Concertmaster

What it means

The concertmaster (German Konzertmeister) is the first violinist of an orchestra and sits at the first desk of the first violins, closest to the conductor. The position is at the same time a musical leadership task: they represent the string group before the conductor, play the violin solos of the orchestral repertoire, and give the group orientation through their playing and their movements. In larger orchestras there are several concertmasters who alternate, as well as section leaders for the other string registers.

Musical use

Among the tasks are the sign for tuning before rehearsal and concert, the setting up of the bowings for the string parts, settling technical questions with the conductor, and leading the group in ensemble playing. Many decisions that shape the sound of an orchestra are made here: a uniform bowing distribution ensures a shared attack and uniform phrasing, an unclear one costs rehearsal time and precision. In ensembles without a conductor, the concertmaster takes over the direction as a whole, as was usual in the eighteenth century and is again common in historically informed practice. The English equivalent is concertmaster, in British usage leader.

Other names

Concertmaster is the American designation, in British usage the position is called leader.

Performance practice

Whoever takes on this task shows entries with the instrument, not with words: a distinct bow movement before the entry carries the whole group. Write in bowings early, keep them simple, and pass them on in time. Prepare solo passages like chamber music while keeping the overall sound in your ear. Keep eye contact with the conductor and the section leaders and plan tricky transitions in advance. In dealing with the orchestra, reliability works more strongly than emphasis; clear preparation saves discussions in rehearsal.

Bear in mind that the setup of the parts should be available as early as possible: changes in the last rehearsal cost more time than they bring in and lead to differing entries in the parts. Keep the bowings simple and practicable, even if a more complicated solution would be conceivable in sound. Watch communication with the section leaders of the other registers so that the string group plays uniformly overall. With solo passages it is worthwhile to know the accompaniment and to settle the balance with the conductor beforehand.