Borgue: Articulation

from Daniel Borgue: Technicor

Daniel Bourgue (1937-2023) was solo horn of the Orchestre du Théâtre National de l’Opéra de Paris from 1964 to 1989.

ATTACKS

Traditionally, the first lesson of almost every brass method is the study of the "attack", which is often incorrectly referred to as "tonguing". I consider this to be putting the cart before the horse because breathing is obviously the essential element of instrumental practice. Moreover, it is easier to produce a sound without using the tongue simply by blowing. This way, one is aware of an important element in the production of the sound - the lips. The tongue is simply used for the production of specific sounds and to "divide a sound into series" for staccato playing.

The breath, the lips and the tongue must therefore be perfectly synchronised to produce the sound. The technique of the attack should be as natural and as simple as possible. Only a minimum of preparation should be necessary, so that it becomes a reflex, just as when walking. This minimal preparation becomes extremely important when breathing is required in the middle of a musical phrase and also for playing a series of rapid notes, as in staccato passages.

The role of the lips being to vibrate, they are just as indispensable as the breath; the precision of the attack, and accordingly the quality of the sound, both depend on unhindered vibration. Older methods stipulated stretching the lips to the right and to the left in a wide smile to make the lips taut, just as an elastic band is stretched to make it vibrate. Beside the fact that the blood vessels are compressed in this position, the lips quickly tire, the sound is small and shrill and flexibility becomes difficult. In addition, it is not a natural position to move air into the horn. Alternatively, the lip muscles tend to contract naturally when the lips in a "whistling" position. The ideal embouchure is a natural one which produces a maximum of vibrations with minimal effort.


THE USE OF THE TONGUE

Most older methods stipulated producing sounds by retracting the tongue that had been placed against
the teeth and pronouncing "Tu" . Beside the fact that the combination of T and U is not the best choice for a relaxed and open way of playing, this movement of the tongue allows for an accented attack. Of course, this manner of playing produces a clear and clean attack that may be useful for the trumpet, but is not
so for an instrument such as the horn, so often orchestrated with the woodwind and strings when rounded attacks are often needed.

If we are able to use vowels to obtain more flexibility , we can likewise use consonants to produce different kinds of attacks and different types of staccato. A vowel always allows the air to pass freely; on the other hand, consonants hinder the process. Basically, consonants may be put into two categories. The first are called continuous consonants, because they may be extended as long as there is sufficient pressure in the lungs. The second are called momentary, obstructive and sometimes plosive, because they characteristically stop the air. Thus, the latter consonants are used to produce a more precise attack.

The syllable "tu" is not recommended, because it brings the lips forward during the attack. Also, the vowel "u" does not allow correct opening of the throat. Better results will be obtained by combining the vowel "ah" with the different plosive consonants. These syllables may be used for the different kinds of attack and for staccato playing: "Ta" for playing forte; "Da" for playing piano, as Hampel and Punto already stipulated in 1793.

STACCATO

When using phonetics, a lighter, more rapid staccato can be obtained by pronouncing "ta-da" (instead of "ta-ta"), a shorter staccato with "ta ka" and a tenuto staccato with "ta-ga". Thus syllabic combinations are obtained that are wrongly called double or triple staccato.

One should avoid ending each note with the tongue (by pronouncing "tut"), in order to establish a sonority of quality, one which has resonance, and to make breathing easier during a phrase. Moreover, this incorrect practice jeopardizes the speed of performance in rapid staccato.

POSITION OF THE TONGUE

The use of the syllable "tu" produces another problem: that of putting the tongue against or between the teeth before the attack or during the staccato. This backward and forward movement of the tongue is detrimental to rapidity. When pronouncing the syllables "ta" and "ka" the tongue's articular position is the same - its movement is considerably reduced, since it is vertical.

The position of the tip of the tongue varies slightly from one person to another. This difference may be more or less accentuated according to the performer's language; for example, to pronounce a French "I", the tongue is usually placed behind the upper incisors and against the gums and the roof of the mouth; in English, it is slightly further back. 

THE DIFFERENT ATTACKS

Generally speaking, brass instruments have the misfortune of possessing a single type of ATTACK (as if strings had only one type of bowing). This is obviously detrimental for sensitive phrasing and correct musical performance. The performer's first responsibility is to respect the composer's ideas. He has to be able to master every kind of articulation as well as each kind of attack.