We finish the week half-way through our 10-question music theory quiz, now in preparation for TriviaPark.com and AheadWithMusic.com. Unlike some of the more technical questions in this quiz, today’s should fall within the general knowledge of many non-musicians, as we enquire about:
The concertmaster’s instrument
In every symphony orchestra there is one musician, second in rank only to the conductor, known as the concertmaster (or, in England, the leader). The concertmaster rank always belongs to the orchestra’s principal player of a particular instrument. Which one?
- Clarinet
- Oboe
- Piano
- Violin
The string section is the largest of a symphony orchestra, with two or three groupings each of violins, violas, celli and basses. It has a central role in generating the expressive power of symphonic music, and the head of the section — the player occupying ‘first chair’ among the first violins — is therefore a figure of importance. Within the strings, the concertmaster is in charge of technical matters such as bowing and fingering. Another important duty is to lead the orchestra in tuning. At a symphony performance, the concertmaster is usually the first musician to appear on stage (and may receive individual applause on doing so), and the conductor the last.
