Wayne Bennett has been a musician in the Wichita Falls Symphony Orchestra for more than 35 years. For the past 20 years, Wayne has also served as the WFSO’s Music Librarian, playing an important behind-the-scenes role in preparing the music for every concert.
But what exactly does a music librarian do?
What is a music librarian?
A music librarian orders, organizes, distributes, and catalogs the music for each concert. While that description may sound straightforward, being a music librarian is a tedious job that requires acute attention to detail to ensure all markings, and even misprints, are conveyed to the musicians and conductor.
It Starts with the Right Edition
For every concert, the music scores and their corresponding instrument parts are either rented or purchased, and it is common for the music to be shipped from Europe. Classical works are frequently printed by various publishing companies, so the conductor must indicate to the music librarian which edition to order.
Although the mere selection of a publisher may appear to be a trivial task, it is an apt representation of the level of detail required in the behind-the-scenes work of bringing orchestral music to the stage. For instance, some publishers only print the original manuscripts from the composer, while others include additional dynamic and tempo markings, correct wrong notes, or format the measures specifically for optimal page turning.
Preparing the Music for the Orchestra
After the scores are received, the music librarian meticulously adds specific notations to the music by hand for each instrument, namely bow markings provided by the orchestra’s principal string musicians.
Commonly referred to as “bowings,” these markings indicate the direction the bow should move (up-bow/down-bow) to capture the style of a musical phrase, play the measure with maximum ease, and achieve a unison appearance across the string section.
Bear in mind that the average duration of a symphonic work is about 45 minutes; therefore, marking each page of every instrument part is a laborious endeavor. And all of this work happens before the musicians ever sit down for the first rehearsal.
Meet the Man Behind the Music
For the WFSO, the person responsible for making sure those countless details are in place is Wayne Bennett.
Wayne brings an extraordinary depth of musical knowledge to the role. His stellar resume includes serving as Commander and Bandmaster of the 95th Division Army Band for nearly four decades and directing orchestra and band in WFISD for 25 years. His mastery of his craft and vast instrumental knowledge contribute tremendously to the preparation of every WFSO concert.
After more than 35 years as a WFSO musician and 20 years as Music Librarian, Wayne’s contributions to the organization are immeasurable. His work may happen largely behind the scenes, but its impact is heard every time the orchestra takes the stage.
Wayne is beloved by WFSO musicians and staff alike, and we are incredibly lucky to have him as part of the WFSO family. Thank you, Wayne, for all you do!
