A conductor’s guide on Richard Burchard’s Falling Stars

Abstract

Richard Burchard is an American composer, educator, and music theorist. His work, Falling Stars, is a multi-movement piece for choir and orchestra with text by Rainer Maria Wilke. This report provides background information on Burchard, Rilke, and the work. It includes a practical conductor’s guide for conductors including teaching and rehearsal considerations, conducting gesture suggestions, and detailed information about each movement. The resource is intended to be used as a companion to score study. Analysis for each movement is provided detailing phrasing considerations, form, text, ranges, instrumentation, time signatures, and tonal center.