The Conductor’s art, as we know it at the present day, is of comparatively modern growth. Conducting with a baton was a thing unknown, at least in England, until Spohr introduced the custom in 1820. Mosel used it in Vienna in 1807 and Weber adopted it at Dresden in 1817.

 Up to this period the principal Violin was the Leader  and played and beat time alternately with his bow, while the so-called Conductor’s chief duties seem to have been to sit at a piano with the score before him and fill in any missing notes or correct wrong notes. It is not difficult to imagine what the renderings of the great orchestral works of the earlier masters must have been like under these circumstances, as compared with the performances to which we are now accustomed to listen. The development which music generally has undergone, the ever-increasing complexity of modern orchestral works, the growth in the resources of the orchestra as well as in the individual capabilities, technical and artistic, of the players, have all gradually tended toward an equal development of the Conductor’s art.  It is no longer a more or less mechanical thing which can be easily acquired by any musician, but it requires resources and gifts of a high order, and as such, it now stands on the same artistic level as all the other executive branches of the art of music.

The real Conductor, the musician who is thoroughly equipped in all respects for the position he occupies, is now generally recognized as an artist in the same sense and to the same extent as any other instrumentalist  or vocalist of the front rank. Indeed, from having been, a comparatively short time ago, a mere figurehead in the eyes of the public, he has come to be regarded by them as the most important personage and sometimes even the chief attraction of a performance. And this is as it should be, for his art is the most subtle, the most difficult and the one involving the greatest responsibilities of all.

An orchestra or a larger body of voices may appear to the uninitiated to be a very unwieldy thing, but this is far from being the case. As a matter of fact, nothing is more pliable or more sensitive than is an orchestra to the least indication or movement of the chef d’orchestre. If he is inanimate or “wooden,” they are the same; if his is enthusiastic, they cannot help being inspired by his enthusiasm. He plays upon them as surely and as easily as any other practiced virtuoso does upon his instrument, and impresses upon them the mark of his own individuality in a way that is bound to make itself apparent to his audience and sometimes to a degree that is neither necessary nor desirable.

It is all this which goes to make the difference between a good Conductor and an inferior one. It is as impossible for the latter to obtain a really fine performance as it is for the former to obtain a poor one. It is true that, given an able body of players, thoroughly familiar with the music, they may (provided that their would-be chief knows enough to beat the right number of quarters or eighths in a bar) lead him instead of being led by him, and thus bring him without serious mishap to the end. But even though they play their best, the vitality, the artistic interpretation, the innumerable points which go toward a really satisfactory performance are bound to be lacking. On the other hand, the really good Conductor, with poorer material at his command, can secure results that would be quite unattainable by any of his less gift colleagues.

The Conductor must not only be a born musician, but he must also possess a poetic and enthusiastic temperament and above all, that other innate gift which no amount of study can procure him, that is, the rare power of being able to command and control large forces.  These, however necessary they are, are but a small portion of the qualities and attributes that go toward the making of success. I may say indeed that Conducting, besides requiring those gifts which are peculiar to itself, combines within it almost all the other qualities, inborn or acquired by student and experience, which appertain individually to the exponents of the other executive branches of the art. I will endeavor to enumerate the qualities necessary to a first-rate Conductor in the order which they come to my mind:

1.  The Conductor should possess or cultivate a distinct and intelligible beat so that those under his or her guidance may be able to distinguish an upbeat from a down beat, and may know at a glance in what part of a bar they are at that moment playing. The beat should also be firm and energetic, or gentle and pliable, as the occasion warrants. Instances have been known of a Conductor with a very indistinct beat obtaining good performances, but this can only be in the case of an orchestra which is accustomed to play frequently under his baton.

2.  He or she must possess a good ear and be able at any time to detect a wrong note, single out the mistake, and correct it.

3.   A thorough knowledge of all the instruments in the orchestra is absolutely essential. He need not actually be a performer on any instrument, although it is decidedly better if he is practically acquainted with one or two of them; in any case, he must understand their compass and capabilities, and all the peculiarities associated with each of them separately. To be a good pianist is also very useful to the Conductor, and even the possession of a decent singing voice will often stand him in good stead at rehearsals, and save him from the banter – harmless and good-natures though it be – which not infrequently attaches to the proverbial “Conductor’s voice.”

4.  He or she must be able to read and master a score, however complex, without the aid of a piano, and judge to a large extent of the effect it is likely to produce.

