,transcriber's ,notes3 ,underscores 80 before and after a word or phrase indicate italics in the original text4 ,equal signs 80 before and after a word or phrase indicate bold in the original text4 ,small capitals have been converted to ,,solid capitals4 ,illustrations have been moved so they do not break up paragraphs4 ,old or antiquated spellings have been preserved4 ,typographical and punctuation errors have been silently corrected4 ,the ,technic of the ,baton ,a ,handbook for ,students of ,conducting by ,albert ,stoessel ,with a ,preface by ,walter ,damrosch ,copyright1 #aibj1 by ,,carl ,,fischer1 ,inc41 ,,new ,,york ,international ,copyright ,secured ,copyright1 #aibh1 by ,,carl ,,fischer1 ,inc41 ,,new ,,york ,international ,copyright ,secured ,,carl ,,fischer1 ,,inc4 ,,cooper ,,square1 ,,new ,,york #c ,boston ,chicago ,dallas ,los ,angeles ,,preface ,conducting is an art1 and a difficult one to master4 ,it requires a special talent1 enthusiasm1 great nervous vitality2 a serious study of the works written by the masters of music2 the magnetic power of forcing the executants to carry out the conductor's demands2 infinite patience1 great tenacity1 great self-control1 and absolute knowledge of the technique of the baton4 ,the last is a complete sign language through and by which the conductor issues his commands and achieves his results4 ,with the baton and an infinite variety of movements of hand1 wrist and arm1 the conductor indicates the tempo and its changes1 the dynamics1 the expression1 and in fact all the inner spirit and meaning of the music4 ,he insures precision and unanimity whether his executants number one hundred or one thousand1 and plays upon them as the pianist upon his keyboard or the violinist upon the strings of his ,cremona4 ,much of this must be inborn1 but much can be acquired by study4 ,mr4 ,albert ,stoessel's book will be of great help to the earnest student4 ,mr4 ,stoessel was appointed teacher of conducting in the ,bandmasters' ,school1 which ,i founded during the war at ,general ,pershing's request at ,g4 ,h4 ,q41 ,chaumont1 ,france4 ,his book is admirably planned and executed4 ,it is clear1 practical and stimulating1 and ,i hope it will be generally used throughout the country4 ,the lack of routine and the ignorance of even the simplest rudiments of the art of 8beating time0 is appalling among many of our conductors1 organists and choir-masters4 ,mr4 ,stoessel's book should be of great help to them4 7,signed7 ,,walter ,,damrosch4 ,july #dth1 #aibj ,,chapter ,i ,a ,,brief ,,outline ,,of ,,the ,,development ,,of ,,conducting 8,conducting is the art of directing the simultaneous performance of several players or singers by the use of gesture40 ,it is thus that ,ralph ,vaughan-,williams heads his illuminating article on conducting1 written for ,grove's ,dictionary1 and while this rather terse definition is an admirable summing up of the meaning of conducting1 it needs to be qualified4 ,in music the conductor is one1 who after assimilating in his own consciousness every phase of a musical composition1 becomes the supreme arbiter in the process of bringing that composition into actual being4 ,music as an art is absolutely dependent on the interpreter4 ,it lives only in the performance1 and the interpreter1 sensing his importance1 is often tempted to place his own personality between the audience and the music itself4 ,it would seem1 however1 that in ensemble music1 7music requiring several or more performers7 this opportunity for the glorification of the personality of the virtuoso would be present in a far less degree4 ,and yet1 the interpretation by the conductor of the score of such a piece demands a degree of virtuosity transcending by far that which is required in the performance of an ordinary solo composition4 ,it is the conductor who unlocks the mysteries of the score4 ,like water that will always rise to its own level1 it may safely be said that the actual performance of an orchestral or choral work will only rise to the level of the conductor's intellectual and spiritual conception4 ,a good conductor can get good results from players of lesser ability1 while a poor conductor can throw the finest orchestra into confusion4 ,granted that the conductor has a clear and matured mental conception of a musical work1 there is still a vast distance between this conception and its final perception by the listener4 ,an enumeration of these obstacles and a description of their overcoming will constitute a complete outline of what the art of conducting is4 ,a conductor with a definite conception of the musical score in his head is not unlike the commander of an army who has worked out a complete plan of action4 ,each has to carefully consider the limitation of his forces and equipment1 and how best to achieve the objective4 ,each is working through others and in so doing must make due allowance for the uncertainties of human nature1 the capacity and character of each individual as well as that intangible something known as 8esprit de corps40 ,ceaseless drilling is necessary to achieve that mechanical perfection which forms the foundation of later inspirational and artistic performance4 ,a survey of the history of conducting will show that the art has evolved through three distinct periods which might be called the 8time-beater10 8drill-master0 and 8conductor0 phases4 ,the preparation and performance of any musical score requires the assuming of all three of these roles by the conductor4 ,the activity of conducting is doubtless as old as music itself and was probably always employed whenever the musical performance called for several or more participants4 ,the ancient ,greeks indulged in two styles of conducting3 the conductor indicating the beat by stamping his iron-soled foot or by resorting to what is known as 8,chironomy40 ,this latter was a system of indicating the progress of a musical composition by arm1 hand1 and finger motions1 a definite movement corresponding to every rise and fall of the melody4 ,it was from chironomy1 in connection with various speech accents that the notation system of neumes developed4 ,an interesting feature of this early conducting is the fact that all down beats 7accented7 were indicated by up strokes of the hand and the up beats 7unaccented7 vice versa1 with downward movements4 ,this is just the opposite to modern practice4 ,this manner of conducting was probably in vogue in the early ,gregorian singing schools1 and even a superficial perusal of the ,gregorian chants will indicate the intricate rhythmical character of the music taught and sung in these establishments4 ,these early chants1 not unlike our modern operatic recitative1 had no regular rhythmic scheme and the singing was a sort of musical prose4 ,the singing was lead by a precentor4 ,it was he who gave the pitch and lead with 8voice and hand10 that is1 he gave the chironomic signs and helped the singers over the rough spots by singing along4 ,the church1 however1 also knew strict rhythmical hymns and there the leader stamped the beat audibly4 ,with the advent of polyphony the duties of the conductor increased4 ,he often found it necessary to lead both visibly and audibly4 ,mendelssohn in a letter to his teacher1 ,zelter1 gives a description of this manifold activity on the part of the conductor1 indicating that it persisted even to the rather late date of #ahcj4 ,describing the papal choir in ,rome1 he writes3 8,there is a chorus of priests 7clericals7 who sing only in the presence of the ,pope or his representative4 ,it numbers thirty-two regular members but they are seldom all present4 ,the director personally sings with them1 helping each part1 sometimes singing the deepest bass and again jumping with astounding agility to the highest falsetto soprano40 ,with the introduction of the mensural notation the old chironomic system ceased to have a reason to exist and the conductor instead of indicating every fluctuation of the melodic line1 merely beat time at certain of the accented divisions of the phrase4 ,this was done usually with a parchment roll of music in the hand1 so that the singers and ever increasing number of instrumentalists could keep together4 ,the transition from the #afth to the #agth century brought about important innovations in music--the accompanied solo numbers of the opera came into being1 the figured bass and bar line were introduced generally into choral and orchestral works4 ,and1 when in the course of the #agth century the demand that the conductor cease this mechanical beating of the time and give the tempo in a manner commensurate with the effect desired became insistent1 the conductor took his place among the performers and lead the music from the clavicembalo4 ,from this position he not only led the performance but also filled in the harmonies according to the figured bass4 ,when the rhythm wavered1 the first violin1 whom we call the concertmaster1 gave the beat4 ,although this method of combined leadership 7cembalo and first violin7 was the one in general use during the #ahth century1 there were other modes of leading4 ,rousseau pokes fun at the ,paris opera where much evil noise was made by pounding the floor with a stick in order to keep the musical forces together4 ,it is a grotesque truth that ,lully lost his life from an infection of the foot caused by a misdirected stroke of the cane with which he was beating time4 ,according to ,gessner1 ,bach presided at the organ or cembalo while conducting and this seems to have been the method of ,handel and ,gluck likewise4 ,haydn conducted his ,london ,symphonies sitting at the piano1 more as a sort of public exhibition than as actual leader4 ,the conducting was done by ,solomon1 the violinist4 ,in the meantime another revolutionary change had taken place in music itself4 ,the general or figured bass playing clavier or cembalo was rendered superfluous by the incorporation of the full harmony into the orchestra itself4 ,the only place where it held its own was in the accompaniment to the recitative4 ,beethoven conducted his 8,eroica0 in the house of ,prince ,lobkowitz1 #ahjd1 standing at the conductor's desk4 ,it is assumed that he used a roll of sheet music1 because in ,germany the use of the baton was first introduced by ,mosel in #ahab4 ,spohr gives us an interesting glimpse of ,beethoven's conducting methods4 ,he says3 8,it was ,beethoven's custom to insert all sorts of dynamic markings in the parts1 and remind his players of the marks by resorting to the most curious bodily contortions4 ,at every #8sforzato' he would thrust his arms away from his breast where he held them crossed4 ,when he desired a #8piano' he would crouch lower and lower2 when the music grew louder into a #8forte'1 he would literally leap into the air and at times grow so excited as to yell in the midst of a climax40 ,from about the year #ahab the use of the baton spread rapidly4 ,we have records of ,carl ,maria von ,weber using the baton in #ahag in ,dresden1 ,mendelssohn in #ahce in ,leipzig1 and ,spohr tells a most amusing anecdote of how the musicians of the ,london orchestra protested most vehemently when he first proposed to lead them with the magic little stick instead of playing the violin with them4 ,the art of conducting as we understand it can be said to date back to this triumvirate1 von ,weber1 ,spohr and ,mendelssohn4 ,although all creative musicians of the first water 7and who until the era of the modern travelling virtuoso was not primarily a creative musician71 these men grasped in the greatest measure the tremendous importance of the proper interpretation of a musical composition and through their personal effort and skill as leaders raised the standard of performance wherever they directed4 ,they realized the important difference between merely beating time and giving the living pulse or tempo of a composition4 ,although ,spohr is remembered today chiefly as a composer of violin concerti and duos that all pupils play1 in his own time his prestige was equal to1 if not greater than that of ,beethoven4 ,a man of