Victor Ewald (Russian: Виктор Владимирович Эвальд, November 27, 1860 – April 16, 1935), was a Russian composer of music, mainly for conical brass instruments.

He was born in Saint Petersburg and died in Leningrad. Ewald was a professor of Civil Engineering in St. Petersburg, and was also the cellist with the Beliaeff Quartet for sixteen years. This was the most influential ensemble in St. Petersburg in the late 19th century, introducing much of the standard quartet literature to Russian concertgoers. He also collected and published Russian folk songs. Ewald’s professional life, like that of many of his musical contemporaries, was in an entirely different field; that of a civil engineer, in which he excelled, being appointed in 1900 as professor and manager of the Faculty of Construction Materials at the Institute of Civil Engineers. An obituary signed by his fellow professors of the I.C.E. makes mention of a profound heritage in the development of materials production for construction resulting from Ewald’s work, and suggests that “…an entire industry for the production of brick and cement manufacturing is beholden to him”. Brass players however are indebted to him for something very different – a series of quintets which have become a staple of the repertoire and which represent almost the only, and certainly the most extended examples of original literature in the Romantic style.

Ewald’s formal musical training began in 1872 when he enrolled at the St Petersburg Conservatory at the age of twelve. Founded in 1861 by Anton Rubenstein, this institution was the first of its kind in Russia and it was here that Ewald received lessons in cornet, piano, horn, cello, harmony and composition.

Ewald’s ‘cello teacher Karl Davidov encouraged him to immerse himself in practical music making of any sort whenever the opportunity arose. For that reason Ewald soon became (and was to remain throughout his life) one of the most active and versatile members of a remarkable circle of dilettante musicians. This group, whilst all being amateur in the strict sense of the word, made, with the influence of a shared interest in indigenous folksong, a significant contribution to the development of a distinctive Russian national musical style which, for the majority of the 19th century had been almost entirely submerged by the Germanic tradition in both teaching and practice.

Amongst this circle was a group who became known as The Mighty Handful, consisting of Mily Balakirev (railroad clerk), Alexander Borodin (chemist), César Cui (soldier and engineer), Modest Mussorgsky (Imperial Guard Officer) and Nicolai Rimsky-Korsakov (navy officer). The musical focal point for Ewald and the Mighty Five, as well as others, was provided by what became known as the ‘Friday Evenings’ – weekly soirées for amateur performers and composers at the house of Mitrofan Petrovich Belaïev (timber merchant), which were initiated in 1888 and continued unbroken until his death in 1904.

Belaïev’s importance in the development of the musical life of Ewald and all the other Friday Evening participants was considerable and went far beyond merely providing a venue for their activities. After the death of his father in 1885, Belaïev set about encouraging the development of new music in a number of practical ways, such as: the founding of a publishing house (Edition M.P. Belaïeff); the promotion of orchestral concerts; and the aforementioned Friday Evenings. It was at these evenings that one of the regular performing ensembles was a string quartet in which Belaïev played the viola and Ewald the ‘cello. As well as providing opportunities for music making, these gatherings allowed Belaïev to audition potential publications and it is almost certain that it was for performance by, and amongst his friends and musical contemporaries, that Ewald’s four quintets were written.

Brass Quintets

For many years Ewald’s four quintets were considered to be the first original pieces composed specifically for an ensemble which is recognisable today as essentially the modern brass quintet – consisting of two treble, valved instruments, one alto, one tenor and one bass. A recent discovery of 12 four-movement brass quintets, thought to have been written in the 1840s (pre-dating Ewald by some 60 years) by the French composer Jean Francois Bellon (1795–1869; violinist and one-time leader of the Paris Opera Orchestra), show that Ewald was not actually the unwitting pioneer he was long thought to be. However, the popularity of his quintets has in no way diminished because of this.

Both Bellon and Ewald wrote music that displayed the increased virtuosity and homogeneity possible as a result of developments in brass instrument design and manufacture in the second half of the 19th century. Inevitably, at such a time of change and invention, there would be some variation in the exact design of instruments in favour from country to country and so the actual constituent parts of Ewald’s quintet would have differed in some ways from those instruments played in Bellon’s quintet and certainly in current times, by such as Canadian Brass.

Photographic evidence from about 1912 shows that Ewald himself played in a brass quintet. It is seen to consist of two piston-valved cornets, rather than the modern choice of trumpets; a rotary-valved alto horn, rather than the French horn; a rotary-valved tenor horn, rather than the trombone; and a rotary-valved tuba (played by Ewald himself). Of these instruments, it is the alto and tenor horns that are most strikingly different from their modern quintet counterparts. There is no documented evidence of exactly for whom Ewald composed his quintets, or the exact instruments on which he envisaged them being performed. Therefore, one can only speculate that, for instance, cornets might have been preferred to trumpets, because of the latter’s association with the more strident demands made of it in symphonic settings, rather than the intimacy of a chamber setting for which the former was perhaps more suited. Similarly, the likely preference of a tenor horn (similar to today’s euphonium and an instrument occasionally transposed as a soloist to the symphony orchestra, as in the first movement of Mahler’s 7th symphony), may have been the result of a wish on Ewald’s part to maintain the virtuosic potential, as well as tonal characteristics throughout his ensemble by sticking entirely to valved, conical-bored instruments. Certainly this suggestion is one that might find favour with modern day trombonists required to rise to the challenge of what can only be described as, at times, unidiomatic writing.

For many years it was wrongly thought that Ewald was the composer of only one quintet, his Op. 5 in B flat minor, because this was the only one published (by Edition Belaïeff in 1912) during his lifetime. The discovery of the other three works was due to the tireless research of André M. Smith, (an eminent musicologist and former bass trombonist at the Metropolitan Opera, New York) who was gifted the manuscripts by Ewald’s son-in-law, Yevgeny Gippius in 1964. A further nine years of investigation was necessary to authenticate the manuscripts, before the pieces were given their first modern performance during the 1974-75 season in a series of concerts by the American Brass Quintet at Carnegie Hall.

