Which one is it?

Question

In an orchestra, each musician have the music notation of the symphony they play in front of them during the concert. So why do they need a conductor? Do they look at the conductor or the music notation?

Answer 1

As a trombonist myself, I had always asked myself these questions. Here is the answer. They always try to look at the conductor as much as possible to see what slowing down speed he is going at if it says retardo. or any thing else like forte or mezzo forte or any other dynamic level in music. I am curious, do you play a musical instrument?

Answer 2

Simple. The conductor is the only one with the 'full score' of all the different instrumental parts on the same page. The musicians only have their own parts in front of them. So he's the only one who knows exactly what each instrument should be doing at any time. He's the leader and soul of the orchestra - he doesn't just keep time (most musicians don't need a human metronome to play in tempo unless they're making a ritardando or accelerando), he directs the interpretation of the piece. This means that his gestures will draw out the sound that he wants from the orchestra - solemn, lively, rich, playful, etc. He helps the musicians play music together. Quite frequently he also gives cues for instruments to come in, especially if it's a tricky entry or an entry after many bars of rests. His cues tell the musicians what kind of entrance in required - agressive, expressive, tender, etc. These expressive nuances are seldom indicated in the music score.

Musicians look at both the conductor and the notation - but more of the conductor because by performance time most of them would have already memorised their parts. My teacher always tells us to imagine we have 3 eyes - keep 2 on the conductor and only 1 on our music. During performance, the conductor is more important than the notation. You need a conductor to give a unified performance. If not, each musician would interpret the music differently and you'll get chaos. A conductor's job is a lot harder than it seems. He needs to know the music forwards, backwards, and jumbled up. That's why great conductors are so respected internationally. If you try conducting or playing in an orchestra you'll know what I mean.

Answer 3

because an orchestra is so big, it's easy for one group of instruments to begin rushing and getting ahead. The conductor keeps the beat so the musicians can look up and see how fast a section is played. Also, the conductor can cue them in if they are coming in form a section where they arent playing. The conductor, however, can't give them the notes, so the sheet music tells them that as well as the dynamics and the tempo markings. The sheet music tells them the notes and gives them a heads up, but it is the conductor who actually holds everything together.

Answer 4

The purpose of the conductor has changed over the years, as have the gestures they use.

The first conductors started in the Baroque era. Before this, groups were, in general, too small to need one, and the style of music (independent lines, each of equal importance) tended to make it impossible for one person, external to the performers, to greatly influence a performance anyway.

In the Baroque, the style of music changed, as did the concept of leader and musicians: in general, equality of parts changed to subservience to a soloist or melody, and groups started to grow. Composers tended to be required to direct the orchestras that they wrote for. It is generally believed that the first conductor's baton was a rolled sheet of music, although some conductors used long staves, held near the middle. Lully died from an infection in the foot, which came from repeatedly striking it with the end of his baton, which he was in the habit of rapping on the floor to keep the beat. For the most part, though, at this period, the director was there to set tempos, warn soloists so they'd come in on time, and, as "stepped dynamics" began to be used, to indicate when the changes in volume should happen.

Through most of the classical period, the conductor's purpose in rehersal was to impress his interpretation on the orchestra, so that, in performance, his actual use was fairly limited: by the time the performance happened, the orchestra would know what to do and when. Leonard Bernstein, in the late 60's, admitted to the world that if he'd done his job in rehersal, he didn't need to show up for the concert! At that point, many professional orchestra members would watch the principle first violin (the "concert master") rather than the conductor, especially in cases where the orchestra 'suffered' from many visiting conductors!

Of course, in cases where the orchestra or band plays a lot and goes through a huge repertoire, the conductor's job is to set and keep time and make clear changes in time (rubato, which is stretching of time within the overal structure, ritards, which are the huge slow-downs at the end of a movement, and tempo changes within the piece), and to gesture towards soloists and sections which have important parts. (For the triangle player, this can be a godsend!) During the last century, there was a common undertone of opinion that the musicians didn't need the conductor at all, so much so that the phrase "100 men and a louse" came to represent the orchestra!

