A Study:
Do Orchestra’s Need Conductors?
By
Lawrence V. McCrobie
November 2014
Entering into the performance hall prior
to the start of a musical concert can leave one with a sense of excitement. A
feeling of great mystery, a journey that awaits the mind, body, and the
soul. However one might ask what
it is that allows the individual to embark on the journey of a musical
transgression into a state of mind where the music emotionally moves a person
to an emotive state of peace, serenity, and personal reflection. What one element exists that allows
essentially paper and ink to transform itself into something that has such a
profound effect on the music listener?
Music itself, in a written form, takes on a role of a mathematical equation
that can easily be carried out, however it is the addition of the human touch
to that equation that allows the impersonal written aspect to develop into an
“imperfect” and ever changing object.
The presence of a musical conductor, lends the emotive aspect to the
music. The role of the conductor in a musical organization is vital to the
overall direction of, and musicality, of bringing a musical work to life;
without a conductor music has no emotional connection. It has no one to create a unique and
different story each time the music is played, it has no one to make decisions
as to what story is to be told, or to create the high and low points of
energy. Simply stated: without a conductor,
music is nothing more than a math equation written on paper.
Current research exists that presents
information on the importance of a conductor not only as a musician, but also
as a leader in the orchestra.
Raymond Leppard in his article “Music and the Conductor” argues that the conductor’s role as an
interpreter has far surpassed the fact that the conductor is also a coordinator
of the orchestra, and that it is the conductor that ultimately must decide what
the end result is to be, and what should be done. They exist to form an overall
view of the works to be played. Leonid Sabaneev and SW Pring also present
evidence in the Musical Times through
their article “A Conductor less Orchestra”,
that an orchestra without a conductor is one that lacks in artistry; and that
their playing lacks connection to the audience and the personality of the music
is lost. An argument is also
presented on evidence that through a conductor, many orchestras are able to
achieve a high level of performance far quicker than a group that tries to do
the work without a leader. Robert Ponsonby delivers a message in his 2008
interview in the Tempo, that the
conscious relationship between what the conductor wants and what the musician
gives is very important. He also gives an introduction of how conductors are
allowed to interpret the musical piece in their own vision, and that over time
opinions change, which allows a piece to take on a new meaning after several
years of studying before the conductor visits the piece again. Clemens Wollner
and Wolfgang Auhagen, through their article in Music Perception: An Interdisciplinary Journal, finds that
experienced conductors have gained such a great deal of knowledge through their
training, that their ability to vision the music as a unique and ever changing
piece of art is easily achieved. Though explained best through Christopher
Keene’s article “Conductor” in the Music
Educators Journal, conductors are jack of all trades and thus are afforded
the ability to bring character and existence to a piece of music allowing it to
become inspirational to those that are there to absorb the performance.
So what is it that makes the role of a conductor
such an important overall aspect to an orchestra? Does the orchestra really need the conductor in front of
them in order to perform at a high level of musicality? What purpose does the
music conductor actually serve, and is it a necessary role in the performance
of a music composition? These are all important questions when trying to
develop the answer to why is the conductor necessary, and needed. It is seemingly apparent from first
glance that a conductor serves only one function during a rehearsal or even a
performance; to stand in front of the group and wave the baton for the
musicians, but is this an important and necessary role? The question remains, if the conductor
were taken away, would the musical ensemble actually have the ability to
continue on without their presence and leadership? There have been various studies on this topic, and Professor
Aloimonos of the University of Maryland Computer Science department did one of
the most influential, as well as recent, studies. This study was unique because it was conducted using the
newest technology consisting of LED laser lights that were attached not only to
the conductor’s baton, but also to the bows of the instrumentalists within the
orchestra. The ensemble was then
surrounded with the use of infrared cameras, which were placed to detect and
monitor the movements of the conductor’s baton and the movements of the
musicians. Through this study,
Aloimonos was able to gather enough information to make the determination that
the movement of the baton could in fact predict the movements of the musician’s
bows. This would lead to the
conclusion that the conductor really was dictating the movements of the
musicians, and thus was the one responsible overall for the sounds that an
audience would be hearing. The
study went on to conclude additional information, concluding that; “What we
found is the more the influence of the conductor to the players, the more
aesthetic — aesthetically pleasing the music was overall”.[1]
This is an important conclusion of information on the need for a conductor, and
even more important; the fact that the test environment was controlled to allow
the researchers to not know which of the conductors were advanced, nor which
were amateurs, yet to conclude that the proficiency of the conductor really did
have an impact on the overall sense of sound and musical finesse that was obtainable
from the ensemble.
But what makes the conductor such an
important figure to the orchestra? The answer is rather simple, and one that is
easily understood. Music in the written
form is simply a sheet of paper with ink on it. It is through the ability to take that information and
process it, that music has the ability to come alive. In group musical settings, regardless of how well the
musicians are trained, the ability to come together and all play in a way that
produces a masterpiece is something that is difficult, and nearly impossible to
do, without some sort of leader.
