Conducting

Of the many genres and types of groups young composers learn to write for, orchestra can be especially challenging, requiring both depth and breadth of training. Studies have shown that the practical experience in working with an orchestra is essential to the development of the composer’s craft, and that the score is the primary source of communication between the composer and interpreters, including performers and conductors. Based on the research literature and my extensive experience as a conductor and coach of student composers, I provide suggestions and strategies for teaching and learning to compose for orchestra.

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Dieser Artikel geht der Frage nach, wie Theatermacher zu unterschiedlichen Zeiten in je eigener Weise einen Begriff von ‚Musikalität‘ als wegweisend fur ihr Theaterverständnis thematisiert haben. Musikalität wird hierbei als eine Art Dispositiv verstanden, das als Metapher, Modell oder Methode instrumentalisiert wird, um zu einer je eigenen dramatischen, darstellerischen oder inszenatorischen Qualität zu gelangen. Theaterschaffende wie Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, Adolphe Appia, Wsewolod Meyerhold, Samuel Beckett, Joseph Chaikin, Heiner Goebbels oder Karin Beier haben dabei insbesondere auf drei Metaphern aus dem Diskurs um die Musikalität des Theaters rekurriert: der Regisseur als Dirigent, der Schauspieler als Instrument und die Aufführung als Partitur. Anhand ausgewählter Inszenierungen, Texte und Probenmethoden werden die je eigenen Herangehensweisen dieser Künstler untersucht und verglichen.

The purpose of this document is to provide conductors with an overview of all of the completed, revised and/or edited scores of Edgar Varèse by Chou Wen-chung, his protégé beginning in 1949, as background to the revision of Octandre (1921, rev. 1980). Entrusted with Varèse’s manuscripts shortly before his death in 1965, Chou completed the unfinished Nocturnal (New York, 1973) and Tuning Up (New York, 1998), based on Varèse's sketches, and prepared several new editions of Varèse’s works including Amériques (New York, 1972 and 1996); Intégrales (New York, 1980); Octandre (New York, 1980); Dance for Burgess (New York, 1998); Ecuatorial (New York, 2000); and Étude pour Espace (New York, 2009). Brief biographical information is followed by published and new evidence to document the relationship between Edgard Varèse and Chou Wen-chung, as well as salient issues related to publishers. Professor Chou’s notes from the revised or completed scores, and the transcripts of telephone interviews are included as appendices.

Austrian conductor Carlos Kleiber (1930-2004) has been hailed by many as the greatest conductor of all time.  An artist with unscrupulously high standards, Kleiber enjoyed a career with some of the world’s finest orchestras and opera companies including the Vienna Philharmonic, La Scala, Covent Garden, the Met and the Chicago Symphony. He enjoyed a special relationship with the Vienna Philharmonic, the longest of any of his professional associations.

A profoundly gifted conductor and deeply private man, any study of Kleiber’s life and work seems to pose more questions than it answers. An enigmatic genius, Kleiber’s renown was as revered as it was notorious. Norman Lebrecht mused that ‘Kleiber was not famous for conducting so much as he was famous for not conducting.’  Shy and plagued by self-doubt, Kleiber’s insecurities were legendary, with it being reported he once vomited on a score of Wagner’s Tristan and Isolde in a typical case of pre-performance nerves.  An obsessive perfectionist of the highest order, Kleiber’s extreme fanaticism and fastidiousness are well documented.

Over the course of his career he conducted fewer and fewer works, resulting in a performance history as vexing as the man himself. Many speculate this may be due to the influence of his father Erich, one of the most pre-eminent conductors of the twentieth century, while others cite Kleiber’s pursuit of uncompromising and ever further reaching artistic perfection as a possible suggestion to explain his famously small repertoire.

This article examines in detail Carlos Kleiber, his career and his repertory. Aspects of the problematic relationship with his father are considered alongside significant factors of personality, both of which had a profound impact on his work as a conductor. Incorporated into the article is an array of new source material on Kleiber, much of which is only available in German.