inflexible character and peculiar critical methods1 he was not in full sympathy with ,beethoven and von ,weber but on the other hand he vigorously espoused the cause of the new ,german school1 even giving a performance of ,wagner's 8,flying ,dutchman0 at a time when ,wagner was not at all popular4 ,wagner never forgot his indebtedness to ,spohr1 who was the first ,german musician to recognize him4 ,it was ,spohr who introduced the system of marking the score with letters and numbers to facilitate rehearsing4 ,it is interesting to read ,carl ,maria von ,weber's directions for time beating4 ,to quote him3 8,the beat must not be like a tyrannical mill-hammer but must be to the musical composition what the pulse beat is to the life of a human being4 ,there are no slow tempi in which places do not occur which demand a faster movement in order to eliminate the tendency to drag4 ,on the other hand there is no presto which has not contrasting episodes that must be played much slower to avoid the slighting of the expressive passages4--,all accelerandi as well as ritardandi must be made skillfully1 that is1 gradually40 ,this is only a small example of the reforms brought about by the composer of 8,oberon40 ,mendelssohn might be said to have been a living example of the rather worn expression 8a born conductor40 ,brought up in the most musical of households he was familiar with the orchestra from childhood and in his life time was equally famous as conductor and composer4 ,although his conducting was not entirely free from certain traits of superficiality and rigid elegance1 ,wagner's biting criticism of him must be taken with a grain of salt4 ,other prominent conductors of the romantic period were the composers ,meyerbeer and ,spontini4 ,it is possible to reconstruct a picture of ,hector ,berlioz as conductor from his own words4 ,in his little book on the 8,orchestral ,conductor0 he says3 8,the orchestral conductor should see and hear2 he should be active and vigorous1 should know the composition and the nature and compass of the instruments1 should be able to read the score1 and possess--besides the especial talent of which we shall presently endeavor to explain the constituent qualities--other indefinable gifts1 without which an invisible link cannot establish itself between him and those he directs2 otherwise the faculty of transmitting to them his feeling is denied him1 and power1 empire1 and guiding influence completely fail him4 ,he is then no longer a conductor1 a director1 but a simple beater of the time--supposing he knows how to beat it1 and divide it1 regularly40 8,the performers should feel that he feels1 comprehends1 and is moved2 then his emotion communicates itself to those whom he directs1 his inward fire warms them1 his electric glow animates them1 his force of impulse excites them2 he throws around him the vital irradiations of musical art4 ,if he is inert and frozen1 on the contrary1 he paralyzes all about him1 like those floating masses of the polar seas1 the approach of which is sensed through the sudden cooling of the atmosphere40 8,his task is a complicated one4 ,he has not only to conduct1 in the spirit of the author's intentions1 a work with which the performers have already become acquainted1 but he must also introduce new compositions and help the performers to master them4 ,he has to criticise the errors and defects of each during the rehearsals1 and to organize the resources at his disposal in such a way as to make the best use he can of them with the utmost promptitude2 for1 in the majority of ,european cities nowadays1 musical artisanship is so ill distributed1 performers so ill paid and the necessity of study so little understood1 that economy of time should be reckoned among the most imperative requisites of the orchestral conductor's art40 ,franz ,liszt's position as composer is too well known to require further elucidation here1 but ,wagner's description of his future father-in-law's conducting is certainly worth quoting4 ,wagner1 passing through ,weimar in his flight from the governmental authorities1 had an opportunity to attend one of ,liszt's rehearsals of 8,tannhuser40 ,he tells us3 8,what ,i felt when ,i created this music1 he felt in his performance of it2 what ,i wanted to say as ,i wrote it down1 he said in bringing it to performance40 ,in the directions attached to the scores of his ,symphonic ,poems1 ,liszt gives an interesting picture of his ideas on conducting3 8,a performance of my orchestral works which measures up to the standard and intentions of the composer and that will give them the proper tone color1 rhythm and life1 can best be brought about by preliminary sectional rehearsals4 ,with this in mind ,i respectfully request of the esteemed conductors who intend to perform my symphonic works that they precede the general rehearsal with separate rehearsals for the strings1 wood-wind1 brass1 etc40 8,at the same time ,i would like to remark that the usual mechanical1 cut and dried performance 7customary in many cities7 be avoided and in its place the #8new period' style which stresses proper accentuation1 the rounding off of melodic and rhythmical nuances be substituted4 ,the life-nerve of a symphonic production rests in the conductor's spiritual and intellectual conception of the composition1 it being assumed1 of course1 that the orchestra possesses the necessary powers to realize this conception4 ,should the latter condition be absent1 ,i recommend that my works be left unperformed40 8,although ,i have tried through exact markings of the dynamics1 the accelerations and slowing up of the tempo1 to clearly indicate my wishes1 ,i must confess that much1 even that which is of the greatest importance cannot be expressed on paper4 ,only a complete artistic equipment on the part of the conductor and players1 as well as a sympathetic and spiritually enlivened performance can bring my works to their proper effect40 ,it was ,liszt's desire to free the performance of orchestral and choral works from the limitations of bar line rhythm and to effect this change his style of conducting became a sort of modern chironomy in which his gestures expressed the 8melos0 and underlying spirit of the composition as well as fulfilling their mechanical function4 ,from ,liszt we easily trace the line of growth in the art of conducting to ,richard ,wagner1 and interestingly enough1 with ,richard ,wagner the great line of composer-conductors stops4 ,in this day and generation the ever increasing tendency of specialization has brought about an almost complete separation of creative activity from executive activity4 ,even in the #ahth and early #aith century the virtuoso who travelled around was principally a composer who played his own works4 ,the conductor1 player1 or singer who performs only the works of others is a modern product and was completely unknown until recently4 ,but1 before reviewing the names and accomplishments of the line of purely virtuoso conductors1 we must take time to consider ,richard ,wagner's position as conductor4 ,that same unquenchable reformatory fire which manifested itself in ,wagner's composing made him one of the greatest conductors in all musical history4 ,his illuminating performances of ,weber's 8,freischuetz10 ,gluck's 8,iphigenia10 ,palestrina's 8,stabat ,mater10 ,beethoven's 8,ninth ,symphony0 still cast their echoes down the corridors of time to the influencing of performances that are being given today4 ,beethoven's 8,ninth ,symphony0 was performed three times by ,wagner 7in #ahdf1 '#dg and '#di7 and not once did his name appear on the program4 ,what a contrast to these days1 when often in the advance announcement only the name of the #8prima donna' conductor appears6 ,for years ,beethoven's colossal work was the rock upon which many talented conductors had foundered4 ,only the ,parisian conductor1 ,habeneck1 who conducted from a violin-part1 had the patience and character to so drill his ,conservatoire orchestra that they mastered to a relatively high degree the difficulties of the work4 ,wagner tells us in his book on conducting1 of the great disappointment that was his when he heard the actual performance in ,germany of works which he had come to love through the study of the score4 ,in fact1 his book is almost entirely a diatribe against the superficial and conscienceless conductors of this time4 ,habeneck's performance of the 8,ninth0 opened his eyes and he did not rest until he was likewise able to give performances of ,beethoven's immortal work that were to mark a new era and standard of orchestral technic4 ,he placed little stress on tempo marks1 agreeing with ,bach that a true musician is able to tell from the character of the music just how fast or slow a composition is to be taken4 ,taking his cue from ,habeneck1 he made perfection of ensemble and correct rendition of the notes his starting point and on this solid foundation he reared a structure of the highest poetic beauty and imagination4 ,the melos or spiritual melody of the artwork was sought by him in every measure and when found he caused whichever instrument through which it was expressed to sing it with the utmost intensity and conviction4 ,his fanatical desire to always bring out the 8melos0 caused him at times to even go so far as to alter the instrumentation of the original1 giving notes to the trumpets and horns which they in ,beethoven's time did not possess1 and often changing awkward passages in the woodwinds which he considered were dictated more by ,beethoven's deafness than his better musical judgment4 ,descriptions of ,wagner's conducting tell us of a man of no more than medium height with a rather still deportment1 moderate but decisive movements of the arms1 a great vivacity and a habit of fixing a piercing glance on the players of the orchestra which he ruled imperially4 ,frstenau1 the flutist1 related to ,felix ,weingartner that when ,wagner conducted they had no sense of being led and that each player believed himself to be following freely his own feeling4 ,and yet everything was bound together so powerfully by ,wagner's mighty will that everything went with wonderful smoothness and precision4 ,wagner's epoch-making works demanded a new school of conductors1 and gradually he was able to train younger men to carry out his ideas and to spread the message of the new art4 ,chief among these ,wagner apostles was ,hans von ,buelow1 a great pianist and a musician who might have been a creator in his own right had he not heeded the call of specialization1 demanded of him as an interpreter4 ,he toured ,europe with his small but highly-trained ,meiningen ,court ,orchestra1 and completely revolutionized the status of orchestral playing4 ,his conducting of 8,tristan0 and his beautifully clear piano score of the same1 testify of his high understanding of the ,wagner spirit4 ,and yet1 after his tragic break with the ,bayreuth master1 he was able to espouse the cause of the classic composers and1 what is all the more astonishing1 become the chief exponent of the anti-,wagner school1 of which ,brahms was the symbol4 ,in ,bayreuth ,wagner had as his conductors men like ,hans ,richter1 ,felix ,mottl and ,hermann ,levi and the names of these men are indelibly connected with the glory that was ,bayreuth's4 ,with the advent of these conductors we stand at the threshold of today4 ,this brief sketch has led us from the time when the conductor was little more than a time-beater functioning in the most mechanical manner1 to our own time when the conductor has achieved an importance in the musical world second only to the creator himself1 and in some cases even transcending the position of the mere creator of the music4 ,did not a great conductor of today recently ask a composer3 8,have you ever heard me conduct your opera80 8,no40 8,you should1 you wouldn't recognize it40 ,the conductor of today is not merely the time-beater and drill-master who achieves note-perfection1 but he is the genius who frees music from all the imperfections of material limitations1 his rhythm is no longer