“THE SINGING FLUTE”: TONE, EXPRESSION AND MUSICAL STYLE
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What makes sounds, apart from their pitch and dynamics, differ so much from each other? What enables such a broad spectrum in the quality of tones to emotionally affect the listeners so differently? How much do musical expression, phrasing and style depend upon a specific quality of tone? How and why does the use of the body influence the sound we produce and the musical “message” we are communicating? What is the nature of the relationship of a musician to his instrument, of the body to tone, and of tone quality to musical expression and style? Are there affinities between the expressive tone qualities of wind instruments and the human voice? Is playing the flute a kind of singing? Does the vocal mechanism affect the quality of tone when we play the flute?
The search for answers to such questions, together with a deep fascination for the great variety of sounds in different forms and styles of musical expression, brought the flautist Francesca Canali to investigate the causes of tone production in wind instruments, especially the flute. Thanks to her parallel studying of flute and singing, throughout years of performing, teaching, and scientifically researching the human voice, Francesca realized that the entire vocal mechanism plays a very important and central role for flautists in achieving their quality of tone. This led to her writing an innovative doctoral thesis at the University Mozarteum on the subject of "Artistic Vocal Expression and Production of Tone in Wind Instruments”, that opens new perspectives on the didactic and performing aspects of flute playing.
In this master class Francesca will illustrate in theory and in practice the principles of anatomy, physiology and acoustics that determine the tone of the flute. Thus we reach a greater clarity in dealing with well-known and often controversial concepts and terms that confront flautists, both as performers and teachers: embouchure, emission of tone, the sustaining and supporting of sound, phrasing, throat openness, posture, breathing, the colour, richness, flexibility, expressiveness and homogeneity of tone, etc.
Some of the topics that will be considered during the master class:
· The anatomy and physiology of flute playing: tone as a complex combination of the flautist and the flute
· The “beautiful tone”: is it just the result of a natural physical disposition?
· Is there just one kind of “beautiful tone”? Different qualities of tone and their stylistic and expressive possibilities
· The role of the voice in the emission of tone: awareness of the role played by the vocal mechanism in creating flute tone
· Different vocal and breathing techniques and their effects on timbre, acoustics and expressivity of tone
· Breathing: its mechanics and physiology
· Support of a tone: “sostegno” and/or “appoggio”. Does it come from below or above?
· Musical structure and phrasing
· Throat openness
· etc...
GOALS
With his “personal” tone a musician gives form and expression to emotion and to the various artistic and aesthetic ideals of music: it is therefore of fundamental importance that a musician and a teacher know the causes and physiological principles that determine a specific quality of tone. During the course participants will be given the opportunity to try out various methods of emission, to improve their technique and expressive possibilities and to explore new sonorities called for in the “poetics” of diverse styles of music.
The aim of the course is furthermore to provide teachers of flute and other wind instruments with a deeper and more “scientific” understanding of the didactic problems involved in teaching emission and tone production.
PLANNING (for a Master of one or two days)
First day:
· Morning: a power point presentation with illustrations and video projections. Group listening sessions followed by analysis of the listening material, and various practical demonstrations with the flute. Questions from the participants and open discussion.
· Afternoon: individual work on pieces of repertoire presented by the participants.
Second day:
· Morning: warming-up together and group exercises to gain a feel for using the voice while playing the flute. Exploring different techniques of emission and tone production by playing. Questions.
Eventually, if time permits: further individual work on pieces of repertoire presented by the participants.
· Afternoon: further work on repertoire.
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