A very approximate chronology of the composition of the four quintets runs as follows:

Quintet no. 4 in A flat major (Op. – c. 1888
Quintet no. 1 in B flat minor (Op. 5) – c. 1890
Quintet no. 2 in E flat major (Op. 6) – c. 1905
Quintet no. 3 in D flat major (Op. 7) – c. 1912

The apparent confusion between the numbering and approximate date of composition of the quintets arises from another long-held misconception, also corrected by the studies of Mr. Smith. For some time it was considered that Quintet no. 4 (Op. was merely a transcription by the composer of a string quartet written in the late 1880s and not an original composition for brass. However, Op. 8 was indeed initially written for brass but was considered to be unplayable at the time due to the demands of both technique and stamina made on the performers. Ewald duly reworked the piece for string quartet and it was in this form that it was published as his Op. 1.

Eugene Adolfovich Reich (1878-1946)

Eugene Adolfovich Reich was a prominent figure on the Russian musical scene during the late 19^th century and early 20^th century. He had produced a lot of popular masterpieces and plays for playing trombone in which the value never loses even up to the present times. A man known for his excellence in music and trombone playing was a professor and a teacher in St. Petersburg State Conservatory. Acquainted with his contribution to the music industry with  a twisted taste of German and Russian performance, he was considered to be one of the influential forces that had brought St. Petersburg school of playing trombone into existence.

Eugene Reich started to learn music at an early age. His father was his first teacher who has taught him how to play the violin at the age of 8. As the years have passed, E. Reich and his brother have been fascinated with the clarinet to the extent that they have studied it for 2 years. By the year 1981, he admitted himself at Dresden Conservatory under the class of the Trombone.

Barely a year after he has graduated from the Conservatory E. Reich has moved to Russia at St. Petersburg in 1897. Earlier to that he was already working with Symphonic Orchestra of Dortmund and Westphalia. He has also worked on the same year when he moved to Russia with Galena Saale.

After the following years, Eugene Reich played on the different orchestra in Russia and joined contests. One tournament that he had joined where he performed his song (1 Concerto for Trombone B-dur) using the bass trombone gained the admiration of his performance, the chief conductor of the theater, EF Napravnik.  Playing on Symphony Orchestra of the Zoological Gardens and Italian opera and orchestra Sheremetiev are just a few of E. Reich experiences on the two years that he had on St. Petersburg.

From then on became the turning point creating of the finest theater groups trombones which eventually became famous throughout Europe (AP Volkov -1 trombone, VV Kuznetsov -2 trombone, EA Reich – Bass Trombone and PV Petrov – tuba). Their unique structure and tonal beauty have been the factor of their success. Adding up to that were the famous conductors such as A. Coates, F. Motley, E. Cooper, B. Dranishnikov, A. Pazovsky.

Trombone Quartet under the direction of Reiche (students A. Kozlov, N. Korshanov, I. Polyachkin and others)

While working in theater, Reich has also been involve in a lot of many acts such as working as a concert performer involving major symphony orchestras. He is also accrediting his school for outstanding performers of the trombone. He has also visited his parents twice in Dresden (1903 and 1913), where  he had wrote about his career as a soloist both from Russia and in Germany specifically in Dresden where he had a chance to play as a soloist.

Eugene Reich style of strict academic and a powerful sound of soft metallic timbre found himself to be one of the best known ace soloists. His performances in Russia have been preserved which tend to show how E. Reich appeared to be as a soloist as well as a conductor in St. Petersburg. It also includes his performances on the resorts of Sestroretsk, riga, Perm and Cherepovets. His expertise has gained the respect even to the media. His works on the musical opera “Geisha” and “The Count of Luxembourg” where he was also the conductor referred to as a highly professional job by the press.

“The Theater and the arts”  an article wrote in 1924 paper even praises the works of EA Reich in the lines written “The orchestra managed by Honored Artist of the Mariinsky Theatre EA Reich is known to the public in Cherepovets classical repertoire and exceptional technique of execution”

Distinct talent allowed him to apply his influence in the field of composition. His contribution were mainly composed of two concertos for trombone and orchestra

Trombone:

• (1st B-dur1903, and A-dur1906 city – has the years of publication)
• books of duet for trombone (about 80 studies).

Orchestra:

• Concert Waltz (1908)
• Intermezzo (1909)
• The Game of mosquitoes
• March “Hurrah”
• an operetta (1924) –name not preserved

His composition for the trombone is a rudimentary material of which no trombone player in Russia could play without it. One of his contributions, the second concerto for trombone (B-dur) are performed in many trombone competition in Russia.

At the wind and brass faculty (Leningrad Conservatoire, 1938)

His masterpiece continues to show in the mid -20^th within Russia but not in his homeland Germany. But in recent times Eugene Reich’s works were already on records by the works of German Trombonist Army Rozin and Jurgen Havnel both are from Stuttgart and Berlin respectively.

EA Reich’s brilliancy has reached the vicinity of teaching. In 1906 where he has started teaching on a cadet corps, he has shown a special aspect of creativity. In 1918 Reich transferred from a Cadet Corps instructor to the military Musykantsky courses and then headed a section of military orchestra in St. Petersburg in the year 1920.

As a Professor of trombone EA Reich has a well-deserved reputation among colleagues and students. He has been teaching two colleges of music presently called College of Music.

• Rimsky-Korsakov
• Mussorgsky

In 1933 he was invited to teach at the Leningrad State Conservatory, and in the following years , 1935 was nominated to be a Professor of Trombone by the wind instrument department following the death of Professor P. Volkov where he had worked together in the theatre. The department head had a high respect for the skills of Eugene Reich and this can be read on his recommendation for the promotion of EA Reich.

His reputation as a Teacher of music has been praised as well represented by his best student Eugenia Adolfovich who has played in one of the famous orchestra in Russia. His works as a teacher can be traced on the well creative, balance and precise music that they have brought. One fact that can be seen on his way of teachings is that the teacher does not displease the students; he motivates students to participate and let the content be understood by doing so. Eugene Reich also shares his experiences on the works of classical music by world famous conductors and showed interesting solo space. He is really at home in the classroom. He showed his students his approachableness by accompanying them on piano and being friendly towards them.

