Show THE MODERN ORCHESTRA LEADER The modern orchestra has been converted con-verted into a great composite musical instrument on which the conductor actually ac-tually plays and the specific skill he has developed of playing on this Ideal Instrument is an exact counterpart of what we call virtuosity in the individual individ-ual performer A generation of virtuosi of the orchestra has sprung up exercising exer-cising the same fascination over thereat the-reat crowd of music lovers that other virtuosi have time out of mind The orchestral conductor is fast becoming be-coming the cynosure in the musical firmament fir-mament with the pole star of safety or shipwreck beaming at his batons tip Lightly warbling soprano tenors stormIng storm-Ing the Jerico of the peoples heart with miraculous sound and sonorous basses of Bashan will have to look to their laurels some fine day they may find them encircling the conductors Olympian Olym-pian brow In a word the modern conductor is essentially a performer and whether he be a popular favorite by reason of his virtuosity or of the scope modern musical mus-ical performance gives to the artistic initiative of all performers his virtuosity virtuos-ity per se is unquestionably the element by which he most gains his ascendency over the public Scribners Magazine |