Don Rierson received his master of music in opera production and Ph.D. degrees from Florida State University. He studied directing, theatre history and languages in Austria, Italy and Greece and worked on opera/musical theatre and prose theatre productions in the Swiss Romano region. Sometimes as a director, Rierson also was involved with productions by the Florida State Opera, Indianapolis 0pera, Spoleto Festival, College Year in Athens and Ash Lawn Summer Festival. The latter is sponsored by the College of William and Mary. Particularly interested in working with aspiring singer-actors, he has directed opera and musical theatre workshops at the Florida State and Truman State universities and now is coordinator of the Apprentice Program at Ash Lawn. For the American College of Switzerland, Rierson served as chair of International Studies. He also coordinated Fine Arts and Humanities Study Abroad programs for that institution and the universities of New Hampshire and Arizona.
Don Rierson
School of Music
University of Northern Iowa
Cedar Fall, IA 50614
319.273.2024
Don.Rierson@uni.edu
Digital instrument and sequencing software can be used effectively in both operatic and music theater rehearsal processes provided musicians have a thorough knowledge of the software, the computer running it, digital instrumentation, and amplification equipment. Of course, no serious musician would dream of replacing qualified human accompanists; however, in scenarios where experienced accompanists are overly committed or where funds for appropriate musical staff are limited, digital sequencing can provide a satisfying substitute. Moreover, with the increased availability of on-line and commercially prepared MIDI files, quality accompaniments for a wide variety of solo and ensemble literature are available at minimal costs.
In preparing casts for "A Little Night Music," "Suor Angelica," and "The Marriage of Figaro," I have used sequencing software with reasonable success in the rehearsal process. Three very important elements must be in place and under control before the rehearsal process begins: sequencing software installed in a powerful computer and mastered by the accompanist or music director; a Disclavier or keyboard which has 88 weighted keys and believable acoustical piano patches; and powerful and controllable amplification. I have used various sequencing programs, but find Performer particularly user-friendly with PowerMac equipment and Cakewalk expeditious when using IBM computers. In choosing software for accompaniment purposes, it is especially important to select those which allow tempi, rallentandos, and fermati to be programmed using graph functions. I have found Cakewalk to be especially accessible in this regard. Velocity settings can be used to adjust dynamics, but less expensive programs often do not allow much subtlety when dynamics must be adjusted. Novitiates to this field should be forewarned that MIDI sequencing software is extremely unstable. Therefore, to avoid undesirable crashing and freeze-ups, I suggest using at least PowerMac or post-Pentium IBM equipment and whenever possible, using a computer which is dedicated to the sequencing process alone. When working with longer scores, I recommend saving numbers or arias in separate smaller files in clearly labeled folders, keeping them on the desktop for easy access and labeling them carefully. I have found including page or orchestra numbers in the file names to be especially helpful. Reading software manuals meticulously and making "cheat sheets" will save hours of time over the long haul. These cheat sheets might also include telephone numbers of software and instrument help-lines.
Although accessible and user friendly software is vitally important, a versatile and reliable recording instrument is perhaps the most important link in the equipment chain. The accompanist should feel comfortable with the instrument and be totally familiar with its patches, their numbers, how it is connected to the computer and amplification equipment, as well as whether or not it is a General MIDI instrument. Pianists usually prefer recording with Disclaviers or other acoustical pianos with MIDI connectivity; however, when using instruments with built-in disc drives, editing is awkward and a translation process is usually necessary before recordings can be used with other software. I have found the Roland RD-500/600 series to be quite versatile when used as a solo instrument. It is easy to connect, and pianist friendly. A major difficulty with this instrument, however, is that it is not General MIDI and instruction manuals are extremely difficult to decipher. Its acoustical piano patches are convincing enough, but having been originally designed as a jazz band instrument, except for its harpsichord and organ sounds, its other patches are not appropriate for classical work. On the other hand, it may be easily connected to sound palettes or other instruments if traditional orchestral sounds are required. For small Baroque or Mozartean ensembles, I have used the RD-500 and the Roland XP-10 with considerable success.