In March 1941, a student of his was awarded first prize for a union competition. His student was Josehp Polyatskin.  In this event EA  Reich was invited to be a jury.

Following the months that he has participated in the event came the tragedy that really changes his life—World War II erupted.

His life during the war was recalled by his granddaughter Nina G. Venetsiyanova: “War has been an ordeal for all of us, but Reich was exacerbated by his German ancestry. The news of the outbreak of war found him at his dacha in Sestroretsk.  Eugene Adolfovich desperately clutched at his head and cursed Hitler”

Life was so difficult for EA Reich after the war, penniless and starving he was expelled from the place where he dedicated his music and life –Leningrad. He lives on a remote village in Kyrgyzstan near the city of Tashkent

In his letter after receiving congratulatory telegram for his birthday he wrote:  “We have here a lot of camels and donkeys. Camels are very, very tall and very heavy load were on her back. Donkeys are much smaller and very stupid, but also very strong. ” What is the spirit of man?!

The place where he lives was very remote that even the mirror brought by his wife was to them a great discovery.

An account made by a Trumpeter PI Kobza (later musician SAM Leningrad Philharmonic) says: “Reich was a major growth and powerfully built, and now this man was hungry and needed clothes. It was hard to find a shoe of appropriate size (47-48). But, despite the difficult and sensitive, even the existence, Reich was very picky about the disciples would not allow the lesson unlearned or etudes, strictly sought the right of ownership breath. All appreciated him for his human qualities, musical credibility, knowledge and high culture. ”

When the conservatory was return to its native city which is Leningrad in 1944, EA Reich was denied permission to return to the conservatory but instead continued his work in Tashkent.  His physical and moral aspect was challenged by that event that in 1946 he has succumbed to death after a severe attack of Angina. His remains were buried in Tashkent Cemetery and on his site erected a stone memorial for the great musician.

An excerpt from his letter for petition to return to Leningrad:

“All knowledge and effort I have put their studies with their students and prepared a frame of strong musicians who are part of LGF and all the big theaters in Leningrad and the Union. I have published works and in manuscripts. All of my ability, I dedicate labor only art and music.”

Arthur Pryor

Although his name is no longer well known, Arthur Pryor (1870-1942) was once one of America’s most important musical figures. He was the world’s greatest trombonist, a celebrated conductor, and the composer of some of the most popular tunes of the early 1900s. Additionally, Pryor was a pioneering phonograph recording artist, an educator, and a founding father of several major musical organizations. Indeed, during the height of his career (and many years thereafter), Arthur Pryor’s reputation and influence in the music business rivaled that of even John Philip Sousa’s.

But perhaps Arthur Pryor’s greatest contribution to American music was his work as a composer and unabashed promoter of the emerging ragtime style. Pryor wrote several early syncopated “hits,” arranged or adapted many works of others for band and orchestra performance, and used his prominent position with the Sousa Band–and later his own band and orchestra–as a “bully pulpit” for the dissemination of this exciting new style.

Arthur Willard Pryor was born in St. Joseph, Missouri in September, 1870. Although at that time, “St. Joe” was still a frontier region, from the very beginning of life he was surrounded by music. His father, Samuel, was the town bandmaster, and young Arthur displayed a natural talent for music. As a child he mastered the cornet, alto horn, valve trombone, drums, violin, bass viol, and piano. He also soaked up the exhilarating new rhythms emanating from the African-American sections of town–a new style called “jig piano,” or “rag-time.” Not surprisingly, this section of Missouri was also the point-of-origin for most of the giants of the classic rag style–Charles L. Johnson, Percy Wenrich, James Scott, and of course, Scott Joplin.

But the catalyst for Pryor’s brilliant career arrived rather inauspiciously one day, in the form of a dilapidated slide trombone given to Samuel Pryor as payment on a debt. In 1880s America the valve trombone or tenor horn was a common sight in brass bands, but the slide trombone was an exotic rarity: no one in St. Joe had any idea how to play it. Indeed, since the days of Mozart and Beethoven its use had been confined to the grand realms of the symphony orchestra. There were no symphonic orchestras in Western Missouri (in fact, there were hardly any the entire United States), but out of curiosity, Sam told his son to figure out how to play it. Intrigued, fifteen year old Arthur eventually managed to to play the horn using only the top one-third length of the slide. Five years later, he discovered from a man in a poolroom that he could use the entire length of the slide (encompassing the standard seven positions)–and that, oh yes, the slide had to be oiled too! As a result of his lack of “correct” initial instruction, Pryor had inadvertently developed a completely new technique of slide trombone playing using “alternate positions.” And it was this innovation–combined with ten hours a day of practice–that enabled him to achieve a unimaginable degree of speed and fluidity on this instrument. Soon Pryor was a hit at county fairs, and was hailed far and wide as “the Boy Wonder of Missouri.”

In 1888 Pryor’s skill came to the attention of the great cornet soloist and bandmaster Allessandro Liberati (1847-1927) who engaged Pryor for a midwestern tour. This experience was quickly followed by a similar offer from the legendary Patrick S. Gilmore (1829-1892), known as the “Father of the Concert Band.” This time Pryor declined; he had already accepted a steady position as pianist and music director of the pit-orchestra at the Stanley Opera House in Denver, Colorado. Pryor’s tenure at this vaudeville theater must have given him the opportunity to learn much about conducting, composing, arranging, and basics of showmanship.

But Pryor’s great skill on the slide trombone would not be forgotten. The seasoned bandsmen that had heard him play with Liberatti still talked about the marvels they had witnessed. Pryor’s reputation grew. In August, 1892 he received a telegram from John Philip Sousa, inviting him to join the “March King’s” newly-formed concert band. Pryor accepted the engagement, and arrived in New York City with thirty-five cents in his pocket. At the first rehearsal, the young Missourian dazzled Mr. Sousa and his assembled artists with his astonishing virtuosity. Frank Holton, then Sousa’s first trombonist, immediately offered to resign his position in deference to Pryor’s superior ability. Sousa convinced Holton to stay on, “since this young fellow may just be a flash,” but within a short time Pryor did become the first trombonist in the band (Holton left to start a band instrument factory. His big celebrity endorser?– Arthur Pryor!).

