by Chi-chi Nwanoku
This article was originally featured in the October 2014 edition of Libretto, ABRSM’s magazine.
Amongst a zillion happy childhood memories one of my favourites was bedtime stories from my mum or dad. My brothers and sisters and I would be bursting with excitement waiting to hear them, and it was probably the only time in the day when all five of us children were pin-drop silent, all at the same time! These stories were especially thrilling – they were spontaneous and made up – because my parents had both come from societies with strong storytelling traditions.
Depending on whether we had been mischievous during the day or done really well at school, mum’s stories, in particular, always incorporated something special from what had happened that day. We would hang off every word waiting to recognise which of us she might be referring to. Although she never used any of our names, we liked to imagine being the hero or the villain – and usually recognised who she was referring to.
An unfolding story
The idea of storytelling is something that has followed me into music, in the way I feel and experience it. From the outset I was always fascinated by the relationship between notes – the interval distance from one note to another and the way the sound and feeling changes when two different notes are played simultaneously. It is harmony that really captivates me and was the hook for drawing me further and further into the wonderful discoveries and sound world of music.
Every different melodic progression or harmonic arrangement is like a story unfolding. I love how the mood of the music and my feelings are so affected by the rhythms and harmonies, and how there are endless stories within them to be told.
Sometimes there may be a title that immediately sets the scene. When there isn’t I try to imagine the story in the composer’s mind as they were writing the piece and by really listening ‘in between’ the notes and the harmonies I can get a sense of the adventure the music takes me on.
Creating a sense of occasion
It’s amazing to imagine the sheer number of people playing the same piece, especially during exam time, so as performers we must try to find the confidence to put our own interpretation and personality into a performance. The music deserves it, and should not just be a series of notes! Listeners – including examiners – will always feel the sense of occasion if we are truly able to express something of ourselves in our performance.
Finding the characters in a piece
I might imagine characters representing certain lines in the music, even giving them names sometimes. I find it’s always helpful when I remember that the notes on the page are merely the guidelines to the music. A kind of melodic satnav I suppose! Then once I have thoroughly familiarised myself with all the notes and characters in the piece, I can really start to ‘play’ it – imagining and telling the story. Doing this usually makes me much more engaged with the music, and helps me to make it my own.
Either my childhood imagination was encouraged to be vivid, or perhaps it was because some of the stories were so vivid that my imagination was stimulated by them! Whichever way, these early experiences have been central in bringing that communicative dimension into performances of any piece I play, whether it is a solo, chamber or orchestral work. And in turn, the joy and thrill of performing a piece of music is made all the more satisfying when the audience can share and sense my commitment and enjoyment too!
This article was originally featured in the October 2014 edition of Libretto, ABRSM’s magazine.
Richard Davis is a conductor, flute player and author of Becoming an Orchestral Musician: a Guide for Aspiring Professionals. He is Senior Flute Tutor at the Royal Northern College of Music and a coach for the National Youth Orchestra of Great Britain.
Chi-chi Nwanoku is Principal Double Bassist and founder member of the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment and Endymion Ensemble. She is a Professor at the Royal Academy of Music and also works as a broadcaster. In 2001, Chi-chi was awarded an MBE for services to music.