Resumo: Partindo-se da concepção de habilidades e competências, destaca-se que o maestro de coro pode ser analisado a partir de quatro categorias de competências: musical, vocal, pedagógica e administrativa. Neste artigo, explora-se a importância da competência vocal, qualificada e quantificada a partir da opinião de 187 cantores e 6 (seis) regentes de 7 (sete) dos principais coros da cidade de São Paulo. As conclusões reiteram a importância da competência vocal para o regente coral e implicações para a formação e a concepção deste profissional. Palavras-chave: regência coral, canto coral, habilidades e competências do regente.
The voice of maestro: does a choral conductor need to know how to sing? Abstract: Starting from a conception of abilities and competences, the paper detaches that choral conductor can be analyzes through four categories com competences: musical, vocal, pedagogical and managerial. In this work vocal competence is researched, qualified and quantified starting from the opinion of 187 singers and 6 (six) maestros of 7 (seven) of the main choir in São Paulo city, Brazil. The conclusions point out the importance of vocal competence for the choral conductor and some implications for this professional qualification and conception.

Este trabalho procura discutir a importância do conhecimento teórico e prático relativo à voz-especialmente, à voz cantada-no campo da regência coral. Embora se coloque como uma pergunta singela, a necessidade de registrar a opinião de maestros de reconhecida competência sobre o tema revelou-se como parte de uma pesquisa que busca a desconstruir certos mitos acerca da regência coral, ampliando a visão desta atividade a partir da propositura de que o maestro é um profissional cuja atividade exige uma rede de conhecimentos interdisciplinares, a qual, embora tenha como nó central a competência musical, constitui-se de outros saberes, tais como os vocais, os pedagógicos e os administrativos. A fim de quantificar e qualificar a opinião de maestros e coralistas sobre a importância da competência vocal para o regente coral, foram aplicados questionários totalmente estruturados a regentes e cantores de 7 (sete) coros da cidade de São Paulo-SP, sendo 6 (seis) grupos amadores e 1 (um) que pode ser considerado semi-profissional (seus cantores são músicos já graduados ou em formação). Segundo os procedimentos de coleta de dados, a pesquisa conjuga os caracteres de: estudo de casos múltiplos, definido por Yin (2001) como o estudo de diversos casos em que se analisa cada caso separadamente, mantendo-se unidades múltiplas de análise (o que não impedirá a obtenção de conclusões genéricas, atinentes a todos os coros, a partir dos resultados obtidos em cada caso); pesquisa de campo, já que pretendeu ir ao locus de seu objeto de estudo (a atividade coral) e colher, dentre seus agentes, os dados relevantes; pesquisa de opinião exploratória, técnica de pesquisa social que visou a fornecer uma visão de determinados agentes acerca do contexto organizacional no qual estão inseridos (GIL, 1995)-no caso, tais agentes são os regentes e coralistas. Quanto ao número de coralistas respondentes em cada coro, a tabela abaixo especifica os respectivos dados.

This paper considers the complex and multifarious art of orchestral conducting and in particular the intangible aspects of the conductor’s art, i.e. aspects above and beyond the use of gesture. This article is a survey and evaluation of written accounts of the art of conducting, and an analysis of the elements of which the art is comprised. The article is not intended to analyze how conductor actually conducts, so much as how others – orchestral musicians, conductors themselves, critics and observers – perceive he does.

The core of the conductor’s art is rooted in gesture – manual conducting gestures show fundamental technical information relating to tempo, dynamics and cues, as well as demonstrating musical expression and conveying an interpretation of the musical work. Body posture and language can communicate authority, leadership, confidence and inspiration. Physical gestures such as facial expressions can express a conductor’s mood and demeanor, as well as the emotional content of the music.

In addition to these modes of non-verbal communication, a conductor’s success is dependent on the relationship between himself and the orchestra – his ability to lead, inspire, enthuse, motivate and connect with the musicians he conducts. Charm, charisma and the power of personality are all contributing elements – defying scientific evaluation or explanation, this set of skills comprises a universally-acknowledged ‘X-Factor’ which underlines the art of orchestral conducting at the highest level.

Przedmiotem mojej pracy jest I Koncert fortepianowy d-moll op. 15 Johannesa Brahmsa. W pierwszym rozdziale przeprowadzam jego analizę i interpretację, koncentrując się na aspekcie roli fortepianu i orkiestry w procesie budowania narracji utworu. W rozdziale drugim przyjmuję perspektywę wykonawczą, zastanawiając się nad zadaniami dyrygenta i solisty we wspólnej pracy nad utworem. Następnie próbuję odnieść wyniki analizy relacji między fortepianem a orkiestrą do zadań, jakie mają w tym utworze dyrygent i solista. W ostatnim podrozdziale zamieszczam przemyślenia wybitnego dyrygenta, uznanego interpretatora muzyki Brahmsa, Profesora Tadeusza Strugały, jakimi podzielił się ze mną w przeprowadzonej na potrzeby pracy rozmowie.

