[Editor's note: Here is a most interesting discussion of not only an approach to teaching, vibrato but a solid aesthetic viewpoint on sensitive musical performance backed by a fascinating insight into the recent "emergence" of vibrato in bassoon playing in Hungary. I am impressed with the thoroughness of this teacher's research and his obviously sincere investigation into an aspect of our performance which is vital, but which is often avoided in our discussions because of differing views and traditions of approach.]
"In music, during the sounding of a tone, the pitch may not change - the vibrations are regular." So goes the theory. But the glissandi heard from singers, strings and even the wind instruments seem to follow the alteration of the pitch. These small slips are however applied only at the end of a sound produced with unvarying pitch - to make the binding with the succeeding sound more expressive and sensible. The slipping part is not the constituent part of the musical composition. It is the same with the vibrato, which is - although extended perhaps for the complete duration of the sound - in small value so that it does not make the impression of any pitch alteration - an imitation only through very slightly unsure intonation of the actual fluctuations of the human voice in song which respects a multitude of expressions such as they appear in more or less agitation throughout music. This is the practice. Let us start from the aesthetic views of the last decades - of the authors of our country - for studying the grounds of the following principles.
Among the different factors of the bassoon method the use of the vibrato is of rather recent date, but bassoon playing may no longer do without it! It is cultivated all over the world. By us its intense application started only a decade ago. The tendency is most popular among the youth who cultivate it continuously. Any bassoon player who possesses a beautiful bassoon-voice but does not possess any means or possibility of realizing a vibrato technique loses much in expressivity.
Formerly it was taught that the vibrato technique "would come later, by itself." Its eventual appearance, and also the execution, was attributed (simplifying the phenomenon very wrongly) exclusively to the midriff and to starting in this way "by itself." It was greeted with big joy if someone was able to vibrate the sound in any way! Naturally, if this someone had really waited until vibrato appeared "by itself" the vibrato effect never would have appeared at all. This is because the vibrato is a combined phenomenon of breathing technique depending upon the will, which may be learned and after its first appearance can be held under full control and regulation. Its method is built mostly on imitation. Thus it is the task of the teacher to afford a model to be followed, to raise a sound ideal for the pupil to realize. For the pupil with good observation powers and instinctive talent, this may be sufficient. But most of the pupils need a precise method.
The vibrato may be realized only with the combination of the parallel working of lower and higher motions. The production of the air-pushes is similar to imitating the muscular movement achieved in laughing. These are the basic movements. The inspired air will be introduced in the instrument through the reed with the aid of the midriff's pushes in a controlled tempo. But in the meantime we have effected many other little actions.
To make vibrato equal to all possible tempo fluctuations we need a methodical study and work. For example, for a given period we produce two vibrating unities (a unity is a part of a basic tone altered by an increased frequency of vibrations and then restored to its original form), then gradually three, four, five and six, so that we study the groups slowly and repeatedly, starting from the less dense patterns and going to the more dense ones. It requires a patient work of several months and then a polishing of style lasting several years; but everyone is able to appropriate it. At the beginning we do not aspire to great speed; the main principles are relaxed muscles without cramping and the establishment of an even tempo.
It is absolutely necessary to support the sophisticated view that to accomplish the vibrating it is allowable, even necessary, to vibrate the ends of the mouth. This is the essential technical element in the vibrato. But we do not have to or mean to exaggerate. If we use only the midriff, this latter is not able to fully resolve the task. If we do not interfere with the boccal muscles (mouth and lip muscles), the air - pushed with unequal strength - produces deformed sounds which will be higher or lower than the pitch standard - because these pushes (alone) influence the frequency. The disciplined boccal movement continuously fixes the limits of frequency amplitude and rounds off the sound. In the case of forte playing because of producing bigger oscillations; the ends of the mouth drive out more.
Thus this operation becomes great; however, it is the result which is important. Since the lower jaw as an attack-constituent element is in a suspended condition, it moves down, up and out, giving the upper mouth section a parallel resistance in strength and in dynamic.
If we examine the size of this boccal movement, we can state that the vibration of the lips represents a deviation of about 3 1/2 mm. We settle the dynamic so that after the deviation from the basic sound (that is, the accomplishing of one half a vibration unity) the ends of the mouth must return to the holding state which is always necessary to produce the basic sound whether in pianissimo or in fortissimo. It lasts at most some seconds. If we are not controlling with the mouth the deviated sound on its way back may slip under the basic pitch, because there is no restraining movement to fix the optimum limit. In such a case the vibrato will be ugly. Even in a slow tempo the same continuity may cease if the air pressure eventually decreases. It is proven convincingly enough that without the intervention of an auxiliary means these periodically pulsating air waves from so far away and so deep, are not able to create any successful and good contact with the reed, the sound-producing means. The vibrated fundamental pitch always remains the lowest point of the oscillation; consequently the descending period of the vibrato may not go under this fundamental pitch.
