The Performing Artist

From Geoffrey Browne: The Art of Cor Anglais

At some time in most people's careers, whatever they do, they take stock of their chosen profession and think to themselves "what on earth am I really doing?" After all the philosophising, for professional players the answer is simple "I am trying to make a living". And then you might ask, "why am I a cor anglais player and not a principal oboist?" The answer to this lies mainly in chance, the opportunities available at the time and the quality of your instruments. To anyone who finds they are the cor anglais player in a symphony orchestra one thing is perfectly plain, that he or she is one of the principal soloists in the company. Likewise, it is also clear to everybody else.

When you are making your living, then the criteria for playing are that firstly it should be of a high standard, and secondly that it should be consistent. Anybody can make a mistake and this is forgivable, but in general, the standard must be consistently high. For this, you need technical ability and confidence. Sometimes life can be turbulent or concert conditions unfavourable, and these factors can undermine one's confidence.

It has been said, back in the nineteenth century, that "perhaps no person can be a poet, nor can even enjoy poetry without a certain unsoundness of mind, if anything which gives so much pleasure ought to be called unsoundness." And it needs to be said that if he is the sort of artist who needs to go down to the South of France and cut his ear before he can create art then such a person will hardly be suitable for a symphony orchestra. A professional musician has to produce exactly what is wanted, precisely when it is required, and often to other people's standards. This can be very stressful. One can wander around "vales of golden daffodils" to the heart's content and dream up all manner of artistic ideas, but when it comes to the concert hall you are a technician, you know how to control your playing and you know what to do if something goes wrong. As of all professionals, more is expected than would be from somebody who just plays the instrument for fun. Try to find different ways of playing tunes, to keep them alive, unexpected, and interesting. Try to avoid formulae for playing music, for a formula in musical interpretation is as painting-by-numbers compared to art. Standardisation is a twentieth century concept, a product of the industrial revolution, and may not be appropriate for earlier pieces.

For the sake of argument one could say there are two types of artist, the creative and the performing artist, but immediately one will discover that all performers are to some extent creators and all creators are to a degree performers.

As a performer, you must concentrate on your breathing. Not just in taking breaths in the right places and in a way that suits the music, but you must learn how to breathe in the few seconds just before you have to play. You should make yourself breathe slowly and regularly, and not very deeply. You should try to breathe in the same way that you would when you are at home and relaxed.

There is a natural tendency to get very excited before a solo and also to be very apprehensive that it may not go well. The most common cause of anxiety is a bad reed or an instrument that won't work properly. So constant maintenance of instrument and reeds is obviously very important. Clean out your octave keys and check your F#/G# link. As for excitement, it is really quite important to keep your heart rate down, especially before very slow solos. You do not need drugs for this, just learn to control your breathing. Breathe not too quickly and not too deeply. You will find your heart rate remains steady and you will retain a good control of your solo.

To be a performer we need: -

1. To know the pieces very well.
2. To be able to cope with unfavourable conditions.
3. To learn to breathe properly not only during a solo, but also just before we play.
4. To have a reliable technique and to be able to produce a variety of styles and sounds in all registers.
5. To have sensitivity to the changing musical environment and the ability to adapt.
6. To draw together the threads of our own perception with those of other people, so that Art is a shared experience.
7. To have a clear idea of what we are trying to achieve artistically.
8. A reliable and accurate reflection of the quality of our work.

Beyond that, success in the way we play is a matter of sheer determination.

Also from the book:
The cor anglais is a solo instrument in its own right and you are more likely to play it well if you specialise.
As a cor anglais player, the only other problem you will have to cope with is ... the envy of those who play other instruments!