Soon, Mr. Sousa entrusted Pryor with the duties of featured soloist: between 1893 and 1903 he performed over ten thousand trombone solos with the Sousa Band! This vast exposure to audiences and musicians around the world had an enormous effect on the playing style of the slide trombone. No longer could the “slip horn” be considered merely an awkward accompaniment instrument; Pryor’s performances established it as a exciting soloist’s medium, inspiring a generation of young players who strove to imitate him. Certainly, his influence can be seen in the agile trombone parts in post-1900 American music, and his high, singing ballad playing was the stylistic basis for later players like Glenn Miller and Tommy Dorsey.

But the Sousa/Pryor association had other important consequences. In 1895 Pryor was promoted to Assistant Conductor of the band. The “March King” was always ready to cater to his audiences with the latest trends in popular music, and he relied on “that kid from Missouri” to teach the newfangled ragtime rhythms to his musicians (many of whom, incidentally, felt it demeaning to play such music). Sousa himself was not particularly enthralled with this new idiom, thus Arthur Pryor conducted the Sousa Band in performances of some of the earliest instrumental ragtime compositions: selections by Kerry Mills (At A Georgia Campmeeting, Whistling Rufus, etc.), Abe Holzmann (Smoky Mokes, Bunch o’ Blackberries, etc.), and others. The American public went wild–and demanded more. Within a year, Pryor began composing his own pieces featuring the ragged rhythms of his native state. Resulting were the big “cakewalk” successes Southern Hospitality, Razzazza Mazzazza, and A Coon Band Contest. Sousa’s European Tour of 1900 spread the ragtime craze to Britain and the Continent. Never before had an American cultural export commanded such attention around the world. Pryor’s music found favor with the Crowned heads of Europe; even Germany’s notorious Kaiser Wilhelm danced the cakewalk! Although he was an excellent pianist–and familar with “classic” keyboard ragtime–Pryor’s robust compositions were decidedly conceived for band or orchestra rendition. Most feature conspicuous countermelodies or humorous sliding passages for the trombone, as well as other effects not reproducible by a solo pianist.

Pryor was also assigned the job of leading Sousa’s musicians for phonograph recordings. Mr. Sousa hated the phonograph–he coined the term “canned music”–and he refused to participate in the arduous sessions himself. Most of the old 78 r.p.m. records labelled “The Sousa Band” were actually conducted by Arthur Pryor. Sousa thought (and fervently hoped) that mechanical music was but a passing fad. Pryor believed otherwise. He was a sharp business man and, envisioning a vast and profitable new industry, prepared for himself a place within this emerging technology.

In 1903 Pryor resigned from the Sousa Band. His ambition now was to go into business for himself as a composer/bandmaster, and to continue his work as a musical director for the fledgling Victor Talking Machine Company. Pryor’s new concert band flourished; it completed six lucrative coast-to-coast tours (1904-1909), and was booked for numerous important exhibitions, such as the 1904 World’s Fair in St. Louis. But Pryor grew to dislike the hectic pace of touring life, preferring instead to play annual extended engagements at a number of resort areas.

For years the Arthur Pryor Band was a powerful summertime drawing card on the boardwalk in Asbury Park, N.J. (twenty-six seasons), at Philadelphia’s Willow Grove Park (eleven seasons), at the Royal Palm Park in Florida (nine seasons), at Coney Island, and on the Steel Pier in Atlantic City. Many contemporary observers commented that the Pryor organization sounded superior even to Sousa’s–not surprising since Pryor had craftily lured away some of the “March King’s” star players. In the winter months, Pryor occupied himself as a composer and conductor for a number of New York theatrical productions. From late 1918 into the early 1920s he was Musical Director for the famous Capitol Theatre in Manhattan; there, in 1919, he conducted the premiere of a new one-step called Swanee–the first big hit by an rising songwriter named George Gershwin.

Here, the great trombonist, Arthur Pryor, gives an outdoor studio lession at the Ernest Williams Summer Camp.

Pryor’s Concert Band and Orchestra also became heavily involved in recording sessions for the rapidly expanding Victor Company. Pryor had been right–the phonograph was well on its way to becoming a household necessity, and soon most of his time was spent at the Victor studios in Camden, N.J. It is said that Pryor conducted for more recordings than any other man of his era, and the Victor catalogs from 1900s thru the late 1920s confirm that over two-thousand five-hundred (2,500) separate Pryor records were issued, including trombone solos and selections performed by his Band and Orchestra. The repertoire included many marches, novelties, selections from the classics, and an extraordinary amount of syncopated dance music. The Pryor Concert Band music library has been lost since the 1940s, but his collection of dance orchestra scores–recently rediscovered–contains over three-hundred-fifty rags, two-hundred two steps, one-hundred thirty one steps, and some one hundred fifty early foxtrots. Many of these titles were recorded for Victor under the baton of Arthur Pryor.

His Victor Talking Machine Company years were also the most fertile period for Pryor the composer. Of his three-hundred original works, the most famous were created during this time: Heart of America March (1916), Triumph of Old Glory (1907), On Jersey Shore (1904), and the ever popular Whistler and His Dog (1905). Through the medium of the phonograph, Arthur Pryor eventually became so well known (and financially secure) that he no longer needed to give live concerts. This was truly a revolutionary achievement in the history of music: from the commercial standpoint, the phonograph recording had become more important than the live performance!

Arthur Pryor maintained this busy career right up until his retirement in 1933. By then, the saxophone-dominated dance orchestras and jazz combos had edged-out the gentler kind of music that he preferred. And although he championed ragtime, Pryor strongly disliked the improvised jazz that had grown from it. He called jazz the “parasite of music,” and ventured that its popularity would eventually cause the lowering of musical tastes in America. But he was not overly concerned: now an extremely wealthy man, Arthur Pryor relaxed with his wife Maude on their lovely twenty-seven acre farm in West Long Branch, New Jersey. Finally, he had time to enjoy his fried chicken and Pilsner beer, billiard games at the Elks Club, surf fishing, fast convertable automobiles, and visits from young aspiring trombonists. He even ran for public office, and won a seat as a Monmouth County freeholder on a platform to lower taxes. Although he had refrained (since 1918) from playing publicly, Pryor still insisted on practicing his beloved trombone every day–an old habit that was impossible to break.

