Mid-rehearsal is the phase where most of the annotation takes place: circling difficult sections so the group can go over them again, writing in cues, bowing and fingering instructions, dynamics and articulation. When asked about this, why, for example, do musicians expressly not make these notes during their individual rehearsal time, many mentioned that the general purpose of annotations is to ensure reliable performance. As the semi-professional concertmaster put it, “the whole point of making annotations is to ensure consistency. You want everyone to know what everyone else is doing during performance, so you have to do the same thing every time you perform. Annotations help ensure that consistency.” This coordination is particularly tricky in ensemble work (which includes both orchestral and chamber music) because there are a number of people who need to do the same thing at the same time the same way, over and over again.
One of the assumptions that guided this research was that annotations are an attempt on the part of the musician to “get it right” and not make mistakes. This assumption turns out to be partly true, but the desire to “get it right” is not limited to the individual, but also applies to the group as a whole. While annotations do act as “notes to self,” the purpose of the annotations is more coordinative than previously supposed. The idea that annotations exist to support teamwork is borne out in the ensemble annotations themselves. From a group perspective, the most heavily annotated sections of a work were those where all or most of the instruments were playing together, like at the end of a movement. Figure 11 shows an example of different annotations of the same bar across two different musicians, the second violin and violist in the professional chamber group who, in rehearsal were having a difficult time coordinating their actions at this particular bar:
Figure 11. Shostakovich’s String Quartet, #11, Op. 122. “Section” 19. Viola (on left); Second Violin (on right).
The two annotations in figure 11 represent the same moment in time. The viola is cueing the other members of the quartet; the other members of the quartet, particularly the second violin, were awaiting his cue. This transition was a very difficult one. In the observed rehearsal, the musicians went through these two bars seven times before getting it right, and then practiced the transition another five times before moving on to the next phrase.
From an individual perspective, the least annotated sections of a piece were the solo sections, meaning the soloists were unlikely to annotate their own solo, other than to perhaps write the word “solo” at its beginning. “I’m gonna remember that that’s a solo but – and, usually, it’s pretty obvious, but sometimes when you have to come in by yourself and it’s not marked ‘solo,’ you might initially think it was a mistake cause nobody else is playing that note.” (Interview 4). Figure 12 shows an example from the semi-professional cellist’s solo. This solo itself is not annotated; the musician only annotates a “down bow” when the rest of the orchestra joins him.
Figure 12. Professional Orchestra - Cello (Solo)
Annotations are a reflection of a musician’s engagement with a piece of music. Often this engagement represents challenging elements for either the individual or the group. There will sometimes be forty or fifty measures of un-annotated music, and five or ten measures where every element has an annotation. Musicians indicated in the interviews that these heavily annotated sections were indeed the most difficult parts of the piece, although the reasons for difficulty tend to be related to group work rather than to individuals, and these “difficult” sections are not necessarily those sections commonly understood to be the most difficult. For example, Shostakovich’s String Quartet, #11, Op. 122, performed by the professional chamber group, has virtuoso parts for both the first violin and the cello. However, this piece was the least annotated piece for the professional group generally, and both the cello and first violin only lightly annotated the “virtuoso” phrases. When asked about the lack of annotation on difficult solo passages, these two participants mentioned distractions: “well, I’ll need to concentrate during that section, and annotations would be distracting.” (Interview 1 – First Violin). Furthermore, the onus was on them individually to “get it right,” so there was less of a need to annotate. “The virtuoso parts are almost all solos, so I can do my own thing during
those parts. If I want to change the intonation or dynamics – or, well, anything – on different performances, I’m free to do that.” (Interview 1 – Cellist). These statements suggest that annotations in the context of orchestras and quartets have a specifically collaborative or coordinative purpose.
On a related note, when asked whether they would find it interesting to look at the annotated parts of world-famous musicians, the professional chamber musicians responded that it would indeed be interesting, and there are a number of libraries of annotated parts for just such a purpose. The first violinist went on to say that world-class violinists, mostly soloists, probably would not make many annotations, though. “I know on my solo work I hardly have any annotations.” (Interview #1 – First Violin). This study did not specifically include any soloist musicians, but future work should be considered in this area.