Score Analysis for the Conductor

Instructor – Dr. Peter Jermihov

Founder & Artistic Director of St. Romanos Cappella

A conductor’s competency depends on a broad skill set. An often neglected and bypassed skill is the ability to analyze and prepare a score for performance. This course will expose the aspiring conductor to a method of score preparation that will deepen his/her ability to grasp a composition’s operative principles, enhance his/her connection to the central idea of the work, improve his/her ability to read a score at the piano, and make possible a sensible vision and presentation to the ensemble; it will enable the conductor to develop rehearsal strategies based on concrete musical processes in the score and merge a theoretical understanding with a practical preparation of the score for conducting.

The musical content of the course will include a thorough study of form, texture, non-harmonic tones, style, orchestration, and performance practice. Major texts on analysis, score preparation, and techniques for memorization by Elizabeth Green, Nikolai Malko, Gunther Schuller, Bruno Walter, and other masters will be consulted for reference and reading enhancement.

Students will be assigned repertoire for analysis on a weekly basis and asked to make written graphs and verbal sessions via Skype. At the conclusion of the course, the student will have the necessary skills to prepare a score for conducting, a method of score analysis to utilize and adapt throughout his/her career, and a clear vision of how to present a composition to an ensemble. The course can be repeated to continuously raise the student’s ability to confront more complex scores.

This course offering is unique to the PaTRAM Institute and designed to help raise the level of competency of church musicians.

Prerequisite: Level I Certification in Musicianship

12 weeks – $725

System Requirements:

  • Computer with high-speed internet connection
  • Webcam
  • Computer Microphone
  • Web Browser
  • Printer (recommended)

Materials:

  • Full scores, in the designated editions, of compositions that will be studied during the semester at hand

Course Expectations:

  • Students are expected to prepare assignments from lesson to lesson and to hold weekly lessons with the instructor. Weekly preparation time should amount to a minimum of 3 hours per week