After the United States’ entry into World War II, and with German submarines sinking Allied shipping within sight of the beach, Pryor was asked to do something to bolster morale on the hard-pressed New Jersey coast. A staunch patriot, he quickly reorganized his concert band, and supervised the construction of a new bandstand on the beach in Asbury Park. Huge crowds attended his first concert on Memorial Day, 1942, and as word spread, subsequent audiences were larger still. It was just like the old days, except that Arthur Pryor was now in his seventies. He had always been a perfectionist on the podium–and prone to fits of angry shouting at less-than-inspired playing. But his body could no longer afford such strain. On June 17th, immediately following a rehearsal, Pryor suffered a severe stroke. Early the next morning, the “Paganini of the trombone” passed into history. His son Arthur Jr. led the Pryor Band that evening, concluding with his father’s last composition We’ll Keep Old Glory Flying.

In the fifty years since his death, Arthur Pryor’s name has slowly faded from the national consciousness. But vestiges of his many contributions remain among us, no small accomplishment for a kid from Missouri with a slide trombone, thirty-five cents, and a dream.

Author : Rick Benjamin.

One way to feel less anxious is to discover and change thinking patterns that put too much pressure on you. Look at the list of cognitive distortions below and pick one or two that you use often, then brainstorm realistic alternative thoughts that you could use instead.

Definition of Cognitive Distortions

Cognitive distortions are logical, but they are not rational. They can create real difficulty with your thinking. See if you are doing any of the ten common distortions that people use. Rate yourself from one to ten with one being low and ten being high. Ask yourself if you can stop using the distortions and think in a different way.

• ALL-OR-NOTHING THINKING: You see things in black-and-white categories. If your performance falls short of perfect, you see your self as a total failure.
• OVERGENERALIZATION: You see a single negative event as a never-ending pattern of defeat.
• MENTAL FILTER: You pick out a single negative detail and dwell on it exclusively so that your vision of all reality becomes darkened, like the drop of ink that discolors the entire beaker of water.
• DISQUALIFYING THE POSITIVE: You reject positive experiences by insisting they “don’t count” for some reason or other. In this way you can maintain a negative belief that is contradicted by your everyday experiences.
• JUMPING TO CONCLUSIONS: You make a negative interpretation even though there are no definite facts that convincingly support your conclusion.MIND READING: You arbitrarily conclude that someone is reacting negatively to you, and you don’t bother to check this out THE FORTUNETELLER ERROR: you can anticipate that things will turn out badly, and you feel convinced that your prediction is an already-established fact.
• MAGNIFICATION (CATASTROPHIZING) OR MINIMIZATION: You exaggerate the important things (such as your goof-up or someone else’s achievement), or you inappropriately shrink things until they appear tiny (your own desirable qualities or other fellow’s imperfections). This is also called the binocular trick.”
• EMOTIONAL REASONING: You assume that your negative emotions necessarily reflect the way things really are: “I feel it, therefore it must be true.”
• SHOULD STATEMENTS: You try to motivate yourself with should and shouldn’t, as if you had to be whipped and punished before you could be expected to do anything. “Musts” and “oughts” are also offenders. The emotional consequences are guilt. When you direct should statements toward others, you feel anger, frustration, and resentment.
• LABELING AND MISLABELING: This is an extreme form of overgeneralization. Instead of describing your error, you attach a negative label to yourself. “I’m a loser.” When someone else’s behavior rubs you the wrong way, you attach a negative label to him” “He’s a Goddamn louse.” Mislabeling involves describing an event with language that is highly colored and emotionally loaded.
• PERSONALIZATION: You see your self as the cause of some negative external event, which in fact you were not primarily responsible for.

Sixteen Prescriptions for Overcoming Performance Anxiety

(Adapted from PERFORMANCE ANXIETY by M. Robin)

1. De-stress yourself, don’t distress yourself.
2. Rehearse a skill, not a symptom.
3. Don’t confuse anxiety with effort.
4. Don’t self-medicate.
5. Concretize don’t awfulize.
6. De-sacredize, don’t idolize.
7. Tolerate, don’t musturbate.
8. Use “why not?” not “why me?”
9. Act “as if”
10. Be a participator, not a self-spectator.
11. Be process-oriented, not product-oriented.
12. Stay in the moment.
13. Rate your behavior not your soul.
14. Accept yourself, warts and all.
15. If you must compare, compare downward as well as upward.
16. Give yourself permission to be.

Four Steps for Managing Performance Anxiety

Step 1: Self-Assessment: Getting to Know Yourself Better, as a person & musician.

• Identify problematic thinking.
• What are your personal motives for performing?
• What are your capabilities and limitations as a performer?
• Ask yourself: “What am I really afraid of?” Worst-case scenario—you run off the stage and everyone laughs hysterically. That’s unlikely, and might give you perspective into the realities of what it is you are really afraid of.
• Try not to confuse self-assessment with self-criticism!

Step 2: Gradual Exposure and Preparation

• Look for opportunities for exposure to mild to moderate levels of stress that challenge but do not overwhelm your coping skills, example: visualization of the performance.
• Other Examples: practice performances, dress rehearsals, taping yourself and playing back.
• Be thoroughly prepared. Nothing replaces adequate time spent in rehearsal and practice.
• Consider how the use of relaxation techniques can help to “harmonize” the body. Meditation, yoga, and/or muscle relaxation can help the body and mind feel uplifted and balanced so you feel excited and prepared, but not overwhelmed. Using these techniques can help you avoid self-medicating with drugs and alcohol.

