing and the slow movements also leads to better relaxation and subsequently helps the awareness of the moment. Through my Qigong practice, I have experienced that the training has had a strong influence both on my conducting and my teaching, of which I can mention: • An increased conscience on breathing • An increased body awareness • Better control and coordination of movements* • Inner calmness •Physical and mental well-being • Reduction of stress * The coordination and control of especially slow to very slow movements / beating patterns increased remarkably through practicing Qigong. Having conducted more than 350 works of contemporary music, I sometimes had to beat extremely slow, even down to 15 beats per minute. Without having prepared myself by practicing Qigong, it would be literally impossible to perform pieces with such slow tempos
Pedagogical reflections and documentation of the broad experience coaching and supervising conductors on a high international level
Introduction
Through my lessons in 1989 with Dr. Walter Hügler, Tossingen I became aquainted with the principles of the conducting anatomy. Based on his thought and practical examples, I developed the anatomical exercises and applied the theory into my own artistic work as a conductor. This development process took more than three years of practical work and reflection, from an understanding of a system to a full integration of the tool to make it a vessel for the artistic freedom as a conductor. After having been engaged as music director of the NAM Sinfonietta in 1992, I was engaged as Assistant professor in orchestral conducting in 1995. In addition to conducting the NAM Sinfonietta, I was teaching orchestral conducting on Master level and secondary level. With reference to my own practical experience, my aim was to introduce the ideas of anatomy of conducting to the students on all levels through the anatomical exercises, and I was using chorales and two part music examples to demonstrate and illustrate how the system worked in practical contexts. When commencing my studies with Professor Emeritus Joseph Gifford, I found it necessary to implement and apply the essence of my exercises into the orchestral pieces that the students were working with at any time. This applied to students on all levels, individual or groups and it gave the students the opportunity and motivation to connect the essence of the anatomical exercises directly into their artistic and technical work and preparation as conductors. Over a period of more than 25 years, my view on teaching conducting has developed in a parallel strand together with my own development as conductor. The philosophy that underlies my teaching derives from my education as an instrumental teacher from East Norway Conservatory of Music, 1981-84. During my time as a student, I adapted to the following approaches to teaching: 1) The behaviour modelling approach This model is based on what kind of outer stimuli that increases the desired behaviour. In a teaching context this basically means to watch someone’s (the teacher’s) performance / demonstration and then repeat what is being executed. 2) The cognitive modelling approach In this model, the learner’s perception and internal and external experience over time involves a selfreflection on the learner’s own development. This selfexamination of own practice makes the learner observe the old and new information within an internal context that leads to a transformation from previous exposure to new and adjusted exposure. This analysis would not have been possible without having worked with Professor Emeritus Joseph Gifford at Boston University over a 16 year period. These studies gave me an extended view on how to combine and apply the two teaching models described above onto my own teaching. At the turn of the century, my concern was to teach the students the anatomical system separately and THEN implementing the exercises into practical conducting. Over the years, my teaching has developed into a practice where the student starts working on repertoire instead of starting with the anatomy. I focus on the conductor as an individual, in the perspective of considering the conductor as the instrument itself. The instrument in this context meaning every physical and mental activity and projection performed by the conductor, in the moment. The student’s analysis of the external and internal responses during the conducting activity (together with me as teacher) has constantly clear references to the principles in the anatomical exercises, in addition to the focus of being mentally present in the conducting activity. The goal is to BE the “instrument”, or as Professor Gifford wisely described it: “Leave yourself to find your SELF”.
The conductor's visual language and the orchestra musicians' perception of the non-verbal communication
An R&D project on conductor gestures, communicative expression and musicians' perception of this, linked to two excerpts from central works in the orchestra literature.
Introduction
In the European symphonic orchestral tradition, conductors have developed a universal conducting language that is common to all conductors. Thus, every conductor can be understood anywhere in the world, despite the fact that all conductors seem to have their own way of "performing" this language. This "language", or non-verbal communication, consists of everything that is perceived as communicating (or non-communicating) from a conductor, conveyed from the conductor podium to musicians, who are trying to interpret and respond appropriately and in accordance with the conductor's musical intention and will. The structures or skeletons in this communication are the visual conducting patterns, which are basically the same from one country to another, from one tradition to the other. However, there are variations between different "conducting schools", but that does not prevent conductors from traveling from one orchestra one week to another orchestra in a completely different country the following week, in order to practice the same performance of the same conducting patterns and visual the language without having to "translate" it. The reasons for the differences in the performance or use of this language can be many, and this is despite the fact that all conductors know how the patterns should be performed in principle. We are built differently, some conductors are large grown while others are the opposite, and this affects the visual execution of the conducting act itself. Then there are the eyes, gestures (ie. the use of arms, hands and fingers), mimicry, facial expressions, the way we stand and move. More specifically, one can point out how to move the arms and not least how high one holds them (this does not apply to opera conducting from the orchestra pit) and how to use the gaze. I have formulated two approaches as a fundament for my research The academic approach How and to what extent will the results of my research broaden and nuance my work as a teacher of orchestral conducting, in order to facilitate the students possibility to discover and obtain their highest artistic level? The artistic approach With reference to especially the Anatomical exercises and my work with Prof. Joseph Gifford, as described in D.1 - D.3, how and to what extent can the results of my research facilitate and enhance the communication between the conductor and the musicians in the moment, in order to create a musical interpretation on the highest level? I have collected about 100 pages of data from the interviews to be analysed. The results will be published in an academic report in addition to an article.
