Anyone understand orchestral music why do they need a conductor

[slowmotion]

I think that the general idea is that the conductor interprets the piece written on the pages of the musical score by the composer. The composer doesn't have a band or have a unique recording, like (say) Brown Sugar or God Save The Queen, he just hands over notes on a page. The conductors convert that to music from their orchestras as they see fit, and the results can be vastly different. Take Beethoven's Third Symphony. Karajan and the Berlin Philharmonic's recordings are (in my VHO) ghastly compared to Bohm's with the Vienna Philharmonic.

I shall return to my plinth on Pseud's Corner.....

 

[MntnMan62]

With this thread continuing on, I'll just add that a conductor isn't just standing there waving his/her arms with a stick. Orchestras require practice. The public never sees the practice. Having played in the percussion section in High School, during those practice sessions the conductor is tearing the piece apart and advising the musicians how he or she wants to hear their parts played. Hours are spent with each section playing their parts separately. Practice can be tedious. But it's essential if the performance is to come off well. So, the person who said that the conductor interprets the music is absolutely correct. You can listen to several orchestras conducted by different people play the same piece and you could very well hear very different pieces from each orchestra. There is so much that goes into this music. Tempo. Intonation. Volume. Dynamics. If every classical piece was played the exact same way by every conductor, it would make being a classical musician extremely boring. And yes, as some have said, Zappa has taken to conducting his bands, using hand signals to have them make strange vocal noices or sounds with their instruments. But in reality, very little of his rock music is conducted because it doesn't really call for it. Now, his orchestral stuff is an entirely different matter.

 

[sheddy]

off topic, we viewed some YT flashmob orchestras last year
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ILNDWCLVnpw

 

[BrumJim]

Its a numbers game. You won't find a string quartet with a conductor, and similary with most rock and pop music. However if you compare an orchestra with The Polyphonic Spree, you will find greater similarities, although one focuses on technical musical perfection and the other seemed to thrive on the chaos.

 

[winjim]

James Brown was a conductor.

 

[MichaelW2]

The problem with conductors is that light travels at a constant speed so the musicians closest to the conductor react to his directions sooner than the musicans at the back of the orchestra.

 

[tyred]

They need an electrical conductor (usually copper) to connect the amplifier to the loudspeakers

 

[bitsandbobs]

I was just watching the BBC orchestra playing Holts Planet Suite.
The conductor looked like he was having a fit.......he was going crazy with his baton.
BUT.....I couldn't see any member of the orchestra actually looking at him.
So.......is he really needed ?
what does he really do ?

Even if you couldn't see the players looking at the conductor, I'll bet they were. Unless the conductor was totally hopeless in which case they'll have been keeping a close eye on the leader (violinist that sits at the front of the 1st violin section).

 

[Cycleops]

When they look like the conductor of The Danish National Symphony Orchestra you really don’t need to ask :




View: https://youtu.be/enuOArEfqGo
Difficult piece to conduct I imagine.

 

[Beebo]

How do rock bands manage without them?

As already said a tight band will just be able to adapt through regular rehearsals.

Watch this very famous jam for how it’s done without rehearsal. It could have been a huge mess but it wasn’t because one man was running the band.

Tom Petty is guiding all the musicians with regular eye contact. They are all rock and roll hall of famers but they are all still looking at him regularly so they know what’s going on.

The song was totally unrehearsed, no one knew what Prince would do, but he is also constantly looking at Petty to reassure him and let him know he’s OK with what is happening.

Petty even gives a short arm movement to the drummer and backing musicians just before the song draws to a close so everyone stops at the same time. It’s very subtle but it happens.



View: https://youtu.be/6SFNW5F8K9Y

 

[byegad]

As has been said the conductor is responsible for rehearsal/interpretation of the piece pre-performance, the waving and jumping about is part keeping time and part plain showing off.

 

[MontyVeda]

While the general point holds, Ravel's Bolero is supposed to be a steady tempo all the way through. If it gets faster, the conductor is not doing their job.

I must've misremembered that particular episode ... I'm sure there was one piece mentioned that gradually speeds up and if the conductor gets it wrong, it would be in danger of being far too fast at the climax. I can't even remember what the series was called, it's on the tip of my tongue

 

[bitsandbobs]

I must've misremembered that particular episode ... I'm sure there was one piece mentioned that gradually speeds up and if the conductor gets it wrong, it would be in danger of being far too fast at the climax. I can't even remember what the series was called, it's on the tip of my tongue

In the Hall of the Mountain King from Greig's Peer Gynt suite gradually speeds up.

 

[DCBassman]

By having a bass player and, less important, a drummer.

FTFY

 

[Beebo]

I must've misremembered that particular episode ... I'm sure there was one piece mentioned that gradually speeds up and if the conductor gets it wrong, it would be in danger of being far too fast at the climax. I can't even remember what the series was called, it's on the tip of my tongue

Zorba the Greek? 😁

View: https://youtu.be/kG12C1oX5Eo