Just what is it that a conductor DOES. I mean, don't all the musicians know the music they're playing, and they've got the music in front of then if they dont. So what is the conductor communicating with them when he's up there.
share[deleted]
Yes... the music is written, but there are a lot of details about the expresion, time, accents etc..etc.. that is a conducter desition.
Oscar
Hablo mejor español :)
I´m choir conductor.
The most important part of the conductor´s work is at the rehearsals.
Is at this time where the conductor need "build" the orchestra sound according to his own musical criteria.
There are a lot of diferent way to play the same score for each instrument and the conductor must to give to the musician part by part how they must play the music.
Then the conductor must assemble all the instruments in a only orchestra sound.
At the live performer the work is made and the conductor only need to take the orchestra to the most better posible perfomance.
In the chapters, there are a lot of last minute conductors changes.
This is posible, but in general NEVER happened, because this is so dangerous and you need a high level musician to obtein a good final performance.
In theory if I know the music, I could conduct the New York Symphony too. :)
Oscar
Hablo mejor español :)
Actually no, you could not conduct The New York Symphony...probably not even an orchestra in a music high school. In most professional orchestras, a conductor must be able to play at least 2 instruments proficiently and have musical arranging skills as well as interpretive skills not to mention years of experience playing in orchestras themselves. And this is only what I've learned working in cooperation with the Boston Symphony from New England Conservatory...I'm sure there is much, much more they must be able to do that I wasn't privy to.
sharePlease read all the post.
I´m choir conductor, I have the basic skill to conduct and orchestra.
But you are rigth, I can´t conduct an orcherstra in the hole sense of the word, but in a "movie case" where the orchestra were prepared by a real conductor, and if I knew the music, only in this hypotetic an just movie case, yes I could conduct an orchestra.
Also not all the music styles are conducted in the same way.
For example the barroque music (Bach, Vivalvi, Haendel) are more easy to conduct.
But, romantic, modern or contemporary music it will be very very difficult, práctically imposible for me.
Oscar
Hablo mejor español :)
What does a conductor do?
To really understand a conductor's role you need to sit in the seat of the orchestra. Any professional level orchestra could play most repertoire without the aid of conductor. What a conductor adds is his interpretation. Think of a pianist at a piano, he plays the instrument. A conductor plays the orchestra.
Your experience as an audience member is the effect of many hours of rehearsal and the conductor asking for certain types of expressiveness from the orchestra members. With the baton (or hand, as not all conductors use batons) he/she can control the tempo, dynamics and also cue individuals or sections as to when to play.
Conductors are considered the musician's musician, and I've heard stories of orchestras testing a conductor (playing out of tune, wrong notes, wrong rhythms) as they won't follow a pretender.
The great conductors are often hated by their orchestras, yet the great ones elevate the playing for instance, Charles Dutoit took the Montreal Symphony Orchestra from mediocrity to world class (and some reference recordings). With that being said, some of the best recordings of serious works are from the 50s-70s when conductors held god like positions and were revered by all who played for them.
Orchestras have changed as well. Look at many orchestras of yesteryear and they were filled with musicians who were often brought in by their teachers who played in the ensemble before them. Today its blind auditions (people playing behinds screens) and not always do the best musicians make great orchestral players.
Great post....!! thanks so much....!
Oscar
Hablo mejor español :)