Sitting up front

January 17, 2008 at 12:44 PM

The first week of rehearsal, I didn't have a stand partner at all. The second week, a nice woman from the 2nd violins said she wanted to try 1st, and she sat with me. It was nice to have someone to sit with, but this week she decided the music was too challenging and so went back to the 2nds.

Then, it turned out that the person who normally sits 1st chair, inside, was out sick and the concertmaster invited me to sit with her.

I was nervous (again!), but at least I didn't embarrass myself. I was reminded of how much I dislike sitting in the back of the firsts. I could see and hear so much better up there. We worked the William Tell, and after "the spot," the concertmaster turned to me and said "wow, you've been practicing!" which is true--despite having played this part 12 years ago, it didn't all just magically come back. After woodshedding it for a couple of weeks, it's getting there.

Unfortunately my lesson where I was going to work on the 8va in the Copland Outdoor Overture with my teacher was cancelled on Monday because of snow. On the other hand, I think I can say now that learning to play the viola has helped me with the violin in unexpected ways. After learning viola clef I really am less afraid of 8va now. I've started to be able to visualize and think about finger patterns and match them with notes no matter what string I'm on or where I am on the fingerboard. It's not like I always play in tune up there now or anything--I still have to work on it, of course--but my ground thinking about it has changed. I don't freak out anymore; those notes up there are starting to become, if not friends, at least passing acquaintances who I would consider inviting for dinner.

I wanted to play this Rossini part because it was so much fun 12 years ago. It still is, mostly. But I seem to be getting kind of wound up after the rehearsals. Back when I played it before, I was in the front of the firsts and I remember sometimes there was a lot of adrenaline then too. The conductor may have to make large gestures and speak loudly, just to be heard and understood in the brass section, and he's right there in your face. And people are watching your bowings. The concertmaster and I discussed several, and a few times she asked me for my opinion.

I'm happy to go back to the back of the section next week when the rightful owner of that seat returns, but I think this experience whetted my appetite for trying to get back to the front.

From Tom Holzman
Posted on January 17, 2008 at 2:05 PM

The lure of violin 1!

From Anne Horvath
Posted on January 17, 2008 at 7:55 PM

Good for you. (Smiles).

From Jim W. Miller
Posted on January 17, 2008 at 10:39 PM

I had the opposite problem. When I was a kid, besides the regular orchestra, I was in a weekly chamber orchestra. I don't remember where I sat, maybe assistant cm because my regular orchestra stand partner was cm of it. At any rate, anytime she was missing I was the appointed cm. And the stuff was like 50% her solos. Or it seemed like it. After the first couple of times she missed I started making sure she was there before I went in myself :)

Strange, but I haven't played violin for twenty years, except somebody hands me a violin and demands I play a scale once a decade or so. But I somehow know that if I suddenly took it seriously now, after half a year I'd be so superior to anyone I was playing with in those days, just as the result of a whole new dimention of maturity I have now. That and videos on Youtube. Not instructional videos, but just stuff to emulate.

From Jim W. Miller
Posted on January 17, 2008 at 10:55 PM

Closer to thirty years, actually.

From Mendy Smith
Posted on January 18, 2008 at 7:17 AM

I know what you mean about everyone watching your bowings! I'm now up to 2nd chair myself for the next two concerts at least (regular 2nd chair is on a LOA). The 1st & I exchanged a few e-mails on how to work best with each other quickly (preferred page turning methods & timing, who has the master copy, eyesight issues, approaches to bowings, shifting, etc..). I feel a bit exposed up front. 2nd bench was soooo much more comfortable.

Good luck!

From Karen Allendoerfer
Posted on January 18, 2008 at 12:11 PM

This orchestra doesn't have auditions and so I actually don't know how the seating works. It seems to have to do with some combination of seniority, service, and self-evaluation. The CM says she's been in the orchestra for years, as did one of the first violinists I talked with when I first joined the section. He said he'd been in the orchestra since the early 80's!

From Tom Holzman
Posted on January 18, 2008 at 8:21 PM

In my community orch, there are no auditions and seating is quite ad hoc. Most violinists feel a bit squeamish about violin 1, fearing that they are not good enough. I certainly did for the first seven or eight years I spent in the orch. Then, one rehearsal, there were almost no violin 1s, and the violin 1 sitting in the same stand as I was in violin 2 asked me to join her. I protested that I was not good enough, and she pooh-poohed it. So, I made the switch. I still wonder sometimes if I am good enough, but I much prefer being a violin 1, despite how exposed it is.

From Karen Allendoerfer
Posted on January 18, 2008 at 8:57 PM

Tom, that sounds very much like how it is here too. But (and not meaning to brag, just to report truthfully what I've observed), it's actually pretty obvious that I'm good enough for violin I in terms of being able to play the hard parts of the music accurately, up to tempo, and with reasonable intonation and dynamics. To be even more blunt, I think I'm concertmaster material, at least with respect to raw playing ability and practice time devoted to learning the music.

But there may or may not be some subtle social things going on that I am likely to be clueless about. Walking in mid-season as I have done and sitting in front of people who have been there a long time or taking someone else's seat seems, well, rude and arrogant. Unless you earn it with a fair and open audition process.

I've really liked everyone I've met at rehearsals thus far. I fit in well with the demographic, even up to the "moms with kids who've taken time off from playing" part. I don't want to spoil any of that by doing something politically or socially inept. So I think I should probably just stay in the back until when and if an opportunity presents itself. Does that make sense?

From Tom Holzman
Posted on January 18, 2008 at 9:35 PM

You might want to let the concertmaster or conductor make the decision about exactly where you sit. I would at least ask the CM about it.

From Mendy Smith
Posted on January 19, 2008 at 5:15 AM

In my community orchestra, the concertmaster has to audition for the seat, and this only happens when the current CM either takes a LOA, moves out of town, or otherwise leaves the orchestra.

For the other Principal seats, I'm not sure what the process is yet, not having observed it. I would assume that this is auditioned as well. All other seating is quite informal. There is an informal rule: the "new kid on the block" always sits in the back for the first concert season. The exception I've seen to this are close friends who want to share a stand, or a few mother/daughter duos who also want to share a stand. Makes sense to me.

The viola section is very informal. We sit where we are comfortable and work it out amongst ourselves. If our Principal is out, the "hot chair" goes to the person brave enough to sit there. The 2nd chair tried to get me to do this once, I made him sit in the hot-seat instead and I took 2nd.

This entry has been archived and is no longer accepting comments.

Sitting up front

Subscribe

Laurie's Books