It is not superfluous to say, even repeating it more and more, that the vibrato governed only by the midriff is not sufficient to be used consciously and intensely. With this we cannot reach the desired effect, because the vibrato-unities sound unexpressive and dull compared to the fundamental tone. That is why it is absolutely necessary to shape the air pushes, started and interrupted from the midriff, with the aid of eventually narrowing and opening of the double reed. In this way we continuously interrupt the way of the uninhibited air circulation, and in this way the sound becomes more plastic (pliant, Ed.) and delineated. The small compressions of the ends of the mouth realize the ascending period of the vibrato - the release of this pressure effectuates the descending period. These small pressures are to be perceived and used like supplementary attacks compared to producing the fundamental tone. To produce a more acute tone with the same attack, it is necessary to increase the pressure of the lips on the reed. This produces the so-called pitch vibrato.
To explain visually the two functions: the fluctuated sound produced without the intervention of the mouth (ho-ho-ho-ho) is lacking in life and is of uneven length. As we play higher on the bassoon the work will be heavier and more tiring utilizing only the midriff. The acute tones formed in this way become jerky, almost like barking. With the cooperation of the mouth we get (hoy-hoy-hoy-hoy), well-shaped, round, easy-flowing, easy to regulate and entirely uniform vibrant sounds. With this aid, the midriff is unburdened, doesn't get tired - its movement does not become knotty and fatiguing. After some time of practice these connections of movements will function in a harmonious manner and will become automatic; it is only the task of governing the tempo which demands thought. (The vibrato governed only by the larynx and produced by the shaking of the head or the instrument is, of course, no use at all!)
While forming and using vibrato one must be always acquainted with the "general defects" of construction of his particular instrument. One must learn all the possibilities because not every bassoon may be sounded equally beautifully with any reed. If the player is hungry or sleepy, with a tired mouth, in poor physical condition or influenced by stage-fright it is often almost impossible to blow even straight tenuto sounds, let alone to form a beautiful and smooth vibrato.
The characteristic of the vibrato: includes the tasteful alternations of the dynamic and the sound declinations (by that we mean their relations and proportions), and the speed and volume of the movement. The difference between a tasteless and the artistic vibrato appears mostly in the irregularity of the vibrations of the fundamental sound. The average speed of an artistic vibrato has often been measured at about 4 to 5 pushes of the midriff per second (at quarter note = 60 MM); that means the same number of entire vibrating unities (to repeat: 1 unity is a part of the fundamental tone deviated once by increasing the frequency and then restored). Among the vibrato producing factors, the speed is cultivated with the same kind of variety as is the volume. This depends upon the intensity of the midriff's pushes and upon the reactions of the ends of the mouth to these pushes. In the case of smaller pushes the opening and closing (of the lips) is smaller, in the case of intense pushes it is more intense. At the instant of the push we must "hold," and with the decreasing of air pressure immediately after the "holding" we must release the boccal muscles used in this operation. This is repeated globally 4 to 5 times per second. The average amplitude of the artistic vibrato is equal to about a quarter tone to an eighth tone, that means that it remains far within the range of a half tone (pitch). However, we don't sense such a big change because our ears are not able to perceive the entire deviation of the sound in such a short time; consequently we feel only a revalued phenomenon of amplitude. Increasing the dynamic level demands a movement of widening amplitude and decreasing the dynamic level involves a narrowing amplitude.
We fix the speed according to the character of the music. In cases of dramatic structure we will vibrate in increased tempo. In the slow passages where the music is of a calm nature, we will vibrate more slowly. We will even stop the vibrato completely if the musical situation demands it. By the increasing of the inner tension of the vibration, by increasing the speed, or by the full avoidance of vibrato the musical texture may be expressed more effectively. It is at the base of our instinctive and conscious feeling that we decide and choose the most appropriate manners in each case almost like an improvisation. A thin vibrato normally used with a soft sound may completely vanish at an intense dynamic level - it cannot have any importance. Likewise, that which is pleasant in intense passages may sound tasteless in piano - and the contrary may also sometimes be true.
We absolutely must give great attention to the certain little pressures upon the reed opening so that we do not commit tastelessness against the styles and feelings of the various periods of music! But we can make intelligible for the modem listener the works of the past only by using up-to-date expressive devices.
Nowadays we talk much about "warming up" former styles by means of vibrato. However, in the performance of pre-classic works - according to the tradition - it is motivated that we vibrate less. It means that we must cultivate the nobly simple, thin and slow vibrato even in the heavier dynamics. In this way we eliminate the completely straight sounds, but we don't break up the splendid style of the given epoch.
