Articulation

This is the pronunciation of music. What we say is not the only important factor but, perhaps more importantly, how we say it. This applies as much to music as to the spoken word. At the beginning of the chapter on the "Basics of physiology", the dominance of language, or rather the human voice in music was mentioned. Musicians of earlier times valued rhetoric so highly that Monteverdi for example said "...l'oratione sia padrone dell'armonia e non serva." (Speech is the master of the musical sentence and not her slave”), introduction to "Scherzi musicali", Venice 1632.

This attitude correspondingly influenced not only the relationship between text and music in the broad musical expression of a text, but above all the detail. The context of the words themselves are transposed in a concrete and harmonic manner, whereas the rhythm of the words often produces the rhythm of the music.

A great number of the instrumental pieces for the recorder from the many periods under consideration are made up of this language construction. They are songs without words whereby, for example, the early Baroque gestures vary considerably from those of the Romantic. Even if one might be led to regard a work as purely, instrumental, perhaps through, the use of very fast note values, a parallel can be found in vocal music which can be derived from the text. Thus it would appear that, conversely, an instrumental piece is a reduced reflection of language.

e’l  mio bel fo- - - - co.

(From: Guilio Caccini, Le nuove musiche 1602. foco = fuoco = fire)

This close affinity also clarifies why articulation signs are seldom given in historical recorder texts. The ductus of the language is naturally adopted by the instrumentalist. The general instructions for articulation conveyed in the various methods of teaching the recorder are thus never based on one syllable (as is the case with most modern teaching methods) but, in accordance with the language used, offer various combinations (ti-ri, too-roo and ti-ri-li-ri, too-too-roo-too).

Simple tonguing is less frequent than double tonguing.

"One only has to mention "too” and “roo”, the use of which is controlled by the number of quavers. If the numbers are uneven, then the "too-roo" is spoken immediately,.....if they are even "too" is spoken (prononçer! Anm. d. A.) on the first two quavers  and then "roo" alternates with "too". Jacques Martin Hotteterre,Principes de la Flute Traversiere,ou  Flute d’Allemagne, De la Flute a bec, ou Flute douce et Du Haut-bois. Paris 1707 

These examples show that a quite a lot of vowels and consonants were used. It can be seen from Ganassi’s list and his comments that a recorder language was to be developed entirely in accordance with the spoken word, and with just as many nuances.

When one considers in just how many different ways a "d", for example, can be pronounced in one's own language, without even mentioning those that are foreign, it becomes obvious that every remark concerning articulation, in modern as in historical methods, must of necessity be a generalization in the face of such variety. When comparing terms that were used exclusively later on such as "staccato, legato, portato, non legato, etc", it can be established that these are further steps in standardization which the recorder player, as a soloist player of an historical instrument, must never regard as progressive.

It isn't only the historical aspects but also the variety of "recorder languages" which make these teaching methods such a rich well of material from the very first lesson. Children immediately discover that music is a language of sounds, (see literature: Harnoncourt) and acquire an automatic sense for good, i.e. varied articulation. Apart from this, the anxiety about difficult syllables such as tiri, tooroo are avoided. However, the children should not play abstract melodies but always transcribe actual texts into their own "recorder language".

ti    ri    ti    ri    ti    ri    ti    ri    ti

teh reh leh reh teh reh leh reh teh

too  roo  too  roo  too  roo  too      roo

too  too  roo  too  roo  too  roo  too    roo

A good method to free oneself from conventional expressions such as "staccato" etc, whilst playing songs is the following exercise. A gentle well-known song is played (e.g. "Hush a-bye baby") so slowly that the text can be considered syllable for syllable. The pronunciation of the text, i.e. the "translation" of the considered text into syllables for articulation is improved each time until the listener can understand every "word". Then the articulation of the second, third and as many further verses of the song are practiced, with the result that it becomes more expressive. It must however, be absolutely clear just which verse is being sung at which time (according to Ferdinand Conrad). This should be practiced with many songs and later with faster melodies.

- Conversely texts can be designed for easy slow sections of Baroque sonatas. These can then be played as above.

Literature:

Harnoncourt, Nikolaus: Musik als Klangrede, (Residenz Verlag und Deutscher Taschenbuchverlag)

Boeke, Kees: The complete articulator, (Schott, London)

Hauwe, Walter v.:Modern recorder technique, (Schott, London)

Fuzeau, Historical methods