5.  He or she must have the power to grasp the inner meaning, intellectual and ideal, of the composer whose work he is performing and to convey it to his audience.

6.  All such points as the true knowledge of light and shade, the bringing out of certain parts or instruments, the subduing of others, correct bowing, artistic phrasing, are all essential qualities without which no really good interpretation is possible. And included in this must also be reckoned the right feeling to tempo. This I know is greatly a matter of individual temperament. One Conductor may take a movement slower or faster than another, according to his own ideas or feelings. The experienced Conductor however will seldom go far astray, for his musical instinct as well as the many subtle  indications in the score will soon convince him or her of the composer’s intentions. Even should he or she  occasionally err in this respect, it may be forgiven him if the result is musicianly and does not savor of exaggeration or the desire to be eccentric or out of the common. I may add that the metronome marks to be found in most scores are of use to the Conductor up to a certain point, as conveying a general indication of a fast or slow tempo, but they are often misleading and are never intended by the composer to be slavishly followed. If they were, all the elasticity and vitality of a performance would be utterly wanting.

7. The Conductor should have sympathy in accompanying the soloist, be it in a concerto or a vocal piece.

8. He or she should be absolutely eclectic in his tastes, or at all events should never allow his preference for any particular style or school to be apparent in his renderings. He or she should put his heart and energy equally into whatever work he or she may be directing at the moment and endeavor to obtain the same perfect result from every composition.

9. Other essentials to his art, only to be gained by experience, are the knowledge of how to guide his forces and convey to them what he wishes them to express; how to indicate to them the thousand and one little points of delicacy, phrasing, etc., which occur in a work and which are the life and soul of its interpretation; in other words, how to play upon them, individually and collectively and make them into one responsive whole, ready to understand and follow the least sign or movement of his baton.

10. Besides all this, there are many personal qualities necessary to the Conductor. He or she should possess tact and a great deal of patience, firmness, together with a kind, genial and refined manner. He must be able to enforce punctuality, obedience and discipline among those under his command, and beyond all, deserve and obtain from them the respect due his position and presumed superior acquirements.

Given all these equipments for his art, there yet remains one inborn gift which perhaps is more important to real success than all the others put together and that is, the indefinable magnetism which, emanating from the Conductor, communicates itself to the orchestra and is the controlling force in all really first-rate performances. It is a very subtle power, of brain and eye and gesture, but it undoubtedly makes itself felt by players and audience alike, elevating the rendering of a work to a height of ensemble, life and warmth which cannot be really attained without it.

Having now enumerated the many necessary gifts and qualities of the Conductor and the requirements incidental to his position, I should like to add a few remarks on the things which he or she should avoid:

1. Avoid putting him or herself into contortions or perform gymnastics or otherwise render himself absurdly conspicuous on the platform, but should endeavor to cultivate a quiet, forcible and dignified demeanor. The secret of good Conducting does not lie in gesticulation but in the power to control others intellectually and artistically.

2.  Avoid undue exaggeration in the performances and the makings of effects unintended by the composer for the sole purpose of being original.

3.  Avoid bullying the orchestra or weary them by over=rehearsing a piece that already goes to his or her satisfaction.

4.  Avoid going to rehearsal without having thoroughly studied and mastered all the details of the score he or she has to conduct.

5.  Avoid ever losing his or her temper not be otherwise then gentlemanly toward the most subordinate of the musicians under him.

It will be seen I think from all I have written that I am right in looking upon Conducting as one of the highest forms of executive music and in some respects the highest. It is true that talent, ability and technical study are requisite for success in all branches. But the real Conductor has to be something more than a matured artist, or rather I should say he has to combine within himself all the attributes appertaining to every genuine musical executant besides a number of others acquired by study and experience; and further than this, many personal qualities peculiar to his own art.

The mere fact that he is the guiding spirit of a large body of musicians, all of whom are often as proficient in their own line as he is in his (sometimes more so); that he is the means through which they give expression to the thoughts and ideas of the composer; that, in other words, he is himself as surely performing on a many voiced instrument as the Pianist or Violinist on his single one, renders his position one of the greatest responsibility and places him on the highest possible plane among executive artists.

It is indeed a difficult art, an art requiring many exceptional gifts, much study and an experience which can only be arrived at by actual practice. For this reason, the great Conductor is and always will be a much rarer individual than the great solo instrumentalist or vocalist.

But if the highest honors are hard to obtain and reserved only for the few, they are well worth the seeking.