A GUIDE TO INFORMATION SOURCES ON THE SUBJECT OF MULTIPLE WOODWIND PERFORMANCE AND PEDAGOGY

Bryan Canonigo

MUSC 6115: Bibliography

December 8, 2015

Columbus State University

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The subject of multiple woodwind performance or “doubling” is an important

aspect of being a modern saxophonist or woodwind player. Multiple woodwind players

are expected to be able to play all of the single reed, double reed and flute families. This

includes proficiency in all of the saxophones, oboe, bassoon, flute and clarinet as well as

the other related instruments in each of the woodwind families such as the piccolo, bass

clarinet, and contra bassoon. This is the standard today as a professional multiple

woodwind player. Locating sources on the subject of multiple woodwind pedagogy can

be challenging, as it is a relatively new field of study. One can find a vast number of

sources on each of the individual instruments regarding teaching methods and

performance practices but there are few sources that refer to the integration, combination,

creation and application of an approach that encompasses all of these methods. This

guide aims to address resources on information about histories, performance practices,

systems and pedagogy of various woodwind instruments. Perhaps these resources could

aid in the creation and application of a universal method for multiple woodwind

performers and teachers alike.

Library Catalogs

Library catalogs provide bibliographic information about materials physically

owned by a library. One of the key aspects of library catalogs is, as Laurie Sampsel

points out, it is a “gateway(s) to a wealth of electronic information, including online

reference tools, e-books, digital audio libraries, and online scores.”1 Like many university

1LaurieJ.Sampsel,MusicResearch:AHandbook,2nded.(NewYork:OxfordUniversityPress,2013),36.

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library catalogs, Columbus State’s GIL-Find2 has a few search options such as a basic

and advanced search. For a specific topic such as woodwind pedagogy, it is best to start

right away on the advanced search feature. In the advanced search feature, the user is

provided with multiple search boxes and by putting in the terms “clarinet”, “flute”,

“saxophone”, and “woodwinds”, as well as limiting the call numbers to “music”, the

search gets narrowed down and the results are much less and more manageable. This

particular search yielded six results and all pertain to woodwind literature that includes

flute, clarinet and saxophone. There is also a “suggested topics” bar at the top of the

search results to narrow it down even further. By clicking the topic “instruction and

study”, the user is brought to a collection of articles entitled Woodwind Anthology: A

compendium of woodwind articles from the Instrumentalist.3

This anthology is a very useful and important resource in the field of woodwind

pedagogy. It is a great and abundant collection of articles dating back as far as 1946

published by the Instrumentalist Magazine, which is a monthly magazine for music

educators that focuses on publications for school band and orchestra. This two-volume

collection is a must-have for anyone researching woodwind pedagogy due to its in-depth

coverage of flute, clarinet, oboe, bassoon, recorder and saxophone articles. Topics

include everything from tone production, fingering techniques, intonation, vibrato,

articulation, embouchure, breathing, and performance practices, to specific instrument

issues such as flute footjoints, oboe and bassoon reed making, reed knives and other

2 Columbus State University Libraries, “Advanced Search.” GIL-Find. http://gilfind.columbusstate.edu/vufind/Search/Advanced. 3 The Instrumentalist, Woodwind Anthology: A Compendium of Woodwind Articles from The Instrumentalist (Evanston, Illinois: The Instrumentalist Company, 1983).

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tools, mouthpieces, clarinet barrels, and saxophone necks. Another invaluable feature of

this collection is the index as it is laid out with organizational headings such as “Teaching

Techniques”, “Care and Repair”, and “Origin, Development, and Advancement” just to

name a few. Finally, the anthology also includes a biography of each author and their

status at the publication dates of their respective article(s).

Another great library catalog to browse is The Library of Congress catalog, which

is on of the largest libraries in the world with over 147 million items.4 Doing a similar

advanced search of the same terms as before (flute, clarinet, saxophone, woodwinds)

yielded 81 results when limited to “All Text (Books, Periodicals, etc.)” in the “Types of

Material” limiter.5 An informative woodwind pedagogy book comes up written by

Frederick W. Westphal entitled Guide to Teaching Woodwinds, Fifth Ed. In the preface

Westphal writes, “At a time when teacher education programs may allow only a

minimum amount of time for the specialized study of instrumental teaching, a text that

not only provides the basics but includes essential details for future reference is essential.

