Sectional - Junior Guildhall
Saturday, 14 Oct 2017, 13:30I led a Wind, Brass and Percussion sectional rehearsal at the Junior Guildhall on Saturday 14th of October 2017. The sectional rehearsal focused on Mendelssohn’s Violin Concerto in E Minor (Op.64) and De Falla’s Three Cornered Hat (Ballet).
I began the sectional with tutti forces, and asked the students about Mendelssohn and the history of the Violin Concerto in E Minor. I asked the trombones to play the Chorale, Wie wunderbarlich ist doch diese Strafe! No. 46 from Bach’s Matthew Passion (BWV 244) and asked them why Bach was relevant in a rehearsal focusing on Mendelssohn and de Falla. I explained that Mendelssohn (aged 20) put on a performance of the Matthew Passion in Berlin, after inheriting the manuscript from his grandmother. Mendelssohn’s performance sparked a new interest in the music of J. S. Bach, who’s music had rarely been performed outside of Leipzig since his death. I went on to explain that Mendelssohn’s Violin Concerto had been written for the soloist Ferdinand David. At that point, I saw awed faces in the trombone section, who all (very obviously) knew about Ferdinand David’s Trombone Concertino (Op.4).
I was impressed with the students who attended the sectional and I was able to impart a few Historically-Informed ideas for the Mendelssohn and other general points on section playing, tuning and intonation.
After a short break, the second half of the rehearsal saw the full Wind, Brass and Percussion sections (including the Celeste and Piano) and we began playing the Three Cornered Hat by Manuel de Falla - an incredible piece of music. Again, we began with some brief biographical information about the composer and the piece: mentioning the premiere in London (1919) and the fact that the ballet stage and costumes were designed by Pablo Picasso. We worked on various sections of the piece, particularly the final movement, and made the rhythms as dance-like as possible, particularly in the alternating triple and duple bars. It was great to hear what the students of the Junior Guildhall are doing, and I left feeling optimistic after an enjoyable rehearsal.
London, Modern Trumpet, TeachingI began the sectional with tutti forces, and asked the students about Mendelssohn and the history of the Violin Concerto in E Minor. I asked the trombones to play the Chorale, Wie wunderbarlich ist doch diese Strafe! No. 46 from Bach’s Matthew Passion (BWV 244) and asked them why Bach was relevant in a rehearsal focusing on Mendelssohn and de Falla. I explained that Mendelssohn (aged 20) put on a performance of the Matthew Passion in Berlin, after inheriting the manuscript from his grandmother. Mendelssohn’s performance sparked a new interest in the music of J. S. Bach, who’s music had rarely been performed outside of Leipzig since his death. I went on to explain that Mendelssohn’s Violin Concerto had been written for the soloist Ferdinand David. At that point, I saw awed faces in the trombone section, who all (very obviously) knew about Ferdinand David’s Trombone Concertino (Op.4).
I was impressed with the students who attended the sectional and I was able to impart a few Historically-Informed ideas for the Mendelssohn and other general points on section playing, tuning and intonation.
After a short break, the second half of the rehearsal saw the full Wind, Brass and Percussion sections (including the Celeste and Piano) and we began playing the Three Cornered Hat by Manuel de Falla - an incredible piece of music. Again, we began with some brief biographical information about the composer and the piece: mentioning the premiere in London (1919) and the fact that the ballet stage and costumes were designed by Pablo Picasso. We worked on various sections of the piece, particularly the final movement, and made the rhythms as dance-like as possible, particularly in the alternating triple and duple bars. It was great to hear what the students of the Junior Guildhall are doing, and I left feeling optimistic after an enjoyable rehearsal.
Russell Gilmour

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Baroque
Baroque Style
BBC Proms
Beethoven
Berlioz
Biber
Brandenburg
Brandenburg Baroque Soloists
Brass Instrument Making
Broadcast
Chronicles
Classical
Concert
Cornetto
Education Outreach
English Slide Trumpet
Engraving
Festival
France
Germany
Gorczycki
Guts and Glory
Göttingen Handel Festival
Handel
Haydn
Historic Royal Palaces
Horn
Instrument
Instrument Making
Interview
Isle of Man
Kuhnau
Le Concert Lorrain
Lecture
Leipzig
Les Talens Lyriques
London
Masterclass
Modern Trumpet
Monteverdi
Mozart
Museum
Music
Natural Trumpet
Natural Trumpet Courses
OAE
OAEducation
Opera
Orchestra of the Eighteenth Century
Oxford
Period Costume
Photography
Poland
Purcell
Radio Broadcast
Recording
Renaisannce
Review
Royal Academy of Music
Royal Society of Musicians
Schelle
Schütz
Shakespeare
Solomon's Knot
Spain
Spiritato!
St. Martin-in-the-Fields
Switzerland
Taverner Consort
Teaching
Telemann
The Section
Tour
Touring
Toyota Classics Tour 2018
Travel
Trumpet
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Venice
Ventless
Vivaldi
Vox Luminis
Wedding
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Wrocław Baroque Orchestra
York
Zelenka
Zugtrompete