The horn in the G.R.D

Peter Damm is one of the great horn virtuosos of our time. Himself a product of the G.D.R. training system, he discusses here some interesting aspects of it.

BRASS BULLETIN: How does one become a musician (horn player) in the G.D.R.?

Peter Damm: Any reasonably gifted child can have a complete musical education here provided his talent is properly guided by his family and/or the educational authorities. From the teacher’s point of view I don’t agree with children of seven or eight starting a brass instrument (mainly because of anatomical problems). Personally I started with the violin and later, at a memorable concert, fell for the charm of the horn, which then became my main instrument. But the violin — which I could handle quite well — had given me a good start for my musical career.

B. B.: What are the professional prospects in your country?

P. D.: In the G.D.R. there are around eighty professional orchestras of various sizes. Currently that means about 45 horn vacancies. A student who has talent and works hard will find plenty of opportunities here.

B. B.: Are there any foreign influences in your teaching system?

P. D.: You can’t really say there are foreign influences here. But my colleagues and I analyse all the factors that come from outside and, if appropriate, use them in our teaching. “All roads lead to Rome”, as the proverb says. My teacher Karl Biehlig in Weimar was teaching the minimum-pressure embouchure as early as 1951! To train a good musician, of course, that’s not enough. You have to develop every facet of musical expression, best possible organisation of daily practice, and theoretical knowledge. Of course a teacher’s own style will directly influence his pupils (at least to start with). But the pupil has to develop his own personality, and realise that he will never have learned all there is to know. In Weimar we learned to let the sound vibrate. Some have taken this so far as to develop a vibrato, others produce just a slight movement. At the time, in the fifties, this was unheard of here and caused a lot of resentment. I don’t accept the term vibrato for my own playing; I let the notes sing. I try to emulate the expressivity of the singing voice by means of “living breath” (the human voice is alive, and has warmth).

B. B.: Do the G.D.R. orchestras have individual characteristic sounds?

P. D.: Yes. Each orchestra has an easily identifiable characteristic sound. Compare the Vienna Philharmonic with the Dresden Staatskapelle, or the Berlin Philharmonic with the Leipzig Gewandhaus, and you’ll see what I mean. As much as a century ago this tradition was being preserved by the orchestra’s own institute, then by a music college founded by the orchestra, and now by the orchestra school. The same is true of the other orchestras.