Essentials in Conducting | Page 9

that any really tangible and permanent success in conducting
involves a combination of these attributes, and that the conductor of the
future, even more than of the past, must possess not only those qualities
of the artist needed by the solo performer, but must in addition be a
good business manager, an organizer, a tactician, a diplomat, a
task-master--in plain English, a good boss. It is primarily because of
the lack of these last-mentioned qualities that most musicians fail as
conductors. A writer in the Canadian Journal of Music, signing himself
Varasdin, sums it up well in the following words:

He who wishes to "carry away" his body of players as well as his
audience, the former to a unanimously acted improvisation, the latter to
a unanimously felt emotion, needs above all "commanding personal
magnetism," and everything else must be subordinate to that.
He must be "very much alive"--(highly accumulated vital energy,
always ready to discharge, is the secret of all personal magnetism)--and
the alertness, the presence of mind, the acute and immediate perception
of everything going on during rehearsal or performance, the dominancy
and impressiveness of his minutest gesture, the absolute self-possession
and repose even in working up the most exciting climaxes and in
effecting the most sudden contrasts--all these are simply self-evident
corollaries from our first and foremost requirement.
CHAPTER III
THE TECHNIQUE OF THE BATON
[Sidenote: THE BATON ITSELF]
Before giving actual directions for the manipulation of the conductor's
baton, it may be well to state that the stick itself should be light in
weight, light in color, and from sixteen to twenty inches long. It must
be thin and flexible, and should taper gradually from the end held in the
hand to the point. Batons of this kind can be manufactured easily at any
ordinary planing mill where there is a lathe. The kinds sold at stores are
usually altogether too thick and too heavy. If at any time some
adulating chorus or choir should present the conductor with an ebony
baton with silver mountings, he must not feel that courtesy demands
that it should be used in conducting. The proper thing to do with such
an instrument is to tie a ribbon around one end and hang it on the wall
as a decoration.
[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 passage, 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