An Orchestral Player Looks at Conductors

Author(s): Thomas Russell

Source: The Musical Times, Vol. 79, No. 1146 (Aug., 1938), pp. 575-576
Published by: Musical Times Publications Ltd.
Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/923111
Accessed: 03-05-2018 15:43 UTC

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August 1938 THE MUSICAL TIMES 575

An Orchestral Player L
By THOMAS RUSSELL
[It may be worth while to state that this article was
Mr. Bernard Shore's book, 'The Orchestra Sp
AN old proverb among orchestral players error or lack of balance in an orchestral chord is
tells us that ' the baton makes no sound,' instantly detected. He should be, on the rostrum
or, as Jos6 Iturbi once put it, ' the baton at least, a man of few but effective words,
is always in C major.' These sayings illustrate capable of so indicating by his technique what
the tendency among orchestral musicians to effect he desires, that not many verbal explana-
disparage the noble art of conducting; not tions are necessary. For this he needs that
because it is less important, less involved or lesspeculiar gift with the ' stick' which will have
difficult of achievement than any other art, but little or no relation to his qualities as a musician
that it is the most easily exploited and, as the (many fine musicians handle the baton like a
proverb indicates, one which makes the faults of walking-stick, and some charlatans have just the
its exponents difficult to detect. right manner). He needs, in addition, a moderate
Concert-goers often fail to realize how much of sense of humour (one must not expect too much),
a conductor's success is due to the musicians he the patience of Job, and above all, a gift for
directs, and how much is properly due to him.
understanding the peculiar psychology of what
The critics, one may suppose, know better, must, but
in the nature of things, be one of the most
they also frequently fail to allot the praise or bodies to handle. He need not be a
difficult
blame correctly, and are indeed to be forgiven for
disciplinarian unless he lacks this psycholog
their tendency to cast the limelight on the more
knowledge of the orchestra, when the weigh
prominent figure of the conductor, whose his administrative powers may achieve, at b
name
is known and the details of whose private alife poorandimitation of the discipline which a re
public career have already provided interest for
sympathy will evoke.
their readers. Add the obvious, but not ever-present, qual
It is nevertheless true that many orchestral cations of score-reading and time-beating, an
performances reach a standard of relative will be realized that the lack of first-rate con-
excellence in spite of the conductor. I rememberductors is not surprising.
a famous conductor once bringing in the orchestra It will rarely take an orchestra more than one
(or, rather, intending to !) during a silent bar.rehearsal to recognize the quality of a conductor
The moment of agony suffered by the musicians They will not go through the list of qualification
in their unanimously successful effort in resisting I have demanded above to discover where he is
the conductor's command (the chord arrived in outstanding or deficient, but will know instinc
its right place one bar later) should have been tively whether he is master of the situation an
recorded. And I recall, too, a conductor who, in worthy of their respect. Woe betide the con-
his exuberance at the end of Tchaikovsky's ductor who fails to gain it! Even without
'Francesca da Rimini,' which concludes with a antagonism, and with the best will in the world,
series of syncopated chords, beat one bar too many. it is impossible for him to obtain a high standard
Had the offender in either of these cases been, of performance without the confidence of his
for example, a trombone player, how the critics fellow artists.
would have pounced ! And if in either case the If conductors were to be categorically graded
trombone player had really relied on the con- with any degree of accuracy, it would be
ductor's indications, what sensation and amuse- impossible to put any two into the same class,
ment! But most conductors would have taken but we can roughly place them into three. First
the applause unblushingly. there is the class of the truly great, that of
These are perhaps trifling incidents, Toscanini and are and Beecham, which is so restricted
given merely to show that even great conductors that it would be difficult to find four or five at
nod. But what of the mediocrities who stand any given time. These definitely add something
proudly before orchestras which they falsely to the sum total of the playing of an orchestra,
believe they are leading ? and obtain results which are never equalled by
Let us, for the moment, decide what are the other conductors. They might be called the
essential qualifications of the true conductor; we creative conductors. Then there are those who,
can then sift the wheat from the chaff. He needs while contributing little or nothing of their own,
to be a fine all-round musician, not necessarily enable a good orchestra to do its normal best.
with a great academic knowledge, for the This class is far more numerous, and orchestral
acquisition of this may have dried up the emo-music will never be in serious danger while they
tions; but he must be able to sense all that is remain in charge, for their sincerity and general
best in a musical work. He must have a highly- musicality will keep performances at a high level.
developed feeling for rhythm in addition to a Lastly, we have the largest class, a very hetero-
metrical sense ; the distinction is important, as geneous one, which includes so many who have
the metrical perception without the rhythmical become conductors because, as Shaw might
will make good phrasing an impossibility. He have said, 'he who can, plays, he who cannot,
must have an ear so quick, accurate and highly conducts.' Here we have the honest but dull
trained-l'oreille fine, in short-that the slightest time-beaters whose faults are at least negative,

