Further to Robert's point -- to the folks who have this idea that concert pitch scores are somehow "dumbed down," I wonder if you've ever tried to run a rehearsal using one?
When there's note-checking to be done, a conductor working from a concert pitch score needs to be able to call out note names to individual players in *their* key -- meaning they need to transpose on the fly every bit as often (possibly more often) as a conductor working from a transposed score. (I should note that the above is often used as an argument *against* concert pitch scores, but you can't really have it both ways -- you can't very well complain that they're "dumbed down" and also complain that they make the conductor work harder in rehearsal.) Cheers, - DJA ----- WEB: http://www.secretsocietymusic.org On Oct 12, 2012, at 10:37 PM, Robert Patterson <[email protected]> wrote: > Once again we have the assumption that the use of C scores implies anything > whatsoever about the skillset of the people that use them. > > That said, if you can't read C scores, there's a whole lot of important > literature that is a closed book to you. > > On Fri, Oct 12, 2012 at 8:30 PM, Steve Parker <[email protected]> wrote: > >> I'm an old enough repetiteur that standard skillset includes reading and >> reducing at sight orchestral, windband and brassband scores. >> >> C scores give me (irrationally) the same kind of offence I would get from >> transposing the works of Chopin into C major to make them easier to >> learn.... >> >> Steve P. >> >> On 12 Oct 2012, at 17:11, Patrick Sheehan <[email protected]> >> wrote: >> >>> In the same vein for hearing things in your head, EVERY SCORE in this >> world >>> should be a C-Score. EVERY. SCORE. >>> >>> Patrick J. M. Sheehan >>> Music Director, Instructor: Woodlawn Arts Academy >>> P. S. Music >>> Host: "The Saturday Blues" on 89.5 WNIJ-FM, 1 pm - 4 pm (CST) & WNIJ.org >>> 1-815-973-2317 (m) >>> >>> [email protected] >>> >>> -----Original Message----- >>> From: David Froom [mailto:[email protected]] >>> Sent: Tuesday, October 02, 2012 12:40 PM >>> To: [email protected] >>> Subject: Re: [Finale] Transposition Exp. >>> >>> On 2 Oct 2012, at 1:00 PM, Robert Patterson wrote: >>> >>>> One could discuss all day longs things that singers should and should >> not >>>> do. I think books have been written on the subject. But they are beside >>> the >>>> point here. >>>> >>>> What I am saying is, if you want the best performance out of the most >>>> number of singers, I highly recommend providing a C score. I have paid >> the >>>> price for not so doing and I won't make the same mistake twice. >>> >>> Robert is absolutely correct here! This is my experience, even with >>> well-known, successful singers, even those who have sung a lot of >>> contemporary music. They simply want to be able to quickly find their >> pitch >>> from the score, and if they are constantly checking to see who is playing >>> and remembering what that instrument's transposition (at the moment, for >>> scores with switching instruments), it can seriously disrupt a rehearsal >>> and/or a performance. The best singers, if you give them a transposed >>> score, might just ask you to make a C score for them. I'm talking about >>> non-tonal music here. >>> >>> Conductors keep their eyes on the whole thing all the time. Singers have >>> their own part, but in performance need to look out at the audience as >> much >>> as possible, so they jump back to their score for quick reference to >> their >>> part as well as the other instruments, often jumping from instrument to >>> instrument for a reference pitch. They also have to think about dramatic >>> projection, etc. Why make their lives more difficult, or increase even >> by a >>> couple of hours the time needed for learning and rehearsing? >>> >>> My solution is to create a C score for the singer and a transposed score >> for >>> the conductor. Everyone is happy, no one is confused. >>> >>> David Froom >>> >>> >>> _______________________________________________ >>> Finale mailing list >>> [email protected] >>> http://lists.shsu.edu/mailman/listinfo/finale >> >> _______________________________________________ >> Finale mailing list >> [email protected] >> http://lists.shsu.edu/mailman/listinfo/finale >> > _______________________________________________ > Finale mailing list > [email protected] > http://lists.shsu.edu/mailman/listinfo/finale _______________________________________________ Finale mailing list [email protected] http://lists.shsu.edu/mailman/listinfo/finale