the wallpaper pattern of the bar line1 but takes on its original meaning in the stressing of the flowing phrase2 his gesture is no longer the mere beat but is the pictorialization and visualization of the music itself4 ,in the new conductor1 ,liszt's ideal of the conductor or time-beater who makes himself superfluous is partially realized1 but not in the way ,liszt thought4 ,the conductor of today has made the old time-beater-drill-master superfluous by supplanting him with a super-being1 one who with his wealth of subtle and interpretative gestures has brought into being a new art of chironomy which does not merely indicate the rise and fall of the melody1 but indicates that which no composer has ever succeeded in putting on paper--the living soul and spirit of the artwork4 ,,chapter ,,ii ,,the ,,physical ,,aspect ,,of ,,conducting2 ,,analysis ,,of ,,arm ,,and ,,hand ,,movements ,,used ,,in ,,conducting ,this chapter is devoted entirely to the physical aspect of conducting4 ,analysis of the gestures used in conducting has shown that there are four fundamental movements4 ,a--,wrist movement in horizontal position4 7,with palm of the hand facing downward47 ,b--,wrist movement in vertical position4 7,with palm of the hand facing inward47 ,c--,fore-arm movement4 ,d--,full-arm movement4 ,the diagrams on pages #aa and #ac represent a set of exercises for the acquiring of complete control and suppleness of the wrist and arm in all these four movements4 ,on the opposite pages sets of music examples will be found4 ,each individual note of these examples represents a movement4 ,the conscientious study and practice of these exercises will not only fully prepare the conductor for the more complicated beating of time-indications1 but will give him that poise and confidence which come only with a consciousness of absolute self-control4 ,this physical self-control is one of the greatest essentials in the art of conducting4 ,,description ,,of ,,exercises ,there are two series of exercises1 each numbering #bd figures4 ,these are to be performed in four different styles1 corresponding to the four fundamental movements4 ,a--,wrist movement in horizontal position4 ,b--,wrist movement in vertical position4 ,c--,fore-arm movement4 ,d--,full-arm movement4 ,for each style1 there are four different positions which1 for practical reasons1 have been named after the points of the compass2 ,north1 ,south1 ,east1 and ,west4 ,the drawings contained in this chapter are of the four different positions1 for each style of exercise4 ,in the diagram of exercises each of these points is indicated by a letter2 ,n--for ,north1 ,s--for ,south1 ,e--for ,east1 and ,w--for ,west4 ,the small letter in the upper left corner indicates the starting point4 ,the other letters indicate the points of arrival4 ,each figure is to be executed in time with certain music examples of which each individual note corresponds to a point of arrival4 ,for instance1 figure #a would be executed with ,music ,ex4 #a thus3 ,music ,south position corresponding to the note ,c4 ,north position corresponding to the note ,g4 ,the sf on a letter indicates a sharp forceful movement as opposed to a more relaxed motion4 ,in the exercises for the wrist1 the forearm and upper arm must remain motionless4 ,likewise1 the forearm movement must be executed without moving the upper arm4 ,great caution should be taken not to over-tire the wrist and arm1 when first practising these exercises4 ,these exercises are to be practised by the right and left arm alternatively4 ,it is suggested for the individual practise that the student place the music examples on one side of the music stand and the diagram of the exercises on the other4 ,thus he may describe the gymnastic exercises while singing or whistling the music4 ,,musical ,,examples ,,for ,,gymnastic ,,exercises ,series #a ,music3 ,ex4 #a ,music3 ,ex4 #b ,music3 ,ex4 #c ,music3 ,ex4 #d ,music3 ,ex4 #e ,music3 ,ex4 #f ,music3 ,ex4 #g ,music3 ,ex4 #h ,music3 ,ex4 #i ,music3 ,ex4 #aj ,apply these exercises to all figures of series #a4 ,illustration3 ,series #a ,fig4 #a ,fig4 #b ,fig4 #c ,fig4 #d ,fig4 #e ,fig4 #f ,fig4 #g ,fig4 #h ,fig4 #i ,fig4 #aj ,fig4 #aa ,fig4 #ab ,fig4 #ac ,fig4 #ad ,fig4 #ae ,fig4 #af ,fig4 #ag ,fig4 #ah ,fig4 #ai ,fig4 #bj ,fig4 #ba ,fig4 #bb ,fig4 #bc ,fig4 #bd ,series #b ,music3 ,ex4 #a ,music3 ,ex4 #b ,music3 ,ex4 #c ,music3 ,ex4 #d ,music3 ,ex4 #e ,music3 ,ex4 #f ,music3 ,ex4 #g ,music3 ,ex4 #h ,music3 ,ex4 #i ,apply these exercises to all figures of series #b ,,note3--,each individual note corresponds to a gesture indicated in the figures by a ,n1 ,e1 ,s1 ,w4 ,illustration3 ,series #b ,fig4 #a ,fig4 #b ,fig4 #c ,fig4 #d ,fig4 #e ,fig4 #f ,fig4 #g ,fig4 #h ,fig4 #i ,fig4 #aj ,fig4 #aa ,fig4 #ab ,fig4 #ac ,fig4 #ad ,fig4 #ae ,fig4 #af ,fig4 #ag ,fig4 #ah ,fig4 #ai ,fig4 #bj ,fig4 #ba ,fig4 #bb ,fig4 #bc ,fig4 #bd ,the letter in the upper left corner indicates the starting point4 ,n--,north ,position4 ,w--,west ,position4 ,s--,south ,position4 ,e--,east ,position4 ,illustration3 #8,n1' or ,north position of ,style ,a #a4 ,drop arm loosely to side4 #b4 ,raise forearm forward until it forms a right angle with the upper arm4 #c4 ,extend hand and fingers2 keep the palm facing downwards4 #d4 ,without moving the arm1 raise the hand from the wrist-joint until almost at a right angle with the forearm4 ,note4--,the forearm maintains this position all through the exercises of ,style ,a4 ,illustration3 #8,s1' or ,south position of ,style ,a ,without moving the forearm1 lower the hand from the wrist-joint until at a right angle with the forearm4 ,illustration3 #8,e1' or ,east position of ,style ,a ,without moving the forearm1 and always keeping the fingers extended and palm downward1 move the hand to the right as far as possible4 ,illustration3 #8,w1' or ,west position of ,style ,a ,without moving the arm1 and always keeping the fingers extended with the palm downward1 move the hand to the left as far as it will go4 ,illustration3 #8,n1' or ,north position of ,style ,b #a4 ,drop arm loosely to side4 #b4 ,raise forearm forward until it forms a right angle with the upper arm4 #c4 ,the fingers remain extended and the palm is turned so that the thumb is uppermost4 #d4 ,without moving the forearm1 raise the hand as far as possible1 taking care to keep the fingers extended and palm inward4 ,note4--,the forearm maintains this position throughout the positions of ,style ,b4 ,illustration3 #8,s1' or ,south position of ,style ,b ,without moving the arm1 lower the hand as far as possible1 taking care to keep the fingers extended and palm inward 7facing to the left74 ,illustration3 #8,e1' or ,east position of ,style ,b ,without moving the arm1 point the hand and fingers to the right until almost forming a right angle with the arm4 ,illustration3 #8,w1' or ,west position of ,style ,b ,without moving the arm1 point the hand and fingers to the left until almost forming a right angle4 ,the thumb still remains uppermost4 ,illustration3 #8,n1' or ,north position of ,style ,c #a4 ,drop arm loosely to side4 #b4 ,raise forearm forward until it forms a right angle with the upper arm4 #c4 ,the palm is turned down4 #d4 ,without moving the upper arm1 raise the forearm upwards until the back of the hand almost touches the shoulder4 ,note4--,the upper arm maintains this position throughout the exercises in ,style ,c4 ,illustration3 #8,s1' or ,south position of ,style ,c ,without moving the upper arm1 lower the forearm until the palm of the hand is about #c or #d inches from the thigh4 ,illustration3 #8,e1' or ,east position of ,style ,c ,without moving upper arm1 turn the forearm to the right about #dj degrees4 ,illustration3 #8,w1' or ,west position of ,style ,c ,without moving upper arm1 turn the forearm to the left about #dj degrees1 the palm of the hand facing forward4 ,illustration3 #8,s1' or ,south position of ,style ,d ,lower arm downward until the palm is about #d inches from the thigh4 ,,note4--,all motions in ,style #8,d' are described by the full arm4 ,illustration3 #8,w1' or ,west position of ,style ,d ,turn arm to the left about #dj degrees4 ,illustration3 #8,e1' or ,east position of ,style ,d ,turn arm to the right about #dj degrees4 ,illustration3 #8,n1' or ,north position of ,style ,d ,raise arm upwards with palm forward and fingers extended4 ,,chapter ,,iii-,a ,,the ,,general ,,attitude ,,of ,,the ,,conductor #a4 ,the general attitude of the conductor must be one of quiet1 but commanding dignity4 #b4 ,he must not only know what he wants1 but must be able to convey this knowledge to his musicians by a minimum of gesture4 #c4 ,his body must be as firm as the proverbial mighty oak which only sways in the fiercest storm4 ,the head1 knees and feet must remain quiet4 #d4 ,the length of the arm movement varies necessarily with the length of the individual arm4 ,the increase or decrease in the tempo also calls for changes in motion4 ,a quick tempo is conducted with a smaller motion than a slow tempo4 ,often the contrast of 8fortissimo0 to 8pianissimo0 is indicated by changing from large to small motions4 #e4 ,all gestures must be directed by the hand or forearm4 ,just as the singer is admonished to produce his tones 8forward0 so should the conductor place his center of energetic motive power as far into the tips of the fingers as possible4 ,this produces the effect of the hand easily drawing the arm after it rather than pushing the dead weight of the arm by a movement that seems to begin in the shoulder4 #f4 ,the baton must not be held stiffly as this would effect the suppleness of the whole arm4 ,the gesture must be described by the very tip of the baton1 as if an imaginary brush were attached to it and one were painting the gesture on some imaginary surface4 ,as a rule the palm of the hand should be held downward4 #g4 ,it is possible to beat time accurately and still use uneven and unrythmical motions4 ,to avoid this1 the greatest rare should be taken to move from one beat to another in a measured and symmetrical manner4 #h4 ,in a slow movement1 accuracy can be obtained by ending each beat with an added sharp wrist movement in the same direction as the beat4 #i4 ,the function of the left arm is difficult to describe4 ,although it plays a more modest part than the right arm1 it is nevertheless of much importance4 ,it must ever be ready with preventive motions1 indications of instrumental entrances 7cues71 and to add force to certain gestures of the right arm4 ,but let it here be said that the habit of conducting constantly with both arms describing the motions is only to be condemned4 #aj4 ,although all general rules in conducting are dangerous1 it is suggested that the principle of indicating each accent1 entrance1 sudden 8forte0 or 8piano10 one beat in advance be adhered to4 ,,chapter ,,iii-,b ,,photographs ,,which ,,illustrate ,,the ,,five ,,fundamental ,,positions ,,used ,,in ,,actual ,,conducting ,illustration3 ,no4 #a4 ,preparatory position4 #d_/d time4 ,illustration3 ,,number #b ,position of the first beat in #d_/d time4 ,illustration3 ,,number #c ,position of the second beat in #d_/d time4 ,illustration3 ,,number #d ,position of the third beat in #d_/d time4 ,illustration3 ,,number #e ,position of the fourth beat in #d_/d time4 ,,chapter ,,iii-,c ,,diagrams ,,of ,,gestures ,,used ,,in ,,conducting ,the music examples are to illustrate the use of the gesture and have been found practical for class work4 ,in practising these gestures with the music examples1 the movement must always be expressive of the character of the music4 ,sharp and energetic movements for music of an accentuated character1 and moderate1 gentle movements for music of a corresponding nature4 ,the accent is executed by a sharp1 quick arm movement4 ,great care must be taken to execute each movement1 even the most gentle pianissimo1 clearly and with authority4 ,in all the diagrams shown the following principles are adhered to3-- #a4 ,the heavy or accented beat is indicated by a dark arrow4 #b4 ,the light or unaccented beat is indicated by an unshaded arrow4 #c4 ,the semi-accented beat is indicated by a semi-shaded arrow4 #d4 ,all subdivisions are indicated by dotted lines4 #e4 ,the fundamental beats are described with the arm movement1 while subdivisions are performed with the wrist4 ,in this manner1 a clear indication of the fundamental beat is always maintained4 ,illustration3 ,,diagram ,n4 #a ,fundamental method of beating #b_/b1 #b_/d time4 ,illustration3 ,,diagram ,n4 #b ,actual method of beating #b_/b1 #b_/d1 and fast #f_/h and #f_/d time4 ,,example ,n4 #a for ,,diagram ,n4 #b ,music ,accented #ast beat3-- ,music ,accented #bnd beat3-- ,music ,illustration3 ,,diagram ,n4 #c ,normal subdivision of #b_/b and #b_/d time4 ,n4,b4 ,the subdivision of each beat is indicated by the word 8and04 ,music3 ,,example ,n4 #b for ,,diagram ,n4 #c ,a ,music3 ,b#a #a ,illustration ,this form of six eight time is indicated in the above manner4 ,illustration3 ,,diagram ,n4 #d ,method of beating #f_/h1 #f_/d time when only #b beats in a measure are required4 ,to be used also for slow #b_/d time4 ,illustration3 ,,diagram ,n4 #e ,accented subdivision of #b_/b and #b_/d time4 ,music3 ,,example ,n4 #c for ,,diagram ,n4 #e ,illustration3 ,,diagram ,n4 #f #f_/d or #f_/h time4 7,modern ,french ,method7 #f_/d or #f_/h time is a subdivision of #b_/b or #b_/d time4 ,illustration3 ,,diagram ,n4 #f;a ,old method of beating slow #f_/h time4 ,the disadvantage of this method is that the #fth beat is out of proportion with the others4 ,in diagram ,n4 #f the long beat comes on the #dth or naturally accented beat of the measure1 whereas in #f;a the #fth or last beat in the measure is apt to be unduly accented4 ,music3 ,,example ,n4 #d for ,,diagram ,n4 #f and #f;a ,music3 ,a--,with accent on #ast beat4 ,music3 ,b--,with accent on #bnd beat4 ,music3 ,c--,with accent on #crd beat4 ,music3 ,d--,with accent on #dth beat4 ,music3 ,e--,with accent on #eth beat4 ,music3 ,f--,with accent on #fth beat4 ,music3 ,g--,with accent on #ast and #dth beat4 ,illustration3 ,,diagram ,n4 #g ,fundamental method of beating #c_/b1 #c_/d or #c_/h time4 ,illustration3 ,,diagram ,n4 #h ,actual method of beating #c_/b1 #c_/d or #c_/h time4 ,music3 ,,example ,n4 #e for ,,diagram ,n4 #h ,a ,music3 ,b--,with accent on #ast beat4 ,music3 ,c--,with accent on #bnd beat4 ,music3 ,d--,with accent on #crd beat4 ,music3 ,e--,accent on #ast and #crd beat4 ,music3 ,f--,waltz--,accent on #ast beat4 ,music3 ,polonaise ,g--,accent on all #c beats4 ,illustration3 ,,diagram ,n4 #i ,normal subdivision of #c_/b1 #c_/d or #c_/h time4 ,music3 ,,example ,n4 #f for ,,diagram ,n4 #i ,illustration3 ,,diagram ,n4 #aj ,accented subdivision of #c_/b1 #c_/d or #c_/h time4 ,music3 ,,example ,n4 #g for ,,diagram ,n4 #aj ,illustration3 ,,diagram ,n4 #aa #i_/h ,time4 ,only for very slow tempos4 ,otherwise1 beat #c4 ,music3 ,,example ,n #h for ,,diagram ,n4 #aa ,illustration3 ,,diagram ,n4 #ab ,fundamental method of beating #d_/b1 #d_/d and #d_/h time4 ,illustration3 ,,diagram ,n4 #ac ,actual method of beating #d_/b1 #d_/d and #d_/h time4 ,music3 ,,example ,n4 #i for ,,diagram ,n4 #ac ,music3 ,a--,with accent on #ast beat4 ,music3 ,b--,with accent on #bnd beat4 ,music3 ,c--,with accent on #crd beat4 ,music3 ,d--,with accent on #dth beat4 ,music3 ,e--,with accent on #ast and #crd beat4 ,illustration3 ,,diagram ,n4 #ad ,normal subdivision of #d_/b1 #d_/d and #d_/h time4 ,music3 ,,example ,n4 #aj for ,,diagram ,n4 #ad ,illustration3 ,,diagram ,n4 #ae ,accented subdivision of #d_/b1 #d_/d and #d_/h time4 ,music3 ,,example ,n4 #aa for ,,diagram ,n4 #ae ,illustration3 ,,diagram ,n4 #af #ab_/d or #ab_/h time4 #ab_/h time is really a subdivision of #d_/d time4 ,music3 ,,example ,n4 #ab for ,,diagram ,n4 #af ,illustration3 ,,diagram ,n4 #ag #e_/d or #e_/h time4 ,this #e_/d or #e_/h time is a compound rhythm of 7#b-c7_/d or 7#b-c7_/h time4 ,music3 ,,example ,n4 #ac for ,,diagram ,n4 #ag ,illustration3 ,,diagram ,n4 #ah #e_/h or #e_/d time4 ,this #e_/h or #e_/d time is a compound of 7#c-b7_/h or 7#c-b7_/d time4 ,music3 ,,example ,n4 #ad for ,,diagram ,n4 #ah ,illustration3 ,,diagram ,n4 #ai ,method of conducting slow #e_/d time when the measure is not subdivided into 7#c-b7_/d or 7#b-c7_/d4 ,music3 ,,example ,n4 #ae for ,,diagram ,n4 #ai ,illustration3 ,,diagram ,n4 #bj #g_/d time4 7#c-d7_/d or 7#c-d7_/h time4 ,music3 ,,example ,n4 #af for ,,diagram ,n4 #bj ,illustration3 ,,diagram ,n4 #ba #g_/h or #g_/d time4 7#c-d7_/d or 7#c-d7_/h time4 ,music3 ,,example ,n4 #ag for ,,diagram ,n4 #ba ,,chapter ,,iii-,d ,left ,hand ,signals #a4 8pp0 7,pianissimo7 is indicated by extending and raising the left arm slightly with the hand at the level of the shoulder1 palm downward4 #b4 8p0 7,piano7 is indicated by raising the left forearm until the back of the hand is directly in front of the left shoulder4 #c4 ,coda ,sign--,raise left arm above the head with one finger extended4 #d4 ,second ,ending--,raise left arm above the head with two fingers extended4 #e4 ,to stop in middle of strain--,raise left arm above head1 with all the fingers extended1 and keep it there until halt is desired4 ,at this point1 bring it down firmly and quickly4 ,,chapter ,,iii-,e ,suggestions for ,practice ,at the conclusion of this chapter1 a word or two on practice in the art of conducting may not be out of place4 ,one might read all about the art of swimming and yet be entirely lost the first time one is actually thrown into the water4 ,the tricky resistance and action of the water is not unlike what the tyro conductor feels when he first takes his stand1 baton in hand1 in front of the orchestra or chorus4 ,of course1 when the conductor has even the most amateurish orchestra or chorus with which to practice1 no better method need be recommended4 ,but in ,england and ,america this is all too seldom the case1 and the hapless beginner has to learn his art the best he can1 without the aid of this valuable experimental laboratory4 ,it is related of ,koussevitzky1 the great ,russian conductor1 that in his apprenticeship period he gained his practice of baton technic on an imaginary orchestra which consisted of empty chairs with signs on them representing the various instrumental choirs4 ,it required imagination to do this1 and let it be said right here that imagination is one of the first requisites of the conductor4 ,the beginner in conducting can at least familiarize himself with the feel of the baton1 and practice the ordinary gestures until they become as automatic as walking and breathing4 ,conducting to a phonograph record is most helpful4 ,after the score has been mastered 7see ,chapter ,,vi7 it is a good plan for the student to conduct an imaginary performance of it1 giving the proper gestures and all necessary cues4 ,more great conductors than would ordinarily admit this make a regular practice of this 8silent0 conducting4 ,like the great actors whom they strive to emulate1 they make a detailed study of every gesture1 attitude and1 sometimes1 pose1 which might be expressive of the character of the music they are interpreting4 ,,chapter ,,iv ,,some ,,basic ,,problems ,,of ,,baton ,,technic ,the 8attaque0 7start71 the 8release01 the 8fermata0 7hold71 subdivision1 breathing places1 phrasing4 ,the 8,attaque0 ,one of the most important and difficult results to obtain is a clean cut and united 8attaque0 or start1 on the part of the players4 ,the following suggestions will aid toward an achievement of this result4 ,when the musical subject begins directly on the first beat of the measure1 one beat before1 given in the time of the following measures and in the position of the last beat in the measure1 will suffice to assure a concerted and clean-cut 8attaque40 ,the following measures1 from the ,,prelude ,,to ,,the ,,mastersingers by ,,wagner1 illustrate this principle4 ,illustration ,music 7,b7 ,when the musical subject begins on the last beat of the measure1 give the preceding beat1 first4 ,this beat should be less marked than those following4 ,music3 ,overture to ,tannhuser--,wagner ,,note3 ,many modern conductors dispense with this preceding beat4 ,however1 it is extremely valuable in establishing the rhythm and helpful to less experienced orchestral or band players4 7,c7 ,the principle of the preceding example is also applicable to cases in which the musical subject begins on any fraction of the beat4 ,music3 ,marche ,hongroise--,berlioz ,music 7,d7 ,in a case where the time is 8one0 in a measure1 and the musical subject begins on a fraction of the measure1 beat one whole measure before4 ,music3 ,symphony ,pastorale--,beethoven ,the 8,fermata0 7,hold7 and 8,release0 ,executing the gesture in a rather high position 7above the head7 beat only the beginning and end of the note4 #a--;,indicates the start4 #b--;,indicates the culmination of the chord which must be brought about with a quick1 incisive movement to the right1 preceded by a short preparatory movement to the left4 ,music ,when the 8fermata0 7hold7 is at the end of the piece1 terminate the chord by a sharp second down-beat preceded only by a slight preparatory curve4 ,the second down-beat must be long enough to remove the baton completely from the sight of the audience and to bring it to such a position that definitely terminates all further conducting4 ,music ,when the 8fermata0 or hold comes on a note in the midst of a phrase1 merely sustain that beat longer than the others4 ,music ,music ,in example 7b7 hold the 8fermata0 on the third beat after beating 8one0 and 8two04 ,,subdivision ,employment of the 8subdivision0 to emphasize and give weight to certain characteristic passages1 ritenuti1 etc4 ,by subdividing the beats in the fourth measure of the following example1 force and accent are given to the phrase4 ,music3 ,ninth ,symphony--,beethoven ,the sharply accented beat as a means of obtaining precision in syncopated figures4 ,by accenting the first and third beats of measures 7#a7 and 7#b7 of the following example1 a certain lingering on the tied notes will be avoided4 ,music3 ,prelude to 8,the ,mastersingers0--,wagner ,to secure a firm 8attaque0 of the horns in the fourth measure1 subdivide the second beat of the measure4 ,illustration3 ,slow #d in a measure ,music3 ,symphony ,no4 #e-- ,dvorak ,to secure precision in the syncopated entrances1 subdivide the #d-;in-a-measure as indicated by the numbers1 using gesture ,no4 #ae4 7p #dg7 ,music ,to secure precision in the unison pizzicato notes1 subdivide the second beat in the first two measures1 giving all the beats but this one with a small gesture4 ,music3 ,les ,preludes4 ,liszt ,to bring out the climax at letter 7,c7 subdivide the measure at 7,b7 with heavy decisive strokes on each #hth note4 ,music ,music3 ,les ,preludes4 ,liszt ,to indicate places for taking breath1 conduct in the manner described below4 ,the arm movement must come to a complete stop just before the breathing place4 ,illustration ,music ,,chapter ,v ,some ,special ,problems of ,baton ,technic ,in his excellent article of 8,conducting0 in ,grove's ,dictionary1 ,ralph ,vaughan-,williams gives the following rule3 8,as a general rule no more strokes should be used than are absolutely necessary to mark the time02 for instance no bar should be beaten in three strokes that can be beaten in one1 no bar should be beaten in four strokes that can be beaten in two4 ,this rule is unassailable but there are times when it is difficult for the conductor to judge which style of time-beating to use4 ,the ,adagio and ,allegro of the ,overture to 8,the ,magic ,flute0 are good examples of such a difficulty4 ,the ,adagio is marked symbol and is usually taken in four moderate beats4 ,the ,allegro has no alla breve symbol mark and yet should be taken in two moderate beats4 ,music ,music ,to beat the ,allegro in four gives it precision but takes away from the light and graceful airiness of the figure by giving undue prominence to the third beat4 ,in any #d_/d or #d_/h gesture the third beat is apt to get almost as strong an accent as the first4 ,the ,allegro ,vivace of ,mozart's 8,jupiter ,symphony0 is also taken alla breve instead