Outline Of The Great Conductor Essay Research

Outline Of The Great Conductor Essay, Research Paper

The Great Conductors

Chapter III. Bach and Handel

I. Introduction

A. Until 1850.s, composer, player, and conductor were

same person

B. Presider over the harpsicord was conductor

II. Monteverdi

A. Introduced tremseo and pizzicato for bowed

instruments

1. Violinists were horrified

B. Strings were made backbone of orchestra

C. Did not wave stick, but was conductor

III. Lully

A. Used a baton

1. Was a long rod he struck on the ground

2. Resulted in his death when the staff went into his fist and gangrene developed

B. Modern orchestra fashioned after him

C. Dominated his performances

D. First great conductor

1. Musicians from everywhere came to study with him

IV. Bach

A. Much like today.s conductor

1. Sat at clavier in concert master.s chair

2. Did not use a baton

B. Good conductor and demanding musician

A. Could probably play any instrument

B. Expected everyone to be as good as he was

C. Complete musician who could do it all

A. Could hear the tiniest mistakes

B. Tuned orchestra himself

V. Handel

A. Harpsichordist and organist

A. Presided over harpsichord and was therefore conductor

B. Impatient like Bach

C. Used dynamic markings

A. Were new to the time

B. Eventually became common

Chapter IV. Haydn, Mozart, and Beethoven

A. Mannheim Orchestra

1. Considered the best in Europe

2. Helped spark a new school of composers and conductors

3. Composer Cannabich considered among the best

B. Gluck

A. Perfectionist

1. Would play a passage 20-30 times until satisfied

B. Rumored that his musicians paid double

C. Influenced by Mannheim orchestra

C. Haydn

A. Composed for the Concerts de la Lage Olympique

B. Influenced by Stamitz

C. Served at Esterhaz Palace

1. Prince demanded 2 weekly concerts

2. Prince took great interest in orchestra

3. Prince requested certain types of music

a. Gamba because prince could play an instrument

4. Was rewarded with a maid, coachman and selected performers

D. Forceful and demanding

1. Asked that every detail be observed

2. Players considered him a slave-driver

E. Grew very popular

1. Outside negotiations for music

a. Printing never done without error

F. Opera

1. Composed 17 in 1786

2. Between 1780-90 conducted 1,026 operas

3. Grew sick of opera

G. Conducted from clavier

1. Last appearance in 1803 as conductor

D. Mozart

A. Prodigy

B. Ability to embellish or improve conductor.s ideas

C. Gifted conductor

1. Took charge of orchestras from age 12

2. Conducted from clavier

3. In youth was a violin conductor

a. Expert violinist

b. Demanded by his father

c. Declared himself independent of violin conducting at 22.

D. First great conductor

1. Beat time and worked from full-score

2. Eventually had someone else at keyboard while he beat time

E. Beethoven

A. One of worst conductors in history

1. Refused to bow to his deafness

2. Could not easily get along with people

3. Was absent minded

a. Forget to take rehearsal repeats

b. Forget he was soloist

c. Forget he was conductor-totally taken away by the music

B. Physically involved in the music

1. Would crouch low for pianissimo

Chapter VI. The Arrival of the Stick

I. Introduction

A. Conducting

1. Need for a simple controlling force

2. Fun poked at old way of conducting

B. Leadership divided among conductor, piano, and violinist

1. 2 or 3 men stomped beat

2. Loud and confusing

3. Leading violinist would stop and beat time

with bow

C. Batons

1. Foot long roll of paper first used

2. Idea of modern baton adopted by Johann Fredrich Reichardt

3. Spohr also one of first batonists

II. Spohr

A. Introduced modern baton to Europe

1. Took this step in 1817

2. Conducting easier and silent

B. First to use reference numbers and letters in score

1. Previously had no way to isolate specific measure

III. Conclusion

A. Trial and error with new conductor

B. Physical location of conductor not determined

1. Some faced the audience

2. Some stood to left of orchestra

C. Experimentation with baton

D. Beat pattern being stabilized

Chapter IX. Hector Berlioz

I. Berlioz as a conductor

A. Was first maestro who was neither a pianist or violinist

B. Part of the trinity upon which modern conducting based

C. Admired by many

D. Didn.t always get results he wanted

1. Orchestras not up to his standard or vision

2. Conducted 20-30 rehearsals for one piece without accomplishing desired results

II. Treatises