This text attempts to meet this need.”6 This instructional text lays out the basics of

woodwind playing and points out essential details such as mouthpieces, reeds, instrument

assembly and basic sound production. Westphal’s book does not go beyond its

rudimentary coverage of each woodwind instrument and it definitely seems to be geared

towards beginning band teachers and music teachers alike. Nonetheless, it is a good

4 Sampsel, Music Research: A Handbook, p. 47. 5 Library of Congress, Library of Congress Online Catalog (Washington, DC: Library of Congress). http://catalog.loc.gov 6 Frederick W. Westphal, Guide to Teaching Woodwinds, 5th ed. (Dubuque, IA: Wm C. Brown Publishers, 1990), vii.

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resource to have on the bookshelf for teaching beginning students on the rudiments of the

various woodwind instruments.

Professional Association Websites

For anyone specializing in a field, professional association websites are a great

resource for specific and current information. For woodwind players, there are a number

professional association websites that not only contain links to other great resources but

they are also great places to get connected with other woodwind artists, performers, and

educators. Acquiring membership access to these associations are also a must for any

professional interested in woodwind pedagogy and performance. Membership benefit

s may include things like free admission to conferences, access to discussions,

master classes and lectures, and a subscription to the associations’ journals and

newsletters.

The International Clarinet Association, National Flute Association, and the North

American Saxophone Alliance (NASA) are excellent places to start when looking for

pedagogical and/or performance practice ideas about the flute, clarinet or saxophone.

Browsing the websites is straightforward and all of their mission statements are very

clear. The International Clarinet Association states that they “…foster(s) the

composition, publication, recording, and distribution of music for the clarinet;

encourage(s) the research and manufacture of a more definitive clarinet; avoids

commercialism in any form while encouraging communication and cooperation among

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clarinetists and the music industry”7 while the National Flute Association writes, “…to

encourage a higher standard of artistic excellence for the flute, its performers, and its

literature, members include leading soloists, orchestral players, jazz and world music

performers, teachers, adult amateurs, and students of all ages.”8 The North American

Saxophone Alliance states, “In addition to the Alliance's emphasis on disseminating

information concerning the saxophone, the organization also works to provide

opportunities for its members to make music, fostering fellowship among saxophone

enthusiasts of all ages and backgrounds.”9 The similarities in their mission statements

definitely suggest that further research and membership access to these organizations

would be beneficial for any researcher of woodwind pedagogy and performance

practices.

Another great feature of these websites is their directory list of staff, committee

members and coordinators. Most of the staff and committee members of these

organizations are highly regarded university professors, performance artists, and other

pedagogues. Again, these contact lists are invaluable for any researcher looking to get in

touch with professionals in the field of woodwinds.

7 International Clarinet Association, “Mission Statement”, Lynn Fryer: Executive Director, 2015, accessed November 30, 2015, http://www.clarinet.org/missionStatement.asp. 8 National Flute Association, “The Organization”, Kelly Jocius: Executive Director, 2015, accessed November 30, 2015, http://www.nfaonline.org/The-Organization/. 9 North American Saxophone Alliance, “About NASA”, Jennifer Blackwell: Saxophone Symposium Editor, 2015, accessed November 30, 2015, http://www.saxophonealliance.org/about.asp.

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Indexes to Musical Dissertations and Theses

When researching a specific topic such as multiple woodwind performance and

pedagogy, looking at doctoral dissertations and master’s theses are key to finding specific

information. As Sampsel points out, “…they focus on a narrow topic yet cover it in a

detailed, comprehensive manner.”10 Other advantages of dissertations are the currency of

their content and the wealth of resources located in their bibliographies. This is quite

possibly one of the best resources for multiple woodwind performance due to the current

interest in the topic. The Networked Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations

(NDLTD) is a free website that is “dedicated to promoting the adoption, creation, use,

dissemination, and preservation of electronic theses and dissertations (ETDs).”11 This

website has a list of links to databases that give users open access to full text ETDs

without the requirement of membership or fees. Some of these databases include, Open

Access Theses and Dissertations (OATD), Theses Canada – Library and Archives of

Canada, and ProQuest Dissertations and Theses Open Access (PQDT Open). The URL

links to these databases can be accessed by users through the NDLTD website but they

are also included in the bibliography at the end of this guide.