Step 3: During the Performance

• Rather than blocking out the audience, or seeing them in their underwear, try seeing them as allies who are generally supportive and want you to do well.
• Remember, most performers have to contend with anxiety—it comes with the territory. You’re in good company!
• Feelings of anxiety are natural, and can be used to your advantage.
• Maintain your normal routine when preparing a performance.
• Act calmly, even if you feel nervous. The more you dwell on anxiety, the more you are likely to remain preoccupied with it.
• Try to overlook minor errors when you perform. Overall impressions are more important to the audience than note-perfect performances.
• Consider performing as an opportunity by becoming immersed in the musical experience. For example:
• Get out of yourself and into the audience. Try switching off the left brain’s critical words and switching on the right brain’s passive observation. This may help you escape self-criticism and stay in the moment.
• Enjoy what you’ve accomplished. Others are more likely to enjoy it this way, too.

Step 4: After the Performance

• Temper such external feedback with internal beliefs and expectations you have already established.
• Asking others afterwards, “how did I do” without asking yourself first might be depriving yourself of a significant source of valid information about your performance: YOU.

Performance Anxiety Resources

Books Available in UWEC Library

Notes from the Green Room: Coping with Stress and Anxiety in Musical Performance by P. G. Salmon & R. G. Meyer

Performance Anxiety: Overcoming Your Fear in the Workplace, Social Situations, Interpersonal Communications, and the Performing Arts by Robin W. Mitchell

Controlling Stagefright: Presenting Yourself to Audiences from One to One Thousand by Peter Desberg

Audition Process: Anxiety Management and Coping Strategies by S. E. Dunkel

Stagefright: Its Causes and Cures, with Special Reference to Violin Playing by Kato Havas

Websites

Enjoy Words and Music—Overcome fear of speaking or performance anxiety.
http://enjoywordsandmusic.com

Coping with Performance Anxiety
http://www.engr.unl.edu/eeshop/anxiety.html

Videotape

But I Played It Perfectly in the Practice Room!

Campus Resource

Counseling Services: Old Library Rm. 2122, Phone 836-5521

• Variety of self-help materials related to anxiety and stress.
• Individual counseling by appointment.

If you would like to talk with a counselor about your music performance anxiety, please call to make an appointment at the UWEC Counseling Service 836-5521

Prepared by Robin Abraham, M.A. and Katherine Schneider, Ph.D. May 2001

Performance anxiety—classified as a variant of social anxiety in DSM-IV-TR—is relatively common among adult professional musicians. In the largest study of the subject to date, 16 percent of some 2,000 professional musicians reported that performance anxiety was a serious problem for them.

Performance anxiety among college-age music students has also been found to be quite high—with about 21 percent to 23 percent reporting suffering from it, and about 17 reporting that it has had a negative impact on their careers.

And now a new study in press with the Journal of Anxiety Disorders suggests that performance anxiety is quite common among teen musicians as well. It was conducted by Lydia Fehm, Ph.D., and Katja Schmidt, Ph.D., of the Technical University of Dresden in Germany.

Fehm and Schmidt explored performance anxiety in 74 pupils attending a Dresden high school specializing in music education. In addition to pursuing a regular academic curriculum, pupils at this school attend music classes and receive instruction in playing various instruments. Most of the students have been playing musical instruments since they were about 7 years old, and nearly half made their first public debut as musicians before age 8. Most plan to continue studying music after graduating from the school.

The subjects were assessed with the German version of the Performance Anxiety Questionnaire. It contains 20 items, tapping cognitive as well as bodily symptoms of performance anxiety. The frequency of each symptom is indicated on a five-point Likert scale.

A self-rating of performance anxiety was included, along with the questionnaire as a global measure of performance anxiety. There were questions about short-term and long-term strategies that the subjects used to cope with performance anxiety and whether they believe that they needed more help in dealing with it.

About one-third of the subjects reported being at least moderately distressed by performance anxiety. Ten percent said that performance anxiety was negatively impacting their music careers. Among the physical symptoms reported, nervousness and sweaty palms were the most frequent. Among the cognitive symptoms, fear of making errors and being overly critical of one’s performance were most frequent.

The subjects indicated that they were more on edge when giving a solo performance than when playing chamber music or participating in an orchestra. Their angst also varied depending on their audience; teachers especially distressed them.

Interestingly, no link could be found between how long subjects had been performing publicly and how much they suffered from performance anxiety.“ This is in line with the findings of other studies, and it points to the fact that mere exposure to public performance does not automatically lead to a decrease in anxiety,” Fehm and Schmidt wrote in their report.

 Short-term coping strategies that subjects used to counter performance anxiety included rehearsing difficult parts of a composition, positive thinking, praying, smoking, and practicing relaxation techniques. Only four of the subjects said they resorted to alcohol or illegal drugs for sedation. Subjects reported that rehearsing, positive thinking, and praying were moderately helpful in quelling performance anxiety; that practicing relaxation techniques was rather helpful, but that smoking was not very beneficial.

Long-term coping strategies that subjects used to combat performance anxiety included relaxation techniques; talking with classmates, friends, or teachers about their apprehensions; and seeking professional counseling or psychotherapy. Their perceived helpfulness of these strategies was in the medium to lower range.

Sixty-seven percent of the subjects indicated that they would like more help in dealing with performance anxiety.

“We were surprised by the rather high proportion of pupils reporting impairment due to their anxiety,” Fehm told Psychiatric News.“ We would have guessed that students would become more impaired once they decide to become professionals.”

“This study points to the insidious impact of the early expression of anxiety and again raises the possibility that early detection and intervention may improve the long-term course of affected individuals,” Mark Pollack, M.D., added. Pollack is an associate professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School and director of the Center for Anxiety and Traumatic Stress Disorders at Massachusetts General Hospital.

When asked whether musicians with performance anxiety often suffer from other kinds of social anxiety as well, Fehm replied: “To my knowledge, there is no conclusive evidence regarding this issue.”

An abstract of “Performance Anxiety in Gifted Adolescent Musicians” can be accessed online at<www.sciencedirect.com> by clicking on “Browse A-Z of journals,” “J,” and then“ Journal of Anxiety Disorders.” ▪

By Joan Arehart-Treichel

Performance anxiety can be a deeply personal subject for musicians, and many are reluctant to discuss all the possible remedies. There are ways to manage performance anxiety without ending up in a chemical dependency rehabilitation center. It is our intention to bring this subject into the open, and to provide accurate information to inform personal opinions and decisions.

