Does a conductor really do anything important?!
Question: Does a conductor really do anything important!?
I would assume that the people playing the instruments know when/how to play!.Www@Enter-QA@Com
Answers:
The conductor is a human metronome/volume control!. Yes the people know how to play their instruments but the person sitting in the front doesn't know what the people behind him/her are doing!. And if I try keeping time in my head it's not going to be exactly the same for the other 80 people sitting around me!.
The conductor makes a downbeat, everyone sees it, everyone keeps time!. The conductor gives a "shhhh!" look, everyone gets quiet, and if you don't, expect a baton to come flying at you!.Www@Enter-QA@Com
The conductor makes a downbeat, everyone sees it, everyone keeps time!. The conductor gives a "shhhh!" look, everyone gets quiet, and if you don't, expect a baton to come flying at you!.Www@Enter-QA@Com
Yes, each musician knows when to play its own instrument and when to pause and when to stop!. But it is only the conductor (and the astute audience) who can hear the totality of all the instruments playing, together or a few of them together!. It is only the conductor who can hear the "music" and the message it is conveying!. This has been the usual comparison, that of a traffic officer, putting order to the oncoming vehicles which are converging to a certain point or street intersection!. Just imagine, without the traffic officer and the conductor, chaos will occur!.
Yes, the conductor is doing a very very important role in the orchestra!.Www@Enter-QA@Com
Yes, the conductor is doing a very very important role in the orchestra!.Www@Enter-QA@Com
He is like the manager of a sports team!. Of course, the professionals on your local baseball or basketball team know how to play the game, but without the guidance of the manager/coach they would not be as effective and therefore making the product that much better!.
The conductor also has the ability to effectively hear the one (out of many) instruments that might not be as loud as it should, or it may have come in too quickly into the piece!.
He can fine tune the symphony, so that you can enjoy it to the max!.Www@Enter-QA@Com
The conductor also has the ability to effectively hear the one (out of many) instruments that might not be as loud as it should, or it may have come in too quickly into the piece!.
He can fine tune the symphony, so that you can enjoy it to the max!.Www@Enter-QA@Com
In concert - not especially, although a conductor is necessary in passages where the tempo changes (ralls and accels as well as pauses) and in pieces with very difficult time signiatures!.
However out of concert the conductor has one of the most important jobs in the orchestra - it is up to them to decide all the fine detail - how loud the louds are, how to phrase the piece (especially common in pre 19th century music which is often a lot more vague in terms of performance direction), about nuance and expression as well as leading rehearsals and having a final say in disagreements over the music!.
Without actually having been in rehearsals for music it is difficult to tell what the condutor actually does beyond beating time - but their role is DEFINATELY not superficial in all but the most basic music!.Www@Enter-QA@Com
However out of concert the conductor has one of the most important jobs in the orchestra - it is up to them to decide all the fine detail - how loud the louds are, how to phrase the piece (especially common in pre 19th century music which is often a lot more vague in terms of performance direction), about nuance and expression as well as leading rehearsals and having a final say in disagreements over the music!.
Without actually having been in rehearsals for music it is difficult to tell what the condutor actually does beyond beating time - but their role is DEFINATELY not superficial in all but the most basic music!.Www@Enter-QA@Com
Not exactly!. Yes, some ensembles, like a string quartet, can function without a conductor!.
The role of the conductor has grown since the 19th century, especially has music has had more dramatic tempo changes!. The conductor is also responsible for the rehearsals, and most think that it is there that the real work is done!.
There have been large ensembles without conductors, but even there, someone (usually the concert master) has to take leadership to keep things together!Www@Enter-QA@Com
The role of the conductor has grown since the 19th century, especially has music has had more dramatic tempo changes!. The conductor is also responsible for the rehearsals, and most think that it is there that the real work is done!.
There have been large ensembles without conductors, but even there, someone (usually the concert master) has to take leadership to keep things together!Www@Enter-QA@Com
Yes, but most of it only comes through during rehearsal!.!.!.not performance!. It is kind of easy to see how concert goers will look at the conductor with some confusion when all they see is someone flapping his arms on stage!. Here is a behind the scenes look:
The conductor chooses the program, and then rehearses it with the group!. Bowings, phrasing, dynamics, every detail must be coordinated between the sections to result in the performance you paid to see!.
