When the band was young, people really didn't need a conductor. But as the band expands step by step, it is impossible to play without a conductor. Since the19th century, the band has become increasingly large, which requires a conductor to connect the players. Thus, the command and command law appeared in the19th century, and it is generally believed that Mendelssohn was the first real conductor.
In addition, a person learning all kinds of beats is only the beginning, and the distance between them is huge. Beating is just counting time, and as a conductor, he must convey the meaning of music. He must know the music score, read as much information as possible from the music score, and then add up his feelings and experiences with the words left by the composer, tell his musicians how to do it through complex conducting art, and make his own judgments in terms of speed, strength, style and rhythm according to the music score left by the composer. Sometimes, in order to achieve his ideal state, he has to make some changes in string notation and orchestration of his works. In addition, in order to understand the work accurately, he must also have extensive knowledge and know the composer's history, thoughts, background and many other aspects of knowledge. At the same time, he must have a pair of sensitive ears, and can hear the subtle changes of the grand sounds of various musical instruments. Let the whole huge band become a handy instrument in his hand. Visible as a command, is far from simple.
Since the birth of conducting art, there have been many great conductors and various schools. However, among these people, the most resounding name should undoubtedly be toscanini. The musicians who have performed with him and the appreciators who have heard his works admire him. They called toscanini "the supreme master of all commanders". Their evaluation of toscanini's conducting art is that "although there were many great conductors in the past and now, Arturo Toscanini's influence on conducting art and orchestral performance is beyond anyone's reach."
Toscanini was born in Palma on 1867. The great composer Sebi Verdi was born in busetto not far away, and both of them were born in civilian families. Toscanini's father is a tailor. When he was young, he joined the volunteers in garibaldi and took part in the struggle against tyranny and oppression. His mother is a kind housewife, raising children and doing housework at home. Toscanini had an amazing memory when he was young. On the way back from the opera house, he could hum all the arias he had seen. It was his mother who first discovered his musical talent and sent him to the Royal Conservatory of Music in Palma when he was 9 years old. But there, he couldn't learn his favorite conducting major and chose the cello department, because at that time, only the relatively unpopular cello major could be exempted from paying room and board. When he was studying cello, he never forgot to study his favorite major, so by the time he graduated, he had profound attainments in piano, music theory and conductor.
After graduation, he first appeared on the music stage as a cellist. It is very accidental and legendary that toscanini stepped onto the stage of command.
/kloc-at the age of 0/9, toscanini toured South America with the Opera Troupe, and toscanini was the cellist of the band at that time. Due to the poor conductor and actors at that time and the criticism of the audience, the conductor resigned at the critical moment of the performance, and the audience blew the dissatisfied deputy conductor off the platform. Just when the theater manager was at a loss, toscanini was recommended to him. Toscanini stepped onto the podium at a critical moment to conduct Verdi's opera Ayida. Moreover, with his amazing memory, he recited music for several hours in the performance. From that night on, toscanini became famous.
After his initial conducting activities, toscanini became the music director and permanent conductor of the famous Scala Opera House in 1898. As soon as he took office, he began to reform the theater according to his own artistic ideas. He is a realistic conductor who thinks that "art is above everything else". At that time, the romantic command style was all the rage, and many mediocre conductors arbitrarily deleted composers' works according to their own ideas, thinking that this was romanticism. But under the leadership of toscanini, Scala Opera House changed all this. Toscanini believes that the conductor should be faithful to the composer's original works and have no right to edit the composer's works at all. As a result, he became the pioneer of the art of objective realism. He once said, "I often hear people say that Hero is directed by X, Siegfried is directed by Y, or Ayida is directed by Z. I wonder what Beethoven, Wagner or Verdi think of these gentlemen's explanations. Also, whether their works have new contents through these readers. I think, in the face of Hero, Siegfried and Ayida, an interpreter should try his best to go deep into the composer's spiritual world. He should just be willing to play Beethoven's Hero, Wagner's Siegfried and Verdi's Ayida. "
Thanks to his efforts, the troubled Scala Opera House was quickly changed and the performance level was rapidly improved.
1939, 72-year-old toscanini came to the United States because of the siege and persecution of Italian fascists. In the United States, he personally selected the best talents to form the NBC Symphony Orchestra, and conducted this orchestra for 17 years. Due to the superb skills and outstanding personality of the performer, no conductor can control it except toscanini. So when toscanini left on 1954, the band had to disband with regret.
