Practising in the New World: Strategies for Preparing Contemporary Music for First Performance

The purpose of this case study was to investigate the practice

strategies used by a professional orchestral musician to prepare for a première. A

member of the woodwind section of one of the top seven orchestras in the

United States was interviewed for approximately six hours about strategies used

to prepare newly composed music and factors that determine the amount of

time needed to prepare prior to first rehearsal. For the interviewee, practising

generally focused on anticipating how his part fitted into the ensemble through

score study and preparing for what the conductor might demand. He also

discussed rehearsals and how these rehearsals anticipated the performance. The

practice strategies discussed by the interviewee were designed for use in the

unique circumstances associated with preparing for the first performance of a

new work: learning difficult and original music, without an aural model, in a short

amount of time. These included the use of various types of technology (e.g.,

recordings, notational software, recording software) that were often used to

create an aural model of the piece being practised. The application of strategies

to pedagogical situations is discussed.