11. On the Definition of Aesthetics in Music
In the Fall of 2017 I was returning to Milano and its famous cathedral for the purpose of finding a quiet place where I could gather my thoughts at the conclusi...
Author: David Whitwell
12. What Is Music?
Music is a science of the phenomena of Love in application to harmony and rhythm. Plato (427–347 BC), Symposium, 187b Music does not exist. Sextus Empiric...
13. Where are the Missing Notes?
All performing musicians, and especially conductors, must begin their study by keeping clearly in mind the fact that the score they are looking at is not the ar...
14. Where is the missing Expression?
The great late 19th century composer, Johannes Brahms, was once invited to guest conduct one of his symphonies with the Meiningen Orchestra, one of the finest o...
15. On the Purpose of the Rehearsal
In the academic year 1963–1964, I conducted my very first concert before the public. During the rehearsals for this concert, I followed the only model I had obs...
16. The Whitwell Band Seating Plan for a Natural Sound
My Experience During my career I have performed in far more than one thousand concert halls. I have conducted in some of the best in the world and in some of th...
17. On the Band’s Repertoire
What is Good Music? How can we then determine who is a good composer and what is good music? We must begin by avoiding the pitfalls of language. Because in Engl...
18. What is our Obligation to the Listener?
Consider how different the formal setting that is required for Classical Music is versus Entertainment Music. First of all, we require the listener to sit in a ...
19. Catharsis: The Listener’s Reward
Tragedy, then, is an imitation of an action that is serious, complete, and of a certain magnitude; in language embellished with each kind of artistic ornament, ...
20. On the Music in Heaven
I began my school days in Hutchinson, Kansas. During my first year in school someone told the class how lucky we were to live in Hutchinson, because it is in th...