ABSTRACT
On occasion, one can observe a whole orchestra section moving and playing in unison. In such an instance, all violinists play the melody using the same type of bowing movements and lean forward in unison at a given time during a specific passage in the music. Thus, not only do the musicians use very similar movements to produce the same notes but they sometimes also coordinate bodily sways or other movements with the other players. The musical gesture seems to manifest itself in both sound and movement. Whether we are watching as audience, or participating and interacting in the actual performance itself, we receive a considerable amount of gestural information. The aim of this chapter is to give examples of gestures that may be observed during performance, and to consider the kind of information they might convey, either to other performers or to the audience.