There are quite a few doctoral dissertations written specifically about multiple

woodwind performance and one of them is from Dr. Brian Eugene Levels entitled,

“Breaking the Doubler Barrier: Using Sy Brandon’s Divertissment To Demonstrate A

Practical Approach To Performing Multiple Woodwind Works”.12 A quick search of the

10Sampsel,MusicResearch:AHandbook,p.70.11NetworkedDigitalLibraryofThesesandDissertations,“Missions,Goals,andHistory”,NDLTD,2015,accessedNovember30,2015,http://www.ndltd.org/about.

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terms “multiple woodwind performance” in the OATD database will bring up this current

and important study. Dr. Levels’ dissertation is tailored specifically for multiple

woodwind specialists and it is written and laid out in the manner of a textbook. He uses

Brandon’s Divertissment as a jumping-off point but Levels includes his own exercises of

playing and switching to the different woodwinds, as well as assessments of specific

problems and solutions to multiple woodwind performance. These types of exercises are

rarely found in any other texts. His bibliography and recommended lists of books are

also very useful on the topic as it includes many important and current texts for flute,

clarinet, oboe, bassoon, and saxophone. This 168-page dissertation is an excellent

example of a current and modern approach to multiple woodwind pedagogy and

performance.

Bibliographies of Music and Music Literature

For woodwind performers, selective music literature bibliographies or repertory

guides are a great source for locating works for a specific instrument or genre. These

repertory guides usually list music that is currently in print and some even go as far as

listing the publisher’s contact information and location. Also, some of these guides may

include annotations about the composer or the work itself. One example of a resourceful

repertory guide for the genre of classical saxophone is Jean-Marie Londeix’s A

Comprehensive Guide to the Saxophone Repertoire.13 This is a comprehensive

12BrianEugeneLevels,“BreakingtheDoublerBarrier:UsingSyBrandon’sDivertissementtoDemonstrateaPracticalApproachtoPerformingMultipleWoodwindWorks”(DMAdiss.,UniversityofNorthTexas,December2014),http://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc699910/.

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bibliographical index of music for the genre of classical saxophone. It includes more than

18,000 works for saxophone from 1844-2003, and is cross-indexed by composer and

instrumentation. Each entry includes the title, duration, year of composition, publisher,

arranger, dedicatee, movement titles, and composer information. Appendices include

addresses of publishers and composers. This is a useful resource for woodwind

performers and pedagogues as the genre of classical saxophone has become more

prominent in many universities and colleges as well as becoming part of the standard skill

set of any modern performer on the saxophone.

Periodical Indexes for Music

The great thing about periodicals is the specificity of their content. Music

journals and magazines are helpful resources when it comes to multiple woodwind

pedagogy and performance. As mentioned earlier in this guide, a magazine like The

Instrumentalist is a good starting point for research on this topic. The Music Index14 is a

database that contains highly relevant articles from magazines and journals and they

usually represent current information. A basic search of “woodwind doubling” yields 20

results. Some of the results have full-text access and some are just bibliographic entries

but nonetheless, the results are incredibly useful and relevant to the topic. Another useful

database for periodicals is JSTOR15, which stands for Journal Storage Project. Users can

13Jean-MarieLondeix,BruceRonkined.,AComprehensiveGuidetotheSaxophoneRepertoire(CherryHill,NJ:Roncorp,2003).14MusicIndex(SterlingHeights,MI:HarmonieParkPress,1949-2010;Ipswich,MA:EBSCO,2010)http://www.ebscohost.com.15JSTOR,MusicCollection(NewYork:JSTOR,2003-)http://jstor.org.

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access over 1000 scholarly journals and there are quite a few music related ones. The

highlight of JSTOR is the access to full-text articles. Again, a search of “woodwind

doubling” brings up some very helpful results. Some of the significant articles from

various magazines and periodicals on woodwind doubling that were found are included in

the bibliography section at the end of this guide.

