Concert-meister

concertmaster in American English (ˈkɑnsərtˌmæstər ) noun. the leader of the first violin section of a symphony orchestra, who plays the solo passages and often serves as assistant to the conductor.

The concertmaster is the lead violinist. As the violinist with the highest “rank”, he/she sits in the first chair, next to the conductor's podium. The concertmaster leads the orchestra in its tuning prior to the concert, and customarily plays all of the violin solos within pieces.

The concertmaster (from the German Konzertmeister), first chair (U.S.) or leader (U.K.) is the principal first violin player in an orchestra (or clarinet in a concert band).

A major reason for this was because composers began to write more harmonically robust music that didn't require lugging a harpsichord around. And since violinists weren't going anywhere, the concertmaster became the orchestra's player-coach.

When a soloist is featured with the orchestra, says Barltrop, a concertmaster's duties shift ever so slightly. They're still responsible for leading the orchestra, but there's an added challenge in following not just the conductor, but the soloist as well.

“The role of a Conductor is to unify a large group of musicians into a core sound instead of a wild bunch of different sounds surging out; the role of a Concertmaster is to decode the conductor's information, and transmit it to the orchestra, plus to his section; the role of Principals is to use all this information ...

Today, the concertmaster, almost always the first violinist, tunes the orchestra, plays solo passages and specifies how the violin parts should be played, and acts as a liaison between the conductor and musicians.

The associate concertmaster sits next to the concertmaster, and is sometimes called "second concertmaster." The assistant sits third chair. When the concertmaster is absent, the associate sits in his/her seat and the assistant sits next to him/her; it's rare that both of them are absent at the same time.

The leader of the first violin section, or first chair violinist, is typically the concertmaster, while in a concert band, the concertmaster is the first clarinet, oboe, or flute, and in brass bands, it's the principal solo cornet, trombone, or trumpet player.

The second and sometimes third and fourth chairs are "assistant concertmasters," and they are paid less than the concertmaster, but more than other section players. They have to sub for the concertmaster when needed.

In addition to being an excellent player with deep knowledge of orchestra repertoire and fantastic abilities as a soloist, concertmasters must also cultivate superb leadership, teaching, and communication skills.

Also Called. Virtuoso. In the world of classical music, soloists are top-level musicians who travel from city to city, performing with different orchestras as the star of the show. Careers in Live Music.