Sergiu Celibidache, famous conductor of the second half of the twentieth century, dedicated his whole life to investigating the "univocal and uninterpretable relationship between man’s affective world and sound"; his goal was to found a science known as musical phenomenology.
Whereas the historical and biographical front has been researched quite fully, no systematic study of the primary sources yet exists: that is of the words, published or otherwise, spoken directly by the Romanian maestro himself. This essay aims to go some way towards filling this gap, and, to this end, all existing primary sources have been examined. Taking a hermeneutic approach, and based exclusively on those sources, it has been attempted to clarify what Celibidache meant when he spoke of ‘musical phenomenology’.

The purpose of this investigation was to examine subject response to music conducting motions simulated on a computer screen. Forty musicians and forty non-musicians responded to a point of light moving around a computer screen simulating the tip of a conductor’s baton. Subjects were asked to press a button every time they perceived a beat portrayed in the motions. The timing of subject responses to four modes of motion was recorded and analyzed.
In order to produce sound from their musical instruments, musicians must undergo a process that involves developing a mental image of the upcoming sound, creating an action program, and performing the chain of physical events that will culminate in the production of the desired sound. Even though it may last a mere fraction of a second, this process of anticipation is an essential component of music making. Whereas solo musicians anticipate the music rather freely, ensemble musicians must meet an essential requirement for obtaining satisfying musical results: they must play together. Since they also need to anticipate the music, then they must anticipate together in order to play together. This coordination is accomplished by way of visual information provided by the conductor.
In the present study it was hypothesized that speed and direction of conducting motions from any given beat to the next play an important role in the observers’ ability to anticipate and synchronize their motor activity. The experimental design allowed the author to examine visual perception of simulated conducting motions showing distinct motion behaviors, in isolation from actual sound and other sensory cues.
Results of this investigation indicate that both musicians and non-musicians respond with a high degree of uniformity to a type of conducting motion which resembles the motion produced by gravitational forces—accelerating going down, decelerating going up, following a parabolic trajectory when moving to either side. On the other hand, a motion which is inversely proportional to the motion produced by gravity yielded mixed results: non-musicians responded more uniformly than did musicians, as the latter were divided according to two distinct interpretations of where the beats occurred within the simulated conducting patterns.

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Peter Drucker previu que os negócios no futuro serão como uma sinfonia regida por um maestro que lidera diretamente centenas de cantores e instrumentistas. Para o pensador da gestão, as orquestras são típicos exemplos de organizações intensivas em conhecimento. Em artigo na Harvard Business Review, Mintzberg concordou, acrescentando que os músicos são trabalhadores liderados pela inspiração, e não pela supervisão.

A batuta é um símbolo da liderança. O maestro é a representação do chefe eficaz. Coros e orquestras são exemplos do trabalho em equipe, paradigmas da administração das relações humanas. Vivem em função da performance, de resultados de alto nível. Motivam pessoas para um trabalho técnico árduo e penoso, mas conseguem gerar prazer e beleza. Demandam estratégia e planejamento, dividindo tarefas e somando esforços. Cada voz canta uma melodia diversa, mas o resultado final é uma harmoniosa sinergia.

Essas figuras vivem na mente de muitos gestores, mas como será sua real feição? Descendo do pódio e revelando seu trabalho por trás dos palcos, um maestro e uma maestrina dialogam sobre esses temas e muitos outros: o regente como gerente, do gesto à gestão...
Management, maestro!

There is a relationship in the study of all movement disciplines such as conducting, martial arts, dance and sport athletics.  The theories of body motion and movement mechanics are applicable across the various disciplines.  A philosophical postulate is made to explore the mind body connections as applied to movement.  A comparison of movement concepts and actions is made using the Laban system of movement analysis, Dalcroze Eurhythmics, neuromuscular body mechanics, conducting and the martial arts.  The concepts of body movement techniques taken from the Yang style of the martial art T’ai Chi Ch’uan have validity in the exploration of the study for more efficient physical action.  Fundamental exercises to develop movement skills from T’ai Chi Ch’uan are applied to different aspects of conducting and basic coordination in order to enhance the effectiveness of conducting technique.  These exercises are described in the text and recorded on a videotape.

