This study examines the Requiem settings of Mozart and Verdi to clarify how historically different conceptions of death shaped their musical languages and how these contrasts inform contemporary conducting interpretation. Through literature review and...
This study examines the Requiem settings of Mozart and Verdi to clarify how historically different conceptions of death shaped their musical languages and how these contrasts inform contemporary conducting interpretation. Through literature review and score analysis, the study demonstrates that Mozart’s Requiem embodies Classical balance, formal clarity, and divine order, presenting death as transcendental reconciliation, whereas Verdi’s Messa da Requiem portrays death as an existential struggle marked by dramatic intensity and human suffering. This contrast suggests that modern conducting interpretation must negotiate a dynamic balance between structural clarity and expressive force.
Building on these findings, the study integrates the conducting theories of Rudolf, Saitō, Green, and Meier with hermeneutic perspectives derived from Gadamer and Ricœur, proposing an Integrated Conducting Framework composed of two interrelated cycles. The internal interpretive cycle—Reason, Emotion, Resonance—describes the conductor’s analytical understanding, emotional internalization, and artistic alignment with the work, while the external practical cycle—Analysis, Strategy, Execution, Communication, Feedback—organizes rehearsal, performance, and reflective processes. Together, these cycles redefine conducting as a meaning-making and mediating practice rather than a form of technical coordination.
The proposed framework connects musical structure, expressive intention, and rehearsal strategy, supporting concrete conducting decisions concerning tempo, dynamics, phrasing, balance, and ensemble communication. By synthesizing Mozartian clarity, Verdian dramatic expressivity, and the artistic sincerity and empathy required of contemporary conductors, the framework offers a practical model for conducting pedagogy, rehearsal planning, and performance practice. More broadly, this study positions conducting as an artistic form of leadership that mediates musical meaning and shared experience, suggesting a hermeneutic and humanistic orientation for conductors in the twenty-first century.