Leonard Bernstein. Arthur Fielder. Michael Tilson Thomas. Marvin Hamlisch. Marin Alsop.

I always made sure I attend(ed) as many concerts led by these folks as I could. But, while I enjoyed their musical performances, I could never put my finger on exactly what made these folks such great musical leaders.

It turns out I’m not the only one. Sarah Lisette Platte set out to find what it is that makes for a dazzling conductor. Ms. Platte just earned her fourth master’s, this one from the MIT Media Lab (under the direction of Tod Machover, Musical America’s 2016 Composer of the Year).

Having studied the craft in college, she recognized that the methods of conducting were at best vague- and certainly intangible up to now. Her (musical) professor wanted his students to “feel the music”, and eschewed visuals or books when he trained nascent conductors. So, Platte sought out Machover and his program in an attempt to comprehend the “Maestro Myth”.

Modern conducting (that means using a baton and NOT leading by playing an instrument or singing the song being performed) began somewhere around 1820. Louis Spohr was a violinist (par excellence) and composer- he was among the first to use the baton and not his musical instrument to “run” the orchestra.

Platte approached the subject- the 200 or so year history of modern conducting- using physics and analogic (not symbolic) language. (You did recognize that this thesis was for an MIT degree, right?) She recognized that conductors effected their control via real-time communication and not with semiotic sign language (where there can be misunderstandings).

After all, the conductor leads the orchestra- or the choir. He (yes, it’s generally a male, but let’s not forget Marin Alsop as the exception to prove the rule) determines when the music starts, when it stops, what the tempo (this is called phrasing, when it include the dynamics of the music) should be- and every musical action in between.

Herman Scherchen, 100 years ago, noted that ’Conducting cannot be learnt; either one is born a conductor or one never becomes one.‘ There is no standard by which the art is taught, no method for systematic exercises. That still hasn’t really changed.

This year, Morten Schuldt-Jensen [What Is Conducting? Signs, Principles, and Problems. In: Sémiotique de la musique] provided a detailed analysis of beat patterns (that are found in various teaching books) and previous musical studies; he was attempting to make coherent observations from the conflicting arguments in the texts. Breaking down the gestures to their smallest parts, he wanted to produce a terminology and explanation of each component of the trajectory.

But, most conductors are still hard pressed to explain how and why they use the gestures they do. The conductor is a musician- but, that is one that does not produce his or her own sound.  Instead they function by using their body as an instrument, with gestures that convey the interpretation of the music to the orchestra (or choir) and thence to the audience. The audience thinks the gestures are mysterious and magical, but the musical professionals adhere their playing to those gestures. It may explain why most conductors have high self-esteem, higher developed executive function, and enjoy exerting their power.

Platte’s studies involved measuring the timing and pressure exertions from the same conductor. They tapped a beat while viewing three different conducting patterns. Platte then had violinists play some notes after viewing the same videos as the conductors (and measured the sound quality produced, in addition to the measurements of the conductors). There was no examination as to whether a conductors gestures were “right” or “wrong” (since that would be nigh impossible).

Platte found there was a direct correlation between gestures and the muscle-tension of the conductor- and the performance of the violinist. Every gesture led to a distinct sounding- and some gestures are more economical and effective than others. The more coherent the communication between conductor and musician, the better the musical interpretation and performance.

But, I think Scherchen was right on the mark. We may understand why certain gestures and motions work.

But, conductors are really born to provide us wonderful musical performances.