of in four beats as marked4 ,a number of present day conductors are taking the ,march in the 8,pathetique ,symphony0 of ,tschaikowski in alla breve time with very marked success4 ,on the other hand there are types of compositions that need the greater energizing power of the four beats4 ,percy ,grainger's 8,molly on the ,shore0#b is a good example of one of these4 ,he requests the conductor to keep four equally accented beats hammering away throughout the whole piece4 ,music #b ,copyright #aiaa1 by ,g4 ,schirmer1 ,inc4 ,n4 ,y4 ,in conducting fast moving tempos one-in-a-bar1 the conductor will soon notice the individual bars grouping themselves together in phrases and periods1 and it is most helpful to the musicians if some slight indication of the groupings be given in conducting4 ,in fast one-in-a-bar movements four single measures often become one large measure of four beats1 and if the beginning and termination of this measure group is indicated by a slightly larger beat1 the musical composition becomes more intelligible to the player and listener4 ,thus the beginning of ,beethoven's ,fifth ,symphony ,from the sixth measure on ,music might easily become3 ,music ,this rearranged phrase grouping should in no way be misunderstood to mean that the tempo should be beaten in #d_/d ,andante4 ,merely1 the more compact grouping of faster notes in a slower tempo is often a mental help to both conductor and player in bringing out the proper musical inflection4 ,a glance at the following example will show how readily the opening theme of the 8,eroica ,symphony0 falls into groups of four measures each4 ,music ,on the other hand1 the ,scherzo of the same work is unevenly divided into phrases of four and two measures4 ,music ,with the advent of ,stravinsky and other moderns a new problem of time beating has arisen in connection with the attempt to free music entirely from the formal division of the bar line placed at regular intervals4 ,not that these composers dispense with the bar line completely1 but they place it in such disconcertingly irregular places that the conductor's task is doubly difficult even when he attempts to indicate it merely with a single down-beat4 ,the two following examples from ,igor ,stravinsky's 8,petrouchka0#c illustrate this difficulty4 ,the tempo is too fast to permit the use of regularly divided gestures1 and yet it is very difficult to bring in the single beats with such metronomic precision that the musicians can play all of the individual eighth notes evenly and without hurrying4 #c ,copyright by ,russischer ,musikverlag1 ,berlin ,music3 ,,example ,n4 #a #c in a measure ,music ,music3 ,,example ,n4 #b ,the author1 in his conducting class at ,new ,york ,university has experimented with several methods1 and has finally hit upon the following system of teaching the intricate baton technic involved in the conducting of works like ,stravinsky's 8,petrouchka40 ,the student is made to sit at the piano and play simple five finger figures with a single accent on the first note which is always played by the thumb4 ,music3 7a7 ,music3 7b7 ,music3 7c7 ,music3 7d7 ,music3 7e7 ,music3 7f7 ,music3 7g7 ,playing the eighth notes in a rather quick tempo each exercise is to be repeated until the feeling of the recurrence of the down-beat 7which corresponds to the accented thumb stroke7 becomes entirely automatic4 ,care must be taken never to vary the speed of the eighth notes and to accent only the first note4 ,translated into terms of this exercise the two examples from 8,petrouchka0 would be as follows3 ,music ,music ,the speed of the eighth notes must never vary4 ,fractional or uneven time ,music ,beat #c-;in-a-measure1 merely making the third beat one-eighth note longer4 ,music ,beat #b-;in-a-measure1 merely making the second beat one-eighth note longer4 ,music ,the ,hymn of ,jesus3--,gustave ,holst 7,copyright #aibj by ,stainer and ,bell1 ,london7 ,illustration ,music ,beat #d-;in-a-measure1 merely making the fourth beat one-eighth note longer4 ,,on ,,the ,,conducting ,,of ,,waltzes ,to begin with1 a dividing line must be drawn between a waltz played for dancing and the concert waltz4 ,the former is performed in a regular rhythmic manner everywhere1 except in ,vienna and ,south ,america1 where the dancers are accustomed to little freedoms of tempo4 ,there is so much really good music written in this form1 that it is a pity to hear waltzes 8ground out0 in the reprehensible one-beat-in-a-measure style of so many of our ,military ,bandmasters4 ,portions of ,strauss' 8,artist's ,life0 ,waltzes are given in the following examples1 which also contain various modes of beating waltz time to conform with the spirit of the music4 ,there are many ways of conducting waltz time4 ,some conductors beat all the beats1 others again1 only one beat to the measure4 ,analysis of some of the methods of the great conductors who have not disdained to play the waltzes of composers like ,waldteufel or ,johann ,strauss1 has lead us to believe that the three styles of conducting explained in the following diagrams are the ones most generally used4 ,a--,the one-beat-in-a-measure style for passages of flowing melody and great verve4 ,in order to avoid a monotony of motion1 it is best to start the down-beats of each measure1 alternately from the left and the right4 ,the dotted line in the diagram indicates the reflex or rebound movement1 which brings the hand and arm in a position to start the next beat4 ,illustration3 ,,diagram ,n4#a 7,style #a7 7,a7 ,starting the beat from left to right4 ,illustration3 7,b7 ,starting the beat from the right4 ,b--,following the heavy down-beat of the measure1 the second beat will be indicated by a sharp sideward wrist movement and in lieu of the third beat1 the hand and arm will be drawn up to the original position in a more relaxed manner4 ,illustration3 ,,diagram ,n4 #b 7,style #b7 ,light and delicate rhythmic figures are best indicated by this method4 ,c--,the third method is the regular gesture used in any #c_/d or #c_/h time and indicates each beat4 ,illustration3 ,,diagram ,n4#c 7,style #c7 ,same as #c_/d time4 ,in the following extract from ,artists' ,life ,waltz by ,strauss1 the three different styles are applied4 ,the various strains and the manner of beating each measure1 are indicated by the ,roman ,numerals which correspond to the diagrams4 ,i ,diagram #a ,,ii ,diagram #b ,,iii ,diagram #c ,music ,music ,from ,hector ,berlioz' 8,treatise on ,conducting0 ,a dilemma sometimes presents itself when certain parts--for the sake of contrast--are given a triple rhythm1 while others preserve the dual rhythm4 ,music ,if the wind-instrument parts in the above example are confided to players who are good musicians1 there will be no need to change the manner of marking the bar1 and the conductor may continue to subdivide it by six1 or to divide it simply by two4 ,the majority of players1 however1 seeming to hesitate at the moment when1 by employing the syncopated form1 the triple rhythm clashes with the dual rhythm1 require assurance1 which can be given by easy means4 ,the uncertainty occasioned them by the sudden appearance of the unexpected rhythm1 contradicted by the rest of the orchestra1 always leads the performers to cast an instinctive glance towards the conductor1 as if seeking his assistance4 ,he should look at them1 turning somewhat towards them1 and marking the triple rhythm by very slight gestures1 as if the time were really three in a bar1 but in such a way that the violins and other instruments playing in dual rhythm may not observe the change1 which would quite put them out4 ,from this compromise it results that the new rhythm of three-time1 being marked furtively by the conductor1 is executed with steadiness2 while the two-time rhythm already firmly established1 continues without difficulty1 although no longer indicated by the conductor4 ,on the other hand1 nothing1 in my opinion can be more blamable1 or more contrary to musical good sense1 than the application of this procedure to passages where two rhythms of opposite nature do not co-exist1 and where merely syncopations are introduced4 ,the conductor1 dividing the bar by the number of accents he finds contained in it1 then destroys 7for all the auditors who see him7 the effect of syncopation2 and substitutes a mere change of time for a play of rhythm of the most bewitching interest4 ,if the accents are marked1 instead of the beats1 in the following passage from ,beethoven's ,pastoral ,symphony1 we have the subjoined3-- ,music whereas the four previously maintained display the syncopation and make it better felt3-- ,music ,this voluntary submission to a rhythmical form which the author intended to thwart is one of the gravest faults in style that a beater of the time can commit4 ,there is another dilemma1 extremely troublesome for a conductor1 and demanding all his presence of mind4 ,it is that presented by the super-addition of different bars4 ,it is easy to conduct a bar in dual time placed above or beneath another bar in triple time1 if both have the same kind of movement4 ,their chief divisions are then equal in duration1 and one needs only to divide them in half1 marking the two principal beats3-- ,music ,but if1 in the middle of a piece slow in movement1 there is introduced a new form brisk in movement1 and if the composer 7either for the sake of facilitating the execution of the quick movement1 or because it was impossible to write otherwise7 has adopted for this new movement the short bar which corresponds with it1 there may then occur two1 or even three short bars super-added to a slow bar3-- ,music ,the conductor's task is to guide and keep together these different bars of unequal number and dissimilar movement4 ,he attains this by dividing the beats in the ,andante bar1 ,no4 #a1 which precedes the entrance of the ,allegro in #f_/h1 and by continuing to divide them2 but taking care to mark the division more decidedly4 ,the players of the ,allegro in #f_/h then comprehend that the two gestures of the conductor represent the two beats of their short bar1 while the players of the ,andante take these same gestures merely for a divided beat of their long bar4 ,illustration3 ,bar ,no4 #a ,illustration3 ,bars ,nos4 #b1 #c1 and so on4 ,it will be seen that this is really quite simple1 because the division of the short bar1 and the subdivisions of the long one1 mutually correspond4 ,the following example1 where a slow bar is super-added to the short ones1 without this correspondence existing1 is more awkward3-- ,music ,music ,here1 the three bars ,allegro-assai preceding the ,allegretto are beaten in simple two-time1 as usual4 ,at the moment when the ,allegretto begins1 the bar of which is double that of the preceding1 and of the one maintained by the violas1 the conductor marks two divided beats for the long bar1 by two equal gestures down1 and two others up3-- ,illustration ,the two large gestures divide the long bar in half1 and explain its value to the hautboys1 without perplexing the violas1 who maintain the brisk movement1 on account of the little gesture which also divides in half their short bar4 ,from bar ,no4 #c1 the conductor ceases to divide thus the long bar by #d1 on account of the triple rhythm of the melody in #f_/h1 which this gesture interferes with4 ,he then confines himself to marking the two beats of the long bar2 while the violas1 already launched in their rapid rhythm1 continue it without difficulty1 comprehending exactly that each stroke of the conductor's stick marks merely the commencement of their short bar4 ,this last observation shows with what care dividing the beats of a bar should be avoided when a portion of the instruments or voices has to execute triplets upon these beats4 ,the division1 by cutting in half the second note of the triplet1 renders its execution uncertain4 ,it is even necessary to abstain from this division of the beats of a bar just before the moment when the rhythmical or melodic design is divided by three1 in order not to give to the players the impression of a rhythm