2 Questions (maybe 3 )...

[Hondo]

What is the deal with the French and burning cars? 1100 cars burned on New Years Eve. They can't get proper fireworks or what? What's that going to cost them in Euro -Gore carbon credits? Save a tree movement? Insurance scam? Stimulus deal for French automakers?

http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE60010D20100101

Question 2, what purpose does the guy waving the pointy stick in front of the orchesrta serve? I know he's supposed to be conducting it, but nobody is looking at him. They are all following the sheet music on the music stands in front of them. I've never seen one even glance his way. This is one of the few traditional male roles that women don't seem to have much interest in taking over. Pointy stick waving, I may nave to look into that one.

[52Paddy]

Question 2, what purpose does the guy waving the pointy stick in front of the orchesrta serve? I know he's supposed to be conducting it, but nobody is looking at him. They are all following the sheet music on the music stands in front of them. I've never seen one even glance his way. This is one of the few traditional male roles that women don't seem to have much interest in taking over. Pointy stick waving, I may nave to look into that one.

Well, the idea of the conductor (the guy waving the stick!) is to portray the emotions within the piece through his actions. Although the music is on the sheet, the musician will find it difficult to put his own emotion into it as there is no room for self-expression or variation in a melodic or rhythmic sense (contrast this with blues, jazz and traditional music). The conductor feels the music and conducts to the orchestra accordingly. I could be right in saying that this was originally intended for vocal choirs but I'm not sure.

The musicians can watch the conductor when they are not playing, I assume, but I am not all that learned on classical/western arts music so don't understand that aspect. But hopefully his role is more clearly defined to you.

I am studying Western Arts music next semester and, if you get back to me in a few weeks, I can ask about it for you :)

Paddy

[Macd]

Having previously played in an orchestra I can say that regardless of how it may look to a spectator you can always see the conductor hense why they are organised in a horseshoe shape. The are also handy for counting bars of music and keeping time with the rest of your band mates.

[Powered by Cosworth]

I've always thought the conductor was there to just keep time and show how much...effort? to put into that particular note, like emotion I guess

[Mark in Oshawa]

What is the deal with the French and burning cars? 1100 cars burned on New Years Eve. They can't get proper fireworks or what? What's that going to cost them in Euro -Gore carbon credits? Save a tree movement? Insurance scam? Stimulus deal for French automakers?

http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE60010D20100101

Question 2, what purpose does the guy waving the pointy stick in front of the orchesrta serve? I know he's supposed to be conducting it, but nobody is looking at him. They are all following the sheet music on the music stands in front of them. I've never seen one even glance his way. This is one of the few traditional male roles that women don't seem to have much interest in taking over. Pointy stick waving, I may nave to look into that one.

The Conductor explaination I will leave to the others, but as for the French Burning cars...well I guess when you are bored and have to look at ugly French cars, you can get violent? I don't know, makes no sense to me. Wouldn't happen in America, someone might open fire..

[52Paddy]

The Conductor explaination I will leave to the others, but as for the French Burning cars...well I guess when you are bored and have to look at ugly French cars, you can get violent? I don't know, makes no sense to me. Wouldn't happen in America, someone might open fire..

I love this. You basically said: The Conductor explaination [sic] I will leave to the others, but as for the French Burning cars...I haven't a clue. But it wouldn't happen in America.

Sorry Mark :p :

[Hondo]

Does the conducter receive more credit for the success of a production than he deserves? Seems like he could be replaced by a large flashing sight display with different colors used to convey emotion? I would think by the time you reach that level of play, keeping time would be subconcious and second nature.

Still no guesses as to why no woman conductresses?

[Tomi]

This is one of the few traditional male roles that women don't seem to have much interest in taking over.

Not true really, there is several good female condutors aswell, but the audience in classical music is very conservative, they often have problems with new consert music too.

[52Paddy]

Does the conducter receive more credit for the success of a production than he deserves? Seems like he could be replaced by a large flashing sight display with different colors used to convey emotion?

A machine can not be programmed to have emotion or feelings. It can be programmed to have a perfect display, but that's not what you want. A person, living inside the piece of music for its duration, feeling the nuances within the music, the composer's genius, will display many arrays of emotion. A conductor, in this situation, can then pass these "vibes" onto the performers.



I would think by the time you reach that level of play, keeping time would be subconcious and second nature.


No matter how good a musician may be, ensemble is different to solo work. When you have a vast array of musicians and instruments trying to play each and every note, grace-note, embellishment and ornament in harmony, things can get messy, regardless of how well each of these may be able to perform solo. With keeping time, musicians can 'trip over' one another if just one musicians is out slightly.

While folk music, jazz, blues and probably more roots-type stuff is very much subconscious, self-expressive and 'second nature' for the musician/singer, so to speak, classical music must be treated differently. They do not learn their pieces by heart. They follow a score. So, they cannot feel what they are playing (hence the conductor). It cannot be 'second nature' because you don't learn the piece off, you learn to read the page and play exactly as written, which obviously makes self-expression defunct.

But, do realise that it is the piece itself (and the technical accomplishments of the musicians during solo sections - can't remember the term for these...) which is being brought across. That's why, when making a comparison to other genres, people may say classical music is boring. It's just being viewed in ignorance and out of context.

Ok, that's me done for today. :cool:

[Tomi]

also its worth to mention that the conductor usually has often bigger responsibilies than just to conduct, the program, and to what direction develope the orchestra is also his job, not just conducting.

[Hondo]

You guys have been very informative, thank you!

[Mark in Oshawa]

I love this. You basically said: The Conductor explaination [sic] I will leave to the others, but as for the French Burning cars...I haven't a clue. But it wouldn't happen in America.

Sorry Mark :p :

I just read what I wrote, You are quite right to poke fun at me...I basically said I know nothing...lol