O presente trabalho visa a analisar como é que se dá, no dia a dia das atividades de regentes corais profissionais, a aplicação de habilidades de liderança e, principalmente, apontar como coralistas amadores avaliam seus maestros profissionnais em termos de habilidades de liderança e inteligência emocional. Para tanto, são re-elaboradas, como habilidades de liderança que formam a competência administrativa e organizacional dos maestros, as definições de Daniel Goleman apresentadas em dois de seus recentes artigos sobre liderança e inteligência emocional publicados na Harvard Business Review. Os atributos destacados por Goleman quanto à inteligência emocional e à inteligência emocional no trabalho geraram uma séries de habilidades, para cuja avaliação foram estudados casos de seis de coros de alto reconhecimento e/ou tradição no meio musical (cinco amadores e um profissional) sediados na cidade de São Paulo, capital. A metodologia adotada consistiu na aplicação de questionários totalmente estruturados a um total de 152 (cento e cinquenta e dois) coralistas. Ademais, complementando os questionários aplicados aos coralistas, foram entrevistados oralmente os maestros titulares dos respectivos coros. A pesquisa apontou que os regentes pesquisados detêm, segundo seus coralistas, alto desenvolvimento especialmente das habilidades: paixão e comprometimento; adaptabilidade; orientação para resultados; otimismo e iniciativa; orientação para demandas. Por outro lado, seu menor desenvolvimento se dá quanto às habilidades: autocontrole; autoconsciência; empatia; gestão de conflitos; autodireção. Palavras-chaves: inteligência emocional; liderança; maestro; organização do trabalho no canto coral. XXX ENCONTRO NACIONAL DE ENGENHARIA DE PRODUÇÃO Maturidade e desafios da Engenharia de Produção: competitividade das empresas, condições de trabalho, meio ambiente. São Carlos, SP, Brasil, 12 a15 de outubro de 2010.

At the premiere of Point Ones for small ensemble and augmented conductor (2012) by Alexander Schubert (1979-), I had a front row seat to Daan Janssens’ impressive performance as the augmented solo-conductor. There was an observable and palpable tension between the live electronics and live musicians, created both by Janssens’ performance and Schubert’s programming and composition. During the compelling solo-conductor’s cadenza, Janssens completely released control of the live musicians and freely explored the virtual realm afforded the conductor by the electronics.
In this paper, I will briefly explain Schubert’s score and my analysis thereof. The usage of the live electronics is considered as well as the balance that the conductor must maintain between the electronics and the live musicians. Comparable pieces are then reviewed. I will conclude this paper by determining that there are five detectable artistic and socio-economic criteria for utilizing a conductor in Point Ones.

Body movements and gestures that accompany singing have become potent tools in the teaching and learning of singing. However, the underlying psychomotor mechanisms responsible for the enhancement of vocal technique through the use of movements and gestures have not yet been examined in detail. This article therefore proposes an explanatory model, namely, the attentional focus effect, and links key assumptions and insights from motor learning and performance research about the effects of different attentional foci on motor skill performance with the practice of using movement while singing. Music-related studies on attentional focus effects have shown that an internal focus of attention on the vocal mechanism (or movement components of singing such as lip movements) does not actually enhance precision or overall performance. An external focus of attention, for example, on the sound produced, was found to have an optimizing influence on vocal performance. Thus, aiming at conceptual development, it will be argued that body movements and gestures promote an external focus of attention because vocalists coordinate, watch, and kinesthetically perceive their movements, which directs attention away from the movement components of singing. This external focus may result in the recruitment of automated control processes of voice production, less self-evaluation, and more effective performance in general.

In this video James Humberstone interviews conductor, composers and music educator Richard Gill, to provide a counterpoint to the ideas shared in the prior lectures in this module. While Gill does not believe that students shouldn't learn popular music at all, he believes that it is a little like chocolate - if you feed kids too much, they'll just get sick. This paper is a transcription of the video which is the 16th in the free online course.

The tuning of specific notes on wind instruments is problematic. This document looks the at basic tendencies of individual instrument tuning. It offers directors and individual students suggestions and insights. This includes a quantitative system for individuals to log their personal instrument's tuning, learn it's tendencies, and gives them insights on how to play more in tune throughout the range of their instrument.

Resumo: Apesar do consenso quanto à importância do estudo do piano na formação do regente, se observa no meio acadêmico brasileiro uma considerável divergência nas abordagens didáticas das disciplinas relacionadas ao ensino do instrumento. Outra problemática é a necessidade de adequação às mudanças de perfil de ingresso dos alunos. Através de pesquisa bibliográfica e análise documental, este artigo relaciona os pressupostos teóricos com aspectos gerais da experiência do curso de graduação em Música da Universidade do Estado do Amazonas. Concluiu-se ser possível se adequar de maneira mais efetiva a uma maior heterogeneidade de perfis de alunos ao ministrar os conteúdos de maneira eclética e flexível, considerando o piano como meio de desenvolvimento das competências musicais necessárias à regência. Palavras-chave: Piano; Regência; Formação acadêmica.

