On The Art of Musical Conducting
In 1998 I finished a book on conducting, an unusual book on conducting in
that it contains none of the usual diagrams for the baton to follow, pictures of poses for
the conductor, nomenclature and transpositions of the various instruments, etc., et. al.
Rather, as the title suggests, it is a conducting book which deals with the mental and
genetic aspects of conducting, that is to say, emotions and motion. Perhaps it is fair to
say that after decades of watching the great conductors, as well as the less successful, I
generally concluded that what makes a musical conductor is not how he looks, but how
he thinks.
Writing the book allowed me the opportunity to pull together a variety of
material which I have been using with students and in conducting clinics for many
years. I sent a copy in advance to Frederick Fennell, who was most enthusiastic.
Frederick Fennell to David Whitwell
Sarasota, FL, April 22, 1998
Before you are launched into the printing you have to know that “your book”
[the new conducting book] will be major among your writings. You know this, of
course. What jumps up as it is read rather staggers, for among those who should
read it are certain to be among that endless legion of the un-read, the intellectually
un-washed who stand in high places -- not perhaps as shoulder to shoulder as some
years ago, but the absence of places (and people) for today’s “Dialogues” remains a
sad fact to us. And you must write as you do. I have some idea of how long this
book has been cooking in the oven of that brain of yours. And you have not lost
faith in it, ever as -- all about you is seen a “Berlin-type” wall of ignorance -- even
false leadership. I have read and reread.... Thank you again for the best I have yet
read. Write on! Ethics!!
The following month Fred wrote again having been quite taken by a passage
from Plato which I quoted in Chapter 17, “On Programming.” Here is that passage
from Plato,
An Athenian Stranger. Let us speak of the laws about music, -- that is
to say, such music as then existed, -- in order that we may trace the growth of
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the excess of freedom from the beginning. Now music was early divided
among us into certain kinds and manners. One sort consisted of prayers to
the Gods, which were called hymns; and there was another and opposite sort
called lamentations, and another termed paeans, and another, celebrating (I
believe) the birth of Dionysus, called “dithyrambs.” And they used the
actual word “laws” for another kind of song; and to this they added the term
“citharoedic.” All these and others were duly distinguished, nor were the
performers allowed to confuse one style of music with another. And the
authority which determined and give judgment, and punished the
disobedient, was not expressed in a hiss, nor in the most unmusical shouts of
the multitude, as in our days, nor in applause and clapping of hands. But the
directors of public instruction insisted that the spectators should listen in
silence to the end; and boys and their tutors, and the multitude in general,
were kept quiet by a hint from a stick. Such was the good order which the
multitude were willing to observe; they would never have dared to give
judgment by noisy cries. And then, as time went on, the poets themselves
introduced the reign of vulgar and lawless innovation. They were men of
genius, but they had no perception of what is just and lawful in music; raging
like bacchanals and possessed with inordinate delights -- mingling
lamentations with hymns, and paeans with dithyrambs; imitating the sounds
of the flute on the lyre, and making one general confusion; ignorantly
affirming that music has no truth, and, whether good or bad, can only be
judged of rightly by the pleasure of the hearer. And by composing such
licentious works, and adding to them words as licentious, they have inspired
the multitude with lawlessness and boldness, and made them fancy that they
can judge for themselves about melody and song. And in this way the
theaters from being silent have become vocal, as though they had
understanding of good and bad in music and poetry; and instead of an
aristocracy, an evil sort of theatrocracy has grown up. For if there had been
a democracy in music alone, consisting of free men, no fatal harm would
have been done; but in music there first arose the universal conceit of
omniscience and general lawlessness; -- freedom came following afterwards,
and men, fancying that they knew what they did not know, had no longer any
fear, and the absence of fear begets shamelessness. For what is this
shamelessness, which is so evil a thing, but the insolent refusal to regard the
opinion of the better by reason of an over-daring sort of liberty?1
Fred found in this passage the philosophical and aesthetical argument against Rock
and Roll and its impact on society. He writes,
1
Laws., 700ff.
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Frederick Fennell to David Whitwell
Sarasota, FL, May 19, 1998
Leafing thru Chapter 17, on programming, it exposed exactly in Plato’s
words pp 210-211 the scene with Rock -- more than exposed -- it explodes! Allowing
the society of them -- Lord knows who today would speak it with the power to have
it received? I’m so glad it is in your book....
Frederick Fennell wrote once more about the book, the following week,
Frederick Fennell to David Whitwell
Sarasota, FL, May 25, 1998
...again I found myself reading your great [conducting] book. It is, of course,
unique and extraordinary in the way that this expression was generated to be.
Among those, stating this as purpose, there is none like this one known to me....
Dr. Lawrence Marks, of the University of Oklahoma, was also very
complimentary about the approach of the new book.
Larry Marks to David Whitwell
Norman, OK, May 31, 1998
I cannot remember seeing a book that discusses both the important
pedagogical issues of conducting, as well as the philosophic and aesthetic concepts of
music education. Your new contribution is very absorbing, and should cause
readers to reexamine their ideas about the ways conductors look at music making,
particularly in educational settings.
I was very pleased with the response the conducting book had, considering how
different it is from the usual conducting texts. I received many kind notes and will
conclude with one more, from my dear friend, Frank Battisti, who wrote,
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Frank Battisti to David Whitwell
Boston, June 16, 1998
I am now reading your The Art of Musical Conducting and the latest issue of
the WASBE Journal which you edited. Both are EXCELLENT and VERY
STIMULATING. BRAVO! and congratulations on both!
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