contrary to that which they are about to hear3-- ,music ,in this example1 the subdivision of the bar into six1 or the division of beats into two1 is useful2 and offers no inconvenience during bar ,no4 #a when the following gesture is made3-- ,illustration ,but from the beginning of bar ,no4 #b it is necessary to make only the simple gestures3-- ,illustration on account of the triplet on the third beat1 and on account of the one following it which the double gesture would much interfere with4 ,in the famous ball-scene of ,mozart's ,don ,giovanni1 the difficulty of keeping together the three orchestras1 written in three different measures1 is less than might be thought4 ,it is sufficient to mark downwards each beat of the tempo di minuetto3-- ,music ,once entered upon the combination1 the little allegro in #c_/h1 of which a whole bar represents one-third1 or one beat of that of the minuetto1 and the other allegro in #b_/d1 of which a whole bar represents two-thirds1 or two beats1 correspond with each other and with the principal theme2 while the whole proceeds without the slightest confusion4 ,all that is requisite is to make them come in properly4 ,,chapter ,,vi4 ,,how ,,to ,,prepare ,a ,,score ,methodical mastery of the full score1 mental reading1 use of piano4 ,preparing a score for rehearsal and performance4 ,to the average layman and even a great many musicians1 an orchestral score appears to be about as intricate in appearance as a blue print of a complicated engine4 ,the simile of the blue print and the score is not inapt inasmuch as the blue print represents on paper every detail of the mechanical construction of the engine1 and1 likewise1 the musical score is an exact description on paper of every detail of the musical composition4 ,no attempt will be made in this book to describe the development of the core from the days of the early ,italian opera composers who did not even write out parts for the players1 to our own time when hardly anything is left to the imagination of the musician1 and everything is written in the music4 ,likewise1 the aesthetic interpretation and evaluation of the musical content of the score will be left undiscussed1 to make way for the presentation of the practical aspect of a methodical system of learning to read quickly and accurately the mere notes of the score4 ,it is related that a celebrated professional magician1 in order to train his sense of vision1 quickness of mental perception and memory1 used to practice looking at a show window for exactly one minute and then writing down from memory the name of every article he saw therein4 ,by practice he was enabled to increase the number of articles remembered from a relatively small number to a total which included everything in the window4 ,now1 what the magician did with his sense of vision1 quickness of mental perception1 and memory is precisely what the musician must do in learning to read the full score4 ,possibly the most confusing thing to the beginner in score reading is the increased demands made upon his vision4 ,accustomed to reading music in one or two staves1 the eye is now called upon to comprehend as many as #bd to #cj staves in a glance4 ,at first this seems an impossible task but like many other seemingly impossible tasks it can be accomplished by patient and systematic practice4 ,of course1 every conductor has his own way of mastering a score and the author can only give his personal method4 ,however1 this method has been followed successfully by students1 and in practically every case has been found successful4 ,it is assumed that the conductor has some ability in piano-playing4 ,naturally1 the more the better1 although it is not necessary to be equipped with the highest virtuoso technic4 ,a knowledge of the scales and arpeggios1 the ability to play ,bach's ,two and ,three ,part ,inventions and ,well-,tempered ,clavichord might be considered a working equipment for the conductor4 ,let it be explained here1 that while the ideal of score reading is to be able to read and hear every note of the partitur without the aid of the piano1 the value of the use of the instrument in the process of developing this ability and as a constant means of checking and proving one's capacity is unquestioned4 ,the best exercise for widening or broadening the sense of vision is to practice the playing of three or more part vocal scores4 ,a collection of early church music such as 8,musica ,sacra10 published by ,peters1 contains the most practical material4 ,herein are to be found in two1 three1 four1 five1 six1 eight1 ten and twelve parts and staves1 the lovely old polyphonic works of the early ,italian masters and the patient practice on these1 always adding one more part1 will do much toward the spreading of a sense of vision that has become limited by the habitual perusal of just one or two lines4 ,the absolute independence of each individual part makes these polyphonic choruses highly valuable as practice material4 ,the second difficulty of the full score is the fact that not all of the instruments are written in the familiar clefs and many of them are transposed into different keys because of their peculiar mechanical construction4 ,following the method employed in the conducting classes of the ,high ,school for ,music in ,berlin1 the author has found the use of ,bach's chorales with each of the four parts written in a different clef1 most effective in imparting the ability to transpose4 ,these chorales should be taken from the various two-line editions 7,peters1 ,breitkopf ,hrtel1 ,c4 ,c4 ,birchard7 and copied by the student on four separate lines1 using the ,soprano1 ,alto1 ,tenor and ,bass clefs for the respective parts4 ,the ,soprano clef1 ,illustration ,alto clef1 ,illustration and the ,tenor clef1 ,illustration are ,c clefs1 i4e41 the note on the staff indicated by the clef is middle ,c2 ,illustration with the ,soprano clef this is the first line1 with the ,alto clef the third1 and with the ,tenor clef1 the fourth4 ,knowing the position of middle ,c it should not be difficult to trace the position of the other notes of the scales4 ,the following is an example of the old and new vocal scores3 ,passion ,chorale 7,bach7 ,music ,illustration ,for variety1 the student might make use of ordinary four part hymn tunes in the same manner4 ,these chorales and hymn tunes in the old clefs must not be merely played through a few times1 but are to be practiced daily until the process of playing the old clefs has become as automatic as playing in the treble and bass clefs4 ,this will give the student the necessary mental gymnastics and make the reading and playing of the various transposing instrumental parts comparatively easy4 ,so much for the purely technical preparation in the process of learning to read and transcribe scores4 ,the following headings are descriptive of a method of score preparation generally used by modern conductors3 #a4 ,the ,architectural or ,general ,impression4 #b4 ,detailed study of the individual parts4 #c4 ,detailed study of individual sections 7strings1 woodwinds1 brass1 and percussion74 #d4 ,mental hearing of the composition in parts and as a whole4 #e4 ,piano transcription as a means of checking up and ratifying the mental concept4 ,when a building is viewed for the first time hardly anything more than a general impression of the type of architecture1 size1 symmetry1 and color is made upon the mind4 ,the details of construction1 materials used1 number of floors1 style of windows and doors are only comprehended after closer study4 ,at the first perusal of a score1 which should always be away from the piano1 the impression made is just as general as in viewing the building4 ,hardly more than the contour of the melody and bass1 outstanding climaxes and general character can be grasped at the first reading4 ,next1 a reading through either with or without piano1 of each individual part reveals the details of construction1 and the playing on the piano of the various sections gives the harmonic and polyphonic content of the work4 ,a practical knowledge of ,instrumentation is most helpful at this stage of the work4 ,after this detailed study1 the work should be read through mentally at about the speed of actual performance1 the climaxes noted1 the emotional content determined1 and a diagram of the form fixed in the mind4 ,there is always a danger of losing the perspective of the work as a whole if too much detailed study is indulged in4 ,the ability to read and hear music without the aid of an instrument is absolutely essential for the conductor4 ,it can be acquired to a degree by proper study4 ,such works as ,wedge's 8,sight ,singing and ,ear ,training0 7,g4 ,schirmer7 and ,robinson's 8,aural ,harmony0 7,g4 ,schirmer7 are invaluable helps4 8,musical ,form0 by ,h4 ,anger 7,augener7 is a most practical treatise on the subject and contains clear instructions for analyzing the piano ,sonatas of ,beethoven and the ,fugues in ,bach's 8,well-tempered ,clavichord40 ,upon being questioned as to his opinion of the importance of the conductor's 8ears0 or hearing1 ,wilhelm ,furtwngler1 the eminent ,german conductor1 made the following reply3 8,generally considered1 there is no such thing among conductors as a good or bad #8ear4' ,there is only a greater or lesser mastery of the material1 that is1 the score and its every detail4 ,one can only hear individual mistakes in the complicated mass of sound when one knows completely just what the composer wanted40 7,pult and ,takstock1 ,dec41 #aibe74 ,of course there are conductors who learn the content of a score quickly from listening to the orchestra as they rehearse4 ,but1 it matters not how clever the conductor is1 his orchestra always senses when it is being used as the means of their leader's learning the score and their respect for him is lowered4 ,there is a fable of a young conductor who wished to impress himself on his men by a display of sharp hearing4 ,he secretly wrote in a false ,f in the second bassoon part of a particularly loud and boisterous passage4 ,at the rehearsal in the midst of the orchestral rumpus he suddenly stopped the orchestra and cried out impatiently1 8,f sharp1 ,f sharp in the second bassoon is wrong10 only to be answered by the first player1 8,beg pardon1 ,sir1 the second bassoon is absent today40 ,to play a full score accurately and fluently on the piano1 is an art in itself and in the course of musical history we hear of only a few musicians who really could do this4 ,saint-,sans1 ,liszt1 and ,von ,buelow were said to be proficient in this difficult art1 and undoubtedly their marvelous piano technique was a most important factor in their prima-vista score transcriptions4 ,to fluently play a printed pianoforte arrangement of a ,beethoven ,symphony takes as much technique as to play one of his sonatas4 ,we must not forget the comparative simplicity of even a ,wagner score when compared with such a work as ,varese's 8,l',amriques0 or 8,the ,rites of ,spring0 by ,stravinsky1 and it is just likely that any of the three masters just mentioned would have great difficulty in reading ,honegger's 8,pacific #bca0 at the piano4 ,for the average conductor then1 the piano does not become the supreme channel for expressing the score1 but is used merely as an aid to his mental and spiritual master of its intricacies4 ,there still remains for discussion one phase in the work of score preparation1 and that is--memory4 ,just as among concert players the old custom of playing from the printed page has given way to the one of playing and singing everything from memory1 so have modern conductors taken to dispensing with their scores in performance4 ,the increased amount of preparatory work involved in memorizing a score certainly gives one an increased insight into the composition and to be freed from the necessity of reading the printed page gives a much greater authority and command in the whole attitude of the conductor at the performance4 ,we never read of any great military commander leading his troops to battle with his eyes glued on the