Interview: Chorus Master & Conductor’s Mindset under Richard Hockox CBE by Martin Hall

Martin discusses his time working as Chorus Master under Richard Hickox CBE, amongst others. Martin and Richard initially met as organists in London. There are also plenty of Simon Rattle stories in this interview! I always find Martin’s first-hand stories really fascinating and, as a conductor, Martin is someone I have always had huge admiration for as a choral director and orchestral conductor.

Enjoyment in Musical Learning

Martin begins by stressing that enjoyment was at a core of Hickox’s heart. Vaughan Williams, Delius and others inspired Hickox’s musical soul. Richard’s popularity, preparation and positivity shine through this interview. Martin also discusses what preparation means as a conductor, knowing scores inside out, singing all parts, listening to recordings, keeping eyes on the performers not just during performance or rehearsal, but when they arrived.

Instrumental and Singers Breathing

Martin discusses breathing both in directing singers and string players. He discusses the rapport that a good conductor has with his or her performers. He also discusses Hickox’s rehearsals as having an electric atmosphere.

Note Onsets and Singers Vowels

Martin points out that direct instructions about tempo, hard and soft attacks and so forth. Imagery helps, but as a conductor more specific direct instructions help unite an ensemble. Vowels are discussed as Martin’s starting point in his own choral directing. The five latin vowel sounds are always his starting point: me, eh, or, ah, oo. The avoidance of diphthongs units different singers. Correct breathing and uniform vowel sounds make you 80% there.

Singers Tone Colour

Martin extends this to considering tone colour by modifying vowels according to the era that a piece was written in, or, more specifically, their character. “The less you say in a rehearsal the better” in terms of the hand when conducting was a Hickox general rule so that when you did want to “say something” that subtle gestures say more. The lift of the beat and what you do before someone sings or performs are extremely important as well as movement between the beats.

The Inner Ear and Practising Conducting

Martin discusses hearing music in your head and how important this is for him. He then moves on to discuss practising conducting with live pianists to see how they respond, before moving to an actual rehearsal. Martin’s enthusiasm for music and for others that he admires of course shows through in his own work which is extremely professional, enthusiastic and of the very highest standard.