The Soviets during the 1918-1920 era, began to think of the Orchestra
Conductor as a person that himself did not play in the ensemble, but rather
took from the orchestra the praise and success of a job well done. This lead to
the conductor becoming a person that was looked at as an unsuccessful and an un-extolled
individual, but rather as a person that was disgusted and looked unpleasantly
upon. It was Zeitlin, a Moscow
Violin Professor and the leader of the Kussewitzky Orchestra, that proposed
that ensembles really did not need a conductor; and with that the era of
conductor-less orchestras were born in the Soviet Union. It is important to note that Zeitlin did
not “invent” the method of a conductor-less ensemble, as they were ever present
already in the form of chamber ensembles, but rather adapted the method over to
become introduced to the full-sized ensemble. There was one flaw with this method; even though there was
not an individual in front of the ensemble with a baton, there was still a
leader, one that made musical decisions and decided how things were going to be
played. Zeitlin, himself, had become the very thing that he was looking to do
away with: the conductor. It was
noted, “during the actual concert the players kept a watchful eye on Zeitlin
and his bow—the bow of the first violin”.[2]
This method did not last long, mainly due to the fact that in theory a conductor
was present, and economically not having a conductor only added a great deal of
overall cost and rehearsal time to the orchestras; as many additional rehearsals
were needed in order for a conductor-less ensemble to provide a musical concert
experience on the same level as an ensemble with the presence of a musical conductor.
With the need for a conductor explained
and accepted, we move into the understanding of the qualities that make a conductor
effective, and why is it important for them to be able to make artistic
decisions in relation to the musical delivery, and portrayal, of a musical
composition. There are many
aspects that a competent conductor should have, among some of those traits
reside the need to have a rich understanding of the nature of the piece and the
analytical formula used in the compositional aspect of the work. It is important to understand the mood
of the work in which they are conducting, as well as the technical demands of
the composition. Lacking in these
areas can lead to a performance that is not necessarily lacking in clarity, but
rather lacking in the meaning of the work as the composer upon its conception
intended it.
"Any asino can conduct," the autocratic Italian maestro Arturo
Toscanini once said, comparing routine conductors to dunces. "But to make
music, eh? Is difficile”![3]
This is a familiar statement that is made a great deal of time in the
conducting world. There are many
people holding positions that have something lacking when it comes to the
ability to consistently produce a high level of musicality when it comes to concert
time. But it might somewhat shock
people to know that the ones who seemingly “violate” the main qualities needed
to be considered a top conductor, are those that hold positions in the top ensemble
conducting positions. Take for
example Leonard Slatkin’s 2009 "La Traviata" failure, which resulted
in Slatkin being forced to withdraw from the Opera Production after its opening
night performance. The performance
that was given of the Opera, by the orchestra, left it apparently clear that
Slatkin himself was not familiar with Verdi’s work, and because of that, the
performance drew sharp criticism on the abilities of Slatkin to remain in a
position of such high distinction.
Although this moment brought a bit of shame on the world renowned conductor,
it is in fact a learning moment that can be taken into account, for even under
the baton of a celebrated conductor, the orchestra was unable to deliver a
stellar performance of the musical composition, leading one to wonder what the
performance would had been like had the ensemble simply not had a conductor.
But does this explain the need for a conductor? Or are we simply looking for reasons to
say that conductors should stay?
Another example of the importance of a conductor would come in the form
of the young Conductor Lionel Bringuier, who at the young age of 23 (at the
time of this example) was the Associate Conductor for the extraordinary Los
Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra; led by the world-renowned and widely respected
Gustav Dudamel. In 2011 during a
performance at the Walt Disney Concert Hall, Conductor Gustav Duamel pulled a
neck muscle and during intermission made the decision that he would be unable
to conduct the second half of the concert featuring Tchaikovsky's
"Pathetique" Symphony.
This meant that it fell into the hands of Bringuier to step in and
conduct the LA Phil in this performance. Because of this particular situation, many blog’s and
discussion board topics appeared afterwards on what exactly it is that a
conductor does, and if they were really necessary? Now even though the LA Phil’s performance of the
“Pathetique” Symphony went over extremely well, even with the last minute
addition of Bringuier, it must be noted that the success of the ensembles performance
was attributed to Bringuier being at all of the rehearsals of Dudamel’s;
learning all of the styles and gestures that had been rehearsed and planed, and
even through the knowledge of Bringuier’s charisma and musicality was tested
and was triumph, the end result was a performance that was not fully at par with
what Dudamel himself would have given.
The end conclusion in all of the
information presented is that conductors are necessary to a musical
ensemble. That what makes a
competent, and successful, conductor is something that cannot truly be
measured. There are qualities that
must be present for a conductor to be successful in front of the ensemble in
which they stand in front of; some of which are being familiar with the music,
having a strong personality, and not being afraid to take risks with the music,
as well as the interpretation of
the music, for it is with risks that some of the most memorable musical moments
have been, and will be, created.
It is important to remember that the world of music is simply far too vast
for a sole musician to fathom. All one can do is take one piece at a time and
realize that the wonderful thing about being a conductor is that you never reach
a point of having all the answers.
There are aspects of every piece that continue to be ever changing, and
change due to knowledge gained from other musical experiences. Knowing that the
joy of music is never constant, yet ever changing ensures that the human touch
of a ensemble conductor will continue to be needed for the creation of
memorable music.
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