Re:Why violins are the biggest section in the orchestra
by BlindEyeHalo on Wednesday September 25, 2024 @03:49AM
(#41644843)
Some notes here. The concertmaster is the leader of the orchestra (the conductor is not a member of the orchestra and good orchestras typically work with many different conductors) so they will usually decide or advice the conductor who is best suited to play a particular solo.
That the most experienced/best player sits at chair 1 of a section is just a convention that was established over time but not a hard requirement.
> As far as I know, there's no standard way for the composer to notate a solo for, say, violin[1][15]
Because the composer doesn't notate who plays what. The performers decide this. Writing "Solo played by violin[1][15]" makes as much sense as writing "Solo played by Tim from accounting".
I have seen orchestras rotate the solo part through the different nights to give more people a chance to play it but that was an amateur performance and is rare for professional orchestras that rely on perfect deliveries.
That the most experienced/best player sits at chair 1 of a section is just a convention that was established over time but not a hard requirement.
> As far as I know, there's no standard way for the composer to notate a solo for, say, violin[1][15]
Because the composer doesn't notate who plays what. The performers decide this. Writing "Solo played by violin[1][15]" makes as much sense as writing "Solo played by Tim from accounting".
I have seen orchestras rotate the solo part through the different nights to give more people a chance to play it but that was an amateur performance and is rare for professional orchestras that rely on perfect deliveries.