History of Conducting - From Austere Beginnings to Becoming a Great Art

For people who've had limited experiences in so called "classical music," it shouldn't come as a surprise to anyone why many might think conducting is paradoxical. However, the conducting of today is much more akin to the 19th century composers, than to what conducting was originally meant to be in the beginning.

Conducting as we know it today originated in the Middle Ages. Its beginnings (like all beginnings in European music) can be traced back to the church. The purpose of conducting was to maintain rhythm and tempi amongst the singers (choir). A staff was used for this purpose, however: emotions and gestures were then kept at low key.

In the 17th century, things changed a bit. Different devices were starting to be used for the purpose of maintaining musical rhythm.

Jean-Baptiste Lully was one of the first pioneers of modern conducting. Lully was infamous for using a large staff which he beat harshly on the floor trying to keep/maintain rhythm. Lully's story has become a cult amongst conductors. One day, Lully had to conduct a great concert for the King of France; Lully beat the staff as usual on the floor causing an injury to his foot. Lully never recover from this injury and died 3 months later as a result of gangrene.

After Lully (Lully lived in the 17th century), concertmasters would act as conductors (this is the reason today concertmasters are in charge of tuning the orchestra and are usually second in command to the conductor); it was also common for people to conduct from the harpsichord as well. In operas; the concertmaster (violinist)would conduct the orchestra, while the keyboard player (harpsichord) would conduct/direct the singers on stage.

During the 19th century things changed. Romanticism was in the air. One could say: Spohr, Weber, and Mendelssohn were the first great conductors. In addition, for the first time conducting became an art of its own. Before Weber and Mendelssohn; conducting was seeing as a necessity instead of an art for art's sake. The Romantic Period gave birth to emotion, passion, and above all individualism to conducting. As orchestras grew larger and larger; conducting became more and more intense. By the time Wagner came into the picture: conducting had become the equivalent of a Shakespearian play, but instead of actors on a stage; the conductor was acting in front of the orchestra. Emotional gestures, signals, and all sorts of other things made the conductor a respected figure in his own right.

Here are a list of some of the most outstanding conductors who have ever lived: Weber, Mendelssohn, Spontini, Spohr, Berlioz, Liszt, Wagner, Brahms, Mahler, and Richard Strauss. Today, there are some exceptional conductors such as Zubin Mehta and Esa Pekka Salonen.