Page 51 - The Strad (February 2020)

JERRY HORNER

‘JERRY WAS A MASTER OF HELPING
YOU TO DISCOVER WHAT YOU

WERE GRAPPLING WITH AND HOW
aH ",w ,aʰ ʞ JERZY KAPLANEK,
PENDERECKI QUARTET VIOLINIST
382'8 ;<;389 ;,' 8!ø'
String Quartet in 2016

itself on stage. Practising and rehearsing without anxiety, without technically.’ Penderecki Quartet violinist Jerzy Kaplanek agrees:
judgement, and with a state of mind of fascination in the process ‘Jerry was a master of helping you to discover what you were
is the surest way to avoid anxiety on stage.’ grappling with and how to Œx it. He did not just have an
It’s a philosophy borne out by Penderecki Quartet violist amazing instinct about it, but also full justiŒcation of why it
Christine Vlajk, who says, ‘When I studied with Jerry, he was happening, and that could always be applied to many other
encouraged a non-judgemental spirit of curiosity and pieces. At the same time, Jerry always had an open mind and
fascination within the process of practising and making music.’ encouraged you to Œnd your artistic voice.’

HONESTY AND TRUTHFULNESS 6*' $'56 6'#%*'45 $'%1/' +08+5+$.'
#4'ǡ+/2146#06 +0 6'#%*+0) When asked what aspect of his teaching he was most proud of,
A major component of creating a safe learning environment lies Horner replied: ‘I think if I can render myself obsolete to the
in the mentor’s ability to evaluate honestly and give students an student, I have done my job. I’ve seen students of some of the
accurate re­ection of their performance. €e honesty promotes best teachers say: “Oh, I didn’t learn anything from him or her.”
trust when the teacher communicates in a constructive manner €ey will have studied with that teacher for ten years and are
– particularly when the critique is accompanied by technical playing fantastically and still insist that they didn’t learn
insights and suggestions that provide an avenue for better anything. To me, that means that was a great teacher because
musical expression. Horner said: ‘Especially in classical music, the student has the impression that they did it themselves.’
where there are so many traditions to observe, these insights are In his teaching, Horner asked nothing of his students other
very di‡cult to come upon by oneself. Musicians need the help than that they work hard and dedicate themselves to producing
of others who are steeped in the traditions. €e teacher, then, is a beautiful sound. ‘His personal sound was voluptuous and
able to provide short cuts and technical direction that enable gratifying,’ says violinist Peter DeSoto of the Gelato Quartet.
the student to express themselves better.’ ‘Watching and hearing this big warm musician made me think
of a wise man telling a tale. I didn’t get to see Jerry as often as
# 6'#%*'4 5*17.& $' #$.' 61 I would have liked, but when I look back to the times I did see
%1//70+%#6' 6'%*0+%#. +&'#5 him, it’s like walking through history to a time when I was
Perhaps Horner’s background played a role in his ability to lucky enough to have had this great man change my life.’
communicate technical ideas. He was born during the
Depression and his family could not always aŠord music ews of Horner’s illness only reached me on the morning
lessons. He struggled during the lean times to advance his of 26 February last year. I was rehearsing with my
playing on his own. As a result of this struggle, and the need to N Villiers Quartet colleagues for a BBC Radio 3 broadcast
come up with his own answers, he could identify and articulate on In Tune later that day. Wonderfully, he was able to listen to
clearly the technical challenges of his students, and to help our performance on the radio that evening. Sadly, however, he
them Œnd more expressive solutions. He was able to passed away shortly after we had Œnished playing.
meet every player at their level and provide In the words of Indiana University clarinet
suggestions to take them to the next stage. professor James Campbell: ‘Jerry was a mentor
€is was true both of children and of to more than string players. His wide and
accomplished players. Whether it was deep knowledge helped guide many of us
a technical issue regarding a Œngering, through the rough and tumble of life as
INSET IMAGE TULLY POTTER COLLECTION or whether the issues were related to currently being set up in Horner’s name by
musicians. I recall many an evening
an unexpressive note, the distribution of
sharing a great bottle of wine and feeling
the bow or the type of vibrato to employ,
nourished by the warmth and generosity
of his insight.’
advancing one’s career, Horner could
give constructive advice.
A string quartet-in-residence fund is
As Tiberius Quartet Œrst violinist Tibor
Molnár observes: ‘Jerry noticed every small
his widow, Margaret Clements. For further
detail of your playing, both musically and
FEBRUARY 2020 THE STRAD ɘɝ
www.thestrad.com information visit www.knowledgediŠusion.org