Video 10 – Phrase conducting via the femata

The expressive gestures may be divided into 2 categories:

• active gestures requiring a response from the players (singers), and the passive gestures which ask only for silence, no sound, from the ensemble. The active gestures are accompanied by much impulse of will on the conductor's part

• passive gestures show an apparent lack of this factor, possessing instead a quality that clearly says, 'do not play yet'.

Active gestures

Demanding a response from the players:

• legato - the 'bouncing ball' technique. Smooth, sustained and connected. The hand never stops moving. Conduct with a flowing, curved and largely horizontal gesture that connects the points of beat in the meter pattern. Quite often the beats may merge according to the rhythm you are indicating.

• staccato - flicking water off the end of the baton. The hand flicks then stops momentarily between beats. It is usually light in character and the tip of the baton generally is ‘up’ with little rebound.

• marcato – is also often separated (literally 'marked') and is heavier and louder than staccato. The pattern is larger and on a lower plane, the tip is generally ‘down’ with heaviness and tension. There is usually a feeling of weight and separation depending on the musical context. The look is essentially vertical with little rebound.

• tenuto - the 'very heavy legato' gesture. The style is characterised by the stretching of the beats. Conduct with smoothness, intensity and weight and a slow movement of the hands in between the beat. Notes are unaccented and fully sustained with tension yet slightly detached to accentuate the ‘dragging’ of the pattern in between the beats.

Practise these exercises to develop your range of active gestures

Passive gestures

Neutral or passive gestures - requesting only silence from the players. They are used when the conductor wishes to show the passing of rests (silent beats) or the presence of any single tutti rest.

Setting up the preparatory beat, starting at the beat before the preparatory.

Practise these exercises to develop your ability to switch seamlessly from passive to active gestures and vice versa.