Valle-Rasmus Roots defens his doctoral thesis on 2 June at 15:00 room A-402 for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy (Music):

„Choosing a Conducting Pattern Amid a Plurality of Possible Patterns“

Supervisor: Prof. Dr. Toomas Siitan

Oponent: Tarmo Johannes, PhD (Music)

The doctoral thesis is available HERE and in print in the EAMT library.

Fragment form the Summary:

This thesis constitutes the written component of a practice-based doctoral project investigating the choice of conducting patterns in orchestral conducting. The study focuses primarily on works that can be conducted using more than one viable pattern, especially where different interpretative priorities support different choices. The study also addresses situations in which the plurality of possible conducting patterns does not arise from conflicting artistic values alone, but from other factors such as the presence of a soloist or alternating and irregular time signatures.
The central research question is: how should a conductor choose a conducting pattern when several patterns are both possible and musically justified?
In the second chapter of my doctoral thesis, I provided an overview of the history of the conducting profession and technique, as well as some of the most important theoretical positions on conducting. I then compiled a register of the conductor’s tasks and, drawing on both my own artistic experience and the conducting literature, identified four typical situations in which a conductor must choose between several possible conducting patterns. The aim of the analytical part of the thesis was to develop strategies for choosing a conducting pattern in these situations.
Because the selection of a conducting pattern under conditions of multiple viable options has not been systematically addressed in the conducting literature, the study draws more broadly on writings on conducting technique. An important part of the theoretical background of this work was formed by Raymond Holden’s article “The Technique of Conducting,” Elizabeth A. H. Green’s book “The Modern Conductor,” and Ilja Musin’s monograph “The Language of Conducting Gestures.” Alan J. Gumm’s article “Six Functions of Conducting” was a great help in mapping the conductor’s tasks.
The primary source materials included my reflective diary, the scores of the analysed works, and video recordings available on YouTube. The methodology combines self-reflexive analysis, case study, comparative video analysis, and structured as well as semi-structured interviews. Particularly important were the video analyses, which made it possible to compare the conducting decisions of established conductors, and the interviews with orchestral musicians who had performed under my direction.