Cracking the Secret Orchestral Codes
Daniel J. Wakin has yet another article worth reading, titled Cracking the Secret Orchestral Codes in the February 13, 2005 issue of The New York Times:
"From dress to choreographed movements and the courtly interplay between conductor and musicians, the classical music stage is rich in etiquette and sometimes hijinks that are not always obvious to the audience. Chronicling this tradition goes back to Hector Berlioz and his classic Evenings With an Orchestra, a collection of essays dissecting the world of 19th-century orchestras and musical culture.
"As a lifelong concertgoer - even a sometime orchestra member - I had been aware of many of these practices. But in five months on the classical music beat, I have come to be amazed at their breadth and intricacy. Such traditions figure in the argument by some that classical music's popularity suffers from stuffiness, although plenty of musicians and fans welcome their sense of timelessness and refinement.
" 'It's true, we do strange things,' said Eric Wyrick, the concertmaster of the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra and a wry commentator on the subject. 'Who knows why?'
"As concertmaster, Mr. Wyrick is in the thick of these rituals. With the orchestra seated, he comes out for a solo bow before the conductor. 'I don't know why I have one,' he said, 'but there it is.' The tradition may have its roots in the days before the invention of the modern conductor, when the first violinist or a keyboard player would lead the group.
"Before the concertmaster emerges, many American orchestra musicians are likely to straggle out, tune up and even practice that evening's parts. European orchestras tend to tune backstage and come out all together, as the London Symphony Orchestra did recently at Carnegie Hall. For some, the difference is striking. ' We in Europe think the American habit of sitting onstage for half an hour is abominable,' said Harold Clarkson, a former cellist who represents orchestras on tour. 'In Europe it always causes comment.'
"Onstage, the American concertmaster's nod to the principal oboist produces an A for the winds to tune to concert pitch, and another A for the strings. As Mr. Wyrick tells it, the conductor enters and shakes his hand. Sometimes they exchange half bows. 'It's a very antique way of greeting,' Mr. Wyrick said. 'It's theatrical, except that musicians are not very theatrical-minded, so it comes off as stiff.'
"Often a conductor signals for the orchestra to stand. Once, an imperious Russian conductor told Mr. Wyrick that the orchestra should rise on his entrance, a command that could rub proud musicians the wrong way. Mr. Wyrick said he defused the situation by saying, 'Maestro, we will stand up when you ask us to stand, because we want to follow you right away.'
"During performances, orchestra musicians have their own internal rules, too. Never turn around if someone makes a mistake. (New York Philharmonic musicians speak of one colleague who got into hot water for doing so.) Never turn a page if someone nearby has a solo. Signal praise with a slight shuffling of the feet. For a nearby string player who has a solo, a slight rubbing of the music with the edge of the bow does the trick.
" 'Musicians have incredible peripheral vision,' said Carl Schiebler, the personnel manager of the Philharmonic. 'They're looking at their music and watching every nuance of the conductor. Any kind of unusual motion on the stage is noticed immediately by everybody.' At the end of the concert, the orchestra takes its cue from the concertmaster about whether to rise again. Occasionally, when the orchestra feels particular warmth toward a conductor, it will show appreciation by declining to rise (again, at the concertmaster's cue).
" 'There's nothing that will make the conductor any happier,' said Mr. Arron, the Met violist. He paused and added, 'Other than a good review.'
"Mr. Wyrick said he has seen conductors steal bows by not asking the orchestra to rise and pretending to bask in their glow.
"Tradition also dictates that in certain pieces with major solos, the conductor will acknowledge individual players or sections by having them rise separately.
" 'Some conductors will actually go into the orchestra and individually shake hands,' said John Hagstrom, the second trumpeter of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. 'Rostropovich is famous for kissing people,' he said of the bearlike Russian cellist-turned-conductor Mstislav Rostropovich. 'It's fun because he's Rostropovich. If some young conductor did that, you'd think he's nuts.'
Read the rest of this article here (requires registration).
