What Do Conductors Do? | Answering Your Questions | Part 5

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  • เผยแพร่เมื่อ 21 พ.ย. 2024
  • Answering some of your questions on conducting and what a conductor actually does.
    If you want to see me conducting live, come to San Jose in November, where I'll be conducting my opera Cinderella.
    Info and tickets here: www.operasj.or...

ความคิดเห็น • 76

  • @kabernat
    @kabernat 11 หลายเดือนก่อน +2

    Thank you, not only for your phenomenal gifts, but in your delivery and simplicity helping people to understand and breaking down the complexities of the classical music world. Conducting can be bit of a mystery and the way your broke it down makes sense. I just discovered you today and will be following your beautiful musical journey as you so graciously take us with you.

  • @seren306
    @seren306 2 ปีที่แล้ว +30

    It’s so inspiring to see a young female conducting! You go girl.

    • @PygmalionFaciebat
      @PygmalionFaciebat 2 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      I think her gender isnt important here. Her genius is.

    • @miriamtong
      @miriamtong 2 ปีที่แล้ว +3

      @@PygmalionFaciebat The age is impressive tho

    • @dennyduranflores
      @dennyduranflores 2 ปีที่แล้ว +6

      @@PygmalionFaciebat well, there aren’t many female composers and conductors that get a lot of recognition, so it’s great to see her making her mark.

    • @elly_hermione
      @elly_hermione ปีที่แล้ว +2

      @@PygmalionFaciebat it is important for other girls because conducting is one of the jobs where you rarely can see women and because of it young girls think that it is not for them, which creates a vicious circle: not enough women in the field - girls are afraid to enter - very few young girls learn the profession - not enough women in the field. And I'm sure there are plenty of girls who would be just as good conductors as boys are if they had confidence that they can choose it as a profession. Seeing such an amazing example would be very inspiring for many girls who now think it's just a male job.
      So, her gender is not important in terms of her skills, but is important in terms of her being an inspiring role model!

  • @joszandstra2044
    @joszandstra2044 ปีที่แล้ว +5

    I only recently read that Alma would start studying conducting but apparantly she already is conducting now. Really nice to watch the process of getting the orchestra to follow your lead.
    Would love to see a complete rehearsel

  • @ryanwillings6392
    @ryanwillings6392 2 ปีที่แล้ว +64

    I imagine it’s hard being so young and giving direction to older folks. But yes it was beautiful, just like most of things you do. You’re just sort of special. unique

    • @tiffcat1100
      @tiffcat1100 2 ปีที่แล้ว +14

      I think when it comes to music age doesn’t count 😊

    • @julianneheindorf5757
      @julianneheindorf5757 2 ปีที่แล้ว +5

      I played cornet for a number of years in our local city brass band. We were both sexes, all ages from kids 8 years up to adults hitting retirement. When it came to the music, everyone was equal. Some of the young people had played longer than the adults and were more experienced. Age in this context didn’t matter. Your skill level and understanding of the music did. Older people learned from the young.

    • @danielschechter8130
      @danielschechter8130 2 ปีที่แล้ว +3

      I suspect that age is less of an issue than the musicians' respect for the conductor. When the conductor is conducting her own composition, the musicians likely have a great deal of respect for her.

    • @veroniquejubeau-blanc1420
      @veroniquejubeau-blanc1420 ปีที่แล้ว +2

      LA GENIALE ALMA EST L AMBASSADRICE DE LA BEAUTÉ MUSICALE LONGUE VIE A CETTE MERVEILLEUSE ET BELLE ÂME

  • @juliemichellerobinson1841
    @juliemichellerobinson1841 2 ปีที่แล้ว +45

    Hi Alma,
    I'm commenting as a musician (who doesn't really conduct outside of youth orchestras!) and I'm sure you'll have better guidance from someone else. However, watching you at the beginning of this particular video, at least, it seems to me that your beat is situated at your hand rather than the end of the baton. That means that there's a possible miscommunication as to where exactly the beat is being placed, especially as the stick is easier to see than your hands are from further back in the orchestra. Since we also rely on our ears, it wouldn't be a problem until a change of tempo - but it might have contributed to the first attempt at the rit being unsuccessful. There are two options - either get rid of the stick and just use your hands (fine for a smallish group) or try to place the beat right at the tip of the baton. In terms of general communication, conveying emotion and interpretation, you're doing a smashing job, and it's great to see a young woman take up the baton!