map1 and we have all heard of the conductors who have their heads in the score when they should have the score in their heads4 ,arturo ,toscanini memorizes every detail of the score before the first rehearsal and conducts even the rehearsals from memory4 ,this1 of course1 is such miraculous achievement in the mastery of the purely technical that it ceases to be technique and becomes an integral part of the conductor's being4 ,the improved gramophone with the new process records of the great orchestral1 choral and operatic masterworks can be put to splendid use by the student of conducting4 ,score in hand1 these records should be listened to until completely absorbed and then they should be conducted4 ,the operatic arias are particularly good practice for practising the art of conducting accompaniments4 ,in concluding this chapter the following paragraph from ,adrian ,boult's 8,handbook on the ,technique of ,conducting0 is most fitting4 ,he says1 8,in conducting there is a double mental process4 ,there is the process of thinking ahead and preparing the orchestra for what is to come1 that is to say1 of driving it like a locomotive4 ,there is also the process of listening and noting difficulties and points that must be altered1 in fact of watching the music1 as a guard watches his train4 ,at rehearsal the second of these is the more important4 ,occasionally one must take hold and drive one's forces to the top of a climax1 just as a boat's crew on the day before the race does one minute of its hardest racing1 but takes it pretty easy otherwise4 ,the main thing at a rehearsal is to watch results and to act on them4 ,at a performance it is the other way about--the conductor must take the lead4 ,it is then too late to alter things like faulty balance or wrong expression1 but the structure and balance of the work as a whole and the right spirit are the two things of paramount importance40 ,,chapter ,,vii ,,the ,,technic ,,of ,,the ,,baton ,,in ,,choral ,,conducting ,there seems to be in the minds of some musicians an idea that a vast difference exists between chorus conducting and orchestra conducting4 ,in fact1 it is a very common fact that there are many fine musicians who obtain excellent results from their choruses but who are completely at a loss when it comes to conducting even the orchestral accompaniment of the choral works they are presenting4 ,the tales told by sophisticated orchestral players on their return from music festivals in the provinces about the antics of many choral conductors would be funny if they were not tragic4 ,usually1 the choral conductor is a good musician and knows his musical subject matter thoroughly4 ,through the process of much careful rehearsing and teaching1 he succeeds in imparting his ideas of interpretation to his chorus1 which in turn comes to understand the meaning of his gestures4 ,up until the first orchestral rehearsal1 which is usually the only one1 everything goes smoothly2 but as soon as the highly trained and sensitive orchestra tries to follow the conductor's beat1 a state of utter chaos ensues4 ,much time is wasted1 the conductor becomes irritable1 the chorus demoralized1 the orchestra scornful1 and in general the outlook for a successful concert begins to look very black4 ,finally1 the more practical side of the orchestra rises above the disgruntled and disillusioned attitude and it rescues the situation by playing more in spite of the conductor rather than because of him4 ,this picture is not exaggerated and has almost a universal application4 ,the author1 in his orchestral playing days1 has witnessed such scenes not only in the ,united ,states but also in ,france and ,germany1 and has been told by competent authorities that the same conditions exist in ,england4 ,in fact1 this little tale is one that will be verified by almost every experienced orchestral musician4 ,the cause of much of this ineffective conducting is a profusion of vague1 meaningless 7to the orchestral player7 gestures on the part of the choral conductor1 who has gotten into the habit of making many motions because of certain conditions peculiar to choruses and choral music4 ,first of these conditions is the average chorus member's rather low standard of musical ability1 7in comparison with the professional orchestra7 which causes the conductor to lead his charges through intricate rhythmical mazes by indicating every #cb;d note and beating out the melodic contour rather than giving the basic beats and subdivision of the beats4 ,secondly1 the conductor usually has the assistance of a good accompanist who plays the piano arrangement of the orchestral score so efficiently that the conductor ceases to even think about it1 and who provides a firm rhythmical background by crisp and incisive marking of the main beats of the measure4 ,naturally1 the conductor cannot change the habits acquired during many weeks of rehearsal and when he finally finds himself in front of the critical professional orchestra1 he is confronted with the task of leading this complicated organization with gestures engendered by the peculiar weaknesses of his choral body and which are totally confusing to the strange orchestra4 ,there is only one remedy for this condition4 ,directors of choruses must remember that essentially there is no difference between orchestral conducting and choral conducting1 although there is a vast difference between orchestral and choral training and rehearsing4 ,it is not necessary to give the chorus a special gesture for each #cb;d note of the melodic line4 ,chorus members will give a rhythmical performance of a work only when they are made to feel the main pulsations of the movement1 and this can be accomplished only by using such established gestures which clearly mark the fundamental rhythm4 ,naturally1 such gestures will easily be understood by the orchestral musicians as well as by the chorus singers4 ,of course1 this refers definitely to the conducting of combined orchestral and choral forces4 ,the conducting of part songs accompanied or unaccompanied calls for a somewhat different treatment4 ,in ,a ,capella music1 the conductor usually dispenses with the baton in order to gain more expressive freedom of both hands4 ,in comparison with a choral-orchestral composition1 these part songs and polyphonic choruses have but few individual parts and the conductor is not so much concerned with the actual beating of time as with the subtle indication of interpretative shades and meaning4 ,nevertheless1 the author believes that the fundamental gestures are a sufficiently comprehensive basis for the most expressive type of conducting4 ,it is not the purpose of this chapter to enter into the details of choral training and interpretation4 ,those subjects have been admirably treated by other writers and for the chorus master seeking truly authoritative advice in these matters1 the following books are recommended3 ,,coward--,choral ,technic and ,interpretation 7,novello7 ,,russell--,english ,diction 7,ditson7 ,,henderson--,the ,singer's ,art4 ,,mees--,choirs and ,choir ,music ,,schweitzer--,bach ,,newman ,,flower--,handel ,,pyne--,palestrina ,d',,indy--,beethoven ,,prunieres--,monteverdi ,the last five give invaluable hints on the proper interpretation of the works of their respective subjects4 ,for teaching a chorus sight singing and proper vocal habits3 ,,friedlander-,,davison--,choral ,exercises 7,peters ,ed47 ,,stainer--,choral ,society ,vocalization 7,novello7 ,,graveure-,,treharne--,superdiction 7,g4 ,schirmer7 ,this last gives the conductor highly valuable suggestions of methods to obtain correct and effective diction4 ,,chapter ,,viii 8,,the ,,point ,,of ,,the ,,baton0 ,a collection of significant paragraphs by various authorities on the ,art of ,conducting4 8,rhythm4 ,what is rhythm8 ,we all know that music moves in beats or pulses1 and at regular intervals--say1 at every two1 three1 or four beats--some of these are stressed or accented4 ,it is these accents which produce rhythm2 therefore rhythm may be defined as a pattern of accents1 or a phrase of pulses made characteristic by the effect of its contrasted strong and weak accents4 ,rhythms may be observed even in statuary and architecture4 ,rhythms may be regular1 as when they follow the time-signatures2 and irregular1 as when many syncopations are introduced40 99 99 99 99 99 8,one of the distinguishing features of modern choral technique is what ,i term #8characterization1' or realism1 of the sentiment expressed in the music4444 ,contrasts of tone-color1 contrasts of differently placed choirs1 contrasts of sentiment--love1 hate1 hope1 despair1 joy1 sorrow1 brightness1 gloom1 pity1 scorn1 prayer1 praise1 exaltation1 depression1 laughter1 tears--in fact all the emotions and passions are now expected to be delineated by the voice alone4 ,it may be said1 in passing1 that in fulfilling these expectations choral singing has entered on a new lease of life4 ,instead of the cry being raised that the choral societies are doomed1 we shall find that by absorbing the elixir of characterization they have renewed their youth2 and when the shallow pleasures of the picture theatre and the empty elements of the variety show have been discovered to be unsatisfying to the normal aspirations of intellectual1 moral beings1 the social1 healthful1 stimulating1 intellectual1 moral and spiritual uplift of the choral society will be appreciated more than ever40 99 99 99 99 99 8,the first thing a conductor requires is self-reliance1 born of mastery of the subject he has to conduct and confidence in himself4 ,if he is nervous and apologetic1 if1 when he makes a slip1 he feels crushed and would like to sink through the floor1 he had better leave conducting alone4 ,it is the confident1 not-to-be-daunted man who is fit to be a leader of men40 99 99 99 99 99 8,the conductor must take every precaution to make the rehearsals interesting4 ,the test of a society's success is the popularity of the rehearsals1 and the test of the rehearsals is the feeling that if one be not attended something in the way of enlightenment or pleasure has been missed40 99 99 99 99 99 8,the man who lacks tact is not fit to be a conductor4 ,tact is the lubricant that keeps the administrative machinery smoothly working when heat and friction would otherwise arise40 7,from 8,choral ,technique and ,interpretation0 by ,coward7 ,novello 8,finally1 one word more on the art of conducting itself4 ,more and more ,i have come to think that what decides the worth of conducting is the degree of suggestive power that the conductor can exercise over the performers4 ,at the rehearsals he is mostly nothing more than a workman1 who schools the men under him so conscientiously and precisely that each of them knows his place and what he has to do there2 he first becomes an artist when the moment comes for the production of the work4 ,not even the most assiduous rehearsing1 so necessary a pre-requisite as this is1 can so stimulate the capacities of the players as the force imagination of the conductor4 ,it is not the transference of his personal will1 but the mysterious act of creation that called the work itself into being takes place again in him1 and1 transcending the narrow limits of reproduction1 he becomes a new-creator1 a self-creator4 ,the more however his personality disappears so as to get quite behind the personality that created the work1--to identify itself1 indeed1 with this--the greater will his performance be40 7,from 8,on ,conducting0 by ,weingartner7 ,breitkopf ,hrtel 99 99 99 99 99 ,from ,grove's ,dictionary 8,definition--,the word #8conducting' as used in a musical sense now ordinarily refers to the activities of an orchestra or chorus leader who stands before a group of performers and gives his entire time and effort to directing their playing or singing1 to the end that a musically effective ensemble performance may result4 8,this is accomplished by means of certain conventional movements of a slender stick called a baton 7usually held in the right hand71 as well as through such changes of