About our aesthetic views: The vibrato is something which the wind-instrument player - recreating the music - joins to the music (having learned to use it effectively and unobjectionably musically). The vibrato's fine vibrations make the sound more valuable - if its movements are bound within an aesthetic system. A fuller sound is produced, much more interesting, with dramatic variety, a relationship to the human voice, a better united intonation and in the final analysis the playing has become much more musical. Although vibrato evokes so many excellent effects in the music there are passages where if an undesirable intensity of vibration occurs, the music is weakened and even the artistic pleasure is spoiled. Too big a deviation may also damage the correctness of tuning in the ensemble. The most correct approach is to apply a large scale of vibrato and with it to follow in parallel the emotional fluctuations of the music. It is so important that the vibrato not become an unconscious habit. Its uniform and unilateral use doesn't produce interest after a short time - it only becomes monotonous.
It will be worthwhile to quote the opinion of Mr. Richard Newton, the retired bassoon teacher of the Royal Academy of Music in London: "The vibrato is to be used so that it derives from the natural warmth of the feelings determined by the musical phrase and not from physical motives independent from those feelings like a technical process with an end in itself."
After this, let us see a short review of the history of bassoon vibrato of Belgian players. This country had for a long time an important role in the perfection of bassoon construction. Leo van de Moortel, professor at the Conservatoire at Brussels, informed us in a letter that he was the first to use vibrato in Belgium. "At the beginning I was exposed to many mockeries and jealousies, but I did not care. However, other colleagues praised me for my sonorous sound. To those who blamed me I answered that the bassoon was mine and I might play on it as I liked. But in its use I did not allow exaggerations but considered that we had to accommodate ourselves to the work which we were playing. It is understood that the vibrato applied in a passionate phrase would not suit for example the Andante of Mozart's Concerto."
It is Mozart himself who pointed out the often-discussed "archaic" voice training of his time in a letter written in 1778 to his father - which is for us a recently discovered fact of historic value: "The human voice vibrates also by itself to a certain extent, and that is beautiful, that is the nature of the voice. It is imitated not only by the wind instruments but also by the strings, even by clavichords. But if it is exaggerated it is not beautiful because it is unnatural. In such cases I have the impression as if the air chamber of an organ is out of order."
The wind instrument vibrato is thus ranged among the expressive musical devices almost 200 years ago by the most competent of the maestros, W. A. Mozart, "because it is beautiful and it is the nature of the voice." Performing his works now, including his concerto for bassoon, we can observe the manifestation of his taste! We cannot avoid a remark here concerning the fact that the principal adversaries of vibrato, creating their straight "germain voice" (sic.) training, did not take into account this possibility of a richer musical expression. We are astonished to hear the monotony of their rigid sound.
The quoted letter of Mozart gives us the right to profess our view that in the domain of sounded vibration we may not draw a marked line between the expressive modes of the different epochs of style. A most exquisite moderation is here always a virtue - both in the music of the past and in the music of the future.
We feel and appreciate that the vibrato does not constitute the kernel of a beautiful sound, only a characteristic ornament. No sparkle on the surface may substitute for a noble and substantial sound, which is the result of the correct lipping and attack of the boccal cavity, also the product of a really good reed and of course no less an excellent instrument. The artist cannot be satisfied with the fact that his instrument gives out the sound of a bassoon! - just the sound of the bassoon with no living music with its thousands of colors, themes and effects! The wind instrument player must be able also to "pour his soul" into the inanimate instrument while blowing into it the air and sublimating the physical qualities of the material to project from it the real life. The increasingly widespread use of the vibrato, among other things, is helping us in this goal.
We know that our ideal sound does not agree with that of the former epochs. Our bassoons, reeds and training are much more perfect. Therefore it is regrettable that the vibrato of the bassoon pupils of our country is so extremely varied from the point of the technique, and consequently also the tasteful appreciation of the density of the air pushes is much different (our respect to those who treat them artistically!), and the use of vibrato also is not in every case even motivated! Not only is there vibrato starting and ending with the midriff alone but there is also a negation of vibrato from some teachers. I don't believe my warning would be inconsistent with the professional and artistic principles of the majority of my colleagues: let the pupils enrich their treasure of expressive devices with a well appropriated vibrato technique. That is what our playing style and the future of our pedagogy demands. It is our common professional interest to deal scrupulously with the recent scientific theories, for (having studied and appropriated them) enabling us to educate multilaterally instructed, independently-thinking and well-formed pupils.
According to my observations and information the Hungarian and foreign bassoon players capable of a beautiful vibrato-enriched tone form their vibrato by following the above outlined methods or similarly aesthetic views. The individual solution to this question of vibrato is one of taste or lack of taste, in the same way as is musical shaping or the demands of beautiful sound quality. It is a secret of the future how long our ideal of sound will last, but we have the impression now that: the conservative straight sound no longer has a right to exist.