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 576 THE MUSICAL TIMES August 1938
and the dishonest but brilliant charlatans who ship of the conductor to his orchestra should be
earn the hatred of musicians and the adoration considered from a balanced point of view. He
of the less discerning among concert-goers.
should be regarded primarily as a member of the
It can be said, I think, without exaggeration,
orchestra, and his contribution to the performance
that any member of a leading symphony should
orches-be more accurately assessed. Since it is
tra could take up the baton at least adequately,
possible with an efficient orchestra for a conductor
if not with distinction. How many conductors,
to hide his deficiencies from the public, it is impor-
on the other hand, even understand the mysteries
tant that his sincerity as an artist be proved. In
and technical difficulties of the instruments under his work with the orchestra he should behave as
their control, quite apart from being able to play a colleague; all signs of violent 'temperament'
them ? Is it too much to ask that they shouldshould be be obliterated, for although it is true that
sufficiently familiar with the playing technique no great conductor storms at his men, it is common
of any instrument to avoid the exasperation for their imitators to behave in this way, while
caused by their ignorance ? To be told patroniz- any orchestral player who gave way to such feel-
ingly by a pianist-conductor that a passage for a ings would soon find himself out of a job.
certain instrument is 'quite easy,' when the The public is largely at fault in this matter.
mechanics of the instrument make it well-nigh By surrounding the whole business with an aura
impossible; to play from parts 'bowed' by a of glory and adulation it has invested the con-
conductor in such a manner as to render per- ductor's craft with an air of importance which
formance ludicrous: such ordeals are the results
only a truly sincere man can justify. Players are
of an ignorance which will not facilitate consequently
the co- subjected to the often ill-tempered
operation between orchestra and conductor. attacks of men whose artistic, technical and
The reader will excuse me, as an orchestral mental qualities are inferior to those of the
player, from daring to place our best-known rank con- and file of the orchestra with which they
ductors in the classes to which' I think they work.
belong; he can perhaps beguile the tedium of a No conductor should be given an important
winter's evening in this amusing pursuit. He appointment until he has had twelve months'
will also, I hope, exonerate me from the charge experience as an orchestral player. This would
of underrating the importance of a conductor in correct the grossest errors to which conductors
a symphony orchestra; I have already pointed are liable; and a more objective attitude on the
out in another article that it is not possible to do part of critics and the general public would
without one.* All I ask is that the whole relation-
eliminate those who have no justifiable claim to
* Musical Times, May 1938. such a position.

Physiological Aspects of Breathing for

Singers
By W. S. DREW
F the study of anatomy is taken up late in So let us return to the diaphragm, respectable
life by anyone with a special end in view it though mysterious. We can say that it is,
is possible that he will be delighted with the roughly speaking, a dome-shaped muscle when
simplicity of the actions of the muscles taken relaxed and that it flattens when it contracts,
one at a time-the muscle contracts and the thus drawing air into the lungs. Again, how
movable parts to which the ends are simple attached! But it is attached at the front and sides
come closer together. How simple, and how to the 'free' ends of the ribs, so that when it
especially delightful when this movement is incontracts it will tend to pull the lower ribs in
the direction required by some previously and so force air out of the lungs. Now isn't that
conceived theory! In this connection, as all just too bad! Because anyone can see that
vocal theorists know, the diaphragm has come during a full inspiration the free ends of the
in for a good deal of attention, partly because ribs are raised upwards and outwards. So
it is a large muscle and partly because it has there is evidently something that overcomes
a name that is suggestive of mysterious power. this regrettable tendency of the diaphragm.
But it has been talked about so much that it has We had better leave it to its well-known (in
rather lost its scientific tang-even spells singing
seem circles) function of 'supporting the
to get worn out by use-and now the intercostalstone' and go to seek help from the intercostals
come in for a certain amount of attention. The to start with, and then perhaps from the
rectus abdominis, which has to be made tense serratus magnus. Then, if we are very anxious
during forced or controlled expiration, and to to make ourselves unpopular, we can ask the
which, in consequence, a certain amount of nearest anatomist or general practitioner to
honour is due, seems to have little news-value explain to us exactly how these muscles keep the
in England-probably because it sounds rather bony structure of the chest expanded. If we
vulgar, as if it had something to do with the chance this, and ask two 'experts' for an
later stages of digestion. explanation of this somewhat complicated phy-

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