facial expression1 bodily posture1 et cetera1 as will convey to the singers or players the conductor's wishes concerning the rendition of the music40 99 99 99 99 99 8,schumann was sadly wanting in the real talent for conducting4 ,all who ever saw him conduct or played under his direction are agreed on this point4 ,irrespective of the fact that conducting for any length of time tired him out1 he had neither the collectedness and prompt presence of mind1 nor the sympathetic faculty1 nor the enterprising dash1 without each of which conducting in the true sense is impossible4 ,he even found difficulty in starting at a given tempo2 nay1 he even sometimes shrank from giving any initial beat1 so that some energetic pioneer would begin without waiting for the signal1 and without incurring ,schumann's wrath6 ,besides this1 any thorough practice1 bit by bit1 with his orchestra1 with instructive remarks by the way as to the mode of execution1 was impossible to this great artist1 who in this respect was a striking contrast to ,mendelssohn4 ,he would have a piece played through1 and it did not answer to his wishes1 have it repeated4 ,if it went no better the second or perhaps third time1 he would be extremely angry at what he considered the clumsiness1 or even the ill-will of the players1 but detailed remarks he never made40 ,it must not be imagined that if one is fortunate enough to acquire the style of handling the baton which we have been advocating1 one will at once achieve success as a conductor4 ,the factors of musical scholarship1 personal magnetism1 et cetera1 mentioned in preceding pages1 must still constitute the real foundation of conducting4 ,but granting the presence of these other factors of endowment and preparation1 one may often achieve a higher degree of success if one has developed also a well-defined and easily-followed beat4 ,it is for this reason that the technique of time-beating is worthy of some degree of serious investigation and of a reasonable amount of time spent in practice upon it4 99 99 99 99 99 ,as quoted from ,wagner-- 8,the whole duty of the conductor is comprised in his ability always to indicate the right tempo4 ,his choice of tempi will show whether he understands the piece or not4444 ,the true tempo induces correct force and expression4444 8,obviously the proper pace of a piece of music is determined by the particular character of the rendering it requires4 ,the question therefore comes to this3 ,does the sustained1 the cantilena1 predominate1 or the rhythmical movement8 ,the conductor should lead accordingly40 99 99 99 99 99 ,as quoted from ,weingartner4 8,he should know it 7the score7 so thoroughly that during the performance the score is merely a support for his memory1 not a fetter on his thought40 99 99 99 99 99 8,a good rule to follow is this3 #8,talk little at the rehearsal1 but when you do talk1 be sure that every one listens4'0 7,from 8,essentials in ,conducting0 by ,gehrkens47 ,oliver ,ditson ,company4 99 99 99 99 99 ,remarks by ,dr4 ,h4 ,kretzschmar 8,everything depends upon the question as to who stands at the head and how the rehearsals are conducted4 ,wherever one piece after the other is disposed of with the aid of piano thumping1 singing must soon come to an end4 ,the training1 or at least the supervision of the individual member must form the foundation of choral activity1 and the performance and study of accompanied compositions must constitute only half of the work4 ,constant practice in a capella singing is indispensable4 ,it is this that trains the ear and teaches vocalisation just as well as1 if not better than the study of solos in which half the faults are hidden and half the trouble saved for the less gifted by the piano4 8,a choral society which now and then sings a few movements by ,palestrina or a fine madrigal will give a more beautiful performance of a ,handel oratorio than one whose sense for tone has not been independently awakened40 7,as quoted in 8,choirs and ,choral ,music0 by ,arthur ,mees7 99 99 99 99 99 8,a ,conductor who desires to organize a choral society must bear in mind3 ,first--that he needs to make many friends2 then to do all in his power to keep them2 ,second--that he must expect active opposition from other professionals1 passive resistance from lazy singers1 and discouragement from a considerable class of people who never can see how anything worth while in choral music can be done in their community4 ,they are sometimes #8dog-in-the-manger' people2 usually pessimists4 ,this last mentioned class 7the pessimists7 are perhaps the most dangerous of all4 ,they should be carefully kept out of the ranks of the society1 for their conversation and manner are most demoralizing4 ,one such member can do more to kill a society than half a dozen enthusiasts can do to keep it alive4 ,the ,conductor1 as organizer1 should bear in mind that the indolent may be stirred upon and possibly converted into willing and effective workers4 ,if the ,conductor is made of the right sort of material the pessimists will not discourage him1 while the jealous opposition of other professionals will but stir him to greater efforts40 7,from 8,choir and ,chorus ,conducting0 by ,f4 ,w4 ,wodell7 99 99 99 99 99 8,remember1 in conducting1 that your thought and gestures will almost certainly be too late rather than too early4 ,anticipate everything4 8,when actually conducting never think of technique2 it is loo late by that time4 ,it is your job to impress what you want on the orchestra and choir somehow4 ,how you do it is a matter for consideration afterwards1 or better still1 beforehand40 99 99 99 99 99 8,a great many qualities are needed to conduct rehearsals successfully4 ,the two most important things are to see that everybody is happy and comfortable and to waste no time4 ,never stop the orchestra to say what you can show with a gesture4 ,if a passage is going very badly1 persevere with it to the end of the section1 then point out all the mistakes and take it right through again if there is time4 ,continual stoppages irritate everybody and waste a great deal of time40 99 99 99 99 99 8,an enormous amount of time in rehearsing can be saved by preparation of the copies1 and here the conductor must never spare his own time in seeing that the parts1 if in manuscript1 are clear and their expression marks uniform1 that the lettering is consistent and that the letters are in places where they will be wanted for rehearsal4 ,everything possible should be marked in the parts beforehand4 ,it is almost always the conductor's fault if he has to ask the orchestra to mark anything at a rehearsal1 unless he has unlimited time for this40 7,from 8,a ,handbook on the ,technique of ,conducting0 by ,adrian ,c4 ,boult47 ,,bibliography ,,books ,,essential ,,to ,,the ,,broader ,,musical ,,culture ,,of ,,the ,,conductor ,,on ,,conducting 7,general7 ,,gehrkens3 ,essentials in ,conducting ,o4 ,ditson ,,schroeder3 ,handbook of ,conducting ,augener ,,wagner3 ,on ,conducting ,reeves ,,weingartner3 ,on ,conducting ,breitkopf ,hrtel ,,berlioz3 ,the ,orchestral ,conductor ,carl ,fischer1 ,inc4 ,,boult1 ,,adrian3 ,a ,handbook on the ,technique of ,conducting ,reeves ,,earhart3 ,the ,eloquent ,baton ,witmark ,,schmid3 ,the ,language of the ,baton ,schirmer ,,scherchen3 ,handbook on ,conducting ,oxford ,,on ,,score ,,reading ,,gal1 ,h43 ,directions for ,score ,reading ,philharmonia ,,riemann1 ,,hugo3 ,introduction to ,playing from ,score ,augener ,,morris-,,ferguson3 ,preparatory ,exercises in ,score ,reading ,oxford ,,on ,,choral ,,conducting ,,coward3 ,choral ,technique and ,interpretation ,novello ,,wodell3 ,choir and ,chorus ,conducting ,presser ,,brennan3 ,words in ,singing ,vincent ,music ,co4 ,,coleman3 ,amateur ,choir ,training ,oxford ,,coleman3 ,conducting for ,women's ,institutes ,oxford ,,on ,,instrumentation ,,forsyth3 ,orchestration ,macmillan ,,jacob3 ,orchestral ,technique ,oxford ,,kling3 ,modern ,orchestration and ,instrumentation ,carl ,fischer1 ,inc4 ,,history ,,of ,,music ,,pratt3 ,the ,history of ,music ,schirmer ,,dickinson3 ,the ,study of the ,history of ,music ,scribner ,,colles3 ,the ,growth of ,music ,oxford ,,stanford ,,forsyth3 ,a ,history of ,music ,macmillan ,,parry3 ,the ,evolution of the ,art of ,music ,appleton ,,bauer ,,peyser3 ,how ,music ,grew ,putnam ,,hadow3 ,oxford ,history of ,music 7#g ,vols47 ,oxford ,,parkhurst3 ,beginnings of the ,world's ,music ,carl ,fischer1 ,inc4 ,,scholes3 ,miniature ,history of ,music ,oxford ,,biography ,d',,indy3 ,beethoven ,boston ,music ,co4 ,,bekker3 ,beethoven ,dutton ,,thayer-,,krehbiel3 ,beethoven ,g4 ,schirmer ,,parry3 ,bach ,putnam ,,spitta3 ,bach ,novello ,,henderson3 ,wagner ,putnam ,,jahn3 ,mozart ,novello ,,newmarch3 ,tchaikovsky ,chester ,,engel3 ,alla ,breve--,thumb ,nail ,sketches of the ,great ,composers ,g4 ,schirmer ,,prunieres3 ,monteverdi ,dutton ,,terry3 ,bach ,oxford ,,wotton3 ,berlioz ,oxford ,,gray3 ,sibelius ,oxford ,,bonavia3 ,verdi ,oxford ,,closson3 ,the ,fleming in ,beethoven ,oxford ,,brenet3 ,haydn ,oxford ,,interpretation ,,matthay3 ,musical ,interpretation ,b4 ,m4 ,c4 ,,appreciation ,,and ,,analysis ,,erb3 ,music ,appreciation for the ,student ,g4 ,schirmer ,,scholes3 ,the ,listener's ,guide ,oxford ,,mason3 ,from ,song to ,symphony ,ditson ,,gehrkens3 ,the ,fundamentals of ,music ,ditson ,,somervell3 ,the ,musical ,pilgrim ,handbooks ,oxford ,,anger3 ,musical ,form ,vincent ,,calvocoressi3 ,musical ,criticism ,oxford ,,scholes-,,earhart3 ,book of ,great ,musicians 7in #c ,vols1 or cplt4 in #a ,vol47 ,oxford ,,west3 ,sign ,posts to ,music ,carl ,fischer1 ,inc4 ,,west3 ,work ,book to above ,carl ,fischer1 ,inc4 ,,harmony ,,kitson3 ,the ,evolution of ,harmony ,oxford ,,barnes3 ,practice in ,modern ,harmony ,oxford ,,parkhurst3 ,complete ,system of ,harmony ,carl ,fischer1 ,inc4 ,,rimsky-,,korsakoff3 ,practical ,manual of ,harmony ,carl ,fischer1 ,inc4 ,,scholes3 ,beginner's ,guide to ,harmony ,oxford ,,counterpoint ,,kitson3 ,the ,art of ,counterpoint ,oxford ,,kitson3 ,applied ,strict ,counterpoint ,oxford ,,morris3 ,contrapuntal ,technique in the #afth ,century ,oxford ,,prout3 ,counterpoint1 ,strict and ,free ,augener ,,prout3 ,double ,counterpoint and ,canon ,augener ,,general ,,hamilton3 ,sound and ,its ,relation to ,music ,ditson ,,buck3 ,the ,scope of ,music ,oxford ,,maddy ,,giddings3 ,instrumental ,technique 7for ,school ,bands and ,orchestras7 ,willis ,,johnstone3 ,instruments of the ,modern ,symphony ,orchestra and ,band ,carl ,fischer1 ,inc4 ,,jacob3 ,musical ,handwriting ,oxford ,,lloyd3 ,music and ,sound ,oxford ,,table ,,of ,,contents ,,chapter ,i ,a ,brief ,outline of the ,development of ,conducting #a ,,chapter ,,ii ,the physical aspect of ,conducting--analysis of arm and hand movements used in conducting4 ,a method for gaining complete mastery of the arm and hand gestures by means of practicing rhythmo-gymnastic exercises4 ,diagram of exercises and illustrations of the various hand and arm movements #h ,,chapter ,,iii 7,a74 ,the general attitude of the conductor1 ,ten ,general ,rules #bb 7,b74 ,illustrations of the five fundamental positions used in conducting #bc 7,c74 ,diagrams of gestures used in conducting1 with music illustrations of their application #bh 7,d74 ,the function of the left hand4 7,left hand signals7 #ed 7,e74 ,suggestions for practice #ed ,,chapter ,,iv ,some ,basic ,problems of ,baton ,technic4 ,the 8attaque0 7start71 the 8conclusion0 7release71 the 8fermata0 7hold71 subdivision of beats1 breathing places1 phrasing #ef ,,chapter ,v ,some ,special ,problems of ,baton ,technic4 ,alla breve or four-four8 ,phrase-groups in fast one-in-a-bar time4 ,uneven measures in one-in-a-bar time4 ,method of practising complex rhythms4 ,fractional time4 ,on the conducting of ,waltzes4 ,extract from ,berlioz' 8,orchestral ,conductor0 #fg ,,chapter ,,vi ,how to ,prepare a ,score #hi ,,chapter ,,vii ,the ,technic of the ,baton in ,choral ,conducting #ie ,,chapter ,,viii ,the ,point of the ,baton #ig ,collected ,opinions of ,noted ,authorities on ,conducting4 ,,bibliography #aja