  • @beaumuse7890
    @beaumuse7890 2 ปีที่แล้ว +23

    Please keep posting on TH-cam! This is absolutely wonderful! Best wishes from the USA.

  • @erpollock
    @erpollock 2 ปีที่แล้ว +13

    Fascinating! I've never seen a conductor explain what she's actually doing. But I've been a choral singer and you depend on following the conductor.

  • @G0S1X
    @G0S1X 2 ปีที่แล้ว +35

    Thank you for all of your hard work and passion, Alma. Your music is a grace on this world that we’re all blessed with ❤️

  • @champagnemusicmaker
    @champagnemusicmaker 2 ปีที่แล้ว +27

    This is fascinating! Thank you so much for this! Very interesting to see how the changes you made in the conducting and interpretation improved things. I love this waltz, also.

  • @nathane7914
    @nathane7914 2 ปีที่แล้ว +9

    Amazing, I will never understand how you are already this good at 17

  • @danielatamayolopera4210
    @danielatamayolopera4210 2 ปีที่แล้ว +3

    I hope one day you can come to Colombia. I'll be the first one to buy the ticket; I've admired your work for many years now!

  • @danyi7
    @danyi7 2 ปีที่แล้ว +8

    You are amazing!!! I followed you from many years ago and I am more and more amazed by you! You are such a wonderful musician! A lot of good luck!!!

  • @3dbadboy1
    @3dbadboy1 2 ปีที่แล้ว +6

    Wow, this is much more involved than I imagined. It's a shame I never asked my father about these things when he was alive. Thank you so much for the learning experience.

  • @NomeDeArte
    @NomeDeArte 2 ปีที่แล้ว +2

    Love this kind of videos, thank you and best wishes from Argentina

  • @temenuzhkamilanova
    @temenuzhkamilanova 2 ปีที่แล้ว +3

    I love all your works, you are a blessing !

  • @ClipsByLaura
    @ClipsByLaura 2 ปีที่แล้ว +5

    Thank you for showing! Very impressed with your technique already. I've been conducting my children's choir for ten years now and it sure is a lot harder than most people think! It's great seeing other young women taking up conducting. It's amazing to see.

  • @luthfianurrahmi
    @luthfianurrahmi 2 ปีที่แล้ว +3

    That's fascinating to see the progress and how it works!

  • @erikpeterson25
    @erikpeterson25 2 ปีที่แล้ว +3

    You are AMAZING Alma ..thanks for the musical education...👍🎻

  • @shalynnchoipiano5612
    @shalynnchoipiano5612 2 ปีที่แล้ว +4

    Alma, you are an inspiration! ❤️❤️

  • @guille____
    @guille____ 2 ปีที่แล้ว +5

    Thank you Alma! I wish you could upload videos more often, although i'm sure you're pretty busy :)

  • @BlackHermit
    @BlackHermit 2 ปีที่แล้ว +15

    From the throne of harmony
    Alma commands the orchestra
    As a mighty charioteer:
    The music-horses must be steered!
    Therefore the beating must be clear
    So signal them, O Alma dear,
    Let them play and sing and chime
    And all that - at the right time.
    And don't forget to demonstrate
    And even to reiterate
    How every single part should sound
    So in your music we'll be bound.

