A Pioneer In Guitar Ensemble Education, Thomas Amoriello

A Pioneer In Guitar Ensemble Education

Thomas Amoriello Fleminton Raritan School District tamoriel@frsd.k12.nj.us

In the May 2015 issue of TEMPO appeared an article entitled, Guitar Education Roundtable: Thoughts on Guitar Ensemble, also reprinted in the Michigan Music Educator, Winter 2016 issue. The purpose of that article was to learn from various guitar ensemble directors from across the United States about what strategies worked in their programs, and valuable information was shared by all involved in the roundtable. Today we will revisit the topic with a focus on one person who created the first guitar chamber orchestra in the USA. Reed Desrosiers, a native of Jaffrey, New Hampshire, did his undergraduate studies in guitar under Otello Mauri, Florence, ltaly, and Bernard Hebb and Herbert Balzer at the Hamburg Conservatory of Music, Hamburg Germany. His graduate studies were done under Bernard Hebb at the Hochschule für gestalltende Kunst und Musik in Bremen, Germany, where, in 1978, he received that institution’s first Kunstlerische Reifediplom - Germany’s highest degree in musical performance - in the performance and pedagogy of classical guitar. Desrosiers joined the music faculty of Keene State College (Keene, NH) in 1974 during his final semester of studies for the BM in Music Education degree, which he received in 1975. In 1978 he became a member of the full-time faculty, and in 1980 was named Artist-in-Residence. He is the founder and conductor of the internationally renowned Classical Guitar Chamber Orchestra of Keene State College. He is director of The Classical Guitar Chamber Orchestra & The Classical Guitar Chamber Orchestra of Keene State College, this was the first guitar orchestra established in the United States. Founded in 1976 by Desrosiers, the Orchestra amassed substantial performance credentials both nationally and internationally. In 1983 the orchestra undertook its first international tour with concerts, radio recordings, masterclasses and TV appearances in Los Angeles, Manila, and Hong Kong. The Orchestra has also appeared frequently on both New Hampshire and Vermont PBS radio. Guest soloists with the Orchestra have included German guitarist Hans Wilhelm Kaufmann, Alice Artzt, and the Newman/Oltman Guitar Duo. The Orchestra performed or conducted clinics at numerous colleges and universities throughout the Northeast and for such organizations as the Guitar Division of the American String Teachers Association, the then Music Educators National Conference, the New Hampshire State Legislature, and New Hampshire and Massachusetts All-State Music Festivals.

Thank you to the 2016 NJMEA Honors Guitar Ensemble conductor, Michael Lemma, who made me aware of and introduced me to his former teacher, Desrosiers, via email. You can learn more about Michael Lemma’s program by checking out the TEMPO, May 2014 article, Guitars, Mandolins & So Much More.

What type of experience or participation did you personally have in participating in a guitar ensemble during your music studies?

In 1969, at the age of 17, I had the absolute, total dumb luck of stumbling into what was, at that time, the most comprehensive guitar education program in the world, at the Hamburg Conserva-

tory of Music, Hamburg, Germany. At a time when the US had a total of 3 schools where you could major in guitar, Hamburg had 4 full-time professors of guitar AND a guitar curriculum that consisted of: 4 semesters of guitar pedagogy; ensemble/orchestra every semester; guitar history for 2 semesters; guitar literature for 4 semesters; 2 semesters of practicum; all semesters performance class; chamber music classes; private lessons; and, last but not least— for those of us who made it through the week—Friday night beer night at a local bar. When in Germany, do as the Germans! And of course, all of our other music subjects. Orchestra was my favorite.

What were some obstacles you faced when you first formed or inherited your Guitar Ensemble at your school?

From a faculty or administration standpoint, I didn’t have any problems. From a reality standpoint, I had a whole program to build—create the kind of numbers and quality that I could go to faculty and upper administration and say “hey, these 30 plus majors don’t need chorus, band, collegium, etc. as their performance group. They need guitar ensemble/orchestra.”

Of course, it didn’t hurt that as many as 40 guitar majors weekly visited the office of our Arts and Humanities Dean asking for orchestra. (He and I were good friends. He would periodically tell me to have my students knock it off. I would tell him I’d be glad to do so when he approved the course and fund the needed instruments. It took about ½ year, but the rest is history.)

What Guitar Ensemble published collections do you like to work from?

My own. The instrumentation of my guitar orchestra editions are Octave I & II, Alto, Guitar I & II and bass guitar. Nobody else writes for those voices, because no-one else has gotten there yet. I have a huge library. Try to find a publisher.

What arrangement or transcription that you or a student did that you are most proud of?

Great question. There have been so many over the years, but hands down Quartet on an Intrada from the 16th Century, for recorder brace, published by Schott. The piece was written by Hans Georg Lotz, my ear training professor at the Hamburg Conservatory and, after we got over the German formal thing, dear friends.

Like I said, the Quartet was written for 4 recorder parts (SATB). Forget about anything you have ever known about recorder music. While very melodic, harmonic, rhythmically accessible, this piece is simply out there. Very percussive—which makes it ideal for guitar orchestra.

Anyway, in 1982 before our first international tour, I asked him if he would mind me transcribing the Quartet for orchestra—from 4 parts to 6, which was a “piece of cake.” He agreed. I did, and we carried it around the world with us, recording it at Radio 1 Hong Kong. A year or so later he heard the recording and simply said, “Why did I waste time writing this for recorders? I just should have written for you.” Dropped me.

