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Views from the Choir Loft

PDF Download • Draft Copy — “2023 Symposium Booklet” (320 Pages)

Jeff Ostrowski · April 22, 2023

ERFORMANCE. Much could be written about performance. For instance, one could discuss phenomenal musicians who had days of music memorized. I’m referring to musicians who had so many pieces memorized they could sit down and play—hour after hour—for days without the score. Three such musicians were: (1) Josef Hofmann; (2) Glenn Gould; (3) Sviatoslav Richter. On the other hand, playing the correct notes at tempo is only the tip of the iceberg. The most important thing is the artist’s interpretation. Many of today’s pianists can play billions of pieces without hitting a single wrong note—but they have nothing to say! In other words, their interpretations are boring, lifeless, uninspired, and stale. They lack the ‘personality’ of a Hofmann, a Rachmaninov, or a Cortot.

Jeff Can’t Do It • At the conservatory, we were required to memorize thousands of notes for our juries. That is to say, at the end of each semester we were forced to play a brief concert (by memory) in front of the entire piano faculty. The pieces we had to learn were quite difficult: sonatas by Prokofiev, Chopin’s Andante Spianato & Grande Polonaise, Schumann’s Papillons, fugues by Bach, and so forth. One semester was particularly difficult because I had injured my shoulder—but I still had to play my jury. (I can’t remember the pieces, but one of them was a Beethoven concerto.) I will never forget standing in the green room, waiting to go on stage. I was so nervous, dreading a memory lapse. I experienced monumental anxiety! Somehow I managed to complete my jury, but it came to me in a powerful way that I wasn’t cut out to be a concert pianist. I remember asking myself: “Who invented this monstrous ritual? Who can tolerate such intense pressure?” [Those who have had a limited time to memorize thousands of notes will understand what I’m getting at.]

“Anxiety” Vs. “Focus” • Playing those juries each semester was a nightmare, but the experience was useful to me. It taught me a lot about performance. Essentially, there’s a world of difference between practicing (alone) in one’s practice room and performing in front of an audience. Obviously, anxiety should be avoided. On the other hand, “excitement” before a performance can help one focus—and that can be a good thing. I felt that same excitement last night, when I was putting the final touches on this draft booklet for the Sacred Music Symposium:

*  PDF Download • 2023 “DRAFT BOOKLET” (320 pages)
—This file is 134.2MB • Participants will be given a hard-copy.

Typos? • This year’s symposium is going to be magnificent. We’re going to have an enormous amount of fun while we learn so much. Believe it or not, creating a booklet like the one above requires a formidable amount of work. It is three things: (a) a musical score; (b) a reference book; and (c) a teaching document.

If you notice any typos, I hope you’ll let us know via email. Thank you!

Update:

As of 6 May 2023, anyone who wishes to may download the COMPLETED BOOKLET (330 pages) which was created for participants of Sacred Music Symposium 2023. Those who were accepted to participate in this year’s conference will be presented with their own (hard-copy) printed version of this breathtaking booklet. The faculty this year includes Professor Charles Weaver of Julliard, Dr. Alfred Calabrese of Texas, Richard Clark of Massachusetts, William Fritz of California, Kevin Allen of Illinois, and several others.

Opinions by blog authors do not necessarily represent the views of Corpus Christi Watershed.

Filed Under: Articles Tagged With: Josef Hofmann Pianist Extraordinaire, Pianist Glenn Gould Bach Last Updated: May 17, 2023

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About Jeff Ostrowski

Jeff Ostrowski holds his B.M. in Music Theory from the University of Kansas (2004). He resides with his wife and children in Los Angeles.—(Read full biography).

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Quick Thoughts

    PDF • “For the Season of Pentecost”
    During the season of Pentecost, you might consider using this 2-page Piece “for the season of Pentecost.” Rehearsal videos are available at #40691, but the lyrics are different. Therefore, make sure your choir members understand that one can rehearse songs that have different lyrics (“CONTRAFACT”).
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    Introit • (This Coming Sunday)
    Our volunteer choir appreciates training videos, so here's my attempt at recording “Exáudi Dómine Vocem Meam,” which is the INTROIT for this coming Sunday. This coming Sunday is Dominica Post Ascensionem (“Sunday after the feast of the Ascension”). It is sung according to the official rhythm of the Catholic Church.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    Volunteer Choir Attempts “Kýrie Eléison”
    My volunteer choir attempted the polyphonic KYRIE that will be sung at this year's Sacred Music Symposium. If you're interested, you can listen to the live recording from last Sunday. The piece is based on the ancient plainchant hymn melody: Ave Maris Stella. Polyphony like this is truly intricate and wonderful. It reminds me of the quote by Artur Schnabel: “music that's greater than it can be performed.”
    —Jeff Ostrowski

Random Quote

“Like all other liturgical functions, like offices and ranks in the Church, indeed like everything else in the world, the religious service that we call the Mass existed long before it had a special technical name.”

— ‘Rev. Adrian Fortescue (THE MASS, page 397)’

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