The Conductor's Visual Language and Nonverbal Communication
“When this happens – when one hundred men [sic] share his feelings, exactly, simultaneously, responding as one to each rise and fall of music...then there is human identity of feeling that has no equal elsewhere.” - Leonard Bernstein
“If the essence of music is nonverbal, the essence of conducting also should be nonverbal"- Professor Robert Grechesky
In the European symphonic orchestral tradition, conductors have developed a universal conducting language that is common to all conductors. In this way, any conductor can make themselves understood anywhere in the world, despite the fact that all conductors seem to have their own way of 'performing' this language. This 'language', or to put it another way, nonverbal communication, consists of everything that is perceived as communication (or non-communication) expressed by a conductor at a given moment, conveyed from the conductor's podium to musicians doing their best to interpret and respond adequately and in accordance with the conductor's musical intention and will. The structure or skeleton in this communication is, among other things, the time signature patterns, which, in principle, are the same from one country to another, from one tradition to another. There are, however, variations within different 'schools of conducting', but this does not prevent conductors from travelling from one orchestra one week to another orchestra in a completely different country the following week, in order to be able to practice the same performance of the same time signatures and visual language without this having to be 'translated'. Katherine M. Kilburn describes it as follows: "Musical ensembles are complex, dynamic, living organisms that react to and connect with both physical and metaphysical energy present in their space. Thus, conductors must always remain open to creative impulses coming back from the ensemble in order to cultivate and maintain a vibrant, synergistic environment and be able to respond in the moment to whatever needs their attention." (Kilburn 2016, p.7) (2) Humans have always had a tendency to imitate each other's emotional expressions. In the 1980s, researchers Rizzolatti and Craighero discovered 'mirror neurons', first in monkeys. The neurons, which are grouped in a network in the front part of the cerebral cortex, are strongly involved and crucial for empathic understanding and communication between people. (4) In his book Kinesics and Context, anthropologist Ray Birdwhistell begins with the following statement: “These essays are based on the conviction that body motion is a learned form of communication, which is patterned within a culture and which can be broken down into an ordered system of isolable elements.” (Birdwhistell 1970, pp. xi-xiv) (3) This is also important for the emotional communication between conductor and orchestra. Kilburn writes: "The significance of this for conductors is that whatever we show on our face will to some degree be absorbed by at least part if not all of the members of the ensemble. This mimicry suggests not only a communicative role, but also a perceptual one, and can have a profound effect on the emotional communication between a conductor and the ensemble” (Kilburn 2016, p. 19) (2) American conductor Larry Rachleff says in an interview: “First, you have to give musicians the space to form their own feelings. That’s why nonverbal communication is the deepest because, hopefully, they’re connecting to your body language and you’re listening to what they’re saying with their instruments.” (Harris Jr. 2001, p.38) (4) In an article in PLOS ONE, the Italian researcher Luciano Fadiga of the University of Ferrara and the Italian Institute of Technology (IIT) in Italy writes: “we recorded violinists' and conductors' movement kinematics during execution of Mozart pieces, searching for causal relationships among musicians by using the Granger Causality method (GC). We show that the increase of conductor-to-musicians influence, together with the reduction of musician-to-musician coordination (an index of successful leadership) goes in parallel with quality of execution”. (6) D'Ausilio, Badino, Yi Li, Tokay, Craighero, Canto, Aloimonos, Fadiga, Music experts also evaluated each performance. Based on these data, the author confirmed that the performance was considered higher quality when the movements of the conductor and musicians were more closely correlated. I have wanted to investigate the connection between the conductor's gaze, gestures and body language and the musicians' response to this, based on excerpts from two orchestral works. In other words, I look at the relationship between the conductor's nonverbal communication and the response this communication gives as a consequence. I asked myself the following questions. - Do the musicians perceive the conducting and communication as demonstrative, visually clear and intentional, or do the musicians experience a lack of correspondence between the conductor's inner musical image and the conductor's ability to clarify and communicate his or her interpretation? What does a musician want to see and respond to in a given moment or an excerpt from a work known to the musician that the orchestra has in its repertoire? For this, I have used excerpts from two well-known works from the orchestral literature: Brahms, Symphony no. 2, the opening of the fourth movement and Beethoven, Symphony no. 5, the opening of the first movement.