Surprised this hasn't already been mentioned, but R.I.P. Gunther Schuller.

RE: Surprised this hasn't already been mentioned, but R.I.P. Gunther Schuller., posted on June 26, 2015 at 19:11:44
learsfool Audiophile Posts: 1001 Joined: August 4, 2008	You reminded me that I meant to post that here the day he died, and forgot. He was a fantastic horn player, conductor, composer, and all around musical advocate. A very nice man as well, I got to meet him once, though did not get to play for him, unfortunately.

RE: Surprised this hasn't already been mentioned, but R.I.P. Gunther Schuller., posted on June 26, 2015 at 19:59:02

Chris from Lafayette
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I saw this news earlier too. Although I've never been a conductor myself, I consider this book absolutely essential reading for any would-be musician:

Whether one agrees with Schuller or not, he states clearly and convincingly what ought to be considered in presenting a musical work (whether you're a conductor or not) and how far from the ideal most musicians - even the very famous ones (or, especially the very famous ones!) - fall. It's an eye- and ear-opener for sure.

I worked with him playing a series of concerts at Smithsonian. , posted on June 26, 2015 at 21:17:58

Rick W

He found old recordings/films and transcribed some great old Duke Ellington music which had been "lost" for a long time. I played baritone in a damn good band assembled for the project out of NYC. In most respects it was very enjoyable, and the band - which included guys like Jimmy Knepper, Norris Turney, Sal Nistico, Jimmy Maxwell, Tom Harrell, Bob Wilbur, Mike Abene etc. - did our best to replicate the sound of Duke's band in the 20's/30's.

But Gunther not only transcribed the parts, he also transcribed the original solos, which we were required to play note for note. Some of us felt that was, ah, a bit too much of a historical/academic approach - not to mention the degree of difficulty :-)

Anyway, Gunther was a nice guy, well meaning, and obviously a damn fine musician. Ditto for his sons, Ed and George BTW.

Ditto to both of you., posted on June 27, 2015 at 07:22:46
rbolaw	And Schuller was one contemporary composer who wrote wind music that was not only outstanding and fun, but also relatively easy to play, even by the likes of me, especially his jazzy Suite for Woodwind Quintet. Too many other composers have followed the lead of Pierre Boulez and only write wind music that is insanely difficult to play.

RE: Surprised this hasn't already been mentioned, but R.I.P. Gunther Schuller., posted on June 27, 2015 at 19:07:02
learsfool Audiophile Posts: 1001 Joined: August 4, 2008	You know Chris, I have never actually read that book, and have always meant to. Thanks for reminding me of it. I need to check that out.

RE: Surprised this hasn't already been mentioned, but R.I.P. Gunther Schuller., posted on June 28, 2015 at 06:31:01
vinyl phanatic Audiophile Posts: 1596 Location: Washington DC Joined: May 22, 2006	It's been a long time since I read this, but the one thing that sticks with me is from the opening of the book, where he states (paraphrasing from memory here) that the effect that a conductor has on a performance is wildly overrated by the audience and wildly underrated by the musicians, with the truth being somewhere in between. I think that pretty much nails it.

Very sorry to hear this, posted on June 28, 2015 at 06:37:50
vinyl phanatic Audiophile Posts: 1596 Location: Washington DC Joined: May 22, 2006	About 25 years ago, I spent an enjoyable day working with him in the studio, editing a recording of a new work of his. He was a perfectionist, to be sure, but he could not have been more pleasant to work with. R.I.P.

RE: Surprised this hasn't already been mentioned, but R.I.P. Gunther Schuller., posted on June 28, 2015 at 22:43:54

learsfool
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That is indeed an interesting observation. As I said, I have not read it, but I would offer this guess at what he means - the conductor always has a big psychological effect on the musicians, that often we just don't think about consciously while we are playing It must also be said that this influence he speaks of can be, and often is, negative rather than positive. Some conductors simply do more harm than good, much like the coach of a sports team, or the director of a play. The really great, and the really awful conductors are the ones that have the most influence.

That said, it is most definitely true that the audience members, including audiophiles listening to their favorite recordings, vastly overrate the conductor's influence. Some conductors much more than others, of course. One must also remember that quite a large number of the conductor's gestures are often more for the audience's benefit than the orchestra's. This is one big reason why their influence is overrated.

I really need to find a copy of that book and check it out.

RE: Surprised this hasn't already been mentioned, but R.I.P. Gunther Schuller., posted on June 29, 2015 at 06:03:02
fantja Audiophile Posts: 15518 Location: Alabama Joined: September 11, 2010	R.I.P.

Music Lane

Surprised this hasn't already been mentioned, but R.I.P. Gunther Schuller.

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