The conductor is the interpreter of the music!. Face the facts, Bacj, Beethoven and Mozart are DEAD!. They aren't about to speak up and tell the performers how they want their music to be presented!. It is up to the conductor to research the styles of the greats (and current composers as well) and to present their music in the style that seems most fitting!.Www@Enter-QA@Com
The conductor chooses the program, and then rehearses it with the group!. Bowings, phrasing, dynamics, every detail must be coordinated between the sections to result in the performance you paid to see!.
The conductor is the interpreter of the music!. Face the facts, Bacj, Beethoven and Mozart are DEAD!. They aren't about to speak up and tell the performers how they want their music to be presented!. It is up to the conductor to research the styles of the greats (and current composers as well) and to present their music in the style that seems most fitting!.Www@Enter-QA@Com
Depends on who they are, and whether or not they have the inclination at any given time, to express themselves!.
Trully great conductors can do "things important"; such as Arturo Toscanini, Wilhelm Furtwangler, Fritz Reiner, Leopold Stokowski to name a few, could make all the difference in in the world in a performance, you bet-cha!.
It all depends on the expertise of the orchestra members, and how much they respect the conductor, so that they are willing to give their all or not!.
I'll give two illustrations:
Vladimir Golschmann and the St!.Louis Symphony: I attended a concert once where this at one time renonwed conductor, was way past his prime!. There was a soloist from the Washington U!. dept!. of music - a fine pianist - performing one of the Khachaturian concertos, and good ole Vladimir lost the beat!. They had to begin the concerto over from the beginning; and finally finished it without further ado: but everyone, even we in the audience, was embarrased to the extreme!.
Fritz Reiner: again the instance was one occurring in St!.Louis; he and the Met's touring company was performing Bizet's Carmen!.
From the first few measure of the prelude, I sensed that the orchestra was not quite with him!. What did he do!? There is a "maritial" section a short ways into the prelude, and he abruptly doubled the tempo!. You could tell the orchestra began to have to scramble to catch up!.
But from that point onward - throughout the rest of the entire opera - they were at his beckoned command; and turned in a rousingly inspired performance!.
Enough said!?
AlberichWww@Enter-QA@Com
Trully great conductors can do "things important"; such as Arturo Toscanini, Wilhelm Furtwangler, Fritz Reiner, Leopold Stokowski to name a few, could make all the difference in in the world in a performance, you bet-cha!.
It all depends on the expertise of the orchestra members, and how much they respect the conductor, so that they are willing to give their all or not!.
I'll give two illustrations:
Vladimir Golschmann and the St!.Louis Symphony: I attended a concert once where this at one time renonwed conductor, was way past his prime!. There was a soloist from the Washington U!. dept!. of music - a fine pianist - performing one of the Khachaturian concertos, and good ole Vladimir lost the beat!. They had to begin the concerto over from the beginning; and finally finished it without further ado: but everyone, even we in the audience, was embarrased to the extreme!.
Fritz Reiner: again the instance was one occurring in St!.Louis; he and the Met's touring company was performing Bizet's Carmen!.
From the first few measure of the prelude, I sensed that the orchestra was not quite with him!. What did he do!? There is a "maritial" section a short ways into the prelude, and he abruptly doubled the tempo!. You could tell the orchestra began to have to scramble to catch up!.
But from that point onward - throughout the rest of the entire opera - they were at his beckoned command; and turned in a rousingly inspired performance!.
Enough said!?
AlberichWww@Enter-QA@Com
Absolutely they do lots of things as the rest of the members have pointed out!.!.!.I am just going to limit myself of repeating what a conductor teacher of mine told me once: "The conductor hands produce no sound whatsoever, but they can really mess things up!.!.!."Www@Enter-QA@Com
Yes!
The conductor is the performer, the orchestra is his instrument!.
A good conductor controls way more than tempo and entrances, he controls phrasings, balance, articulation, projection and so forth!.Www@Enter-QA@Com
The conductor is the performer, the orchestra is his instrument!.
A good conductor controls way more than tempo and entrances, he controls phrasings, balance, articulation, projection and so forth!.Www@Enter-QA@Com