ABSTRACT
In the transitional period between 1800 and about 1850, there was no dominant model for the direction of musical performance, but rather a variety of practices involving three principal roles: leader (chef d’orchestre or Concertmeister), Musical Director (maitre de musique or Kapellmeister) and maestro al cembalo (accompanist or répétiteur). Their functions varied according to the type of music being played. For church music, according to Koch’s Lexikon (1802), the Kapellmeister should beat time throughout and give the singers their cue. For opera, Koch specified that the Kapellmeister should direct the singers and chorus and play the figured bass on his clavier, but should leave the instrumentalists to the care of the Concertmeister if the latter existed. 1 In performances of instrumental music, the lead more often rested with the principal string player. In very broad terms, orchestral players tended to follow the lead string player; opera singers looked to the maestro al cembalo or Musical Director for cues, but often set their own tempi, as did concert soloists; and choruses depended on visible (and sometimes audible) time-beating.
