Confession 1: Inside the Mind of a Musician, Part 2: Let's Get Technical

     And so the concert begins;  not with the first downbeat, but with the up beat before it.  The upbeat is very important for indicating the tempo, or speed, of the upcoming music, and also the amount of force to be used.  This is all communicated by the conductor in his upbeat.  After the upbeat, comes the downbeat, and the actual music begins!

     Aside:  I remember one conductor, Alain Lombard, the Music Director of the then Miami Philharmonic back in the '70's, who would practically run out on stage and leap up onto the podium.  He would immediately give the down beat, and if one was not ready, it was tough luck!

     Anyway, back to this concert.  What are we playing?  Let's say, since I was talking about it in the Prerlude of this blog, Beethoven's Seventh Symphony.  We play the opening chord, and release it together as we have rehearsed.  I then listen to the Principal Oboe, who has the theme, and am also counting to four while watching the Conductor for the downbeat of the next measure.  I am listening to the entire orchestra, with special attention to the Oboe, to myself, and to the rest of the Bass Section.  In a few measures, (the grouping of notes into sections, making it easier to read along) we (the strings) begin our sixteenth notes, which we must play absolutely together and with exactly the same articulation.  We do this a lot in the Orchestra.  Different sections of the entire orchestra play together at various times, although cellos can play with horns, violins with flutes, etc. for a wonderful mix of texture and color.  In a piece like the Beethoven, the tempo of the Introduction does not vary a whole lot, so the conductor doesn't need to signal much change in that regard.  But toward the end of the introduction, the notes slow down a bit without the tempo actually changing, so it seems as if there is a ritard, or slowing down.  Then the notes start to speed up as we head into the main part of the first movement, or Vivace (fast, full of life).  This is where watching the conductor is crucial, to make sure we transition from one tempo to another seamlessly and totally together.  So much of what a conductor does is telegraphing subtly, and just a bit ahead of time, what the new tempo will be.  Being able to read that information, while listening to oneself and everyone else, is just one of the skills needed to be able to play successfully in an orchestra.

     Playing chamber music, pieces written for smaller ensembles, with no conductor, is all about listening to and watching one's fellow musicians.  In an orchestral setting, however, with 60 to 100 players or more, a conductor is simply the most practical solution to the very complicated problem of deciding how fast, how loud, etc. to play.  There are a very few orchestras that play with no conductor, Orpheus Chamber Orchestra being perhaps  one of the most famous.  I have not played in such a group, but have heard that there is much discussion about tempos, dynamics, and whom to watch, when, during rehearsals.  I have heard the results on recordings, and they are spectacular.

     We, in San Francisco Symphony, have a Music Director, Michael Tilson Thomas, who conducts the majority of the time.  He makes all the final decisions as to repertoire, tempos, etc.  We also have a number of guest conductors each season, which keeps us on our toes, and allows MTT time to pursue other projects.

     By now, it must be obvious that too much is going on in the brain of a musician during a concert to really be in anything resembling a trance.  But when the adrenaline is flowing and the music is churning, there is perhaps, a zen-like feeling to performing, and there is no better place to be than in the middle of a symphony orchestra, soaking up all that delicious sound!