Inside ConductingExactly what does a conductor do in front of an orchestra? Internationally renowned conductor Christopher Seaman offers lively and informative answers in this wise yet humorous book. What does a conductor actually do? How much effect does he or she have? Can the orchestra manage without one? Why don't the players look at the conductor more? Is it necessary for the conductor to play every instrument? What about interpretation? What happens at rehearsals? Why do some conductors "thrash around" more than others? Who's the boss in a concerto: the soloist or the conductor? Christopher Seaman has been successful at both ends of the baton. After four years as principal timpanist of the London Philharmonic Orchestra, he was appointed principal conductor of the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra and has enjoyed a busy international conducting career for over forty years. He is now Conductor Laureate for Life of the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra, New York, and he continues to bring great music and wise words to audiences, students, and readers around the world. |
Contents
The Conductors Mind Background | 3 |
Harmony | 6 |
Memory | 10 |
Perfect Pitch | 13 |
Training Conductors | 15 |
Youth Orchestras | 21 |
The Conduetors Skills 7 Balance | 27 |
Choral Works | 32 |
The Conductor the Composer and the Score | 155 |
Composers | 157 |
Learning Scores Interpretation | 161 |
Marking Parts | 168 |
Performance Practice | 174 |
Shape and Structure | 185 |
Tempo and Metronome | 191 |
The Conductor and the Audience | 201 |
Concerto Accompaniment | 37 |
Ear | 41 |
Eye Contact | 43 |
Opera | 46 |
Rehearsing | 50 |
The Conductors Hands | 61 |
Baton | 63 |
Beat | 66 |
BehindtheBeat Playing | 79 |
Directing from the Harpsichord | 83 |
Economy of Gesture Cueing Use of the Left Hand | 86 |
The Conductor and the Musicians | 93 |
Auditions | 95 |
Chamber Orchestras | 99 |
ChiefConductor | 101 |
Friend or Boss? | 105 |
Orchestral Playing | 107 |
Role of Concertmaster | 115 |
Solos in an Orchestral Piece | 118 |
Stage Settings | 121 |
The Conductor and the Instruments | 129 |
Strings | 131 |
Winds | 142 |
Timpani and Percussion | 148 |
Addressing the Audience | 203 |
Applause Platform Demeanor Coughing | 205 |
Program Planning | 208 |
The Conductor and the Business | 211 |
Career and Agents | 213 |
Critics | 216 |
Gender | 218 |
Guest Conducting | 220 |
Orchestra Managements | 223 |
Recording | 225 |
Travel and Packing | 228 |
Inside the Conductor | 233 |
Concentration | 235 |
Control and Power | 237 |
Ego | 240 |
Languages | 243 |
Nervousness | 245 |
Some Ancestors and My Links with Them | 247 |
255 | |
Musical Example Credits | 259 |
A Note on the Illustrations | 263 |
265 | |