In the modern scheme of things, many conductors have abandoned the idea of beating time, entirely. Instead, they feel that their job is to contour the "feeling" of the music, leaving the technique entirely to the orchestra. You can generally tell them from a mile away, their batons waving in wide circles with the beat happening at some indiscernable point in the cycle (or differing points, in some cases!) In these cases, the concertmaster ends up becoming the time-keeper.

Conductors are not really needed in some cases. The Orpheus Chamber Orchestra has distinguished itself with amazingly well-coordinated performances and no conductor.

And, of course, most small ensembles have no need for a baton-waver: string quartets, woodwind quintets, etc. In those cases, one player will give a subtle gesture when timing needs a coordinating indication, some groups leaving this function to the same musician, others changing who does what when as they feel appropriate.

As for what the musicians look at, even when sight-reading, a musician will read a phrase, then check the conductor for time and other indications, then return their eyes to the music to read the next phrase (or remind themselves if it is music they've had the chance to practice!)

So what does a conductor do when they are there, and have a real function?

Time beating is still an important function of the job. Each hall, and indeed the same hall with different numbers of people in the audience, different concentrations within the hall, etc, change acoustic characteristics. With many people well-distributed, the hall is at its most unresponsive (meaning least reverberative) and tempos can be quicker, dynamics must be more pronounced (i.e., fortes must be louder). With few people, the same hall will be more reverberant, and tempos must be taken a little slower so that notes don't get mushed in the echos. Additionally, some conductors will actually change the program as they go, telling the orchestra to leave off a repeat, add a piece from reserve repertoire, or change the order of music (especially if a soloist who is to perform with the orchestra is late in arriving!) Other conductors really are "music directors" who choose the music the orchestra plays for the season, organizes smaller groups for local performance, manages tours, etc.

One final comment: Even if you play triangle (487 measures of rests, one note!) it is difficult to memorize many symphonies. This is the primary reason that orchestras almost always play the 'larger works' with music in front of them.

Answer 5

They look at both

The conductor keeps the tempo--as musicians are scattered across a stage, this is vital in keeping the group together especially when you think of the difference between the speed of sound and speed of light (if musicians only use their ears, the people in the back will always be behind!). The conductor also cues (usually) musicians in after rests. Besides, how else could the group start and stop together--not just at the beginning and end of a piece, but also after fermatas, caesuras, etc?

In addition to keeping tempo, the conductor's gestures should also indicate dynamics (louds and softs) style (smooth, separated, accented, etc) and expression and the interpretation of the piece. A good conductor will be able to "emote" and pull out the desired emotion and style out of the musicians he/she is conducting.

As an orchestra director myself--I always tell my students (not totally jokingly) to keep one eye on the music and one eye on me! :)

Answer 6

you need both .... the conductor to convey expression and to make sure all stay at the tempos and the music to make sure each note is correct .... a good orchestral player looks at both constantly going back and forth with more emphasis on the conductor in transitions to make everyone is together ... many times (especially in an orchestra pit) you can here the other parts so you must rely on the conductor to make sure you are continually at the same tempo as the rest of the orchestra

Answer 7

Both. The conductor is like a director of a film. Hopefully by now the musician has memorized the music, but at the same time, he/she can not afford to forget! The conductor is basically reminding them of the speed, etc., so they all work together.

Answer 8

I think it helps them stay on beat and gives them more of a visual to know when that instrument should come in. The music is there just to give them a guideline because i'm sure they've practiced enough to know every note.
The conductor keeps control of every instrument so they don't play off key.
This is my guess from just watching how conductors move, swing and sway :D

Answer 9

The conductor is the leader who directs the musicians. He is not giving them the notes, he keeps the time and instructs them on loudness etc.

Answer 10

I used to play in an orchestra and the conductor is really just their to keep the tempo, so that if you loose your place in the song you can catch up again.