Concertmaster

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Concertmaster

The concertmaster/mistress, or concertmeister
Meister

The word Meister originally means "master" in German language .It has been borrowed into English language slang, where it is used in compound words....
(from German Konzertmeister) is the leader of the first violin

Violin

The violin is a Bow string instrument with four strings usually tuned in perfect fifths. It is the smallest and highest-pitched member of the violin family of string instruments, which also includes the viola and cello....
section of an orchestra

Orchestra

An orchestra is an Musical ensemble, usually fairly large with string, brass, woodwind sections, and possibly a percussion section as well. The term orchestra derives from the name for the area in front of an theatre of ancient Greece reserved for the Greek chorus....
. (This is why they are also known, for example in the UK, as "the leader" of the orchestra.) Any violin solo in an orchestral work is played by the concertmaster (except in the case of a concerto

Concerto

The term Concerto usually refers to a three-part musical work in which one solo instrument is accompanied by an orchestra. The concerto, as understood in this modern way, arose in the Baroque period side by side with the concerto grosso, which contrasted a small group of instruments with the rest of the orchestra....
, in which case guest soloists may be heard).

The concertmaster makes decisions regarding bowing

Bow (music)

In music, a bow is moved across some part of a musical instrument, causing vibration which the instrument emits as sound. The vast majority of bows are used with string instruments, although some bows are used with musical saws and other bowed idiophones....
and other technical details of violin playing for the violins, and sometimes all of the string players; and is in charge of leading the orchestra in tuning

Musical tuning

In music, there are two common meanings for tuning:* #Tuning practice, the act of tuning an instrument or voice.* #Tuning systems, the various systems of Pitch used to tune an instrument, and their theoretical basis....
before concerts and rehearsals and other technical aspects of orchestra management.

The concertmaster in a standard wind band is the first-chair clarinet

Clarinet

The clarinet is a musical instrument in the woodwind family. The name derives from adding the suffix -et meaning little to the Italian word clarino meaning a particular type of trumpet, as the first clarinets had a strident tone similar to that of a trumpet....
, and leads the ensemble's tuning

Musical tuning

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Encyclopedia

Violin

Orchestra

Concerto

Bow (music)

Musical tuning

In music, there are two common meanings for tuning:* #Tuning practice, the act of tuning an instrument or voice.* #Tuning systems, the various systems of Pitch used to tune an instrument, and their theoretical basis....
before concerts and rehearsals and other technical aspects of orchestra management.

The concertmaster in a standard wind band is the first-chair clarinet

Clarinet

Musical tuning

In music, there are two common meanings for tuning:* #Tuning practice, the act of tuning an instrument or voice.* #Tuning systems, the various systems of Pitch used to tune an instrument, and their theoretical basis....
. The first-chair clarinet concertmaster will, in common practice, play all solos for their instrument. Often the lead flautist will receive similar responsibilities to the clarinet concertmaster, depending on several factors such as age, skill and time spent in the ensemble. The concertmaster will, in both orchestral and wind band settings, also coordinate with other principals and section leaders, in most cases being their senior in terms of group pecking order.

The concertmaster has the pleasure of being able to tune the orchestra or band at rehearsals and performances, and also comes on stage individually. He will walk onto stage prior to performing, take a bow, and receive applause

Applause

Applause is primarily the expression of approval by the act of clapping, or striking the palms of the hands together, in order to create noise ....
on behalf of the ensemble. However, this practice is usually uncommon in Europe where the concertmaster walks onto stage at first but immediately followed by the remaining orchestra members. Thus the entire ensemble receives applause at the beginning and the concertmaster's role is less individual.

It is usually required that the concertmaster be the most skilled musician in the section, good at learning music quickly, counting and observing the conductor for the rest of the section to follow.