Book contents
- Frontmatter
- Dedication
- Contents
- Foreword
- Preface
- Acknowledgments
- PART ONE The Conductor's Mind
- PART TWO The Conductor's Skills
- PART THREE The Conductor's Hands
- PART FOUR The Conductor and the Musicians
- 19 Auditions
- 20 Chamber Orchestras
- 21 Chief Conductor
- 22 Friend or Boss?
- 23 Orchestral Playing
- 24 Role of Concertmaster
- 25 Solos in an Orchestral Piece
- 26 Stage Settings
- PART FIVE The Conductor and the Instruments
- PART SIX The Conductor, the Composer, and the Score
- PART SEVEN The Conductor and the Audience
- PART EIGHT The Conductor and “the Business”
- PART NINE Inside the Conductor
- Suggested Reading
- Musical Example Credits
- A Note on the Illustrations
- Index of Conductors
25 - Solos in an Orchestral Piece
from PART FOUR - The Conductor and the Musicians
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 05 September 2013
- Frontmatter
- Dedication
- Contents
- Foreword
- Preface
- Acknowledgments
- PART ONE The Conductor's Mind
- PART TWO The Conductor's Skills
- PART THREE The Conductor's Hands
- PART FOUR The Conductor and the Musicians
- 19 Auditions
- 20 Chamber Orchestras
- 21 Chief Conductor
- 22 Friend or Boss?
- 23 Orchestral Playing
- 24 Role of Concertmaster
- 25 Solos in an Orchestral Piece
- 26 Stage Settings
- PART FIVE The Conductor and the Instruments
- PART SIX The Conductor, the Composer, and the Score
- PART SEVEN The Conductor and the Audience
- PART EIGHT The Conductor and “the Business”
- PART NINE Inside the Conductor
- Suggested Reading
- Musical Example Credits
- A Note on the Illustrations
- Index of Conductors
Summary
The conductor Malcolm Sargent had a habit of telling his leading players exactly how to play their solos. At one rehearsal he stopped the orchestra and said to oboist Janet Craxton, “Now, Miss Craxton, I want you to play your solo like this,” singing it in his curious wobbly voice. Janet couldn't take it. She put down her oboe and said defiantly, “Sir Malcolm, I can't possibly play it like that!” Sargent looked up in innocent surprise and said, “Oh really? Can't you? Well, do your best, my dear.”
Leading players don't want this kind of attitude from a conductor; they need to feel his support for the way they're playing a solo. But a conductor may sometimes have to ask a musician to play in a different style to fit with his view of a piece. Talented musicians can play a tune beautifully in many ways and can usually adapt, provided the conductor's request is reasonable. If a player is lacking in the poetic department, he may need help with shaping a solo, but it's best to hear what he does of his own accord before intervening. The feeling of being accompanied by a conductor helps a musician blossom artistically. Everybody thrives with encouragement.
When you ask a musician to change the way he plays a solo, you may occasionally get an angry reaction. I still feel uncomfortable when I remember an altercation with a woodwind player near the beginning of my career. Perhaps I could have handled it better, but I did receive a courteous letter of apology.
- Type
- Chapter
- Information
- Inside Conducting , pp. 118 - 120Publisher: Boydell & BrewerPrint publication year: 2013