Abstract: Although agreeing on the importance of piano training for conductors, Brazilian universities display very different didactic approaches to the topic. Another problem is the necessity to adapt to the plurality of students' experiences prior to university. Through bibliographical research and the analysis of documents, this article relates the literature with general aspects observed in the practical experience of Amazonas State University piano department. The conclusion is being possible to propose a more flexible and eclectic approach to piano lessons when we consider keyboard training as auxiliary for the development of the skills necessary for conducting.

Vision serves a fundamental role in the human experience of musical performance. In conducting, this particular heuristic influences both expressive and coordinative aspects of musical activity. Ensemble conductors present a special case of musical gesture, as their activities are coordinative rather than directly sound-producing. While the influence of vision on evaluations of musical expressivity has been well studied, less attention has been paid to the temporal aspect of con-ductors' gestures. Given anecdotal observations of a flexibly congruent relationship between conductor gesture and ensemble response and the ability of entrainment to promote preference, we theorize that alterations to natural action-sound congruence in conductor-to-ensemble settings may influence evaluations of conductor quality. Naturalistic performance video of five conductors was left intact or adjusted to an audio-or video-lead condition by a percentage of each excerpt tempo (intact, +15%, +30%) and fully crossed into stimuli orders. Participants were asked to rate the quality of the conductor, the ensemble, and the performance overall using a Likert-type scale bound by "poor" and "excellent." Our results indicate that any offset, whether audio-or video-led, resulted in a lower level of conductor quality than intact, unaltered performance. While our effect size was small (Z p 2 ¼ .02), participant ratings reinforce the role of action-sound congruence on observers' perceptions and overall evaluation of conductors' activities.

This is a qualitative designed and conducted with two primary research aims, which were: 1) To study the life and experiences of symphonic orchestra conductors in Hanoi, Vietnam; 2) To study the inheritance process for conductors of the symphonic orchestra in Hanoi, Vietnam. The research area for this investigation was purposively selected as the Vietnam National Academy of Music in Hanoi. The investigation began in October 2012 and was concluded in January 2014. The two key informants for this investigation were expert conductors and teachers at the academy, Dr. Nguyễn Phúc Linh and Dr. Nguyễn Thiếu Hoa. Data was collected from a combination of document analysis and field research. Tools used for data collection included interviews, participant and non-participant observation and focus group discussions. Results show that both of the key informants for this investigation were born into families of artists and had a particularly close relationship with traditional folk art. Scholarships to study abroad at the Tchaikovsky University, Russia enabled them to learn from Russian conductors and they developed the skills that have now led them to be recognized as being among the most accomplished conductors in Vietnam. The process of instruction preferred by these two academics is taught in three steps: the preparation stage, the teaching stage and the assessment and evaluation stage. The benefits of studying with Dr. Nguyễn Phúc Linh and Dr. Nguyễn Thiếu Hoa are the cumulative experiences of international conducting practices and the high standards that the two academics possess and demand.

When making music with a choir consisting partly or entirely of amateur singers, the choral conductor must impart pedagogical information across a large group in order to achieve a clear vocal sound and encourage a healthy singing experience. Although it is not possible to give individual, specific feedback to each singer in the choral rehearsal, conductors may be able to influence singers’ breathing patterns through the utilization of rhythmical arm movements. Breathing patterns can be entrained by arm and body movements (Rassler and Raabe 2003), supporting a strong neural coupling between breathing and external temporal patterns (Ebert, Rassler, and Hefter 1999). However, scholars in the fields of singing and physiology have not yet adequately addressed the effect of conducting and arm movements in the regulation of breathing strategies during singing, and how this coordination could contribute to the adoption of healthy breathing strategies by untrained singers (Salomoni, Hoorn, and Hodges 2016).

The aim of this study is to examine the transmission of breathing patterns from conductor to singer using arm movements as a common rhythmical sensory input. The study explored this interaction through a singing task and subject response. Participants selected from a university music school were asked to sing a melody while unaccompanied, and along with recorded stimuli: 1) Metronome (after Ebert, Raßler, and Hefter 1999), 2) piano accompaniment, and 3) two videos of a conductor indicating tempo alone, and tempo with breath gestures. In a repetition of the task, subjects were asked to improvise rhythmic arm movements throughout (after Rassler and Raabe 2003).