Musically, toscanini is a perfectionist. He often asks the performer to concentrate on the performance, and the performance of his works should be flawless. Because of this, he often flies into a rage because the band fails to achieve the expected results in rehearsal, and sometimes he leaves without cutting. What's more, there have been cases where he couldn't stand the performance of the lead violinist, stabbed the lead violinist to death with a broken bow in a rage and was taken to court.
But toscanini does have extraordinary talent. He has an amazing memory. He usually conducts music with his heart, even if it is an opera that lasts for hours. He can also write works from memory that have been shelved for decades and have never been asked. He has extraordinary hearing, and he can distinguish the wrong sound played by the second violinist sitting in the back row among the complicated sounds of the huge symphony orchestra. He has an extraordinary ability to control the band. Under his command, he can unconsciously attract and integrate all the performers, chorus, opera singers and even the audience into the musical realm he conceived and created, and obtain brilliant artistic effects. It is also because of his genius that his actors can tolerate his grumpy temper and even have deep admiration for him. Band members often try their best to get him to conduct carefully. It is said that once, the band slammed the door to prevent toscanini from getting angry during symphony rehearsal. After the rehearsal began, they secretly locked the door of the rehearsal hall. When the band didn't achieve the expected effect and wanted to open the door and leave, he found that the door had been locked. He had no choice but to smile and calmly return to the rehearsal site.
Toscanini devoted almost his whole life to the cause of command. More than eighty years old, he is still active in the command stage. He seldom made mistakes in his life, but when he was old and had to bid farewell to the music stage and hold a farewell concert for himself, he was so excited that he forgot the music score. At that time, when he was conducting the overture of Don Hauser, his mind suddenly went blank and the master's beat suddenly hesitated. He squatted on the music stand with his head in his hands in pain. After a while, he raised his hand to signal the band to play the next piece.
This is just that toscanini is a great conductor. In many people's minds, he is a toscanini who loves freedom and democracy, opposes fascist tyranny, and waged an indomitable struggle against it.
Just as toscanini led the Scala Opera House to make brilliant achievements, fascism led by Mussolini began to spread in China. Moreover, his conflict with fascism is becoming more and more obvious and fierce.
When toscanini wants to conduct the premiere of Puccini's opera Turandot at Scala Opera House, Mussolini will also attend. As soon as he enters, the band will play fascist carols. Toscanini would rather refuse to direct the premiere of the opera than do so. In the end, Mussolini had to give up his plan to attend the premiere.
On another occasion, Mussolini passed by Milan and asked to see toscanini by name. After earnestly asked toscanini to join the fascist party, the result was rejected by toscanini.
On another occasion, two fascist leaders were going to attend a concert conducted by toscanini. The theater asked him to add two fascist carols to the repertoire, and explained that toscanini was not allowed to conduct himself, and only the first violinist was allowed to play for him. Who knows that toscanini roared: "No!" At the same time, I threw my coat and hat on the ground.
These actions finally annoyed the fascists. They abused and beat toscanini and threatened his family. Their passports were revoked and his phone was monitored day and night. But all this didn't make toscanini give in. He said: "I would rather give up everything, but I want to breathe freely." You must agree that Mussolini is here, but I will never think of going with him, never! "
Because of his hatred of fascism, he also showed extreme contempt for pro-fascist artists. Futvingler was also a famous conductor at that time. But because he succumbed to Hitler's arrogance and played fascist carols, toscanini broke with him completely and said, "I would like to take off my hat in front of Forte Wengler as a musician;" However, I have to wear two hats in front of the ordinary Futvingler. "
Due to the severe situation in Italy at that time, he had to leave his motherland and take refuge in the United States.
During World War II, toscanini always supported the anti-fascist struggle of people all over the world. He led some famous American orchestras, held benefit performances in various places, and made statements with other political asylum seekers in support of the US government. In addition to being a musician, he became a heroic anti-fascist fighter, and he even became a symbol of anti-fascist victory: after Mussolini's fall, a poster was immediately posted in the Scala Opera House in Milan, which he had run for many years: "Long live toscanini!" "toscanini, come back!"
In this way, the command of genius and lofty character make toscanini stand like a great statue in the hearts of all people who love music and freedom in the world.
1957 65438+1October 16, toscanini ended his life as a soldier and musician. But the great influence he left will never disappear, as he himself said: "Human life is limited, but the life of music is infinite, and music will not die."