Inside Conducting
- Author: Seaman, Christopher
With humor, clarity, and wisdom, Christopher Seaman gives insight into the mind of a conductor. A feast of inside scoops for music lovers. -- -- Yo-Yo Ma, cellist and Artistic Director of the...
Inside Conducting
- Author: Seaman, Christopher
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With humor, clarity, and wisdom, Christopher Seaman gives insight into the mind of a conductor. A feast of inside scoops for music lovers. -- -- Yo-Yo Ma, cellist and Artistic Director of the...
About
What does a conductor actually do? How much effect does he or she have? Can the orchestra manage without one? Why don't the players look at the conductor more? Is it necessary for the conductor to play every instrument? What about interpretation? What happens at rehearsals? Why do some conductors "thrash around" more than others? Who's the boss in a concerto: the soloist or the conductor? These are some of the questions that receive lively andinformative answers in this book by renowned conductor Christopher Seaman. Composed of short articles on individual topics, it is accessible and easy to consult. Each article begins with an anecdote or saying and ends with quotations from musicians, often expressing opposing views. There are many books on the art of conducting, but none like this. Music lovers wondering what the figure on the podium actually does, and aspiring conductors eager to learn more about the art and craft of leading an orchestra, will all treasure this wise yet humorous book. Christopher Seaman has been successful at both ends of the baton. After four years as principal timpanist of the London Philharmonic Orchestra, he was appointed principal conductor of the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra and has enjoyed a busy international conducting career for over forty years. He is now Conductor Laureate for Life of the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra, New York, and he continues to bring great music and wise words to audiences, students, and readers around the world.
Contents
- Background
- Harmony
- Memory
- Perfect Pitch
- Training Conductors
- Youth Orchestras
- Balance
- Choral Works
- Concerto Accompaniment
- Ear
- Eye Contact
- Opera
- Rehearsing
- Baton
- Beat
- Behind-the-Beat Playing
- Directing from the Harpsichord
- Economy of Gesture, Cueing, Use of the Left Hand
- Auditions
- Chamber Orchestras
- Chief Conductor
- Friend or Boss?
- Orchestral Playing
- Role of Concertmaster
- Solos in an Orchestral Piece
- Stage Settings
- Strings
- Winds
- Timpani and Percussion
- Composers
- Learning Scores, Interpretation
- Marking Parts
- Performance Practice
- Shape and Structure
- Tempo and Metronome
- Addressing the Audience
- Applause, Platform Demeanor, Coughing
- Program Planning
- Career and Agents
- Critics
- Gender
- Guest Conducting
- Orchestra Managements
- Recording
- Travel and Packing
- Concentration
- Control and Power
- Ego
- Languages
- Nervousness
- Our Heritage: Some Ancestors and My Links with Them
- Suggested Reading
- Musical Example Credits
- A Note on the Illustrations
- Index of Conductors
Awards and reviews
Yo-Yo Ma
With humor, clarity, and wisdom, Christopher Seaman gives insight into the mind of a conductor. A feast of inside scoops for music lovers. -- -- Yo-Yo Ma, cellist and Artistic Director of the Silk Road Project