In response to the stimuli, it was shown that singers felt the lowest confidence in preparation to sing during the metronomic beat task and felt most out of breath during the piano-accompanied performance. The rhythmic breathing patterns chosen by participants showed entrainment with patterns in the conducted video stimuli, and participants’ breathing patterns demonstrated a greater level of entrainment during the improvised arm movement segment. We believe this research can help inform choral conductors in their choice of breath-informed gestures utilized in both rehearsal and performance, and could provide conductors with a pedagogical tool for regulating breathing strategies when working with amateur singers.

This article discusses the function and position of the conductor in the long chain of communication from composer to audience. It is exemplified, how the conductor’s use of language and word-signs to express musical meaning can cause serious trouble, and a list of alternative – non-verbal – tools is provided and discussed.

A central part of the article examines, whether conducting is a universal language or an individually improvised choreography, and whether the gestures of a conductor can be taken at their face value – and in which respect. Dependent on design and timing, conducting gestures either represent a unambiguous sign system with a syntactic structure, or they will have to be interpreted by the executants before they transform the contained information into sound. In case of the latter it is discussed how and to which degree is the interpretation and transformation carried out.

An attempt is made not only to describe the unique features and aims of the conductor’s gestuality but also to list a hierarchy of musical parameters, which a conductor might desire to – and under certain circumstances indeed can – decisively influence.

In the course of this the nature and structure of the so-called ‘beat patterns’ found in educational material are analyzed in detail with the aim to determine, whether beat patterns provide the means needed for the control of musical parameters in real-time, and several traditional gestural “macros” and designs are put under critical scrutiny.

Conclusively the article shortly mentions on-going conducting research and points out, how apparently minor differences in gestural design can radically affect scientific results and twist crucial conclusions within this still ‘virginal’ field of research.

This paper departs from the analysis by Max Weber of the rationalization of music which seems to culminate in what is known by musicians as temperament. It advances approaching the development of modern orchestral conducting technique and its main elements as manifestations of the rationalization process in these specific musical practices. To do so, three videos of different conductors interpreting the first movement of Beethoven’s symphony no. 5 were analyzed. The analysis consisted of comparison between the chosen gestures and the sound responses obtained by the conductors. I intend to show that all three elements went through the rationalization process but in different levels. The right hand has the highest level of rationalization while the left hand and the facial-corporal expression have respectively lower levels of rationalization.

Conducting stands alone in the midst of musical
endeavors devoted to performance because it is
practiced in silence. While there are many technical
elements that contribute to a conductor’s performance
(eye contact, aural acuity, bearing, rehearsal skills,
theoretical and historical knowledge, for example), it is
the movement of hands, arms, and body though space
that serves as the central means by which conductors
convey musical expression to their musician
collaborators. With this understanding, it seems logical
that the art of conducting should be as
rmly rooted in
the art and science of human movement as it is in the art
of music.

The process of rehearsing and performing a choral piece involves numerous decisions by the conductor. One part of this decision-making is related to the sung text and includes aspects of diction that are not indicated by Western musical notation, for instance the exact instant of articulation of initial consonants. Although choices related to diction have consequences for elements such as clearness of enunciation, rhythmic precision, or intonation, only a few writings on choral conducting are explicit about them. This paper aims to discuss conductors’ choices concerning the instant of articulation of initial consonants in choral performances of works sung in German. It compares conductors’ theoretical suggestions with analyses of six recordings of Johann Sebastian Bach’s movement Trotz dem alten Drachen, BWV 227/5, and four recordings of Franz Schubert’s part-song An die Sonne, D439. Methods include analyses of writings on choral conducting, interviews with conductors, and analyses of recordings using the software programme Sonic Visualiser. Similarities are observed between the theoretical suggestions of conductors and the analysed recordings, however there are some striking differences, including conductors’ underestimations of the actual duration of consonants. Analyses of the recordings reveal that initial consonants are nearly always anticipated (i.e., articulated ahead of the beat to which they are assigned). Exceptions to this concern the plosive [kʰ] and the second consonant of a cluster on occasion. Analyses of recordings also point to the impact on timing anticipation due to the consonant’s surroundings and from the ability or otherwise for the sound of a consonant to be lengthened (i.e., its “lengthenability”). Evidence from the recordings is discussed in relation to conductors’ varying theoretical suggestions on the articulation of consonants, flagging up inconsistencies as well as considering practicalities, and providing insights for choral conductors into the nuances of consonant articulation with ramifications for conducting pedagogy and future research.