  • @louisegogel7973
    @louisegogel7973 2 ปีที่แล้ว +3

    💕✨💕✨💕✨💕 Thank you Alma, for such a clear, simply put, wonderful explanation. Even someone who can play piano, guitar, and recorder enough for her own ears can understand better any time you explain these musical technicalities.
    I am sure many more will see and comment after me… being the first comment.

  • @o.o20
    @o.o20 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    Brava 👏

  • @lilian3650
    @lilian3650 2 ปีที่แล้ว +2

    Bravo Alma! Hugs, Peace from Brazil !

  • @JacobE.Simmons
    @JacobE.Simmons 2 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    I've gotten this question several times before! From now on I'll just defer them to this video lol

  • @EvanZamir
    @EvanZamir 2 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    Just bought tix for Cinderella! Can't wait!

  • @feyfrentress5060
    @feyfrentress5060 2 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    I love your siren waltz

  • @majesticsunset8184
    @majesticsunset8184 2 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    Can't wait to see you in CA!!!

  • @scmatlock1
    @scmatlock1 2 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    I live just a few hours from San Jose……hmmmmmm…..I may have to go! 😎😎😎❤️❤️❤️

  • @P4hs
    @P4hs 2 ปีที่แล้ว +6

    Questions:
    1.) Most strike down on the downbeat; others occasionally pull up, like a yoyo, on the downbeat. Do they train this?
    2.) I get the sense that conductors are visually Sculpting the music. How do they pick which weird-dramatic motion for which portion? . . . Is there a detailed, rule-studded art to it, or is all spontaneous? Indeed, do you practice your chironomy (hand movements) for each section, in secret, or is it just all spontaneous?
    3.) Do they explicitly teach "Arsis" and "thesis," the 2 conducting motions that dominate Gregorian Chant?
    4.) Since you have to get to the proper location for the next down-beat, don't you naturally becoming a jerky wreck, like a little kid quickly correcting themself for all their erratic impulses? How do you counteract this, and appear natural?

    • @cadenza3210
      @cadenza3210 2 ปีที่แล้ว +2

      We were always taught that the moment of the beat is when the baton STOPS moving downward. It is a very crisp moment in time. It looks like Alma is making it when the baton STARTS moving UPWARD. Maybe there are two schools on this...

    • @petitsjoujoux5011
      @petitsjoujoux5011 2 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      Yes, it's like Cadenza3 explained :) Sometimes if the conductor wants to make the music advance or stops the tempo from slowing down too much, the conductor would conduct "ahead" of time. It can also be use to synchronize with the attack sound of an instrument. Some instruments take longer reaction time than others by the nature of the instrument. A piano could make a sound comes out faster than a French horn for example.

    • @cadenza3210
      @cadenza3210 2 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      @@petitsjoujoux5011 Dealing with response time of the instrument is the player's responsibility though!

    • @xenophile84
      @xenophile84 2 ปีที่แล้ว +2

      There are specific beat patterns for each time signature. Conductors simply add their own 'flair' to each, including motions that indicate dynamics, phrasing, and character. If you're getting the perception that they're pulling up, it's likely they are beating in 1. However, it's not actually a "pulling up" motion, more that they're hitting the ictus and then essentially bouncing off of it.

    • @xenophile84
      @xenophile84 2 ปีที่แล้ว +2

      Also I'm a professional classical musician with a degree in music (which included conducting classes) but I had to look up "arsis and thesis" - I don't recall ever hearing those terms before in this context and they're certainly not used in everyday classical music making. Classical musicians do recognize the concept of "strong" and "weak" beats and it does inform our performance to an extent, but I don't think this factors significantly into conducting training.

  • @marce9967
    @marce9967 2 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    Exelente video 👍!!! Saludos desde Argentina 👍😎👍

  • @Rasmus_Schweden
    @Rasmus_Schweden ปีที่แล้ว

    Alma es ist schön sie jetzt nach ihrem Studium 😍 dirigieren zu sehen. Ich würde mir wünschen dass sie einmal das neujahrskonzert dirigieren. Ich glaube das würde auch Ihnen viel Spaß machen einschließlich der Zuschauer. 🎹👋💕 Rasmus aus Schweden 😄.

