America’s Concertmasters (review)

Abstract

America's Concertmasters. By Anne Mischakoff Heiles. (Detroit Monographs in Musicology/Studies in Music, No. 51.) Sterling Heights, Michigan: Harmonie Park Press, 2007. [xvii, 564 p. ISBN-10: 0899901395; ISBN-13: 9780899901398. $50.] Illustrations, appendices, bibliographical references, index. Anne Mischakoff Heiles has written a book exploring the training, traits, desires, and often interesting anecdotes of over 180 concertmasters and a dozen orchestras, from Boston to Toronto. Being the daughter of concertmaster Mischa Mischakoff has given Heiles a unique perspective and obvious passion for this subject, which shows in the extensive research, through dozens of interviews, contained in this work. After a brief prologue explaining the concertmaster selection and interview process, and an excellent introduction of how the concertmaster role evolved, Heiles takes us on a wonderful journey exploring the lives of concertmasters from ten of the major performing orchestras in North America: Boston, Chicago, Cleveland, Detroit, Los Angeles, Minnesota, New York, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, and Toronto. She also includes two chapters on the concertmasters of the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra and Chautauqua Symphony Orchestra for insights into the leaders of an opera orchestra and summer orchestra, respectively. Among the issues Heiles seeks to probe are the traits that distinguish concertmasters from section players and soloists, the musical training concertmasters receive, how power is shared between conductor and concertmaster, how authority develops between concertmaster and section players, the range of musical interests today's concertmasters have and whether their musical activities differ from their predecessors, and their tips for those aspiring to orchestral careers. The skeletal questions she posed were: * Describe your violin training. Did you receive any special training to be a concertmaster? * What personal traits do you think distinguish a concertmaster? * Did you aspire to be a soloist? If so, why did you give it up? Do you regret not being a concert artist? What opportunities do you now have for solo appearances? * Do you feel an itch to conduct? * How do you, as a leader, also follow? How do you relate to conductors? * When and how do you gesture physically to lead the violin section? * How do you make the sudden shift from playing the tutti passages to the solos? Do you have favorites among the concertmaster solos? What do you still find difficult in the solos? * Do you consider yourself more a part of the management or the orchestra? * How do you draw the line between yourself and your section? Do you socialize with orchestra members? With conductors? * How do you give criticism or make suggestions to the violin section? How do you set a standard? * Are you an activist? Involved in orchestra committee work? * Do you feel a responsibility to teach? What advice do you give younger players about taking auditions? * Are you active in commissioning or performing new music? * What are the social perks of the concertmaster position and do you enjoy them? * How do you balance time between your musical activities and home life? How do you feel about orchestra tours? About the orchestra's future? About your future? (pp. 4-5) Each chapter contains a brief history of how that particular orchestra got started, and then discusses each of its concertmasters, along with fabulous pictures of some of the early orchestras and of many concertmasters. There are charts towards the beginning of each chapter listing the concertmasters in order for that orchestra, a symphonic score card if you will, to help keep the names and information straight. There are names that most everyone will recognize as well as some unfamiliar ones, but all contribute interesting and wonderful stories, teaching tools, leadership lessons, audition advice, and many ideas on the quintessential qualities of a good concertmaster. …