Conducting...

The conductor is an integral part of a large ensemble, for reasons many have already stated. The conductor provides an individual interpretation of the piece of music as a whole... it is the job of the conductor to scrutinize the piece he or she is conducting and figure out exactly how he or she would like it to be played. Once they interpret the music, it is then the job of the conductor to use visible (and sometimes subconscious) cues in order to procure the desired sound from the ensemble. The shape of the torso, facial expressions, speed of hand gestures, shape of the hands, fluidity/rigidity of movement, all help control the band and shape it into one ensemble rather than 100 individual players.

The purpose of the conductor is to show you how to play the notes on the page. Tempo and cues are all secondary at the higher level... any decent ensemble can play in time and come in at the right moments (although it's difficult at fermatas). The conductor, in short, shows all of the music that isn't written on the page.

I will be joining a string orchestra in the summer which will have no conductor. We are all experienced players and will use our principle violinist for tempo. The plan is to resolve interpretation issues democratically, and where that fails the 5 section leaders will have the final say. Principle violin, of course, will be in charge and act as a kind of conductor but in essence we will be a bloated string quartet. Should be great fun and I'll let you know how it works!

That String Orchestra will be relatively small - 4 or 5 desks per instrument plus a couple of double basses - so that is what should make the lack of a conductor workable. Any more than 40 or 50 people and you will lose the cohesiveness, and that is when a conductor is needed. Also, a conductor is there to give a single unified interpretation - this string orch I talk of will not be successful if we cannot decide how the is meant to be played.

Conductors are also important for giving rehearsals vibrancy and keeping everyone enthused. A dull rehearsal is not enjoyable, and therefore closes people down to the interpretation and nuances that the conductor should be coaxing from the players they have availible.