  • @BIZARBIES
    @BIZARBIES 2 ปีที่แล้ว

    Sounds wonderful!

  • @donmcw5678
    @donmcw5678 2 ปีที่แล้ว

    See you in San Jose.

  • @pickngrin73
    @pickngrin73 2 ปีที่แล้ว

    Fascinating!

  • @aidabach
    @aidabach 2 ปีที่แล้ว

    thank you

  • @shmuelcohen8234
    @shmuelcohen8234 ปีที่แล้ว

    another conductors do is act as setup for great fourth wall-breaking comedy like in her opera Cinderella which has some great moments were the charactors on stage scream at the conductor

  • @josemanuelurrutiagutierrez2697
    @josemanuelurrutiagutierrez2697 ปีที่แล้ว

    you are the best

  • @janicealisha456
    @janicealisha456 2 ปีที่แล้ว

    Amazing!

  • @esvenmorales2331
    @esvenmorales2331 2 ปีที่แล้ว +2

    Me he sentido solo todo mi vida. He permanecido soltero y sin novia toda mi vida. He sido rechazado y me han rechazado. Probablemente este pagando un karma. No obstante, la música, el arte, y el misterio han sido mi consuelo ante la adversidad. La vida en otros planetas es un tema que me apasiona.
    Un dia me sentí tan triste que imaginé a una mujer extraterrestre que me llevaba en su nave espacial. Luego escribí una canción llamada “Estrella”. Esa semana descubrí por casualidad tu canal y vi a una niña prodigio que tocaba el piano y el violin muy bien. Me gustó tu entusiasmo por la música y las historias. Desbloqueaste a mi niño interior y me dediqué a componer música otra vez. No se por qué lo hice.
    No se si ser escritor, compositor, o estudiar el idioma inglés para convertirme en traductor de libros. Mi pais Colombia está pasando por muchos cambios. Tengo miedo. No se que hacer. Admiro a Robert Schumann, pero no quiero terminar como él. A travez de mi vida me he sentido identificado con muchos artistas, pero con Schumann a veces pienso que yo fui él en una vida pasada. ¡Qué locura! Al menos esta vez mi padre no fue artista sino matemático. Mi madre fue una actriz. Ambos murieron con sus sueños frustrados. Tengo dos hermanos y dos hermanas.
    La meditación y el ejercicio me han ayudado. Cometí el error de enviar un par de partituras a Universal Edition. Esa editorial solo publica música de vanguardia, y la música que les envié es tonal. Me rechazaron. No se que pasa. En el siglo 21 el arte y en especial la música debería ser un diálogo entre diferentes tipos de música y no limitarse a un solo. La música además de ser bella, debe ayudar a meditar, acompañar y hacer volar a las personas. Cambiar sus estados mentales. Vaciar las emociones. Con la música fea se pueden escribir historias de horror o misterio. Por ejemplo con “Mutatis Mutandis” por Clara Maïda.
    Se que en otra oportunidad he escrito en Inglés y la última vez que lo hice, me despedí. Hace unos dias vi uno de tus últimos videos. Me gustó y envié una carita feliz. Todos los artistas son niños en su interior. Escribí en Español porque es mas fácil para mi. Es mi lengua materna. También escribí en Español para despedirme mejor.
    Probablemente no leas este mensaje y quizá no notes el impacto que causas en la vida de las personas que te descubren. En este mundo salváje es muy dificil encontrar personas civilizadas, y mas difícil aún ser artista. Nunca dejes de ser civilizada y artista.
    Mientras estaba lavando los platos se me ocurrieron otras cosas que quería decir pero se me olvidaron. Te recomiendo el último libro que leí, “The Music Lesson: A Spiritual Search For Growth Through Music” por Victor Wooten. La música de vanguardia también tiene obras tonales. Te recomiendo “Tabula Rasa” por Arvo Part, y “Harmony Of The Spheres” por Joep Franssens. El libro “La Música Para Clara” por Elizabeth Subercaseaux. ( Elizabeth Subercaseaux es tataranieta de Robert Schumann y Clara Wieck ).
    Mi niño interior se despide de tí y te da las gracias. Adios querida maestra. El destino es un camino incierto. El silencio es el lienzo del sonido...

