The Conductor

[BPfan81]

Posted: 9/17/18 at 12:04am

I just saw My Fair Lady at Lincoln Center recently with a friend, and when I go with friends we usually sit in Mezz seats since they prefer not to spend on Orchestra seating. Anyway, sitting way up there on stage right in the last row on the very last seat, I had a very clear view of the conductor, and all I could do is just watch him conduct. It was so interesting to me and I was left amazed by his performance (I usually get Orchestra seats when I go alone so I can't say I've ever really saw a conductor's performance.) The musical was just okay for me.

Anyway, I just wanted to know, can anyone recommend a good book - if there is one - on conducting and its history. I would be very interested to read about it, particularly the mannerisms and the ways they signal the musicians. Just asking if there is such a thing...

[GavestonPS]

Posted: 9/17/18 at 12:56am

Not my field, but Lehman Engel is one person I can think of who was an accomplished musical director AND author. Check out his autobiography THIS BRIGHT DAY. (I admit I've only read his WORDS AND MUSIC, which is more about composition.) You might also look at one of his books on how musical are made, start to finish. I'm sure he discussed the conductor's job in there somewhere.

You might want to start at the library, since most of his books are out of print and used copies are expensive. You will find he writes mostly, if not exclusively, of the Rodgers & Hammerstein-style musical, which was popular during his Broadway career.

 

[morosco]

Posted: 9/17/18 at 6:41pm

I wish Paul Gemignani would write a memoir. I'll bet he has some fascinating stories to tell.

[morosco]

Posted: 9/17/18 at 6:41pm

I wish Paul Gemignani would write a memoir. I'll bet he has some fascinating stories to tell.

[DooWahDiddy]

Posted: 9/17/18 at 6:52pm

I admit I haven't read it yet, but a well-respected music director in NY recently published a book called "Music Direction for the Stage: A View from the Podium".  You may want to check that out, since it would specifically be geared toward conducting in the Broadway industry.

https://www.amazon.com/Music-Direction-Stage-View-Podium/dp/0199993416

[SomethingPeculiar]

Posted: 9/17/18 at 6:53pm

This is a terrific (lengthy) video interview with three Broadway music directors (David Chase, Charlie Alterman and Constantine Kitsopoulos). They talk a lot about the role of the conductor/music director, the art of orchestration, and the relationship between people in the music department. Highly recommended!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=paS6l2GXNY8

[morosco]

Posted: 9/17/18 at 7:55pm

Another good book, Maestros and Their Music: The Art and Alchemy of Conducting by John Mauceri.

Maestros and Their Music

Thinking again about Paul Gemignani I recall reading that he always memorizes a show's entire score and usually conducts without a score in front of him on the podium.  He is said to even memorize all of the bar numbers of a score. 

[JSquared2]

Posted: 9/17/18 at 7:59pm

There are a lot of really great firsthand accounts from conductors in the Untold Stories of Broadway series edited by Jen Tepper.

[BPfan81]

Posted: 9/17/18 at 9:02pm

DooWahDiddy said: "I admit I haven't read it yet, but a well-respected music director in NY recently published a book called "Music Direction for the Stage: A View from the Podium". You may want to check that out, since it would specifically be geared toward conducting in the Broadway industry.

https://www.amazon.com/Music-Direction-Stage-View-Podium/dp/0199993416"

 

Another good book, Maestros and Their Music: The Art and Alchemy of Conducting by John Mauceri.

Maestros and Their Music

Thinking again about Paul Gemignani I recall reading that he always memorizes a show's entire score and usually conducts without a score in front of him on the podium.  He is said to even memorize all of the bar numbers of a score.
 

 

Thanks to all who responded - they were all great suggestions! Both books look like what I'm looking for! I'll go to my local B&N hoping to see if they are in stock and have a look before I make my purchase. They will be great additions to my home library :)

[reginula]

Posted: 9/17/18 at 9:18pm

Thanks for starting this! I was very curious about this as well. Before opening the thread, something in me knew it was going to be about the MFL conductor.  

I sat on the far side of the orchestra my second time seeing the show and I couldn't help but watch him. It looks like he has the time of his life every evening. I even saw him mouthing the lyrics.

 

Click Here To Toggle Spoiler Content

I'm so glad he even gets to go on the stage for the waltz scene. 

