Report — Martin Daigle

Composer/Performer Orchestration Research Ensemble Report

Martin Daigle
April 14, 2020

The CORE ensemble and the ACTOR project were both very enlightening assets to my personal approach in music, orchestration and performance during this past academic year. It was a fantastic experience and I really agreed with the vision of the ACTOR project. Prior to this seminar, I had never taken a class on orchestration; therefore, a lot of the topics were new to me. My mind and ears were exposed to a world of knowledge that I had never experienced prior to taking this class. I was looking forward to this seminar because percussion is rarely used in chamber ensemble music at McGill University due to logistical reasons. Therefore, I am ecstatic to have been part of the CORE quartet and to have collaborated with other musicians and composers; which is why, I took the decision to become a student member for the ACTOR project.

The interactive process allowed me to develop an informative way to discuss about the vibraphone and small percussion instruments. My goal was to be helpful to the composers and provide knowledge that would help them when writing the percussion scores. Therefore, I had to reflect upon my approach and develop a way to present my ideas with the appropriate vocabulary. The numerous conversations and talks with everyone involved helped in seeing music from many different perspectives and understand different approaches. The pedogeological approach of the class allowed for opportunities to closely see the creation process of contemporary works. The class curriculum also provided the opportunity to be a part of an unconventional quartet chamber ensemble and to be a part of the composition process that unbaled for an understanding as to how the composers makes the decisions to use an ensemble to create their music. This learning environment gave me an understanding of the role I played within the ensemble as a percussionist as well as the role of the other instruments in the ensemble. I had to emancipate from any traditional use of the vibraphone and dive into the composer’s written music. Even thought I may not be aware of every aspect in which this class has taught me, I am sure that my reflexes have become much sharper and I have become a much better musician because of this seminar.

The Performer’s Approach

My intentions varied from one composition to the next because all composers had their own vocabulary and percussive requirements. I exaggerated the musical gestures and understood my role within each composition based on what I heard, what I saw and my musical reflexes. My musical reflexes were essential for my playing style and my performance during the rehearsals. For example, my reflexes can easily be heard with my use of the vibraphone pedalling representing my idiomatic reflexes. If a composer wants to have a specific pedaling, they must write it in the part so that the performer gets the instruction rather than resort to his reflexes.

Because the compositions were very dense and required much concentration from the performers; it is fair to say that the composers initiated new musical combinations and got me out of my comfort zone. I primarily found myself challenged with tone production because of the difficult combination of extended techniques and quick mallet changes requested by some of the composers. During the process, I frequently had to find shortcuts to make these changes easier while keeping the musical integrity of the piece (i.e. sub supper ball for thumb roll; prepare vibraphone). In all cases, I wanted to play the musical gestures which meant that sometimes I had to compromise on technique and tone in order to achieve the desired sound and musical gesture. Sometimes, the written music may not be aligned with the physical task required of the performer; this realisation could avoid orchestration issues and a non-idiomatic writing method.

Earlier on in the term of the class, I had spoken about the rudimental approach to percussion and the application of these rudiments to the vibraphone. When I was practicing some of the repertoire for the class, I was rejoiced to observe that my talk had reached some the composers and that their musical notation illustrated the knowledge of rudiments. This applied knowledge helped to bridge the gap between the written part and my physical approach to the instrument. Therefore, it accelerated my learning process and improved the overall sound of the part. I truly appreciated the efforts the composers took in imagining the parts with my hands and to avoid any logistical issues with the performance.

Introduction Phase

The course content for this phase was a selection of many enriching talks by numerous professionals, as well as a presentation of the student’s seed ideas. For the talks, I had hoped to hear more from performer-researchers or from a chamber ensemble who are used to working with composers with exploration, problem solving and realisation (i.e. paramirabo, no hay banda,...) The performers would provide an insight on the bottom up approach and be able to talk about their perspective in collaborating with composers.

Perhaps the class should include a session with an arranger who is used to dealing with notation issues and engraving. The talk could have been an excellent way to find an appropriate approach to notating for the CORE ensemble. During this session, we could have agreed on a format for the notation of the pieces. The composers could have asked their questions regarding extended

notation for the instruments in preparation for the first rehearsal. This approach would also have given the performers a chance to give their preferences and approach to notation. Perhaps this is something that could be done outside the class hours. Since many of the issues we encountered had to do with formatting and notation, I believe the suggestion of having this talk could save valuable time.

Exploration Phase

During this phase, we talked about all the instruments in the CORE ensemble and explored many possibilities of our ensemble. The performers had to do a 10-minute presentation on their instrument. I showed a selection of interesting sounds and extended techniques possibilities with the vibraphone and small percussion instruments of my choice. I wished that we had had more time to talk about our approach with the instrument, such as a motion-based approach, so that the composer could have visualised the motions of their written music. This additional time would also had helped the composers understand the physical requirements of all the extended techniques in the efforts to reduce technical problems. I thoroughly enjoyed when the composers asked me advice on notation and I truly wished that there would have been more collaboration between composer-performer.

I believe that it would have been a good idea to also individually talk about notational issues linked to the extended techniques. All performers in the ensemble have played solo repertoire from performer-composers that show an outstanding use of notation for extended techniques. I suggest that the performers could bring in repertoire that is advanced and features the use of extended techniques. The performer could play excerpts of these pieces giving context to advanced technique which would help the composers understand another dimension to the use of these techniques.

Problem-Solving Phase

Many issues were identified and addressed during this phase; however, I think that some of them could have been avoided altogether if we had discussed more about notation and the performer’s approach during the introduction phase. The most crucial part in the problem-solving phase is that the notation could be changed accordingly to illustrate these changes in the most logical way possible following the class. I had to remember detailed occurrences that happened in a flash over a long period of time because it was not indicated or changed in the revised part.

In closing, I wish to express how unfortunate it has been to end this semester without having our final performance. I was looking forward to this concert and to celebrate our appreciation of working amongst each other. I truly enjoyed our weekly meetings with this fine group of musician and composers. Furthermore, I commend the professor’s approach and curriculum of the class. I am grateful to have shared this experience with everyone involved. The breath of expertise made the learning much more pleasant and insightful. I am looking forward to hearing news from ACTOR and others that were involved in this class.