concertmaster

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.

The concertmaster sits to the conductor's left, closest to the audience, in what is called the first chair. The concertmaster makes the decisions on bowing and other technical details of violins, and sometimes all of the string players. He or she leads the orchestra in tuning before concerts and rehearsals.

Generally speaking, the Assistant Concertmaster sits in the second chair of the violin section and will serve as the Concertmaster in the event that he, she, or they is not present. The Assistant Concertmaster will then assume the roles and responsibilities of the Concertmaster.

The tuning order is usually agreed upon by the concertmaster and the principal oboist, and is informed by their backgrounds and the traditions of the orchestra they are playing with. It is common for the concertmaster to request two to four A's, and to go from brass to woodwinds to lower strings to upper strings.

1: Jascha Heifetz (1901-1987), Russian-American For many people, Heifetz was not only the greatest violinist of the twentieth century but of all time. He set new standards of excellence that later generations still attempt to emulate. Born in Vilnius, he was an international superstar from his earliest years.

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.

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 person with their back to the audience leading the orchestra is known as the conductor. The conductor may be the most visible part of the orchestra because they are often poised on a raised platform or pedestal.

In a concert band setting, the concertmaster role may be filled by a principal wind instrument player, while in brass bands it may be performed by a highly skilled trumpeter. The concertmaster plays a complex, varied, and pivotal role within an orchestra.

conductor, in music, a person who conducts an orchestra, chorus, opera company, ballet, or other musical group in the performance and interpretation of ensemble works. At the most fundamental level, a conductor must stress the musical pulse so that all the performers can follow the same metrical rhythm.

violin 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).

Eugène-Auguste Ysaÿe (French: [øʒɛn iza. i]; 16 July 1858 – 12 May 1931) was a Belgian virtuoso violinist, composer, and conductor. He was regarded as "The King of the Violin", or, as Nathan Milstein put it, the "tsar".