  • @squalllionheart8850
    @squalllionheart8850 2 ปีที่แล้ว

    You could be the best director in the world

  • @jameschristiansson3137
    @jameschristiansson3137 2 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    As conductor would you permit a French system bassoon in the orchestra you're conducting?

  • @johnharvie2569
    @johnharvie2569 2 ปีที่แล้ว

    Do you get to poke inattentive musicians with the pointy little stick to keep them on their toes?

  • @elisabethm9655
    @elisabethm9655 2 ปีที่แล้ว

    ❤️

  • @tiffcat1100
    @tiffcat1100 2 ปีที่แล้ว

    💖🌻💖

  • @VanNessy97
    @VanNessy97 2 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    Do you still compose your own pieces?

    • @warrengwonka2479
      @warrengwonka2479 2 ปีที่แล้ว +2

      She’s finishing an opera commissioned in Vienna.

  • @alexandrugheorghe5610
    @alexandrugheorghe5610 2 ปีที่แล้ว +4

    I see Alma Deutscher, I like. Simple. 😁😌👌🏻☀️👍🏻🙌🏻

  • @yuehchopin
    @yuehchopin 2 ปีที่แล้ว

    Gottes Segen

  • @kwastormayt
    @kwastormayt 2 ปีที่แล้ว

    :)) 👋👋👋👋👋

  • @plutonium2334
    @plutonium2334 2 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    What I don't understand is that I don't see anyone watching the conductor.😂

    • @3dbadboy1
      @3dbadboy1 2 ปีที่แล้ว +6

      When I performed, I would see the director's motion in my peripheral vision so I assume the other players do the same.

    • @plutonium2334
      @plutonium2334 2 ปีที่แล้ว

      @@3dbadboy1 Ah ok, I understand better, thanks for the information ^^

  • @paranawordepic3990
    @paranawordepic3990 2 ปีที่แล้ว

    Alma deutchter, hello i want to meet you one day, I compose a lot in Chopin inspiration and I love how you compose in européen romantic style

  • @mjnyc8655
    @mjnyc8655 2 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    A conductor must be bossy to some extent. Some famous ones were quite intimidatingly tyrannical. You don't seem so.

  • @sarahdubois2386
    @sarahdubois2386 2 ปีที่แล้ว +4

    lol- except for opera, most good musicians don't need a conductor- we tolerate them

    • @cadenza3210
      @cadenza3210 2 ปีที่แล้ว +4

      Our director told us "if you see something written in Italian, it means "Look at the director, he is about to change the tempo."

    • @jameschristiansson3137
      @jameschristiansson3137 2 ปีที่แล้ว

      @Sarah DuBois. Just subbed to your channel, you write beautifully.

    • @xenophile84
      @xenophile84 2 ปีที่แล้ว +6

      I'm a professional musician and I disagree completely. Without a conductor the rehearsal process would take at least three times longer. The whole orchestra would be arguing about interpretation, tempi, etc. Players on the outer edges wouldn't be able to hear each other well enough to consistently stay together. It would be a mess.
      Small ensembles made up of good musicians can do fine without a conductor, but full symphony orchestras have them for a reason.

    • @gruenewolke
      @gruenewolke 2 ปีที่แล้ว +2

      So true! With some conductors I really asked myself what our orchestra needs them for. And when they „read“ my thoughts uuuuu ouch LOL 😆 😊