Part 2 (1/2)

[Sidenote: THE CONDUCTOR'S MUSIC STAND]

A word about the music desk may also be in order at this time. It should be made of wood or heavy metal so that in conducting one need not constantly feel that it is likely to be knocked over. The ordinary folding music stand made of light metal is altogether unsuitable for a conductor's use. A good substantial stand with a metal base and standard and wood top can be purchased for from three to five dollars from any dealer in musical instruments. If no money is available and the stand is constructed at home, it may be well to note that the base should be heavy, the upright about three and a half feet high, and the top or desk about fourteen by twenty inches. This top should tilt only slightly, so that the conductor may glance from it to his performers without too much change of focus. Our reason for mentioning apparently trivial matters of this kind is to guard against any possible distraction of the conductor's mind by unimportant things. If these details are well provided for in advance, he will be able while conducting to give his entire attention to the real work in hand.

[Sidenote: HOLDING AND WIELDING THE BATON]

The baton is ordinarily held between the thumb and first, second and third fingers, but the conductor's grasp upon it varies with the emotional quality of the music. Thus in a dainty _pianissimo_ pa.s.sage, it is often held very lightly between the thumb and the first two fingers, while in a _fortissimo_ one it is grasped tightly in the closed fist, the tension of the muscles being symbolic of the excitement expressed in the music at that point. All muscles must be relaxed unless a contraction occurs because of the conductor's response to emotional tension in the music. The wrist should be loose and flexible, and the entire beat so full of grace that the attention of the audience is never for an instant distracted from listening to the music by the conspicuous awkwardness of the conductor's hand movements. This grace in baton-manipulation need not interfere in any way with the definiteness or precision of the beat. In fact an easy, graceful beat usually results in a firmer rhythmic response than a jerky, awkward one. For the first beat of the measure the entire arm (upper as well as lower) moves vigorously downward, but for the remaining beats the movement is mostly confined to the elbow and wrist. In the case of a divided beat (see pages 23 and 24) the movement comes almost entirely from the wrist.

[Sidenote: POSITION OF THE BATON]

The hand manipulating the baton must always be held sufficiently high so as to be easily seen by all performers, the elbow being kept well away from the body, almost level with the shoulder. The elevation of the baton, of course, depends upon the size of the group being conducted, upon the manner in which the performers are arranged, and upon whether they are sitting or standing. The conductor will accordingly vary its position according to the exigencies of the occasion, always remembering that a beat that cannot be easily seen will not be readily followed.

[Sidenote: PRINCIPLES AND METHODS OF TIME BEATING]

If one observes the work of a number of conductors, it soon becomes evident that, although at first they appear to have absolutely different methods, there are nevertheless certain fundamental underlying principles in accordance with which each beats time, and it is these general principles that we are to deal with in the remainder of this chapter. It should be noted that _principles_ rather than _methods_ are to be discussed, since principles are universal, while methods are individual and usually only local in their application.

[Sidenote: DIAGRAMS OF BATON MOVEMENTS]

The general direction of the baton movements now in universal use is shown in the following figures.

[Ill.u.s.tration]

In actual practice however, the baton moves from point to point in a very much more complex fas.h.i.+on, and in order to aid the learner still further in his a.n.a.lysis of time beating an elaborated version of the foregoing figures is supplied. It is of course understood that such diagrams are of value only in giving a general idea of these more complex movements and that they are not to be followed minutely.

[Ill.u.s.tration: TWO-BEAT MEASURE]

[Ill.u.s.tration: THREE-BEAT MEASURE]

[Ill.u.s.tration: FOUR-BEAT MEASURE]

[Ill.u.s.tration: SIX-BEAT MEASURE]

[Ill.u.s.tration: VERY SLOW TWO-BEAT MEASURE]

[Ill.u.s.tration: VERY SLOW THREE-BEAT MEASURE]

[Ill.u.s.tration: SLOW FOUR-BEAT MEASURE]

[Ill.u.s.tration: SLOW NINE-BEAT MEASURE]

[Ill.u.s.tration: SLOW TWELVE-BEAT MEASURE]

An examination of these figures will show that all baton movements are based upon four general principles:

1. The strongest pulse of a measure (the first one) is always marked by a down-beat. This principle is merely a specific application of the general fact that a downward stroke is stronger than an upward one (_cf._ driving a nail).

2. The last pulse of a measure is always marked by an up-beat, since it is generally the weakest part of the measure.

3. In three- and four-beat measures, the beats are so planned that there is never any danger of the hands colliding in conducting vigorous movements that call for the use of the free hand as well as the one holding the baton.

4. In compound measures the secondary accent is marked by a beat almost as strong as that given the primary accent.