Music Iconographies

Most researchers too often overlook learning about the physical aspects of

woodwind instruments. In order gain a better understanding of performance practices

and techniques, woodwind players need to understand the history and the evolution of

their instruments and this is where iconographies would be of help. Photos and images of

old flutes, early clarinets, ancient double reed instruments, as well as early saxophones

could perhaps benefit woodwind players and pedagogues into seeing the commonalities

between the instruments along with the differences. These sources could also help in

finding solutions to ergonomic issues with the more modern instruments. There are a few

museum websites that have excellent collections of musical instrument iconographies but

one of the most resourceful is Musical Instrument Museums Online (MIMO).16 The

website is easy to navigate through and there is a search bar along with an “instrumental

families” tab that clearly lists families of flutes, oboes, clarinets, and saxophones. Each

image on the website lists which museum owns the instrument, the inventory number,

and sometimes the approximate date of construction. These images are helpful in

16MIMO,(Paris,France:PhilharmoniedeParis,2009)http://www.mimo-international.com/MIMO/accueil-ermes.aspx

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learning about the changes made to an instrument over time and could aid in correcting

performance practices across the different woodwind instruments.

Conclusion

Multiple woodwind performance is quickly becoming the standard for most

woodwind players and performers due to a lot of composers and arrangers writing for

smaller instrumentation configurations. Economically speaking, the demands for

multiple woodwind specialists on Broadway, musicals and other traveling shows are also

increasing. Many colleges and universities now offer performance degrees in the

specialty of multiple woodwinds. It is truly a developing art form as many new and

current resources are becoming readily available and more is being written about the

legitimacy of its practices and pedagogy.

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Bibliography

Columbus State University Libraries. “Advanced Search.” GIL-Find. http://gilfind.columbusstate.edu/vufind/Search/Advanced.

The Instrumentalist, Woodwind Anthology: A Compendium of Woodwind Articles from The Instrumentalist. 2 vols. Evanston, Illinois: The Instrumentalist Company, 1983.

International Clarinet Association. “Mission Statement.” Lynn Fryer: Executive Director.

2015. Accessed November 30, 2015. http://www.clarinet.org/missionStatement.asp.

Joffe, Edward. “Woodwind Doubling: A Historical Survey and Examination of

Performance Problems and Practices Between Saxophones, Clarinets, and Flutes.” DMA diss., City University of New York, 2006.

JSTOR. Music Collection. New York: JSTOR, 2003-. http://jstor.org. Levels, Brian Eugene. “Breaking the Doubler Barrier: Using Sy Brandon’s

Divertissement to Demonstrate a Practical Approach to Performing Multiple Woodwind Works.” DMA diss., University of North Texas, December 2014. http://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc699910/.

Library of Congress. Library of Congress Online Catalog. Washington, DC: Library of

Congress. http://catalog.loc.gov. Londeix, Jean-Marie. Bruce Ronkin, ed. A Comprehensive Guide to the Saxophone

Repertoire. Cherry Hill, NJ: Roncorp, 2003. McLaughlin, Dennis Brian. “An Investigation of Performance Problems Confronted by

Multiple Woodwind Specialists.” Ed.D. diss., Columbia University Teachers College, 1985.

MIMO.Paris,France:PhilharmoniedeParis,2009.

http://www.mimo-international.com/MIMO/accueil-ermes.aspx MusicIndex.SterlingHeights,MI:HarmonieParkPress,1949-2010;Ipswich,MA:

EBSCO,2010.http://www.ebscohost.com. National Flute Association. “The Organization.” Kelly Jocius: Executive Director. 2015.

Accessed November 30, 2015. http://www.nfaonline.org/The-Organization/.

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Networked Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations. “Missions, Goals, and History.”

NDLTD. 2015. Accessed November 30, 2015. http://www.ndltd.org/about. North American Saxophone Alliance. “About NASA.” Jennifer Blackwell: Saxophone

Symposium Editor. 2015. Accessed November 30, 2015. http://www.saxophonealliance.org/about.asp.

Open Access Theses and Dissertations. Winston-Salem, NC, 2015. http://oatd.org. ProQuest Dissertations & Theses Open (PQDT Open). Ann Arbor, MI: ProQuest, 2005. http://pqdtopen.proquest.com/search.html. Sampsel, Laurie J. Music Research: A Handbook. 2nd ed. New York: Oxford University

Press, 2013. Theses Canada. Gatineau, Quebec: Library and Archives Canada, 2015.

http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/thesescanada/. Westphal, Frederick W. Guide to Teaching Woodwinds. 5th ed. Dubuque, Iowa: Wm C.

Brown Publishers, 1990.