The third, and equally important link in the equipment chain, is the amplification system. Regardless of how carefully selected the software and digital keyboards may be, the sound of the end product will depend almost totally on the quality of the amplification equipment. The alternatives on the market are too vast to list here, but one should consider the following questions before purchasing anything:
It is important for the novice to remember that MIDI signals are entirely different from audio signals. MIDI signals are computer generated and travel from the PC through an interface and cables to MIDI instruments -- they are controlling signals. MIDI instruments then generate audio signals which can be amplified in a similar fashion to CD or other audio sounds. Audio signals generated by MIDI instruments can be amplified and altered using equalizers, tone, loudness, and volume controls. Alterations to MIDI signals may only be done with software or with special controls on the keyboard.
Speaker quality and size will also affect synthetic sounds to a considerable degree, as will the quality of connecting cables. Never make the mistake of investing in expensive software, computer equipment, and keyboards, only to scrimp on amplification equipment. The quality of sound will only suffer. In my opinion, the two elements which are most likely to yield unsatisfactory results in recording piano music for use in accompaniment scenarios are inflexible software which does not allow subtle tempo and dynamic adjustments, and low wattage or otherwise inferior quality amplification devices or speakers.
Once the computer-digital instrument-amplification system are in place, a powerful and very versatile tool is at your disposal. For accompanying, I have found two methods to yield usable results. The first is to consult with the conductor regarding tempo markings and use either the software's built-in metronome or an external metronome to regulate recording. This is especially important if your software has scoring capabilities, because if tempi are kept consistent in the recording process, the note values will fall correctly within bar lines, even though some later editing may be necessary. The second method is to have the singer or another soloist sing along as the accompaniment is being recorded. This will alleviate the necessity for later tempo editing, but will disallow note values to be scored correctly in most cases.
When considering recording with sequencing equipment, the inevitable question arises, "why is this process any better than conventional audio recording?" My response is that it is much more versatile. By adding an audio recorder to the amplification system, one may record at a variety of tempi. Using the multi-track recording function of the sequencing software, one may record solo lines and accompaniment lines together or separately, muting one or the other at will. I have found this to be a particularly useful tool in helping singers check notes and rhythms. It is also productive to have the singer involved in the recording process. Moreover, in rehearsals, using marking functions available with most software, one may return quickly to specific points in the accompaniment, and continue at faster or slower tempi. Using multi-track recording and woodwind, sting or brass patches, orchestral cues may also be added which might help singers memorize entrances.
Digital equipment may also be used for simulating orchestral accompaniment, but the process is much more laborious and requires even more extensive knowledge of software and keyboards. I have found multi-track sequencers to be effective with one or two keyboards or tone generators in scenarios in which exotic instrumentation or instrumentation which was impractical for a small orchestra was still necessary. For example, the harp or other percussive instruments in Madame Butterfly. I have also used Cakewalk software, Roland's RD-500 and XP-10 to create a believable basso continuo for "Dido and Aeneas." I have tried, but have not been particularly successful in recreating a Mozartean orchestral sound for "The Marriage of Figaro" with the same system. Difficulties arise because each of the instruments in the eighteenth century ensemble require different velocity settings and violins, which are most difficult to reduplicate digitally, require very specific vibrato rate and depth settings. (Limited digital orchestrations are available online at "Aria Database" and "Classical MIDI Archive.")
An effective way to score multi-track accompaniments is to have the accompanist record the piano/vocal version on a "master track." It can then be copy/pasted to other tracks, and the editing function can be used quite effectively to erase unwanted or undesirable material. This is a much more effective way to orchestrate than trying to record each track separately. Instrumental patches, velocity, vibrato and other settings can be assigned in later editing sessions.
In conclusion, sequencing software and digital keyboards can be used effectively in rehearsal scenarios provided the equipment is well chosen and totally under control. The techniques suggested above are certainly useful when rehearsing music theater pieces, but might also be used for rehearsing choreography, art songs, or religious literature. I have found that involving students in the recording process is desirable not only because it allows them to become acquainted and comfortable with the technology, but also because it forces them to be more precise in their musical thinking. Furthermore, orchestration students can benefit significantly from working with the software because they are forced to come to terms with the function of instrumental cueing as well as the importance of accuracy in regard to note values, vibrato rates, and instrumental timbre. Avariety of pre-sequenced material is available online at "The Aria Database," "The Classical MIDI Archive," and other commercial sites. Ironically, digital material is used most effectively as a means of reduplicating and reconfirming musical ideas already established by mature and artful human musicians. Indeed, technology will never be able to replace authentic musical expressions of what are most often the most intimate stirrings of the human heart.
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