Sitting position is not determined by ‘classical, steel string, etc.’ concepts or whatever, but rather by the physical characteristics of any guitar. Now that presumes the most practical, efficient, physically most accessible means of doing so. Without going into the details, left foot up is most appropriate for classical guitars and no foot up for acoustic, although the current trend among those very virtuoso steel string players is using a strap to hold the guitar in a position very similar to the classical way.

Your thoughts on finger-style rest strokes or the use of guitar pick (plectrum) within your groups?

First of all, the most essential ‘sound’ concept is uniformity: either all fingers or all picks. Rest strokes vs. free strokes? You use them all in different musical ways, i.e. it is the music that dictates which you use. Plectrum has the least variety in sound without VERY specialized techniques. Using fingers, especially with fingernails allows you to be as tonally creative as your imagination will take you.

What are some performing opportunity highlights that your groups participated in?

This is again a tough one. How much time do we have? Let’s just say that the Orchestra played all over the world; did numerous TV/Radio broadcasts; played for numerous international guitar conferences; MENC and ASTA; national and regional conferences; programs for companies like AT&T; numerous colleges and universities; All-State Music Festivals in a number of states; as well as our typical local performances, workshops and obligations.

What kind of thought do you put into setting up/seating your students in chairs for the Guitar Ensemble Performance or during rehearsals?

Both always the same. After a few years of experimenting with various seating plans, and having finally solidified our instrumentation, I settled on this configuration. First Row, left to right: Octave guitar I, classical bass guitars, Octaves II. Back row, left to right: Alto guitars (or guitar I), Guitar I (II) and Guitar II (III). There are numerous explanations for this format: blend and balance; clarity of individual voices; ability to easily present authentically various styles of music (Renaissance/Baroque); and how parts relate, etc.

Do you have any special rehearsal techniques or exercises that you would like to share with readers?

This is again an impossible question to answer in this format— just too much info. Again, a separate workshop—with guitars!

If you are aware of any “History of the Guitar Ensemble in the United States” that you are willing to share? I am aware that Mandolin and Guitar Orchestras existed but perhaps one of you is privy to some obscure info.

Yes. This is interesting. First, a very quick background. Mandolin and guitar orchestras were enormously popular in Germany, Austria and Italy during the latter 40 years of the 19th century through about 1930. They have existed, and very seriously so, since then, but not to the point of the 19th century. The major source of literature for mandolin & guitar orchestras in the world is Joachim Trekel, Der Volksmusik Verlag, Hamburg, Germany. Hamburg has just an offthe-wall good orchestra.

Guitar Ensembles/orchestras were an offspring of mandolin & guitar orchestras and the growing popularity of the guitar in the 1960s, although a number of German composers had begun to create a repertoire as far back as the late 1940’s. REALLY good composers. These composers created a rep that from the classical period forward, didn’t exist. The rep expanded from duets to trios to quartets.

While the specialized instruments of the guitar orchestra (octave, alto and 6-string bass guitars) have existed forever, no one ever thought about putting them together in an orchestral format before German Hebert Balzer did in the mid 1960’s. Blazer was a brilliant, gentle giant. His understanding of guitar pedagogy is unmatched by anyone in my career. His hands were bigger than Segovia’s (having shaken both) and, had he so wished, with a handshake, he could have ended any hopes that you would ever have to continue thinking about being a musician.

Herbert Balzer was my mentor. From the day that I entered the Hamburg Conservatory in November 1969, he took me under his wing. Why? To this day, not a clue. I couldn’t speak German, but he used to ramble on and on to me in German. When I finally did understand what he was saying, how should I put this: the KSC Classical Guitar Orchestra. I certainly had to take many more steps forward, especially with writing, but I owe the success of my passion to Herbert Balzer. So do my students.

What direction or positive thought about the future of guitar ensemble do you have that you would like to share?

Wow. Another dissertation. Where to begin. Elementary, middle school, HS, collegiate? In a nut shell—which is hard for me—is that it is actually happening. Every level. The primary problem is the amount of training that most music ed grads get in guitar. The even worse problem is the education that most music ed guitar majors don’t get. These skills aren’t something that just happens from a one semester course. Across the board, it is still very discouraging to view the number of guitar programs nationally that do little to provide their majors with the necessary skills as educators to advance the concept.

Anything else you want to add to benefit the article?

This has been a most interesting retrospect for me given that the last few decades of my life have been about music for flute and guitar. A few things need to be recognized. Not because he was my student, but Mike Lemma needs to be commended for his contributions not only to guitar music ed that he has championed on a state level, but to the whole music education program that he has so successfully led at his school.

For those of you who don’t know Mike, let me offer this up as it says everything about him. When he was checking out colleges for his BM, he called me at Keene State. I had just 2 hours of free time before my next class. 2 ½ hours later, I FINALLY got off the phone with him—and had recruited a major whom I’ll always be proud to say that yes, he was my student.

Thomas Amoriello is currently teaching guitar at Reading Fleming Intermediate School and Hunterdon Academy of Arts in Flemington, NJ. He is a graduate of Rowan University and Shenandoah Conservatory and serves as the Eastern Division Representative on the NAfME Council for Guitar Education. He is the author of the children’s picture book, A Journey to Guitarland with Maestro Armadillo published by Black Rose Writing and available from www.barnessandnoble.com &