Updated On: 9/17/18 at 09:18 PM

[SomethingPeculiar]

Posted: 9/17/18 at 9:25pm

Not a book but could be of interest:

Longtime Jerry Herman collaborator Don Pippin (and a rare winner of the Tony for Best Music Director) is sharing stories and songs at 54 Below in October https://54below.com/events/don-pippin/

[BPfan81]

Posted: 9/17/18 at 9:52pm

reginula said:  "I even saw him mouthing the lyrics.

 

Click Here To Toggle Spoiler Content

I'm so glad he even gets to go on the stage for the waltz scene.

"

Yes, I saw him do this too! I figured they all do this, no? Interesting! He looked young too. Okay now I have to find out his name and all the other musicals he's conducted, anyone help me out! My playbill is under a pile of unread magazines in my room that I need to 'get to' one of these days!

Updated On: 9/17/18 at 09:52 PM

[Wick3]

Posted: 9/17/18 at 10:53pm

This is an interesting thread. I've seen MFL twice (rear loge and extreme side orch) but didn't notice the conductor. From checking LCT's website the MFL conductor is Ted Sperling. I'll be watching MFL again next month when Benanti is Eliza so will watch out for the conductor.

[DooWahDiddy]

Posted: 9/17/18 at 11:07pm

Oh yeah, Ted Sperling is fun.  Got to work with him a while back.  By the way, you probably already know this, but very few shows these days have the luxury (or really, the necessity, due to the prevalence of more pop/rock on Broadway) of having a stick conductor.  Nowadays the conductor is usually also playing keyboard, and conducting with a combination of his hands and head.

I'm certainly no Joseph Church or Ted Sperling, but it is what I do for a living, so if anybody has any questions about that side of things I'm happy to answer as time allows.

[BPfan81]

Posted: 9/17/18 at 11:32pm

Wick3 said: "This is an interesting thread. I've seen MFL twice (rear loge and extreme side orch) but didn't notice the conductor. From checking LCT's website the MFL conductor is Ted Sperling. I'll be watching MFL again next month when Benanti is Eliza so will watch out for the conductor."

Yes, report back and let us know!! I am tempted to see MFL again just for him!! Oh, and thanks for letting me know his name!

 

Updated On: 9/17/18 at 11:32 PM

[BPfan81]

Posted: 9/17/18 at 11:38pm

DooWahDiddy said: "Oh yeah, Ted Sperling is fun. Got to work with him a while back. By the way, you probably already know this, but very few shows these days have the luxury (or really, the necessity, due to the prevalence of more pop/rock on Broadway) of having a stick conductor. Nowadays the conductor is usually also playing keyboard, and conducting with a combination of his hands and head.

I'm certainly no Joseph Church or Ted Sperling, but it is what I do for a living, so if anybody has any questions about that side of things I'm happy to answer as time allows."

I did not know that they don't use the stick anymore, that is so interesting! If you will, which of the books recommended above would you think is the preferable book for a person like me who has no idea of a conductor's role and the orchestra in general, and wants an introduction to the craft (for lack of a better word!)

 

[Ravenclaw]

Posted: 9/18/18 at 1:49am

Ted Sperling is a frequent collaborator of Bart Sher's (along with the entire design team of this revival), and I have always found him a lively and exciting conductor to watch. I once had a teacher say that when you are conducting, you are not only helping the musicians, but you are also putting on a show for the people behind you, helping them understand how to listen to the music. 

It's worth noting that Ted is also a fantastic orchestrator and vocal arranger (his new orchestrations for the recent revival of Fiddler are fantastic and did not get anywhere near the recognition they deserved), and he has also appeared in the original cast of Titanic as Wallace Hartley, a musician on board, and he served as director (not music director) of the original off-Broadway production of See What I Wanna See. The man is certainly multi-talented!

[Wick3]

Posted: 9/18/18 at 2:56pm

SomethingPeculiar said: "Not a book but could be of interest:

Longtime Jerry Herman collaborator Don Pippin (and a rare winner of the Tony forBest Music Director)is sharing stories and songs at 54 Below in Octoberhttps://54below.com/events/don-pippin/"

BTW, what was the reasoning on discontinuing the Tony for Best Music Director?