• 1. What are beta blockers (such as Inderal)?Beta blockers block the receptors for the physical effects of a person’s natural fight or flight response. They are not sedatives, and they can’t help anxiety of a purely psychological nature.

  Beta receptors are found in a number of places in the body: heart, lung, arteries, brain and uterus, to name a few. Like a key in a lock, beta blockers chemically fit into beta receptors and prevent norepinephrine from binding to the receptors that cause the symptoms of the fight-or-flight response.

  The degree of these effects depends on the dose and the individual’s sensitivity to the medication. Peak effect occurs in one to one and a half hours. Ideally, this could allow a performer to play at his or her best, without the distraction or interference of excessive fight or flight symptoms.

  Blocking beta receptors can cause decreased heart rate; decreased force of heart contractions; bronchoconstriction (can cause asthma attacks in people with asthma); uterine contractions; decreased blood pressure; relief of migraines; and decreased tremor.

  The beta receptors found in the different areas of the body are not all the same, thus different beta blockers may affect these areas differently. For instance, metoprolol (Lopressor) and atenolol (Tenormin) are beta-1 selective, which means they block only beta-1 receptors found primarily in the heart, but not the beta-2 receptors found in the lung and uterus. Thus, they can decrease blood pressure, heart rate and force of cardiac contraction, but are less likely to cause bronchoconstriction and uterine contractions. This selectivity is not absolute and depends on the dose.

  Some beta blockers enter the brain better than others. Propranolol (Inderal) crosses the blood-brain barrier particularly well. This may be why propranolol causes more central nervous system side effects, such as hallucinations, nightmares, and depression, than the beta blockers that do not cross into the brain as easily.

  Interestingly, the ability of beta blockers to help anxiety seems related only to their blockade of beta receptors outside of the brain. Beta blockers will not help the emotional symptoms of stage fright (for example, sleep problems or negative inner voices).

  Everyone’s body responds differently to beta blockers. For this reason it is important that each person experiment, under medical supervision, to find the ideal dosage for a performance situation. Similarly, it is important to take the beta blocker a few times and under different circumstances before a major performance to be sure the individual has no adverse reactions.

• 2. Do I need to see a doctor before taking them?Everyone, without exception, must obtain their beta blockers from a physician. It is a violation of federal law in the United States, and many other countries, to give prescription medications to someone other than the person for whom they were prescribed.

  Beta blockers are prescription medications for good reason. There are several conditions, such as slow heart rate, bronchial asthma, and heart failure, which can cause serious medical problems, even death, when taking this medication.

  In addition, you should know that some psychiatrists and psychologists feel that beta blockers ought only to be used in the context of psychological intervention, and only as a temporary measure.

• 3. What kinds of problems are beta blockers good for?One reference lists 29 different uses, including high blood pressure, angina, irregular heart rhythms, migraines, prevention of a second heart attack, tremors, alcohol withdrawal, anxiety and glaucoma.

  In the United States, a physician can prescribe medications for uses not approved by the Food and Drug Administration, so long as there is scientific literature to support the use. Usually the pharmaceutical company involved will only research and develop a few uses to submit to the FDA to get the medication approved for marketing.

  Once the medication wins FDA approval, the pharmaceutical company is only allowed to advertise it for FDA-approved uses. Over time, however, researchers and physicians gain experience using the medication for uses not approved by the FDA.

  Beta blockers are not FDA approved for use in anxiety or stage fright, but these medications can be prescribed for this purpose because there is scientific literature to support this use.

• 4. Are beta blockers safe?Only your physician can tell you whether beta blockers are safe for you.

  Beta blockers can significantly worsen some medical conditions. As a general rule, beta blockers should not be used in asthmatic people. Beta blockers can worsen congestive heart failure, Raynaud’s syndrome, and diabetes.

  Musicians who take beta blockers often do so in small doses and only on special occasions, so they may experience no side effects at all from their use. However, many side effects have been reported from these medications, including rash, anaphylactic shock (sudden unconsciousness or death), slowed heart rate, low blood pressure, cold extremities, worsening of heart failure, fainting, rapid heart beats, dizziness, fatigue, headache, depression, sleep disturbances, nightmares, hallucinations, short term memory loss, high or low blood sugar, stomach ache, flatulence, constipation, nausea, diarrhea, dry mouth, vomiting, heartburn, bloating, impotence or decreased libido, difficulty urinating, bronchospasm, cough, wheezes, naal stuffiness, joint pain, and muscle cramps.

• 5. Do beta blockers cause addiction?Beta blockers do not cause addiction — which means physical and psychological dependence on a substance that is beyond the user’s control. But beta blockers, when used on a regular basis, can cause physical dependence.

  Physical dependence is when the body becomes accustomed to having a medication in the body, thus over time, more medication is required to achieve the same effect. It also means that if the medication is suddenly stopped, the person can experience a rebound in the symptom the medication was being used to treat.

  Not all medications cause physical dependence. To develop physical dependence, the medication must be used on a chronic basis.

  In the case of beta blockers, physical dependence is not usually an issue when they are used for stage fright, as they are used in low doses and are not taken on a chronic basis. When beta blockers are taken on a chronic basis, as for high blood pressure, suddenly stopping them can cause a severe, dangerous elevation in blood pressure that could lead to a stroke or heart attack.

  Addiction causes the person who drinks alcohol, abuses a medication, or takes an illegal substance to exhibit substance-seeking behavior, perhaps even committing criminal acts to obtain it.

  What makes this issue confusing is that alcohol, narcotics, cocaine, and amphetamines can cause both physical dependence and addiction, and usually both must be treated at the same time. Beta blockers do cause physical dependence when used on a chronic basis, but it would be highly unusual for them to cause addiction.

• 6. Will beta blockers help my performance?The answer varies greatly among individuals. Obviously, if you have a medical condition that makes beta blockers dangerous for you, they will not help.

  Beta blockers don’t make you play better by themselves; they just relieve physical problems resulting from the fight or flight response. On the other hand, some musicians feel that adrenalin helps their performing, giving them an edge that adds intensity to the performance.

