# In an orchestra, what's the story behind the "concertmaster?" **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [September 27, 2004, 10:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-an-orchestra-whats-the-story-behind-the-concertmaster/266363 "2004-09-27T22:15:15Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 5\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![av8rmike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/edb3f5/32.png) [@av8rmike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/av8rmike)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2004, 6:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-an-orchestra-whats-the-story-behind-the-concertmaster/266363/21 "2004-09-28T18:58:52Z")
> [@jovan](#): > > If players were left to themselves you’d end up with near-chaos as far as bowing is concerned. Obviously, deciding strokes is something only a string player can do. Second-violinist checking in here… In one of the orchestras in which I play, we’re about 4 rehearsals in, and the concertmaster has _yet_ to decide bowings on most of the parts. I’ve done some of it myself, but I don’t intend to take on that much of his job. And yes, it isn’t well-organized at the moment. Sorry… just venting here, since it came up. Since I’m not contributing anything else I’ll shut up now. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Cervaise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cervaise/32/16693_2.png) [@Cervaise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cervaise)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2004, 7:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-an-orchestra-whats-the-story-behind-the-concertmaster/266363/22 "2004-09-28T19:47:01Z")
> [@Giles](#): > > a composer/pianist like Mozart would have conducted his piano concertos while siutting at the keyboard Oh, that Mozart, what a siut he was. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![blowero](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/41988e/32.png) [@blowero](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blowero)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2004, 9:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-an-orchestra-whats-the-story-behind-the-concertmaster/266363/23 "2004-09-28T21:54:00Z")
> [@CC](#): > > And, in fact, as R-Chuck has pointed out, the soloist sometimes has to grab the closest fiddle at hand. I’ve also seen that happen - at a CSO performance - and I think that it’s likely that the concertmaster will have a finer instrument to hand over than, say, the last chair player. It’s not uncommon at all for soloists to break a string while performing. I’ve seen it happen several times in performances I’ve done. Seems to me that the concertmaster just made do with the soloist’s crippled instrument. I can’t recall ever seeing it passed to the back of the section. A good violin is worth hundreds of thousands of dollars, I don’t think a soloist would want it getting manhandled by the whole section. It happened once in a dress rehearsal with a particularly arrogant soloist, and after finishing the movement with the concertmaster’s violin, the soloist remarked, “How can you _play_ this thing?” Personally, I thought it sounded _better_ than the soloist’s instrument. ---
**Author:** ![GorillaMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/50afbb/32.png) [@GorillaMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GorillaMan)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2004, 10:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-an-orchestra-whats-the-story-behind-the-concertmaster/266363/24 "2004-09-28T22:03:48Z")
No, you’re right, unless it’s near the end of a movement, a soloist will stop outright and fix his fiddle, and begin the movement again. A soloist taking the leader’s violin is much rarer than the leader taking his deputy’s. ---
**Author:** ![Misnomer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/misnomer/32/14897_2.png) [@Misnomer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Misnomer)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2004, 10:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-an-orchestra-whats-the-story-behind-the-concertmaster/266363/25 "2004-09-28T22:33:36Z")
Continued thanks to everyone. 🙂 I’ve been enjoying symphonies for years (luckily, my parents started taking my brother and me to the orchestra when we were kids), and it’s great to finally be learning some of this stuff. The CSO site mentioned in my OP and **jayjay** ’s post has been quite educational, as well. I’ll be seeing/hearing [The Academy of St. Martin in the Fields](http://www.academysmif.co.uk/) in a couple weeks, and will keep my eye on the concertmaster’s instrument…just in case a string breaks or something. _{grin}_ (The featured soloist is a pianist: if _he_ breaks a string, I think there will be some real trouble… 😉 ) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-an-orchestra-whats-the-story-behind-the-concertmaster/266363.md?page=1)