[DooWahDiddy]

Posted: 9/18/18 at 5:07pm

BPfan81 said: I did not know that they don't use the stick anymore, that is so interesting! If you will, which of the books recommended above would you think is the preferable book for a person like me who has no idea of a conductor's role and the orchestra in general, and wants an introduction to the craft (for lack of a better word!)

Well as I mentioned, I haven't read either one of them, but I would say if you're looking to specifically learn about Broadway conducting, Joseph Church's book would probably be your best bet.  If you're actually looking to delve into the history of conducting, as well as learn the different patterns used for different time signatures, I would think The Art of Conducting would serve you better. 

Wick3 said: BTW, what was the reasoning on discontinuing the Tony for Best Music Director?

It's a sore subject in the circle of music directors, haha.  But I do have to admit I kiiiind of get it; it's hard to quantify the work a music director does, which is what I think the decision boils down to.  How do you determine which one is "best"?  Half the work is done in rehearsal; that's when you're shaping the music, making choices, etc.  Probably the easiest part is doing the show.  And since voters aren't around during rehearsals, they have no idea whose choice was whose.  At this point we're just happy to be mentioned in the review. 

[SomethingPeculiar]

Posted: 9/18/18 at 6:30pm

Wick3 said: "BTW, what was the reasoning on discontinuing the Tony for Best Music Director?"


The Tony for Orchestrations came out of a quest to reinstate the Music Direction Tony, according to the video above. I THINK the short answer is: it's very hard to draw a line between the role of each member of the music team.

If it's a new musical, how involved was the composer in music decisions? Who's running rehearsals, and how much was notated in the score? Who's liaising with the arrangers/orchestrators/contractor? When the show opens, the conductor could differ night-to-night. If the quality of the playing and singing is being awarded, that's a collaboration between the contractor/MD/players/actors. If the size of the band is being awarded, the producer budgeted that (and the composer/orchestrator/MD likely weighed in). And the sound designer's work is also a factor. A show like An American In Paris, for example, was unique and had 9+ people in the music dept including a Score Supervisor/Arranger, Music Supervisor/Conductor, and Music Director.

I think 99% of the time, a Tony for Music Direction would go to either a revival with a big orchestra (South Pacific, Dolly, Follies) or the show that won Best Score. With the Orchestration award, 14 out of 23 years it has gone to the Best Score winner; 7 years it went to a show that didn't have an eligible score (revival or jukebox); Millie and Billy are the two outliers.

If anything, they could replace the Orchestration Tony with a group award for the music department (MD/Supervisor, Orchestrator, Arrangers, Contractor). But that could all be controversial...

(Similar arguments could be made about a Tony for Casting or Stage Management.)

Updated On: 9/18/18 at 06:30 PM

[Wick3]

Posted: 9/19/18 at 8:41am

Thank you for answering my question! I don't work in the theater/entertainment industry and have had phases in my life when I was into watching Bway shows (mainly during my college days here in NYC and somehow got back to seeing shows since Hedwig and the Angry Inch was revived back in 2014... that's when I joined BWW.)

Anyway, I saw this youtube video honoring Ted Sperling and found it quite inspiring. What a great job to have!!! I didn't even know he helped jumpstart Kelli O'Hara's career by putting her in the very first workshop of Light in the Piazza! Lincoln Center Vivian Beaumont tend to have musical revivals that require an orchestra so I hope we continue to see more of him and I look forward seeing him conduct when I see MFL next month!

 

[BPfan81]

Posted: 9/19/18 at 10:34pm

Loved the video, thank you!

Just saying, if this post ever gets Ted Sperling's attention, I just want him to know I was left very impressed by his performance conducting My Fair Lady! It was a pleasure watching him :)
       

[JaglinSays]

Posted: 9/20/18 at 12:16am

Since the original poster commented on the “youth” of the conductor, it was likely Paul Staroba, the associate conductor (who’s in his 30s) and not Ted Sperling, who is about 60.

[JaglinSays]

Posted: 9/20/18 at 12:16am

Since the original poster commented on the “youth” of the conductor, it was likely Paul Staroba, the associate conductor (who’s in his 30s) and not Ted Sperling, who is about 60.

[BPfan81]

Posted: 9/20/18 at 12:22am

How funny! Like I said, I was in the very last row, stage right, I had a clear view of him and from up there he really 'looked young,' however, I was at a distance. I have to look for my Playbill now and double check because I was so fixated on Ted Sperling after all these posts!!