Now, I really have to dig out my copy of Berlioz's Evenings With an Orchestra and finally read it!
"From dress to choreographed movements and the courtly interplay between conductor and musicians, the classical music stage is rich in etiquette and sometimes hijinks that are not always obvious to the audience. Chronicling this tradition goes back to Hector Berlioz and his classic Evenings With an Orchestra, a collection of essays dissecting the world of 19th-century orchestras and musical culture.
"As a lifelong concertgoer - even a sometime orchestra member - I had been aware of many of these practices. But in five months on the classical music beat, I have come to be amazed at their breadth and intricacy. Such traditions figure in the argument by some that classical music's popularity suffers from stuffiness, although plenty of musicians and fans welcome their sense of timelessness and refinement.
" 'It's true, we do strange things,' said Eric Wyrick, the concertmaster of the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra and a wry commentator on the subject. 'Who knows why?'
"As concertmaster, Mr. Wyrick is in the thick of these rituals. With the orchestra seated, he comes out for a solo bow before the conductor. 'I don't know why I have one,' he said, 'but there it is.' The tradition may have its roots in the days before the invention of the modern conductor, when the first violinist or a keyboard player would lead the group.
"Before the concertmaster emerges, many American orchestra musicians are likely to straggle out, tune up and even practice that evening's parts. European orchestras tend to tune backstage and come out all together, as the London Symphony Orchestra did recently at Carnegie Hall. For some, the difference is striking. ' We in Europe think the American habit of sitting onstage for half an hour is abominable,' said Harold Clarkson, a former cellist who represents orchestras on tour. 'In Europe it always causes comment.'
"Onstage, the American concertmaster's nod to the principal oboist produces an A for the winds to tune to concert pitch, and another A for the strings. As Mr. Wyrick tells it, the conductor enters and shakes his hand. Sometimes they exchange half bows. 'It's a very antique way of greeting,' Mr. Wyrick said. 'It's theatrical, except that musicians are not very theatrical-minded, so it comes off as stiff.'
"Often a conductor signals for the orchestra to stand. Once, an imperious Russian conductor told Mr. Wyrick that the orchestra should rise on his entrance, a command that could rub proud musicians the wrong way. Mr. Wyrick said he defused the situation by saying, 'Maestro, we will stand up when you ask us to stand, because we want to follow you right away.'
"During performances, orchestra musicians have their own internal rules, too. Never turn around if someone makes a mistake. (New York Philharmonic musicians speak of one colleague who got into hot water for doing so.) Never turn a page if someone nearby has a solo. Signal praise with a slight shuffling of the feet. For a nearby string player who has a solo, a slight rubbing of the music with the edge of the bow does the trick.
" 'Musicians have incredible peripheral vision,' said Carl Schiebler, the personnel manager of the Philharmonic. 'They're looking at their music and watching every nuance of the conductor. Any kind of unusual motion on the stage is noticed immediately by everybody.' At the end of the concert, the orchestra takes its cue from the concertmaster about whether to rise again. Occasionally, when the orchestra feels particular warmth toward a conductor, it will show appreciation by declining to rise (again, at the concertmaster's cue).
" 'There's nothing that will make the conductor any happier,' said Mr. Arron, the Met violist. He paused and added, 'Other than a good review.'
"Mr. Wyrick said he has seen conductors steal bows by not asking the orchestra to rise and pretending to bask in their glow.
"Tradition also dictates that in certain pieces with major solos, the conductor will acknowledge individual players or sections by having them rise separately.
" 'Some conductors will actually go into the orchestra and individually shake hands,' said John Hagstrom, the second trumpeter of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. 'Rostropovich is famous for kissing people,' he said of the bearlike Russian cellist-turned-conductor Mstislav Rostropovich. 'It's fun because he's Rostropovich. If some young conductor did that, you'd think he's nuts.'
Read the rest of this article here (requires registration).
Now, I really have to dig out my copy of Berlioz's Evenings With an Orchestra and finally read it!
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