  Beta blockers have not been shown to directly improve a musician’s emotional state, except to the extent that some musicians feel better when their physical problems are relieved. If your performance anxiety shows itself mainly in psychological ways (e.g. negative inner voices), beta blockers will not help you.

  The scientific studies and articles we looked at clearly show that beta blockers significantly reduce symptoms that can hinder some people’s playing. The musicians in the studies said they felt better about their performance after taking beta blockers, and music critics consistently judged their performances to be better.

  Be aware, however, that one article raised the concern of whether beta blockers help only technical aspects of performance, but may in fact diminish emotional elements.

  A note about dry mouth: Anecdotal reports show that some musicians who’ve tried beta blockers say they don’t help dry mouth, or can even make it worse. In our research, however, we found a study that conclusively showed beta blockers to help dry mouth among brass players.

• 7. How many musicians use beta blockers?A study reported in 1986 of 2,122 musicians in major U.S. symphony orchestras showed that 27% reported taking beta blockers. Of that 27%, 19% took them daily under a doctors prescription for heart conditions, etc., 11% had a prescription for occasional use (concerts, auditions, etc.) and the remaining 70% reported occasional use, but without a doctors prescription. (Again, these percentages are of the 27% who reported taking beta blockers, not of the whole population.)

  When the musicians who took beta blockers for medical reasons are factored out, slightly under 22% of musicians in this study reported using beta blockers occasionally, with or without a prescription.

  Among those who reported occasional use, with or without a prescription, the events they said they used them for were: Auditions, 72% ; solo recitals, 52%; difficult orchestral performances, 50%; concerto performances, 42%; before every performance, 4%.

  In our highly unscientific survey based on the FLUTE Internet mailing list, there were 103 respondents total. Of these, 24 (23%) said they use or used beta blockers, 79 (77%) said they didn’t.

  Of those who called themselves professional performers and/or teachers, 52% said they used beta blockers, 48% said they didn’t. Of those who called themselves students, amateurs or non-professional teachers, 2% said they used beta blockers, 98% said they didn’t.

• 8. How does the music community view the use of beta blockers for performance anxiety?As you might expect, opinions vary widely. Here are what a few well-known musicians have said on the subject:

  Trevor Wye, flutist and teacher: After saying that beta blockers “should seriously be considered for important occasions,” he writes: “Readers who may have some misgivings about the use of alcohol or drugs may care to reflect on the effect of nerves and strain on the body which can cause a great deal of damage over a period of time.” From “A Trevor Wye Practice Book for the Flute, Volume 3: Articulation,” (Novello & Co. Ltd., Borough Green, U.K., 1983).

  Geoffrey Gilbert, flutist and teacher, as quoted by biographer Angeleita S. Floyd: “[Gilbert] did not advocate the use of [beta-blocker] drugs or alcohol for controlling nerves in performance….Gilbert’s reasoning stemmed from the fact that although they may work, one can easily become addicted.” From “The Gilbert Legacy” by Angeleita S. Floyd (Winzer Press, Cedar Falls, Iowa, 1990).

  Mary Stolper, flutist and teacher, tours with Chicago Symphony Orchestra: “I have never taken [beta blockers] and my one brother has never taken them. But my other brother swears by them. I think it’s a very personal choice. “I don’t give them to my students. If they come and we talk about it, I’m not going to stop them from taking them. I probably would encourage them to take them if they’re curious about it; go ahead, take them and see. But don’t take them for the first time on your first audition! “Taking the audition is so difficult, the odds are so against you to begin with, if that little thing makes you think you’ve got an edge, why not?….But I don’t think it’s ever been proven that they help.” From a taped interview with K. Harby, January 1997.

  Stuart Edward Dunkel, oboist and composer: “The use of drugs in controlling symptoms of fear felt at an audition should be thought out carefully. The underground musician’s drug, Inderal, is in widespread use today. However, one should use caution by understanding the side effects of a given drug and by realizing that an addiction to drugs may occur and that this may therefore not be the ideal approach to the problem of stage fright.” From “The Audition Process: Anxiety Management and Coping Strategies,” Juilliard Performance Guides No. 3 (Pendragon Press, Stuyvesant, New York), 1989.

• 9. What other approaches are helpful for dealing with performance anxiety?Because the fight or flight response occurs only when we perceive danger, it can be avoided or minimized if we can convince ourselves there is nothing to fear. This is the goal of many non-medication approaches. The physical sensations of fear can also be managed in specific, non-medication ways.

  There are many books and articles that may help you understand your stage fright and manage it. Some of the following are, unfortunately, out of print. If you are unable to find any book in your local library, ask your librarian, who may be able to obtain it from another library.

  * “The Audition Process: Anxiety Management and Coping Strategies,” by Stuart Edward Dunkel (Juilliard Performance Guides No. 3, Pendragon Press,Stuyvesant, New York, 1989).

  * “A Soprano on Her Head: Right-side-up Reflections on Life and Other Performances,” by Eloise Ristad (Real People Press, Moab, Utah, 1982).

  * “Making Music for the Joy of It: Enhancing Creativity, Skills and Musical Confidence,” by Stephanie Judy (Jeremy P. Tarcher, Inc., Los Angeles,1990).

  * “The Inner Game of Music,” by Barry Green with W. Timothy Gallwey(Doubleday, New York, 1986).

  * “Anxiety and Musical Performance: On Playing the Piano From Memory,” by Dale Reubart (Da Capo Press, New York, 1985).

  You can also try eating dairy products and turkey, which are rich in substances that are known to enhance relaxation. Some flutists recommend bananas. Nicotine and caffeine can contribute to shakiness and anxiety in some people.

  Biofeedback, yoga, relaxation techniques, and cardiovascular fitness are recommended in the books listed above. Classes and seminars exist in most communities that can help you with any of these activities.

  Cognitive therapy, the area of psychotherapy that holds that your understanding of a situation can change your emotional response to it, is often sought by people with stage fright. Hypnosis may also used. If you decide to seek a therapist, try to find one who is experienced in treating anxiety disorders, and especially one who has experience treating performers.

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